Team Galactic

"I've pretty much learned the basics of making Poffins."

"It's time to think about what comes next."

After a few days of cooking classes, Bai Shi could just about make Poffins his Pokémon were willing to swallow.

Their taste and effects were nowhere near those of store-bought Poffins.

Still, Bai Shi had made them with his own hands.

Even if they tasted only so-so, they gave him an extraordinary sense of satisfaction.

Now that Bai Shi knew how to make them, all he lacked was practice.

The more Poffins he made, the sooner he would produce ones that tasted better.

To pin down the timeline and avoid missing the Double Battle Tournament in Hearthome City, Bai Shi made one more stop before leaving.

He rented a computer and browsed the news online again.

"The Pokémon Contest in Floaroma Town concluded successfully! Dawn, a rookie Trainer from Twinleaf Town, defeated every other contestant to claim first place!"

"Thieves recently broke into the history museum in Eterna City. The Adamant Orb housed there was nearly stolen!"

"An unstoppable Garchomp! Champion Cynthia defeated Elite Four member Wutong, defending her title once again!"

Among the many articles, one crucial detail caught Bai Shi's eye.

The Adamant Orb mentioned in one report was closely linked to the Legendary Pokémon Dialga.

With the Adamant Orb and a special method, Dialga could be summoned.

Bai Shi clearly remembered a villainous organization in the Sinnoh Region called Team Galactic.

Led by Cyrus, its goal was to control Dialga and Palkia and create a new world.

He would bet anything that Team Galactic had been behind the attempted theft of the Adamant Orb.

Team Galactic needed the Adamant Jewel to summon Dialga.

Even though its attempt to seize the Adamant Orb had failed, Team Galactic would try again.

It would keep trying until the Adamant Orb was in its hands.

"I know what Team Galactic wants, but what can I do about it?"

Bai Shi rested his chin on his hand, lost in thought.

Team Galactic was at least as powerful as Hunter J, if not more so.

At his current strength, taking on Hunter J would be like smashing an egg against a rock.

Team Galactic was even further beyond him.

Later in the story, the two forces would even join hands.

On his own, Bai Shi could get himself killed a hundred times over and still not stand a chance against them.

To Bai Shi, Hunter J and Team Galactic were cut from the same cloth—blights on the Pokémon world.

One unlucky encounter with either of them could drag him into trouble.

The Tauros hunting incident was a perfect example.

He had been enjoying a peaceful bike ride when they had pointed a gun at him.

Worse, they had threatened to make him leave his bicycle behind.

Didn't they know he had only just gotten it?

It was infuriating!

The thought made Bai Shi's blood boil. He swore he would never forgive them.

And since Team Galactic would eventually work with J, Bai Shi held a grudge against it too.

If he could make both sides suffer without putting himself in danger, he would be delighted.

"So is there any way I can make trouble for them?"

Bai Shi pressed two fingers to his temple and racked his brain.

Hunter J moved unpredictably, and he could barely remember her part in the story, making her difficult to target.

But Bai Shi knew what Team Galactic intended to do.

He even remembered some of its plans from the anime.

Perhaps one of them offered him an opening.

Of course, the gap in strength between him and Team Galactic was enormous.

Bai Shi had no intention of confronting it head-on.

He would rather stay in the shadows and deal it a dirty blow.

"Cyrus, Team Galactic's leader, hasn't been exposed yet. He's still operating openly in the Sinnoh Region as a businessman."

"I could write a tip-off letter and warn the Pokémon League."

"Even if it doesn't stop Team Galactic, it might make life difficult for them."

The more Bai Shi thought about it, the better the idea seemed.

He immediately typed up a tip-off and sent it anonymously to the email address listed on the Pokémon League's official website.

In the letter, he exposed Team Galactic's existence and Cyrus's true identity, then laid out its goals in detail.

If the letter caught the Pokémon League's attention, it could cause Team Galactic plenty of trouble.

At the very least, once Cyrus's identity was exposed, he could no longer live as comfortably as before.

The only risk was that it might disrupt the original course of events.

Then Bai Shi would lose the advantage of knowing what was coming.

But... who cared?

Right now, Bai Shi wanted nothing more than to bring Team Galactic down.

If he had not forgotten Hunter J's part in the story, he would have gone after J too.

Even if his actions might have serious, unpredictable consequences, Cynthia and the others could handle a catastrophe.

At worst, he would buy a plane ticket that night and flee to another region.

He could come back once the League had dealt with Team Galactic.

He had enough money for a plane ticket, at least.

Besides, Bai Shi did not believe Team Galactic was that powerful.

If it were, why would it need Dialga?

It would have overthrown the Pokémon League and taken over the Sinnoh Region long ago.

When it came down to it, the organization could not operate in the open.

It could only push around weak Trainers like Bai Shi.

"I've done what I can. The rest is up to the Pokémon League."

"If the League doesn't receive that letter, or doesn't take it seriously, there's nothing else I can do."

"If Team Galactic gets away with it, then the bastards are just lucky."

Bai Shi's eyes darkened. He shut down the computer, his enthusiasm gone.

In the end, he was too weak to do more than plot in secret and rely on the League to deal with Team Galactic.

If he had Cynthia's strength, none of this would be necessary.

He could march straight in and take them all down.

"That's enough planning against Team Galactic for now. I'll see what happens next."

"My main goal is still the Double Battle Tournament in Hearthome City."

The news had told Bai Shi that Dawn had won the Floaroma Contest.

Combined with the recent report of the attempted theft at the museum in Eterna City, that gave him a strong hunch that Ash and the others had been involved.

If Ash and his companions had reached Eterna City, they would surely challenge its Gym.

After that, they would hardly pass up nearby Hearthome City, which also had a Gym.

By Bai Shi's reckoning, Ash and the others should already be on their way there.

If he went to Hearthome City, he could meet up with them.

So Bai Shi wasted no more time. He left town and hurried toward Hearthome City.