....
"Hunter N?"
Giovanni's voice was strong but not dry, carrying an impressive, almost arrogant boss-like attitude.
Natsu managed to hide his surprise when he heard it.
The fact that Mr. Z could directly reach Giovanni, even just with a phone call, meant their relationship was much closer than Natsu and Miss Q had imagined.
Let's just say, the Hunter's Guild rules state that hunters worldwide are only allowed to have trade partnerships with local forces, nothing more. From Natsu's point of view, this rule was just a way to fool themselves.
Like the Hunter's Guild in the Kanto Region, if you don't work with Team Rocket, you can't really do business safely.
Besides Team Rocket, who else could be involved in so much shady stuff?
In the Hoenn and Sinnoh Regions, when Team Magma or Aqua and Team Galactic's power wasn't public, trade collaborations were definitely enough.
But in the Kanto and Johto Regions, if you only wanted to do trade, Team Rocket was too much of a hassle, and Giovanni even more so.
Natsu sighed, trying to calm himself down.
Holding the phone in one hand, he nodded and said, "It's me."
Giovanni's voice didn't change as he replied, "Z said you want to work with me?"
Natsu and Miss Q had originally planned to work with Mr. Z.
After all, geographically, Mr. Z in Kanto and Ritchie in Johto were supposed to be the two most conflicting parties.
Before, the top brass of the Hunter's Guild didn't interfere with each other.
Even though Ritchie's appearance shook up the current Hunter's Guild, it had little impact on the very top.
At most, the person in charge of the Johto Region had changed.
Although they also knew Ritchie had big ambitions, no one wanted to be the first casualty. These people were all selfish.
Otherwise, with Ritchie's strength, even if she was stronger than any of them, she wouldn't have been able to smoothly take the top seat.
The Hunter's Guild is a loose organization, which is evident not just among the lower-ranked members, but also at the top.
One person is in charge of one region, and non-interference is the best proof of that.
But after Miss Q was attacked last time, and Ritchie was pulling the strings, things got personal.
So, Miss Q was the first to make a move herself.
Therefore, if you want to deal with Ritchie, trying to team up with others is undoubtedly the best option.
That's why he first targeted Mr. Z.
Mr. Z's position was vulnerable because he and Ritchie were the most contradictory and irreconcilable.
Of course.
Their main goal was to use Mr. Z as a stepping stone to try and reach Team Rocket.
Basically, Ritchie's biggest support right now was Team Rocket.
Natsu knew that Team Rocket and Ritchie were just partners.
Not only were he and Lance being played, but Team Rocket was also being used.
Let's just say, why was Team Rocket being exploited but still had a close relationship with Ritchie?
It was clear to Natsu.
There are no internal enemies, only external benefits.
And he had indeed prepared some mutually beneficial conditions.
There was no way Team Rocket would choose between them and Ritchie.
If Natsu were Giovanni, watching a group of people from the Hunter's Guild fight among themselves would be the best way to profit from both sides.
Even, if the timing was right, it wouldn't be impossible to eventually bring the Hunter's Guild under his command.
Given Mr. Z and Giovanni's current relationship, maybe Giovanni had already made his move.
But what Natsu and Miss Q wanted was for Team Rocket not to help either side.
That's it.
Though some intermediate steps were now skipped because of Mr. Z's actions.
Now Natsu was dealing directly with Giovanni.
However, this only sped up the plan; it didn't change its direction.
"Yes," Natsu admitted directly.
He heard a small laugh from Giovanni. "Tell me about it."
"We can offer a lot of Alola Region Pokémon."
This was one of Natsu's bargaining chips.
What's the Hunter's Guild's biggest use? For Team Rocket, it's basically supplying Pokémon.
Alola Region Pokémon are undoubtedly the rarest on the market right now.
The Hunter's Guild branch Natsu set up in the Alola Region, though just starting, will soon be able to produce a huge number of Pokémon with the support of the Aether Foundation.
But Giovanni just waved his hand.
"We at Team Rocket have our own channels."
Natsu's expression didn't change, but he continued, "No, those channels will be gone soon."
The other two who became joint hunter seats with Natsu naturally saw the big benefits of the Alola Region and set up Hunter's Guild branches on their respective islands.
But there was one thing they couldn't compare to Natsu on.
