A grand meeting hall.
This was, at that moment, the largest and most formal room in all of Team Heaven.
One after another, members began to enter through the doors. Some, upon seeing Rose, Karen, and the others, greeted them politely; others merely nodded; and a few walked with their heads held high, radiating arrogance, as if looking down on everyone present.
Those who displayed such haughtiness were not simple recruits. All of them were former remnants of Team Magma, Team Aqua, or the Hunter Guild — people who, believing they understood Team Heaven's internal workings, felt superior because they had once held positions of power within strong organizations.
Especially now, when Rose and her companions lacked the authority to keep them fully under control.
The hall could accommodate over forty people. Most of them were Officers at Quasi-Elite level, and only about a dozen had reached the Elite level, thus holding the title of Elite Officer.
By seniority, Skye, Alec, and Miyamoto —though they had not yet reached that level— were seated among the high-ranking members of the team. In fact, according to the arrangement of seats, they sat even farther forward than some of the new officers who had joined later.
The main seat, the one belonging to the supreme leader, remained empty. Rose had placed a slightly smaller chair beside it, where she herself sat.
"Miss Rose," said a middle-aged, red-haired man in a tone full of false courtesy, one leg crossed over the other as he rocked casually. "You summoned us so urgently... is something important happening? Lately we've all been quite busy. If there's nothing major, I'll be leaving early; we have missions to attend."
Although his words sounded respectful, his voice carried no respect at all. And as he spoke, several others nodded and muttered in agreement. Most of them were former Team Magma members, who under his leadership had formed a faction within Team Heaven that was completely beyond Rose's control.
Without a doubt, they were the most rebellious and difficult group to handle in the entire organization.
Suddenly— Boom!
Before Rose could respond, the red-haired man was hurled from his seat, crashing violently into the back wall.
"Who dares!?" someone immediately shouted. "Don't you know Pokémon use is forbidden during Team Heaven meetings!?"
Everyone reacted at once: they grabbed their Poké Balls and looked around cautiously. They knew very well that, before the power of Pokémon, human strength was insignificant.
The red-haired man's face was completely red; he couldn't move. It was as if an invisible hand was pinning him to the wall with crushing force.
Then, the hall doors opened once more.
Two figures entered.
At the front, a young man with a calm, cold gaze.
Behind him, a woman dressed in a black cloak, walking respectfully, her face hidden beneath a hood.
"Leader!" Rose exclaimed immediately, standing up along with the other veterans.
Many were seeing him for the first time, but upon hearing that title from Rose's lips, everyone understood: this was the enigmatic leader of Team Heaven — the man everyone had heard of, but whom almost no one had ever seen.
Murmurs of "Leader!" spread through the seats, though some —especially those who had supported the red-haired man— looked on with doubt and unease.
Cain —the leader they feared to acknowledge— walked unhurriedly to the main seat and sat down, his expression unreadable as he gazed at the man still pinned to the wall, barely able to breathe.
With a subtle motion of his mind, his psychic power loosened. The red-haired man fell to the ground, gasping desperately.
"Cough... cough... Damn it! So this is your leader? What a joke! I'm not afraid of that cheap act!" the man spat, staggering to his feet as he hurled three Poké Balls to the floor.
Three Pokémon emerged with roars, stirring a commotion among the crowd.
Cain frowned slightly and spoke in a calm voice: "Honchkrow. Weavile."
"Graah!"
"Weell!"
Two shadows shot out from the corners of the room. In mere seconds, the red-haired man's three Pokémon were struck down with humiliating ease.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Silence fell like a weight over the hall.
The man froze, feeling Weavile's sharp claw brush against his neck. A chill ran down his entire body as he finally understood how vast the difference in power was.
"With strength that weak... who allowed you to bark in my presence?" Cain said coldly, turning his gaze toward two men seated near the side of the table. "Was it you? Or you?"
Both paled instantly, sweat pouring down their foreheads. They didn't know how to respond.
Rose, who had been observing quietly, understood the situation perfectly. Those three had plotted everything. The red-haired man had merely been the fool sent forward to provoke; the other two were the true masterminds behind the attempted insurrection.
"L-Leader... w-we didn't mean to..." one stammered, trembling.
Until that moment, they had believed the leader's chair was just a decoration — an empty symbol. They had never imagined the true boss would appear in person, let alone one with such overwhelming power.
Cain didn't answer. He simply glanced at Rose.
She understood immediately, took out a notebook, and began to read a list of names — those who had betrayed, disobeyed, or shown signs of rebellion. None were omitted.
The faces of those named turned deathly pale.
Cain then spoke, calmly yet with a chilling authority: "All those not named — after this meeting, go with Rose to receive your reward. Those who were named... I will forget what happened. You may stay, as long as from this day forward you serve faithfully. Of course... except for you three."
A wave of relief spread through the room. Many sighed quietly; others — especially the three rebels — froze, realizing what that meant.
"Enough!" shouted one of them, the only one still with a shred of courage. "Even if you're strong, you're still just one man! If we unite, we can take control of Team Heaven! Do you really want to be slaves forever?"
Cain smiled, unbothered. Then he turned to the black-cloaked figure behind him. "Take care of them."
"Yes, my lord," she replied coldly.
Then, she slowly lowered her hood.
Several jaws dropped open.
"Executive Shelly?!"
"Miss Shelly!"
"No way... the Shelly from Team Aqua?! She joined Team Heaven too?!"
Shock rippled through the hall.
The appearance of Shelly —former Executive of Team Aqua— provoked an even deeper fear than the power Cain had just displayed. The rebels turned ghostly pale.
Shelly, the feared right hand of Archie... now serving under Cain?
The message was clear: this man had managed to subdue even the most formidable.
Shelly stepped forward, releasing her Poké Balls. Her eyes showed no trace of mercy. As she dealt with the traitors, Cain remained calmly seated.
And though no one knew it, at that very moment he was marking everyone present —except his oldest followers— with his psychic power, planting within their minds a seed of absolute control.
From that moment on, no one would be able to betray him.
However, those who had not been named received as a reward one of the executed traitors' Elite-level Pokémon. Cain's generosity stunned everyone; he did not only punish — he also knew how to reward.
With Shelly's addition, Team Heaven —which had until recently been a divided, chaotic organization— became completely stabilized.
Once again, Cain was the kind of leader who commanded without needing to lift a finger. And from that day forward, no one within Team Heaven ever dared doubt their mysterious and fearsome leader again.
(End of Chapter)