Although he was clearly tempted, Harmon Potter was, after all, a descendant of one of the original Twelve Aurors—a lineage that in Britain was nearly as noble as that of the Sacred Twenty-Eight pure-blood families. To someone of such prestigious birth, a few trifling benefits hardly counted for anything.
But Charles knew that the many wizards who struggled to make ends meet in the magical world would find it far harder to resist such temptations.
That, too, was why Team Rocket could collapse and re-form again and again in the Pokémon world. As long as there existed a system that generated benefits for the desperate and the disillusioned, Team Rocket would always find new recruits, new vitality, new blood!
Now the wizarding world was zealously recruiting members, gradually reaching out to the Muggle population.
"You dare ignore me?"In the sky, Voldemort's face twisted with fury. "Even Charles Gold would not dare disregard me! How dare you ignore the great Dark Lord?"
Yet in the face of the Dark Lord's wrath, Giovanni not only showed no fear but even let out a mocking laugh.
"Charles Gold?" he repeated.
"I'll admit he's got some ability. In the Pokémon world, he did give my Team Rocket quite a bit of trouble. But at the end of the day, he's just a kid. Don't compare me to him!"By the end of his words, Giovanni's tone had sharpened, his expression turning feral—apparently offended that Voldemort had placed him on the same level as Charles Gold.
"You, on the other hand, don't even understand what true power a Pokémon possesses. Very well—allow me to show you the strength of a Champion-level Trainer!"He looked up at the floating Voldemort with disdain.
"Levitation, huh? Indeed, that makes you a tricky opponent. But… Beedrill, show him our power!"
With that, Giovanni released what appeared, at first glance, to be a rather unimpressive Bug-type Pokémon.Beedrill wasn't particularly imposing—its twin stingers looked menacing, yes, but overall it seemed far less awe-inspiring than his Persian.
After all, in most cases, "Bug-type" was synonymous with "weak."
But this was Giovanni's Beedrill.
In truth, Giovanni's Pokémon lineup was still a little below the level of Charles's main team. The higher one climbed, the harder it became to advance further; even with relentless training under Kukui in Alola, it was impossible for Giovanni's Pokémon to surpass Charles's in such a short time.
That was why he had chosen Beedrill—one of the few Pokémon capable of Mega Evolution.
Through Mega Evolution, Beedrill could temporarily leap to an entirely new tier of power. Of course, truly defeating Voldemort was impossible, but it would be enough to put on a convincing show—to fool the Aurors watching.
"Beedrill—Mega Evolve!"
Giovanni pulled a small, spherical gemstone from his suit pocket.Chain-like energy resembling a genetic pattern radiated from the stone, intertwining with the aura within Beedrill's body.In the next instant—legend took form.
The once-ordinary Beedrill transformed completely. Its visage grew sharper and more ferocious; the stingers on its hands lengthened, sprouting guard-like flanges reminiscent of a knight's lance, while its hind stinger elongated further still. Even its legs morphed into twin, black-and-yellow spikes.
At that moment, Beedrill looked as though it existed for one purpose alone—pure offense.
"Voldemort is dead!"
The newspaper in Cornelius Fudge's hands slipped and slapped onto the desk.
Across from him stood Rufus Scrimgeour.
"What happened?" Fudge asked.
"It's confirmed by the International Confederation of Wizards," Scrimgeour said. "You remember—they joined forces with several elite Aurors from around the world to hunt Voldemort down."
"Yes, and?" Fudge pressed quickly.As one of the silent supporters of that operation, he could already guess that Charles had long since taken control of Voldemort. But if the Dark Lord was now dead, what on earth had happened?
"They didn't stand a chance against him," Scrimgeour said flatly. "The problem is—someone else showed up."
He never liked to drag things out, so before Fudge could ask again, Scrimgeour went on:"A middle-aged man, claiming to be the leader of Team Rocket—Giovanni. He killed Voldemort using his Pokémon… right in front of Mr. Potter."
"Mr. Potter?"
"Harmon Potter, descendant of Abraham Potter."
Fudge nodded, understanding. But this "Giovanni," the head of Team Rocket—he had never heard the name before.
"What's his background?"
"Unclear," Scrimgeour admitted. "But some in the Confederation believe this was Charles Gold's doing. He's the only one known to have access to Pokémon. However, according to Potter's own testimony, this Giovanni seems to be hostile to Gold."
"Either way," he continued, "the Confederation wants Gold to come to France and give a full explanation."
Scrimgeour's tone was diplomatic, but in truth, the organization's attitude was far harsher than his words implied.
Lately, nearly every major international incident had somehow involved Charles Gold. It was no surprise the world's patience was wearing thin.
"Team Rocket… Giovanni… Pokémon…"Fudge rubbed his temples. "I suppose I'd better write to him and ask."
But before he could pick up his quill, a Xatu suddenly materialized in his office with a flash of light.Its wings were folded together, holding a sealed letter between them.
Fudge quickly tore it open, scanned the contents, then passed the letter to Scrimgeour.
"Take this to them," he said, face flushing with excitement. "This is our—my—response to the International Confederation!"
Scrimgeour glanced at the parchment, curiosity getting the better of him.
The letter described the existence of Team Rocket—and of the Pokémon world itself.According to Charles's account, after being expelled, he had accidentally traveled to that world and discovered that the two realities were gradually merging. One day, they would inevitably collide.At first, only a few Pokémon had crossed over. Now, even people from that other world were beginning to appear.
And among them, Team Rocket was the most powerful—and most terrifying—evil organization of all.
As Scrimgeour read on, he found the story both absurd and oddly compelling. If true, it would explain far too many mysteries.
But then he reached the end—and froze.
"He wants to found a World Pokémon League?" Scrimgeour stared blankly at Fudge's ecstatic face.Now he understood why the Minister was so thrilled: according to the letter, Charles Gold hoped Cornelius Fudge would serve as the Chairman of the British Regional League—and as one of the nine supreme council members of the World Pokémon League.
(End of Chapter)