Early morning in Jubilife City.
"We need to eradicate this evil completely," Lance declared.
After a thorough interrogation, Lance and Cynthia had reached an agreement. They both understood that waiting until tomorrow would give Jesse the opportunity to escape. Under the cover of Jubilife City's quiet night, they launched a joint strike operation.
All was silent. Two Meowth remained hidden in the shadows, casually grooming their fur. Suddenly, a wild Purugly emerged from the darkness.
The Meowth immediately sensed the immense pressure radiating from the larger feline Pokémon. Their fur bristled instinctively, and their muscles tensed in preparation for battle. A confrontation seemed inevitable.
Just then, their keen ears twitched. Footsteps—many footsteps, dense and numerous. Though the sounds were light and careful, they couldn't escape the Meowth's sharp hearing.
The wild Purugly and the two Meowth paused their standoff, looking curiously toward the source of the approaching footsteps.
"Meow~" one whispered. (Why are there so many people?)
"Meow~" the other replied. (How should I know?)
Officers from the Jubilife Police Department had been dispatched and were now quietly approaching Jesse's location under Lance and Cynthia's command. (So many people!) the Pokémon thought nervously.
Jesse's secret stronghold was located in an undeveloped alley in Jubilife City—an area marked for demolition. The territory mostly belonged to wild Pokémon, and the operation was about to shatter the alley's usual quiet atmosphere.
In Jubilife City, where every inch of land held precious value, attached buildings were common. Here stood a dimly lit two-story structure deep within the alley. The putrid smell was overwhelming, making anyone instinctively want to leave the area.
Above the entrance hung a sign: [Jesse Consulting Office]
The lights were off, and there were no signs of habitation. (This is the place,) the officers confirmed.
Two officers exchanged meaningful glances. According to the information Lance had extracted during interrogation, Jesse operated his consulting office here, taking orders openly despite his criminal activities.
During that interrogation, Lance had leaned forward slightly, his presence exuding an oppressive aura. "Tell me everything you know about Jesse," he had commanded.
Having spent years working alongside Dragon-type Pokémon—particularly his intimidating Salamence and Gyarados—Lance had absorbed their commanding presence. When he fully unleashed his aura, the oppressive atmosphere he created rivaled that of an actual Dragon-type Pokémon.
The purple-haired man they'd captured earlier had been terrified into compliance, stammering out everything he knew.
"Jesse handles both legitimate and illicit business—all transactions are cash-on-delivery, completely untraceable," the man had explained. "Loan sharking, fundraising schemes, blackmail, revenge for hire... Basically, Jesse does whatever brings in serious money. His favorite saying is: 'Money can buy anything. If it can't, then I'll smash everything!'"
Lance had resisted the urge to comment that catchphrases weren't particularly useful for their investigation—they weren't trying to identify someone based on their motto, after all.
The consulting office had corresponding official documents registered, but neither the legal representative nor the listed owner was Jesse himself. Fortunately, the blonde man they'd interrogated had provided a photograph.
All officers received the photo on their phones: Jesse sporting a mouth full of gold teeth and multiple gold rings adorning his fingers. Nobody knew his real name—only that he had those distinctive gold teeth and loved gold in general. That's why everyone called Jesse the "Gold Master."
Now, as the operation unfolded, wild Pokémon—Meowth, Rattata, and others—climbed onto high walls to observe the arrest operation from safe vantage points.
With two Champions, Lance and Cynthia, working together, plus Zorro—the section chief of Jubilife Headquarters—providing assistance, the arrest operation proceeded as smoothly as anyone could have hoped.
"Who are you?! I'm a law-abiding citizen! A completely law-abiding citizen!" Jesse and his captured subordinates struggled continuously against their restraints.
Click, click, click— The sharp sound of high heels echoed through the eerie corridor, the footsteps approaching from the distance. To Jesse and his men, it sounded like an execution march drawing closer.
In the dim lighting, Jesse—now tied up securely—raised his head and witnessed a scene he would never forget for the rest of his life.
