Team Rocket's Second-in-Command!-Chapter 404: Team Rocket’s Second-in-Command! [] [100 PS]

Devon Corporation was now in a state of utter chaos.

On one hand, Silph Co. had just secured a major victory in the Pokémon Duel, successfully entering the Hoenn communications market and leaving Devon's products in tatters.

On the other hand, they had to dedicate substantial resources to mitigating the massive public backlash caused by their defeat in the duel.

And now, to make matters worse, Mauville Holdings—a company that had been bankrupt for years—had suddenly re-emerged, announcing plans for restructuring.

Even Mr. Stone, the seasoned president of Devon Corporation, was finding this situation exceptionally challenging.

"Don't stop the PR efforts regarding public opinion," Mr. Stone ordered. "Additionally, use our influence to block Mauville Holdings' restructuring plan at all costs!"

"What about Silph Co.'s holographic communicator?" a subordinate asked. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ

It was painful to see the company's carefully developed product repeatedly crushed in the marketplace.

"We lost the duel. Silph Co. entering the Hoenn market is now an established fact... The gap in technological prowess between our Pokémon Navigator and their holographic communicator is immense. Therefore, I've decided... to abandon the communications market."

Mr. Stone almost growled out the last sentence, his expression heavy yet resolute.

"President...!"

The subordinate was stunned.

He hadn't expected the president to completely give up on the communications market. Even though the holographic communicator was selling like hotcakes, the Pokémon Navigator still held a decent share of the market.

Abandoning it now would be equivalent to handing the entire communications market over to Silph Co. on a silver platter.

"I've made my decision," Mr. Stone stated firmly.

What the subordinate could figure out, Mr. Stone had obviously thought through long ago. But this was a necessary sacrifice.

Compared to the already solid foothold of Silph Co. in the Hoenn market, the potential resurrection of Mauville Holdings was a far greater threat.

No matter how strong Silph Co. was, they were outsiders.

Mauville Holdings, on the other hand, was different.

Having experienced the fierce competition between Mauville Holdings and Devon Corporation in the past, Mr. Stone knew exactly what kind of company Mauville Holdings was.

Their technological capabilities were on par with Devon's.

At their peak, Mauville Holdings had played a significant role in Hoenn's urban development and single-handedly provided over 60% of the region's energy supply.

If it weren't for their misstep years ago—investing nearly all their cash flow into the New Mauville Project—Mr. Stone wouldn't have been able to exploit their weakness and topple them. Devon Corporation wouldn't have achieved its current monopoly in Hoenn.

Thus, even at the cost of abandoning the communications market, Mr. Stone was determined to prevent Mauville Holdings from rising again.

Although the subordinate didn't fully understand Mr. Stone's reasoning, he was trusted by him for a reason—he was at least a competent executor.

Pushing his doubts aside, he nodded and said, "Understood!"

---

Luo Yuan was back at Team Rocket's Hoenn base, once again meeting Lusamine.

Dressed in an elegant white dress, Lusamine was seated in a chair.

Since Luo Yuan had suggested investing in Mauville Holdings to restart the New Mauville Project, Lusamine had used the resources of her foundation to gather information about Mauville Holdings and conduct in-depth research.

The findings revealed enormous potential profits.

As long as they could navigate the Hoenn League's regulations, secure ample funding, and leverage the Aether Foundation's years of experience in protecting and rescuing wild Pokémon, this project had a real chance of success.

"Trust me," Luo Yuan said. "If the Aether Foundation invests under the guise of promoting exchanges between the Alola and Hoenn regions, the Hoenn League won't obstruct it."

The timing—right after Alola's recent integration into the League—was an excellent opening.

Even for appearances' sake, the Hoenn League wouldn't interfere with the acquisition.

"But... Devon Corporation won't just stand idly by, will they?" Lusamine asked. She had done her homework thoroughly and understood the deep-seated enmity between Devon Corporation and Mauville Holdings.

At this, Luo Yuan chuckled. "Devon Corporation? They're barely managing their own mess... Besides, I've considered that. Before you arrived, I arranged a little 'distraction' for them. By my calculations, it should be happening... right about now."

With that, he pulled out a remote control and turned on the television.

On the screen, a news anchor was reporting the weather when she suddenly took a paper from off-camera. Her expression changed, and she said, "We interrupt this program with breaking news: Devon Corporation's headquarters in Rustboro City has just been attacked by Rayquaza!"

The footage cut to a shaky camera feed. With a deafening dragon roar, the clouds split apart, revealing Rayquaza's head. It descended and unleashed a Dragon Breath attack on Devon Corporation's headquarters below.

The attack obliterated the Devon logo atop the building, reducing it to rubble.

After shattering countless windows, Rayquaza soared away into the sky.

"Rayquaza attacked Devon Corporation's headquarters, causing structural damage to the building. Fortunately, no injuries have been reported," the anchor continued.

"According to insiders, Devon Corporation was involved in an attempt to capture Rayquaza years ago."

"At this time, it's unclear whether today's attack was related to those past actions."

In just a few sentences, the anchor shifted the narrative, implying that Devon Corporation's own actions had invited the attack—completely ignoring the fact that Rayquaza had long since been captured by the Tech Hunters.

As for why the anchor seemed so biased, it wasn't because of any personal grudge against Devon Corporation. The real reason was that, a month ago, the majority stake in that TV station had quietly been acquired by Team Rocket.

Lusamine turned her gaze to Luo Yuan after watching the news.

Such precise manipulation of events, flipping the narrative with a snap of his fingers—it could only be Luo Yuan's handiwork.

While Lusamine was marveling at his methods, back at Devon Corporation's headquarters, Mr. Stone was in his trashed office, still reeling from the attack.

Watching the news broadcast, he grabbed a pen holder from his desk and hurled it at the wall.

"FAKE NEWS! It's all FAKE NEWS!"

The capture attempt on Rayquaza had happened years ago. If Rayquaza were holding a grudge, it would have retaliated long ago—not waited until today!

---

...

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