That is, Natsu not only had the Aether Foundation's support to some extent, but he could also exert certain influence through Agatha's connections in the Alliance.
With help from both legal and illegal sides, Natsu saying those channels wouldn't be available meant he'd make sure of it.
Not only would it help Lusamine achieve her goal of promoting Alola Pokémon, but it would also help the Alliance stabilize the market, help Miss Q team up with Team Rocket, and make money for himself.
This was killing four birds with one stone.
Listening to Natsu's firm words, Giovanni didn't speak again, just kept stroking the Persian beside him with his palm.
Natsu also stayed quiet.
Even through the screen, Giovanni, the undisputed boss of the Pokémon world's underworld, put too much pressure on him.
The Alliance would at least maintain its integrity and wouldn't mess everything up.
But if it annoyed Team Rocket, that was the real problem.
"Hahahaha—Interesting."
Instead of getting angry, Giovanni burst out laughing.
When it came to charisma, it was incredibly hard to grasp, Natsu had to admit.
"Okay, that's part of your chips." Giovanni continued, but his tone gradually became a little more serious, and he said word by word, "But it's not enough."
Alola Region Pokémon were indeed attractive.
That didn't mean they were a necessity.
Natsu certainly knew that.
But what he said next even surprised Mr. Z, who was standing there stifling yawns.
"I can provide Groudon fragments."
Groudon.
Last time Team Rocket sent the Hunter's Guild to clear the island, Kyogre was dormant and hidden. Presumably, they had already obtained a part of Kyogre.
But Groudon's?
Perhaps besides Maxie, who was missing from Team Magma, only Natsu had it.
Not long ago, Drake and the others were present at the battle between Kyogre and Groudon.
No matter how strong Team Rocket was, their influence in the Hoenn Region wouldn't be so widespread, and even less likely right under Drake's nose.
Giovanni was also a little surprised, but his surprise wasn't that obvious; he just said lightly, "Looks like you know a lot."
Natsu smirked. "It's not too hard to get this news through a few clues."
Whether it was the Psychic Type Pokémon escaping during the Saffron City period, or the search for Kyogre, or the explosion of the Alliance's Gene Lab, they were all the best proof.
And.
Giovanni's words also changed.
"These are good conditions, and I also see your sincerity." The indifferent Giovanni nodded slightly. "But it's still not enough."
Hearing this, Natsu frowned, He didn't doubt the truth of Giovanni's words.
A man like Giovanni doesn't lie about something important.
It showed that the benefits Ritchie could bring to Giovanni were even greater.
But what kind of interest could actually compare to Groudon fragments?
Team Rocket was currently specializing in studying Mewtwo, collecting gene fragments from various Pokémon. As fragments of the ancient Divine Beast Groudon, they were clearly very important material.
Natsu was silent.
Giovanni didn't speak, just quietly stroked Persian, waiting for Natsu to offer him a higher chip.
Natsu smiled helplessly and rubbed his forehead.
After thinking for a moment, he slowly said, "What if I said I can provide gene fragments suspected to be of the 'God of Light'?"
For the first time.
This was the first time since the conversation began that Giovanni stopped stroking Persian.
It was enough to see how shocked Giovanni was by this news from Natsu.
Don't just look at him stopping what he was doing.
But for the usually calm Giovanni, this was already a loss of self-control.
The God of Light?
Mr. Z on the other side also seemed to sense Giovanni's loss of self-control, his eyes lost their drowsiness, but he frowned slightly.
Because in his memory, there was absolutely no information about the "God of Light"
This was beyond his common sense.
Be warned.
He was the Chief-In-Charge of the Kanto Region Hunter's Guild, the highest seat of the Hunter's Guild, and one of the people who had the most contact with Pokémon and all kinds of Pokémon information. Was there anything he didn't know?
And it depended.
Giovanni and Natsu seemed to know.
This was the biggest trump card Natsu had negotiated with Giovanni.
He knew that Giovanni had a mission for the "God of Light, Necrozma, which brought light to the Alola Region.
In the original story, Team Rocket's Elite team was sent to the Alola Region to try and understand.
And Natsu's confidence came from the black Spar that Tapu Bulu gave him to keep.
He was still unsure if it was something from Necrozma.
