After a quiet night, Nozomi woke early the next morning to find that Lorelei was gone.
Only a note remained on the bedside table. It said she had something urgent to handle in the Sevii Islands and would be heading back there for now.
"…"
Nozomi stared at the note, feeling an odd sense of emptiness.
Why did it feel like he'd just been abandoned?
He shook his head, brushing off the thought. Lorelei had only gone back to the Sevii Islands—it wasn't as if she had disappeared without a word.
After washing up and getting dressed, Nozomi prepared to head to Silph Co.
He had an appointment with the company president that afternoon, and the time was fast approaching. For such an important meeting, he couldn't afford to leave a bad impression by being late.
The Silph Co. headquarters stood tall in the center of Saffron City, its gleaming tower reaching into the clouds. Just standing before it made one feel small and insignificant. Compared to the surrounding buildings, the difference was like that between a hobbit and a human.
"Tch… they're seriously rich," Nozomi muttered, glancing up at the skyscraper with a mix of awe and disbelief.
In the Pokémon world, constructing high-rise buildings was far more difficult than on Earth. On Earth, with enough technology, one could build as high as desired. But here, builders had to consider not just engineering limits, but also the Pokémon that lived in the skies.
According to research from the League's Flying Pokémon Research Association, more than half of all skyscrapers across the regions suffered over ten flying-type Pokémon attacks each year. Of the remaining half, seventy percent were attacked at least five times annually, and the rest faced varying numbers of incidents. There wasn't a single tall building that had never been attacked.
Scholars speculated that such attacks happened because tall structures invaded the natural airspace of flying Pokémon, who were extremely territorial and thus prone to retaliation. Moreover, the higher the building, the more frequent and severe the attacks.
That was why Nozomi thought Silph Co. must be unimaginably wealthy—the cost of maintaining such a structure each year must be astronomical.
"Good afternoon, sir. How may I help you?"
The receptionist at the front desk greeted him with a warm, professional smile. Her tone alone was pleasant enough to put anyone at ease.
"I have an appointment with the president," Nozomi replied.
"May I have your name, please?"
"Nozomi."
"Ah, Mr. Nozomi," she said, finding his name on the list. Her smile grew even brighter. "Please, follow me."
She led him to the elevator, and they rode it all the way to the top floor.
The president's office was spacious and tastefully decorated. As Nozomi entered, his eyes fell upon an elderly man sitting on the sofa, smiling kindly.
He recognized him immediately—after all, he had seen that face in newspapers countless times.
Upon seeing Nozomi, the president rose and approached him energetically. "Mr. Nozomi! Welcome to Silph Co.!"
The man's enthusiasm caught Nozomi slightly off guard.
Of course, it wasn't strange that the president knew who he was. Nozomi hadn't gone out of his way to conceal his identity, and anyone determined enough could easily find his photo. What surprised him was how genuinely warm the man seemed.
Still, after everything he'd been through, Nozomi had long mastered the art of composure. He smiled politely and replied, "Hello, President Silph. The honor is mine—I've heard much about your company."
"Haha, you flatter me. Please, have a seat."
They both sat down with polite formality.
As the guest, Nozomi spoke first. "If I may ask, President Silph, what was the reason for inviting me here today?"
Initially, Nozomi assumed the invitation was meant to express gratitude—after all, Silph Co. owed its recent safety to him. He had defeated Giovanni, destroying Team Rocket and ending the crisis that threatened the company. Perhaps the president simply wanted to thank him personally and establish friendly ties.
But after meeting him in person, Nozomi began to wonder if that was truly the case. The man's enthusiasm seemed far too intense for mere courtesy.
President Silph, unaware of Nozomi's doubts, smiled and said, "I invited you here mainly to thank you for what you did for our company. If not for you defeating Giovanni, Silph Co. would've been in grave danger."
He sighed with visible relief. When Lorelei had first told him that Team Rocket had rented a whole building right next to Silph Co.'s headquarters, he'd nearly had a heart attack.
With such a massive base right next door, it was impossible to believe Team Rocket didn't have its eyes on them.
Though Silph Co. was one of the largest corporations in both Kanto and Johto, it was no match for Team Rocket's ruthless power. If the organization had decided to strike, they would have been completely overrun.
It wasn't an exaggeration to say that Nozomi had saved Silph Co. If not for him defeating Giovanni and causing Team Rocket's collapse, the company might have been doomed.
"I only did what I needed to do," Nozomi said modestly. "Dealing with Giovanni was already my responsibility."
The president chuckled, clearly not taking his humility at face value. Regardless of what Nozomi said, everyone at Silph Co. knew that without him, their company would have suffered terribly long before the League could act.
Still, seeing that Nozomi preferred to stay humble, the old man didn't press the issue. Instead, he gestured to his assistant, who handed him a thin envelope.
President Silph offered it with both hands. "This is just a small token of our gratitude."
The envelope was slim—most likely containing a check or bank card.
Nozomi didn't stand on ceremony. With the wealth Silph Co. commanded, this was nothing more than a gesture, and refusing would have seemed pretentious.
He accepted it with a polite nod, and President Silph's smile brightened even further.
(End of Chapter)