After sending Nozomi off to sleep, Caleb returned to the ecological zone to find Latias, who was still with her brother...
He wanted to test whether the Viridian Power could heal the scar on Latias' wing.
The moment he pushed open the ecological zone's glass door, Latios noticed the human who had brought Mewtwo here. He lifted his eyelids slightly, watching as Caleb approached.
"Woo?" Noticing her brother's reaction, Latias turned her head as well.
Caleb radiated goodwill as he sat beside Latias, pointing at her wing, and asking, "Can you show me that spot again?"
Though puzzled, Latias obediently raised her wing, exposing the dark scar to Caleb.
Then, green energy flowed from his hand as he used the Viridian Power, gently covering the injury. Vibrant life force poured into Latias' body, yet the scar remained completely unchanged.
It seemed that after all these years, the mark had become a permanent part of Latias' body.
"Woo~"
Seeing Caleb's furrowed brow, Latias comforted him softly, assuring him she was fine.
Latios' expression also softened slightly after witnessing Caleb's actions.
Caleb glanced at the scar and asked, "Does it still hurt?"
"Woo." Latias shook her head.
It had been excruciating when the wing was broken, but now, she felt no pain at all.
"Alright, then. Enjoy your sunbathing..." Caleb stood, preparing to head to the control room to gather more intel on Johto, Hoenn, Kalos, and Unova.
....
Time passed swiftly, and before long, night fell...
In the control room, a now-rested Nozomi sat at her computer.
"OK, everything's ready on my end." she said.
Caleb nodded, then said, "Then we're heading out."
Reika nodded, "Be careful!"
The moment she spoke, a blue glow flickered in Mewtwo's eyes.
In the next instant, Caleb found himself inside an extravagantly furnished bedroom.
This was Giovanni's room...
On the large bed at the center lay a figure shrouded in darkness. Mewtwo raised a hand, and with a surge of psychic power, crushed the person's body.
Blood seeped through the sheets, dripping onto the polished floor below.
The room was unlit, the only illumination coming from the cold and pale moonlight that streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
*drip-drip*
The rhythmic sound of blood dripping lent the space an eerie and unsettling atmosphere.
Steeling himself, Caleb stepped forward, using his bracelet's light to examine the exposed head... Short-cropped hair, a pale complexion, square-jawed... it bore a striking resemblance to Giovanni as he remembered him.
After so many years, Caleb couldn't be sure what this world's Giovanni looked like now. He motioned for Mewtwo to verify the identity.
Given Giovanni's intellect, it was all too easy for him to anticipate a Resistance night raid and plant a body double as a decoy.
This was straight out of a cliché spy movie. To avoid future complications, Caleb wanted absolute certainty.
Mewtwo stepped forward silently. The moment it saw the face, its brow furrowed.
>..This is not Giovanni..< Mewtwo stated coldly.
'Just as expected...' Caleb had predicted this outcome.
<...What's wrong? Did it work?..>
Reika's voice crackled through the earpiece.
Caleb eyed the unlucky impostor on the bed and replied concisely, "Giovanni isn't here."
Reika frowned, suggesting:
<...You should fall back for now...>
"No." Caleb rejected the suggestion, scanning the room as he asked, "Nozomi, can you locate where Giovanni stores his mechanical Pokémon and ships?"
He still vividly recalled the swarm of mechanical Pokémon pouring out of Rocket Tower that day.
Nozomi: <...Give me a minute!..>
While waiting, Caleb walked to the window, gazing out at the darkened skyline of the decaying metropolis.
This world's Team Rocket was rotten to the core...
Reika's words from earlier echoed in his mind:
"They attach artificial genitalia to humanoid Pokémon, design restraint suits to block their moves, and sell them into brothels..."
"They breed Pokémon for elite hunting parties, where the rich slaughter them for sport..."
"They serve wild Pokémon as gourmet dishes..."
<...Found it!..>
Nozomi's voice snapped Caleb back to the present.
<...Coordinates sent to your bracelet...>
"Ok." Caleb licked his lips as he checked the data on his wrist display, "Mewtwo, let's hit the 25th floor first."
Mewtwo had no objections: >..Teleport?..<
"No." Caleb shook his head, retrieving the Poké Balls for Dragonite, Lucario, and Mimikyu, "We kill our way down."
As he spoke, he pulled out a gleaming minigun from his inventory... This was a modified version Nozomi had tailored for beginners. It was lightweight, low recoil, rapid-fire, and devastatingly lethal.
Even a firearms novice like Caleb could wield it effortlessly. With Mewtwo leading the charge, he and his three Pokémon marched boldly from the top floor downward...
....
Back at base, Reika and the others were stunned into silence by Caleb's "We kill our way down"...
Kai swallowed hard, saying, "Did I hear that right?"
Reika was equally shocked...
This was the equivalent of pissing on Team Rocket's head! No one in this world would dare such a thing!
Nozomi, however, was electrified. She whooped through the comms: "I've cut their network and locked down all exits! Go get 'em, Caleb-chan!"
...
Caleb, currently riding Mewtwo's coattails: "..."
His boldness stemmed entirely from having Mewtwo as his safety net.
Mewtwo's psychic barriers effortlessly deflected incoming bullets, leaving Dragonite, Lucario, and Mimikyu free to unleash havoc.
Though Caleb had declared they'd kill way down, he didn't lift a finger himself. The minigun remained slung over his shoulder as he watched his team's performance.
Soon, they reached the chamber housing the mechanical Pokémon...
"Your turn," Caleb said to Mewtwo.
Mewtwo nodded.
Its eyes blazed blue as psychic energy surged outward like a tidal wave. In the blink of an eye, the sea of mechanical Pokémon was reduced to scrap metal.
After annihilating all the drones and ships, the thirty-minute window finally elapsed.
Before leaving, Caleb had Dragonite unleash two full-power Draco Meteors on Rocket Tower.
Within moments, the grandest and most imposing skyscraper in Rocket City was transformed into a pockmarked ruin...