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Late at night on Red Rock Isle, the sea breeze gently brushed past, carrying a strong salty scent that made the air feel cool.
After getting dressed, Liam rushed to the island's pier. From a distance, he could already see a medium-sized yacht docked there, with several Team Rocket members in black uniforms patrolling the deck in alert formation.
Liam put on the Black Vortex Mask and walked directly toward the yacht.
"Hm? Someone's coming? Wait! That mask—! It's the Vortex Leader! Quick, quick! Lower the gangway! You—go report to Boss Giovanni at once!"
His appearance immediately startled the patrolling Rocket grunts. The moment they recognized who he was, one sprinted off to report the news, while the others hurried to lower the gangway, lining up respectfully on both sides as they waited for Liam to board.
Liam didn't hesitate. He walked up the gangway and followed one of the grunts who guided him to Giovanni's room.
Knock, knock, knock—
Liam knocked on the door. Giovanni's calm voice came from inside.
"You're here? Come in."
Liam smiled, pushed open the door, and stepped inside—only to pause in mild shock when he saw Giovanni sitting on the sofa.
"Uh… Giovanni? What happened to your hair?"
Removing the Black Vortex Mask, Liam stared at Giovanni's now-short hair with a puzzled expression.
Yes—Giovanni's formerly long, elegant hair was gone. All that remained was a short, neat cut—just like the version Liam remembered from before.
"Heh. Nothing serious. It's just proof that I've severed any remaining ties with that woman. Honestly, this feels lighter and more comfortable."
Giovanni casually rubbed his cropped head, looking completely unconcerned.
Liam fell silent for a moment.
He knew exactly who Giovanni meant—that woman was none other than the leader of the Hunter Group… Giovanni's own mother. He hadn't expected their mother-son confrontation to end this way.
"Mm. I think it looks good too—gives you a lot more intimidation. You should keep it that way. Oh, right—afterward I went back to the wreck of that airship, but the whole thing had completely sunk. What exactly happened back then? And where's Miyamoto? I didn't see her."
Liam looked around the room but didn't see Giovanni's usual partner, Miyamoto. His eyes filled with concern.
"Heh, enough standing. Sit first. Nothing too dramatic happened—we just gave the Hunter Group a thorough beating. Though the woman still escaped in the end, they definitely suffered tremendous losses. As for Miyamoto, she's leading the squad to wipe out the remaining Hunter Group stragglers. She won't be back for a while."
Giovanni patted the sofa beside him, signaling Liam to sit.
"Oh, that's good. I was worried something happened to you two. If everything's fine, I'm relieved."
Liam sighed in genuine relief as he sat.
"Tch. Do you really distrust us that much? I'm pretty strong, you know."
Giovanni said, speechless.
"Yes, yes, our great Giovanni is the strongest. Happy now? It's the middle of the night. If you called me out, can you just say what you want? I have to go back to accompany Del— cough.. Who has time to babysit a grown man like you?"
Liam gave him a glaring side-eye, clearly impatient.
Giovanni: "…"
"Ahem. Yes, there is something."
For a moment Giovanni was helpless, then continued.
"First—Weavile will be staying with me longer. It's currently with Miyamoto. With it there, I can rest easier."
"Second—at dawn tomorrow, I'm returning to Kanto. Headquarters has mountains of work waiting. And since the Hunter Group is now shattered and scattered, I intend to expand our organization's influence into Johto."
"And lastly—there's something I want to show you."
After speaking in one go, Giovanni pulled out a pink PokeBall and set it in front of Liam with a smile.
Liam had never seen a PokeBall like this before—it looked ordinary in structure but was colored a bright, soft pink.
"What's this?"
Liam picked it up and scanned it.
[Ding!]
[Mew Ball: A special PokeBall created using Mew's genes. Because it contains Mew's superior genetic material, this ball has extremely high compatibility with all Pokémon. In theory, it can capture any Pokémon.]
[Rating: Extremely Precious!]
Liam was stunned.
This thing was basically a Master Ball…
A Master Ball capable of capturing legendary Pokémon.
"I named it the Mew Ball. As the name suggests, it contains Mew's genes. Remember when I borrowed Weavile to try capturing Mew? I failed several times—Mew escaped each attempt. Even so, during the battles we obtained a significant amount of Mew's genetic data. I had the research team study and replicate it, and now we've achieved two major results."
Giovanni took the Mew Ball back and continued proudly.
"First result is this Mew Ball. A happy accident during research showed that Mew's genes can be turned into a special PokeBall—and it works amazingly well. But production is extremely limited."
"As for the second result—it's the genetic experiment you had Blaine conduct. With the addition of Mew's genes, the project has made tremendous progress. At this rate, we may be able to create an entirely new Pokémon species soon. This will be a historical milestone!"
Giovanni's tone held unmistakable excitement and anticipation.
Liam's brows tightened slightly as he thought for a moment.
"Giovanni… how long until this new species is born?"
Giovanni blinked. "Hm? At most half a year. Why?"
"…That soon? I understand. When it's ready, make sure you notify me."
"Of course. It was your idea in the first place—of course you'll be there."
"Good."
Liam nodded slightly, suppressing a faint unease in his heart.
"Heh. That's all I wanted to tell you. Let's get going—you said you're in a hurry to go back, right? I'll walk you out."
Seeing no more matters to discuss, Giovanni stood up with a smile. Liam put the Black Vortex Mask back on, and the two left the yacht together.