The next day.
After spending the night at the Team Rocket base, Xia Yan left the Black Market.
"I didn't expect Boss Giovanni's preparations to be so thorough."
Xia Yan looked up at the rising sun and clicked his tongue inwardly.
"But that makes sense. Otherwise, there would've been no need to call me to Ecruteak City."
Yesterday.
After defeating Athena, although she still treated Xia Yan coolly, she no longer hid anything when answering his questions.
And from Athena, Xia Yan learned something.
Team Rocket had actually noticed a group of suspicious people approaching Ecruteak City long ago. Otherwise, Athena's true territory was Lake of Rage, north of Mahogany Town, not Ecruteak City.
"So this operation has become a joint operation between the Pokémon League and Team Rocket?"
Thinking of this, Xia Yan could not help but chuckle.
He was one of the Pokémon League's Elite Four and held Agatha's "Elite Four Summoning Order," allowing him to represent the Pokémon League.
At the same time, Athena and he could represent Team Rocket.
Didn't that make it a joint operation between the Pokémon League and Team Rocket?
"But what does Boss Giovanni want? It can't simply be that outsiders entered his territory and annoyed him, can it?"
Team Rocket did not meddle that much. If anyone should have been unhappy, it should have been the Pokémon League first.
"Tsk. Intriguing."
But it was precisely because of the intelligence Athena provided that Xia Yan did not have to wander around Ecruteak City like a headless fly without any leads.
His personal strength had grown.
But when facing an increasing number of enemies, no matter how strong he was, it was useless if he could not find them.
Today.
Was the day Ecruteak City's "Burning Festival" began.
As Xia Yan walked down