In the interplay of light and shadow, two figures gradually became clear: Lance in his signature cape and Cynthia wearing a black trench coat. They stood silently, watching him with cold, analytical gazes—as if they were looking at a dead man.
In a way, they were. Jesse's criminal life was over, and he would be handed over to face the full weight of the law.
Lance produced his investigator's badge, holding it where Jesse could see clearly.
"I am Lance, Chief Investigator of the Pokémon League," he stated formally. "Under Article 6 of Chapter 3 of League Law regarding economic crimes, and Article 2 of Chapter 7 regarding the organization of violent criminal groups and endangering public safety... you are hereby under arrest."
As Lance systematically listed each of Jesse's crimes one by one, the criminal's defiant demeanor crumbled. His shoulders sagged, and he finally lowered his head in defeat.
"It seems you have no objections," Lance observed coldly. "Take him away."
By this time, the sun was rising. The brilliant morning light gradually spread across the streets, making the accumulated snow on the rooftops seem as though it had been dusted with gold.
Following Jesse's arrest, police sirens cleared the way as squad cars quickly transported the criminals to Jubilife Headquarters. Capturing Jesse was merely the beginning—they still needed to identify who had hired him to destroy the Breeding Center.
7:30 AM
Wayne had received an early message from Cynthia: [Check the news.]
Everyone gathered in the cafeteria as Wayne switched on the television.
"This is Sinnoh NOW Morning News," the anchor announced. "Last night, our city launched a major joint arrest operation. Under the leadership of Lance, Chief Investigator of the Pokémon League, and Cynthia, Special Investigator, a violent criminal organization has been successfully apprehended."
The screen cut to footage of Jesse and his subordinates, wearing hoods, being loaded into police vehicles one by one.
However, neither Lance nor Cynthia appeared for interviews. Instead, Wayne's old acquaintance, Section Chief Zorro, gave the official statement.
Zorro began by systematically listing Jesse's various criminal activities before adding, "Our city will now collaborate with League investigators to launch a special rectification operation. We're establishing a long-term cooperation mechanism to ensure such incidents never happen again."
Zorro clearly felt personally responsible for what had occurred. The existence of such a violent criminal organization operating within Jubilife City represented a serious failure in his duties.
Notably, Zorro's interview made no mention of yesterday's incident involving the seven rogue bikers who had attempted to attack and vandalize the Breeding Center. However, Sinnoh NOW Morning News still covered that story separately.
From a public perception standpoint, most viewers wouldn't connect yesterday's Breeding Center incident with this morning's announcement about the criminal organization's takedown.
Back at the Breeding Center, Aunt nodded approvingly and smiled. "That was remarkably quick action on their part."
She breathed a visible sigh of relief. "Thank goodness they were caught."
When the incident had occurred yesterday, Aunt had already left to teach at the Trainer School. However, seeing the damaged entrance door and the cracks in the pavement outside upon her return had deeply shaken her.
Leon displayed his characteristically optimistic spirit. "Well, since it's all over now, there's no point dwelling on it anymore, right?"
Fumie nodded in agreement. "That's absolutely right—the storm has passed. This time, we owe our biggest thanks to Alan."
Everyone's greatest relief was that no employees or customers had been injured during the attack.
Alan scratched his head with his typical modest smile. "No, no, it wasn't just me. There were also Lucario, Incineroar, and all those wild Pokémon who helped defend the center."
Shion spontaneously started clapping enthusiastically. "Brother Alan is amazing!"
Following Shion's lead, the other employees joined in with applause. The sound rose and fell like waves washing over them.
Claire adjusted her glasses thoughtfully. "I suppose all those times we've fed the wild Pokémon around here have paid off."
"Yes, we should definitely continue feeding them regularly in the future," another employee agreed.
Just then, Leon's phone rang. After answering briefly, his face lit up with a wide smile. "The egg-hatching machines have arrived! We'll be able to start hatching Pokémon eggs soon!"
"We still need to wait for those Pokémon to arrive first, though," Fumie reminded him practically.
"Oh, wow!" several employees exclaimed excitedly.
This development marked the beginning of a brand new chapter for their Breeding Center.