The raid, taken as a whole, counted as a failure.
They had smashed this base and killed no few Team Rocket members, but none of that was of much use.
It achieved nothing. It did not even amount to letting off steam.
"Get down there and sort through it. Take anything useful. After this we can't stay in Dark City."
Auberon swept a hand and sent his people down to go through the stores.
Going by the way Team Rocket did things, a reprisal was certain, and with the boy having got away on top of it, the force behind their next counter-stroke was bound to be very great.
While they were gathering the stores, Delaney and his party, some way off, still had not stirred.
Even Chief Investigator Ellery did not dare go forward.
He knew his own measure. Mix into a fight like that and he would certainly die. Now that the fight was over it was still not the moment to go forward; all he could do was stay where he was and wait for his chance, and for the League's people to come.
He had sent for support long since. It should not be much longer.
There was something odd in Delaney's face. He looked at him, and then off at Auberon in the distance. By the look of it, something had gone wrong.
The arrangement made with Auberon beforehand, to lie in wait and kill Ellery, would have to be suspended, and they would see how matters went from here.
It was what Auberon had settled with him earlier: that while Team Rocket was being dealt with, this Ellery would be dealt with along with them; but if anything went wrong, if he did not come or was held up, the action was to be shelved.
At the same time Delaney let out a breath. Better not to have to. The thing had put him under enormous strain.
Wait for the League's strong ones to arrive, and see whether there was a turn to be had.
If he moved now there would truly be no going back; as for the "credit" the man had spoken of, he would rather do without it. This was not something he could be mixed up in.
A man eats according to what he is fit for. That much self-knowledge he did have, and this was far, far beyond him.
Elsewhere, Vance and the Alakazam appeared together.
He looked back, found nobody in pursuit, and only then let himself relax.
Vance gave a small laugh. Today's business counted as one of his few defeats, and it was the first time he had faced a Near-Champion Pokémon.
"Thank you, Alakazam. Without you this time, it might have gone very badly for me."
Vance gave the Alakazam his thanks. Without its help he could not have held the first wave and might have died on the spot, like the members at those bases who had lost their lives in the pitch dark.
"There's no need for that."
The Alakazam shook its head a little. If its own strength had allowed it, they would not have been the ones withdrawing this time.
"It came out of nowhere. I can't make sense of it. Dark City isn't a strategic city, and there aren't many Pokémon resources here either. How did they come with that much strength? If my own strength hadn't grown so much lately, I'd have been in danger."
Vance said it in surprise, unable to reason it out.
Going to all that trouble seemed to have very little point in it. Could it simply be letting off steam and making a show of force?
An able administrator would not do such a thing.
Vance could not work it out. He steadied himself where he was for a moment, and then set off with the Alakazam in the direction of Viridian City.
The Dark City business was past his handling now. He would go back to headquarters and see what came of it from there.
Vance had not forgotten that he was no lone fighter and did not have to shoulder everything himself. He had backing of his own.
So back he went. There was nothing to be said about it — back to headquarters to shake some people loose.
If he could not settle it, somebody could.
Travel-stained and weary, Vance came to the outskirts of Viridian City, and by a special passage into Team Rocket's headquarters.
"Miss Matori. I request an audience with the Boss."
On Giovanni's floor he had run into Matori with an armful of files.
"Oh. It's you."
Matori remembered this utterly unremarkable-looking man too. The last time she went to Dark City he had given her a strange look, and looked at her feet as well.
Seeing the travel-worn state of him, Matori's face stayed cool. "What business is it that needs the Boss? If it's some small, simple matter, tell it to me and there'll be no need to trouble him. He handles ten thousand affairs a day and can't be disturbed at will."
Vance reported directly to Giovanni, but the person he actually dealt with was sometimes Matori and only sometimes Giovanni himself.
Her manner was not making things hard for him. Taking the load off her superior was part of her duty as an assistant.
"It's serious. The Dark City branch has been wiped out again."
Vance explained.
"What? The Dark City branch has been wiped out again?"
Matori said it in shock. How long had it even been? The Dark City branch had been wiped out once already a few months back, by the Godbeast Gang.
And they had paid it back afterwards and destroyed the Godbeast Gang's strength there. After all that, how could it have been wiped out again?
The League's side was hardly likely; there had been no word of anything.
Could it be that this Branch Chief simply was not able enough, and had let some other force wipe it out?
But in the Kanto region, after the League, Team Rocket was the strongest thing there was. To be wiped out by a few small powers would be useless beyond words.
Matori looked at him with suspicion.
"Yes. And the ones who did it were the Godbeast Gang again."
Vance said it gravely.
"The Godbeast Gang? How dared they? Didn't we hurt them enough last time? And why didn't you call for support?"
"We did. It simply wouldn't go out. Now — take me to the Boss. I have to report to him. If you're interested, you can sit in."
Vance said it plainly, to save explaining twice.
"Come with me."
Matori knew well enough where the line lay, and took him to Giovanni at once.
Giovanni's office was as it had been the last time he came, plain and severe.
Giovanni seemed a little busy. He had not so much as stroked the Persian on the floor, but left it to lie there idly, yawning.
"Boss. I have failed your expectations. The Dark City branch has been wiped out a second time."
Vance made his report as soon as he was through the door.
Giovanni's signing hand paused. He looked up, gave him one glance out of those deep eyes, and went on writing.
"Go on."
Giovanni's voice came, low and heavy.
"The Godbeast Gang. What came this time was one Near-Champion Pokémon, six Elite-Four-class Pokémon and getting on for a hundred of other grades. They began closing in the day before yesterday..."
Vance set the whole business out clearly and briefly, and had it reported in under a minute.
"The Godbeast Gang... what became of those three?"
That question made Vance realise what standing the trio had. In this ruthless man's mind it was not a low one.
"They should be all right. When it happened I stepped in and shielded them and had them leave first. What became of them afterwards, I don't know."
Vance said it truthfully. In a situation like that he had done what he could; what happened after it he genuinely did not know.
Giovanni gave him a long look, and spoke.
"You have had a hard time of it. The loss of the base this time is not your doing."
By his own account the attackers had a Champion-class existence among them. In that, being able to look after himself at all was no small thing.
He was a Trainer himself and knew what that gap meant, so of course he laid no blame.
He had not seen him in some days, and the Viridian Power in him had come on a great deal again. It was at the Advanced stage now.
As for the rest of it — whether what he said was true, how he had got out of that man's hands — Giovanni asked none of it, and simply chose to believe him.
With his own breadth of view he could make the right choice. Giovanni was quite confident of it. Team Rocket was a good platform to stand on.
Vance gave a slight bow, grateful for his Boss's trust.