Figurehead Commander

The news that Ye Li had been appointed head of the new department hit Team Rocket like a depth charge, sending the organization into an uproar.

He now had an office of his own.

It was enormous, bigger than all the cubicles in the Clerical Area where he used to work put together.

Huge floor-to-ceiling windows, soft carpeting, and a solid wood desk big enough for three people to lie down and sleep on.

Many officers could work their entire lives without ever receiving such treatment.

But Ye Li could not feel happy about it at all.

Sitting in that spacious, plush executive chair, he felt as though nails covered the seat beneath him, leaving him uncomfortable all over.

He knew this was no reward.

This was Giovanni's new way of holding him over the fire.

The Strategic Development Department.

The name sounded imposing, suggesting boundless authority.

In reality, however, the entire department, from its director to its staff, consisted of him alone.

An empty shell in every sense.

He had become a commander without any troops.

Without even leaving his office, Ye Li could feel countless pairs of eyes staring gleefully at him through the walls.

They were all waiting to see his next move.

Waiting to see how this clerk, who had risen through a "despicable" victory, would make a fool of himself in his new position.

Ye Li understood Giovanni's intent.

He was forcing his hand.

Forcing him to recruit his own people and build a team entirely his own.

Giovanni had given him authority, but no people to carry it out.

He would have to find those people himself.

Inwardly, Ye Li groaned without end.

Dealing with people was what he was worst at.

Go buddy up with those unruly combat personnel and win them over?

He would rather challenge a Snorlax to an eating contest.

[I'm dead this time.]

Ye Li slumped in his chair, feeling that his life had turned utterly bleak.

[That old fox Giovanni really has mastered the art of ruling.]

[This is an overt scheme, a completely blatant one.]

[He knows I could never win over battle maniacs like Apollo, so the only people left for me to approach are those who have been marginalized within the organization, just like me.]

[He's using me to bring together all the organization's "unconventional" forces.]

[In the end, that force will be mine in name, but in reality, it'll still belong to Giovanni.]

The more Ye Li thought about it, the more alarmed he became.

Every move Giovanni made seemed to account for the next hundred.

Before him, Ye Li was like a chess piece being moved around, without even room to struggle.

Complaints aside, he still had to move forward.

He began mentally taking stock of who in the organization he might be able to win over.

Combat personnel were definitely out.

Those muscleheads believed in fists and looked down on a "technical type" like him.

That left him with few options.

Some indistinct figures began to surface in his mind.

Clerical personnel who, like him, lacked powerful combat abilities but excelled in certain specialized fields.

For instance, the mechanic who could dismantle a scrapped Poké Ball and turn it into a listening device.

Or the computer technician obsessed with the internet, who could supposedly hack into the Pokémon League's database.

Or the researchers at the Breeding Base, who spent all day working with Pokémon Eggs and knew genetics inside out.

In an organization like Team Rocket, which revered military might, these people had always occupied the lowest rung, with no path to promotion and no recognition.

But Ye Li knew they were the future.

A clear plan gradually took shape in his mind.

[I can't recruit people the traditional way.]

[I'm going to hold an "internal recruitment" drive.]

[Strength, seniority, and combat experience won't matter.]

[Only professional skills.]

[I'll establish a completely new set of technical assessment standards and dig out all these overlooked technical talents!]

[Then I'll offer hefty project bonuses. Anyone who can complete the technical assignments I set will rake in the money!]

[I'll use technology and rewards to bind the hearts of these tech geeks to the Strategic Development Department's ship!]

The more Ye Li thought, the more excited he became. He could almost see a unique technical force made up of all kinds of "eccentric geniuses."

Inside Giovanni's office.

He was watching Ye Li's every move in his new office through a concealed surveillance camera.

He took in every change in Ye Li's expression, from despair to struggle, and finally to the light kindling in his eyes.

And, of course, the complete "internal recruitment" plan in his mind.

A satisfied smile curved Giovanni's lips.

This was precisely the result he wanted.

He wanted to force Ye Li down a path completely different from that of Team Rocket's traditional factions.

He was happy to see Ye Li cultivate a new force within Team Rocket, one wholly loyal to Ye Li and taking orders from him alone.

This new force would act like a sharp scalpel, helping Giovanni cut away the muscles and bones within the organization that had already begun to stiffen.

He picked up the internal communicator and contacted the Personnel Department.

"Pass this down."

His voice was steady and forceful.

"Give Ye Li, director of the Strategic Development Department, your full cooperation in recruiting personnel internally."

"Whoever he wants, give them to him."

"Whatever resources he wants, give them to him."

"There must be no mistakes."