rocket's influence in the kanto and johto regions
β firstly, one of their biggest sources of income; GAMBLING. almost every gambling spot and game corner in the kanto-johto area is owned by rocket. on the side, they have the night clubs, fancy private clubs and bars that work alongside them, a whole range from dingy little bars to huge, boisterous casinos. the game corner price pokΓ©mon are all derived from their massive industry of breeding rare mons for profit, namely dratinis and porygons. ever wonder how they can have an endless supply? that's how.
β local businesses. many bigger local business chains are owned by rocket behind the scenes. often, none of the employees working in said places have any idea of who they are actually working for. they hide behind layers and layers of fake CEO's, leaving next to no trace to be found.
β a legal team to keep them out of hot water. some cities police forces are so deeply intertwined with rocket that anyone getting caught 'in act' is let go on scene. some do better, though, and those are places they knowingly avoid. to a degree, they stay in their lane, minimizing unnecessary risks.
β several infiltrations within the local politicians to subtly advance their own goals.
β office buildings. many completely regular looking office buildings are rocket bases. you wouldn't be able to tell even if you happened to wander into one. they keep it neatly under wraps. the HQ is one of these, and the location is secret, of course, and you have to be a certain rank and trust level to even be allowed into the 'main' HQ, as they have several decoy ones in place.
β underground rare pokΓ©mon trade. they have lots and lots of wealthy clients all around the world who travel to the kanto-johto area to take part in their auctions. shiny pokΓ©mon, rare pokΓ©mon, pseudo legendaries, anything you can imagine, all auctioned off at a good price.
β slowpoke tail trade. they have been looking more into manufacturing believable fake versions of them, as it's much cheaper and easier to produce than the real things. still, certain upper class clients (namely in kalosian restaurants) will always get the best, freshest stuff to maintain good relations.
β weapon and other supplies trade and manufacturing. they have their own weapon and pokΓ©ball experts on duty, designing and making supplies for them.
β they offer generous loans to selected clients, definitely too-good-to-be-true level. just don't look too closely at the fine print on the paper. they offer your standard 'get-rid-of-someone-quickly' services as well. for a good price, of course.
β most important thing is that they are subtle. so subtle that many regular citizens think that they are no longer in operation despite of how many things they silently infiltrate. giovanni was never caught or even suspected as the leader, and the radio tower was brought into such a ruin during the takeover that there was no CCTV retrieved of the executives either. you won't be robbed by a random grunt goon on the street going 'gimme ur pokemon' anymore. it's like they aren't even there. until you're a wealthy client in need of a generous favor, of course. then you'll find them.
