Pokemon : The Master of Dragon-Types

Jacob considered Edwin's words for a moment, then spoke with quiet deliberateness.

"First — I'll meet your uncle tonight. Set it up, and keep my identity out of it until I say otherwise."

The tension Edwin had been carrying since the start of the conversation eased visibly. He gave a firm nod. "Understood."

"Second — arrange a meeting with the Xie Family and this Champion Som as well. Tonight, same time, same place as your uncle. We'll settle everything in one sitting. I'll speak to them directly."

"Got it."

"Third—"

Edwin blinked. A third thing?

Before he could work out what else there could be, Jacob's voice came again, calm and unhurried: "Once we're done here, the two of us are going to the Northwest."

At the word Northwest, Edwin's eyes lit up. He knew exactly what Jacob meant, and the thought of it sent a thrill through him. "Yes, Boss."

Jacob glanced over at him. "Anything else from your end?"

Edwin hesitated for just a moment, then lowered his voice slightly. "One more thing, Boss. There's been a lot of talk lately — here and overseas — about the Dragon Spiral Tower. People are saying you were the one who opened it. Is that true?"

He pressed on before Jacob could answer. "And is the inside really like they're describing online? Multiple Secret Realms layered on top of each other, rewards for clearing each floor? Did you actually see Zekrom?"

Jacob looked at him for a moment. He could tell Edwin was genuinely curious, and it wasn't hard to see why — the Dragon Spiral Tower was the kind of thing that captured the imagination of any serious trainer. He gave a slow nod.

"What's being reported online is accurate. Zekrom is real." He paused. "But forget any idea of going in yourself. Zekrom is a Legendary Pokémon — no one is going to catch it. And the Pokémon Association has already secured the site. You won't get clearance to enter unless you're on the approved list."

Edwin let out a quiet breath. He looked a little disappointed, but he didn't push further. "Understood. I'll go let my uncle know about tonight's meeting." He paused, then added with a half-smile, "Should I arrange some company for you while you wait, Boss?"

"No."

Night settled over Golden City.

The streets came alive in the way they only did after dark — neon signs casting long streaks of colour across the pavement, crowds spilling out of night markets and into bars, the noise of music and conversation rising from every direction. Tourists mixed with locals in the narrow lanes, and the city, dangerous as it was by daylight, wore a different kind of energy in the evening.

Golden Fragrance Hotel — Private Dining Suite, Top Floor.

The door swung open with a soft creak as Jacob and Edwin stepped inside.

The room was generously sized, with a large round table at the centre set with an abundance of dishes and a selection of imported drinks. Three men were already seated and waiting.

The first was a man of about fifty to sixty years old, shorter than average, with a heavily lined face and small gold-rimmed glasses. He wore a pink suit that seemed slightly at odds with the sharp attention in his eyes.

The second sat in the central chair — the seat of honour — a man closer to fifty, with a neat haircut and the composed, unhurried bearing of someone accustomed to being in control.

The third was younger, perhaps in his early forties, tall and well-built, with the kind of easy good looks that still carried weight in a room.

When Edwin walked in with Jacob — masked — all three men turned at once, their eyes landing immediately on the figure whose face they could not see, quietly assessing.

The door clicked shut behind them.

Jacob and Edwin took their seats. A brief silence fell before anyone spoke.

It was the youngest of the three men who broke it first. Wynne, the head of the Xie Family, leaned back with a faint smirk. "Edwin. We've been sitting here for ten minutes. You're going to owe us quite a few drinks for that."

The man in the central chair added his own remark, a mild smile on his face. "Edwin — you're late."

This was Som, the Champion of Siam's southern region.

The third man — Edwin's second uncle, Sammy — spoke next, smoothly stepping in on Edwin's behalf. "He mentioned a special guest would be joining us this evening and went to collect them personally. A few minutes is understandable. Brother Edwin, Brother Som — allow me to offer a toast on his behalf." He raised his glass.

"Sammy, there's no need for that."

"We're all friends here. Forget the formality."

It was not hard to see that the three men got along well, or at least that Sammy had worked carefully over the years to make it appear so. Under his management, Paradise Group's relationship with both the Xie Family and Som had remained steady and cordial. The arrangement held because it was built on two foundations: Edwin's strength as a Champion-level trainer serving as a hard deterrent, and a steady supply of money and favours serving as the softer kind of persuasion. Between the two, there was little reason for friction.

Edwin waited for the pleasantries to wind down, watching his uncle raise his glass. Then he spoke.

"Second Uncle — let's save the drinking for after. First, allow me to make some introductions."

The three men turned their attention to Jacob.

Edwin addressed Jacob first. "Boss — my second uncle, Sammy." He gestured to each man in turn. "Som, Champion of Siam's southern region. Wynne, head of the Xie Family."

Then he turned to the three of them. "And this—" He glanced briefly at Jacob, a question in his eyes.

Jacob gave a small nod.

"—is the new head of Paradise Group. This is Giovanni."

The name landed with a different weight than Edwin's own. All three men's expressions shifted at once. Their eyes sharpened, fixed on the masked figure with a new kind of attention.

Jacob reached up and removed the mask.

The face beneath it matched the one on every wanted poster that had been circulating for the past six months. The three men went very still.

In half a year, Giovanni's name had reached every corner of the region. They had heard, too, that Edwin and Whitney had once worked with Giovanni — but none of them had expected Edwin to hand over the entire Paradise Group. That was a different kind of move entirely.

This man doesn't waste time.

"I'll keep this brief." Jacob sat at ease, one leg crossed over the other, hands resting on the chair back. His voice was level and unhurried, but there was nothing casual about his gaze. "I am Giovanni — leader of Team Rocket. I've asked the three of you here tonight for three reasons."

"First: effective immediately, Paradise Group is absorbed into Team Rocket. It becomes my organisation's asset."

"Second: I want all parties in this room to understand clearly who holds authority over Paradise Group from this point forward. There will be no ambiguity about that going forward."

"Third: every prior arrangement regarding profit distribution is cancelled. We negotiate new terms tonight."

Wynne and Som absorbed this in silence. The word that came to mind, for both of them, was arrogant. But the thought that followed it immediately was that Giovanni had earned the right to be exactly that. If either of them had his strength, they would not have been any more restrained about using it.

And in a country the size of Siam, there were very few Champions who could have hoped to meaningfully threaten him — and no certainty that even they would have succeeded.

"I've said my piece," Jacob continued. "Any objections?"

Wynne and Som said nothing. Their expressions were tight, but neither of them moved to challenge him. They were both Champion-level trainers. They also both knew what had happened to Pachart — another Champion-level trainer in Siam who had joined the Qi Family's attempt to corner Giovanni some months back. Pachart had not come home.

Across the table, Edwin watched the two men fall silent under Jacob's gaze. Something stirred in him — something quieter than ambition but sharper than admiration. He found himself thinking about the Northwest, about what waited there, about what it would feel like to have that kind of power at his own command. He wanted it. He wanted his own Gigantamax partner — a permanent bond, a force that couldn't be taken from him.

That hunger, at least, was something he understood.