Deep beneath Viridian City, hidden far from the eyes of trainers and civilians alike, lay the underground Team Rocket base.
Cold metal walls hummed softly with the sound of machinery. Red indicator lights pulsed like a living heartbeat, illuminating the massive chamber where power, ambition, and darkness converged.
At the center of a luxurious room stood the masked executive.
Seated before him was Giovanni—the Viridian City Gym Leader, and the undisputed boss of Team Rocket. He leaned back in his chair, one hand resting calmly on the head of his Persian, which purred lazily as if this were just another quiet day. Giovanni's expression was unreadable, his eyes studying the man before him.
The executive reached up.
With a smooth motion he removed the mask.
Revealing Lt. Surge.
A cocky smirk stretched across Surge's face, full of arrogance and confidence.
"Been a while since I reported in person, boss."
He casually pulled out an Ultra Ball and flicked it forward.
Giovanni caught it effortlessly.
The Ultra Ball—containing Zapdos—spun slowly on the tip of Giovanni's finger as a dark, satisfied smile appeared on his lips.
"Excellent work," Giovanni said calmly.
"Not only did you succeed in capturing Zapdos… but you also inflicted something far more valuable."
Surge raised an eyebrow.
"Oh?"
Giovanni's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Psychological damage."
Surge burst out laughing.
"Hah! You should've seen his face. That kid froze the moment I walked away."
He crossed his arms, shrugging.
"Honestly, boss, you don't need to praise me. Rex is nothing special. Weak."
He scoffed.
"Compared to everything you said about the Poketrix, he didn't live up to the hype at all."
Giovanni continued twirling the Ultra Ball, but his smirk shortened just a little.
"The moment is still not right," Giovanni said evenly.
"Do not underestimate him yet, Surge."
Surge frowned slightly.
"Not right? After all that?"
Giovanni's gaze sharpened.
"You do not yet understand what the Poketrix is capable of… especially if it ever detects that its wielder is in true danger."
Surge blinked, clearly confused.
"Detects danger?"
He chuckled awkwardly.
"It's a machine. How can a machine feel when its user is in danger?"
Giovanni's eyes gleamed with something dangerous.
"The Poketrix is not just a machine."
Surge fell silent.
"It is the ultimate creation of this world,"
Giovanni continued.
"It possesses countless functions—most of which Rex has yet to discover."
He leaned forward slightly.
"If Rex is pushed into deadly situations too early, the Poketrix may adapt."
"And that would be… inconvenient."
Surge felt a bead of sweat slide down his temple.
"If Rex unlocks more of its functions prematurely," Giovanni said calmly, "then my plan—one with a perfect success rate—will be compromised."
He closed his fist around the Ultra Ball.
"At that point," Giovanni finished, "Rex would become a greater threat than even Legendary Pokémon."
Surge swallowed.
'…Is that watch really that powerful?' he thought, a flicker of unease slipping through his confidence.
For the first time since this mission began, Lt. Surge felt uncertain.
Giovanni lifted his gaze slightly.
"You are dismissed," he said calmly.
Lt. Surge stiffened. He gave a curt nod, his usual cocky grin nowhere to be seen, before turning on his heel and walking out of the room. The heavy doors slid shut behind him with a low mechanical hiss.
Silence returned to the chamber.
Giovanni stopped stroking Persian's head. The Pokémon opened one eye lazily but did not move as Giovanni's hand withdrew.
Instead, Giovanni picked up his phone with one hand, while the other continued to spin the Ultra Ball containing Zapdos effortlessly on his fingertip.
The ball glinted under the red lights.
"Blaine," Giovanni said into the phone, his voice smooth.
There was a short pause before a familiar, gruff voice answered from the other side.
"Giovanni."
"The Mewtwo Project is progressing smoothly," Giovanni said.
"It remains in hibernation, exactly as planned. You may take a break from overseeing it."
Blaine was silent for a moment, then asked,
"What do you want me to do?"
Giovanni's lips curled into a slow smirk. His eyes drifted back to the spinning Ultra Ball.
"'Target Z' has been captured," he said. "Only 'Target A' and 'Target M' remain."
He let the words sink in.
"Your assignment is simple," Giovanni continued. "Locate and capture Target M."
The line went quiet.
For several seconds, Blaine said nothing.
Then, finally—"…Understood."
The call ended.
Giovanni lowered the phone and stopped the Ultra Ball mid-spin, closing his fingers around it.
He pressed a small bell on his desk.
A soft chime echoed through the room.
The door opened once more, and Matori, his sharp-eyed secretary, stepped inside. She stood straight, hands folded, awaiting instructions.
Without a word, Giovanni tossed the Ultra Ball toward her.
Matori caught it cleanly, her expression unchanged.
"Send it to the lab," Giovanni ordered.
"Begin preparations for Project Fusion."
Matori nodded immediately.
"At once, sir."
She handed him a stack of documents—reports detailing the expansion of Team Rocket bases across the Johto region—before turning and leaving the room, the Ultra Ball secured in her grasp.
The doors closed again.
Giovanni glanced down at the papers, scanning them with practiced ease as he dialed another number on his phone.
The screen flickered with the name: 'Three Beasts'
The line connected.
"Boss?" a feminine voice echoed through the speaker.
"Sird," Giovanni replied calmly.
"'Target Z' has been secured. 'Target M' is now under active search."
He leaned back in his chair.
"In the meantime," he continued, "take Carr and Orm with you and begin the search for Target A."
There was hesitation on the other end.
"Boss…" Sird said carefully, "Elite Four Lorelai keeps interfering. Every time we move, she appears. We're forced to stay on the defensive."
She paused.
"How are we supposed to search for Target A without alerting her?"
Giovanni's lips curved upward again.
"I will handle that," he said coolly.
"I'll send Executive Sabrina and Koga."
His eyes gleamed.
"They will keep Lorelai occupied."
"…Yes, boss," Sird replied.
The call ended.
Giovanni set the phone down and returned his hand to Persian's head, stroking it slowly as the Pokémon purred in contentment.
His eyes returned to the documents in front of him, already planning several moves ahead.
In the shadows of Viridian City, the chessboard was shifting.
And the pieces were moving exactly as Giovanni intended, with the sole goal of killing the opposite King:Rex.