But since it could make Tapu Bulu treat it as so important, it was definitely not simple.
After all, he only said "suspected," and wasn't entirely sure.
But this "suspected" was enough to make Giovanni move.
After all.
Whether it was Kyogre or Groudon, even though they were Divine Beasts, they weren't Psychic Type Pokémon.
But Necrozma.
The meaning of this was completely different.
And through Team Rocket's abilities and methods, they could determine whether this was related to Necrozma.
He just needed to provide a little bit; it wouldn't contain all the fragments, a small piece would be enough for Team Rocket.
Natsu also wouldn't be affected.
Tap, tap, tap--
The sound of tapping on the table echoed in the empty inner room.
Giovanni tapped the table with his finger.
Calmness.
Natsu's last offer had shaken his heart.
This silence lasted much longer than the previous one.
It took a while.
Giovanni spoke again as the tapping stopped.
Instead of giving Natsu an answer, he said with a smile, "You're very good. Would you like to join Team Rocket? I'll give you the highest Executive position."
Hearing this, Natsu was stunned.
He immediately laughed twice in his heart.
A sudden image popped into his mind: an old man with a scythe-shaped normal beard reaching out to him and saying with a smile, "Be my son."
"I'm used to being free," Natsu said without thinking.
"That's fine, I'll let you move freely," Giovanni added.
It seemed Giovanni was genuinely trying to recruit Natsu, not joking.
To say.
Natsu's hunter status?
Giovanni had absolute confidence and took his men under his wing; he wasn't afraid of betrayal.
He could even handle betrayal.
This was the spirit of the Boss of the largest underground force in the Pokémon world.
Natsu grinned.
If he were still a small fry at the bottom of Saffron City, he probably would have accepted without a second thought.
"I'll think about it."
For now.
Just wait.
It seemed a bit rude for Natsu to simply say no.
"Okay." Giovanni continued to snap his fingers. "You're qualified to work with Team Rocket."
Natsu tipped his hat and bowed slightly.
Seeing Natsu's action, Giovanni laughed, "I'll give you some advice."
Natsu was stunned.
On the screen, Giovanni's body leaned forward slightly, hidden in the shadows, finally appearing before him.
On his angular face, the corner of his mouth formed an arc.
He said meaningfully, "Don't take Ritchie's affairs too lightly. The water in there is much deeper than you think."
Natsu's heart chilled.
For Giovanni to say that was enough to indicate there was something more than what Natsu saw on the surface.
Maybe he thought he had seen enough.
But it was clearly not as much as Giovanni.
It just meant that Natsu was most likely right.
Ritchie was actually just a node in an invisible network covering the Pokémon world.
And the call ended.
Natsu didn't ask how things would be handled, nor did he say what the specific cooperation would entail. He and Giovanni had a silent understanding.
Natsu returned the communicator to Mr. Z.
"Thanks."
After saying that, he slowly walked away.
Looking at Natsu's back, Mr. Z didn't try to stop him, but his drowsiness was clearly much less than before.
"Boss?" The fatty next to him carefully called out.
But he only heard Mr. Z say, "Get in touch with him more often."
"Okay," The fatty nodded repeatedly.
Natsu's conversation with Giovanni wasn't hidden; he was indeed fat, but that didn't mean he was stupid.
Mr. Z stretched again, as if trying to keep his body straight, but not his mind.
He stumbled towards the interior, and he was heard saying, "Try to cooperate with Q and see how it goes."
"Got it, boss."
Natsu, who left the Hunter's Guild, didn't put away Hydreigon.
The members inside made way and looked at him with awe.
But Natsu didn't care.
He just awkwardly spun the communicator in his hand.
Strangely, though, the people next to him could only see Natsu's mouth moving but couldn't tell what he was saying.
In fact, Natsu wasn't saying much, but mostly complaining.
"Teacher, you didn't promise me that. You asked me to contact Team Rocket after I settled down. Do you know what I just went through?"
"---"
"Don't talk nonsense about making money; I'm just doing what I'm supposed to."
"---"
"You know what I've been doing these past few months. Do you? Don't you want me to run the Hunter's Guild in a few more years?"
"---"
"Oh, don't worry about the timeframe. The question now is, Giovanni recruited me, what do you think?"
"---"
...
(End of this chapter)