"Damian," Giovanni said, voice smooth and steady, a calm smile sitting on his face, "aren't you going to introduce those two?"
He sounded relaxed, almost casual—but the curiosity was real. Damian didn't personally bring people back to Kanto unless they mattered.
Under Giovanni's gaze, Caitlin and Gladion both stiffened without meaning to.
This was Giovanni. The Boss of Team Rocket. The source of Kanto's shadow—someone who'd built an entire organization right under the Kanto League's nose.
From the League's standpoint, Giovanni was pure danger.
But if you looked at him from the outside, stripped of labels… you had to admit it.
This man was terrifyingly capable.
Damian glanced at Caitlin and Gladion.
Caitlin stood first, graceful and composed, and gave Giovanni a proper noble greeting, like she'd been trained for rooms like this since birth.
"My name is Caitlin, Boss."
Her tone was steady, polite, and confident.
Gladion stood too, gave a short bow, and kept it simple. "Gladion."
"Heh." Giovanni chuckled softly. "Good. You're both welcome in Team Rocket."
His attitude stayed easygoing. Since Damian had personally brought them here, Giovanni didn't need to ask whether they were worth the trouble. He knew Damian's standards—picky, sharp, and annoyingly accurate.
Giovanni lifted his teacup again. "So. Is everything stable in Alola?"
"No more problems," Damian said, nodding once. "I set the rest of the work in place and came back to see you."
"I'd expect nothing less from you." Giovanni's smile deepened, pride slipping into his voice.
Then his expression tightened, just a little.
"Your timing isn't ideal, though. The League has been pressing us lately."
Damian's eyes narrowed.
"Those two lunatics—Lance and Lorelei," Giovanni said, voice calm but weighted, "they've been hunting our people and hitting our bases all over the region. When you go out, watch yourself. The League's higher-ups already know who you are."
Caitlin listened quietly, but the names caught her attention.
Lance. Lorelei.
In Kanto, those weren't just famous Trainers. Those were living myths.
In fact, the Kanto Elite Four situation was… incomplete right now. The lineup was Lorelei (Ice), Bruno (Fighting), Agatha (Ghost), and Lance (Dragon). Only four.
And Lance wasn't just sitting among them—he was at the top, serving as head of the Elite Four and holding the Champion title at the same time.
Kanto was also home to the Pokémon League headquarters, which only fueled the rumors. People loved to say the Kanto Elite Four were the strongest in the world, and Lance was the strongest Champion alive.
"Invincible Dragon Master Lance."
That was how Kanto talked about him.
Damian lifted an eyebrow. "This because of the S.S. Anne?"
"Correct." Giovanni didn't answer directly—Sabrina did, her voice cold as ever.
"Archer's operation failed, but the way he did it—seizing the S.S. Anne and taking the passengers—caused a huge stir."
The S.S. Anne wasn't some random ship. It was world-famous, ultra-luxury, the kind of cruise liner that made headlines just by docking.
Team Rocket taking it over in Vermilion's harbor was basically Team Rocket daring the League to blink.
And from the League's perspective, it wasn't just a crime. It was a message.
If they can take the S.S. Anne today, do they plan to take Silph tomorrow?
That kind of escalation couldn't be tolerated.
Damian frowned, genuinely puzzled. "What was Archer thinking? He's not reckless."
Archer's ability wasn't the issue. As leader of the four Executives, Archer had proven himself a hundred times over. His strength might have been "only" Elite Four level, but his real weapon was his mind—cold, rational, patient.
A move like this didn't fit him.
Sabrina didn't soften her tone at all. "According to Archer's report, he had intel that a Trainer carrying the Mythical Pokémon Darkrai was on the S.S. Anne. He wanted to seize the opportunity."
"A Darkrai Trainer?" Damian's surprise was real this time.
That wasn't the kind of thing you heard every day.
His mind immediately started sorting through possibilities.
Tobias? The guy from the Lily of the Valley Conference in the anime?
It couldn't be Sird… could it?
Sird—one of Team Rocket's "Three Beasts" in the Special manga—was actually a mole planted by Team Galactic. She carried a powerful Darkrai, but couldn't fully control it. That made her a bad match for this situation.
So if Damian had to bet?
Tobias made more sense.
"Yes," Sabrina said. "But he failed. Not only did he fail to find the Darkrai Trainer, the entire plan got wrecked by two young boys."
"I see." Damian leaned back slightly and rested his chin on his hand, thinking.
Giovanni moved on without dwelling on it. To him, Archer's failure wasn't a disaster—just an annoying setback.
Even if League pressure increased, it mostly meant losing a few bases and expendable grunts. As long as the executives stayed intact, the rest could be replaced.
"Damian," Giovanni said, "how long are you staying in Kanto?"
"About half a month," Damian replied. Then his mouth curved into a grin. "I'm waiting for Mewtwo."
"Mewtwo?"
Caitlin and Gladion both showed the same reaction—confusion, immediate and obvious.
Giovanni smiled like he'd been waiting for that.
"In that case, go to New Island tomorrow," he said. "Dr. Fuji reports Mewtwo's vital signs have been rising. The awakening is close. It should happen soon."
"That's perfect." Damian's grin sharpened. He'd been waiting for this. He was genuinely excited.
Giovanni studied him for a moment. "And after that? What's your next region?"
Damian paused, turning it over in his head. "I've got some ideas. Haven't decided."
"Fine." Giovanni didn't push. Damian always had plans; Giovanni trusted that. "Since you have your own thoughts—let's eat."
After that, Giovanni and Sabrina put on disguises, and the group went to a nearby hotel.
Damian's public identity had long since been severed from Giovanni's. He couldn't just walk into the Viridian Gym whenever he wanted, and Giovanni couldn't openly meet Damian either.
It didn't matter.
Giovanni had plenty of private properties, including a villa in Saffron City. If he wanted to move unseen, he could.
Two days passed.
Out on a deserted stretch of sea, on a solitary island—
A world-shaking explosion ripped through the air.
A terrifying black shockwave rolled outward from the island's center. Wherever it passed, mountains shattered, trees disintegrated, and concrete buildings got ground into dust like they were nothing.
The massive research facility didn't simply collapse.
It was erased.
The sky filled with thick, roiling clouds of debris, swallowing everything in a gray haze.
Then, inside that vast blur—
Two eerie points of deep purple light ignited.
A black silhouette stepped forward from the ruins, slow and steady, walking out of the wreckage as if the destruction didn't touch it.
On the jagged wasteland of broken stone and twisted steel, that purple glow flickered—confused, empty, searching.
A low, raspy telepathic voice slid into the air.
"Who… am I?"