Grey raised an eyebrow when he saw who it was.
Reggie faced him head-on, and after recognizing the man's features, his tone shifted slightly. "Giovanni? Long time no see."
"It has been a long time."
The suited man strolling into the dojo calmly straightened his tie. Beneath his close-cropped hair, his sharp, angular face carried a meaningful smile. "Your strength has improved a lot since back then, Reggie."
"Not really. I still lost the match—I'm the one who needs to improve."
Reggie gave an awkward chuckle and reached up to scratch the back of his head.
Honestly, running into Giovanni again made him a little stiff.
Beside him, Paul simply watched Giovanni in silence.
"Alright, then. I'll take my brother and get going. See you, Giovanni."
Reggie didn't linger. He quickly left with Paul.
Giovanni stepped fully into the Fighting Dojo. When he noticed Grey watching him, the two met each other's gaze across the distance.
After settling Silver, Grey strode over to Giovanni, extending a hand with unmistakable warmth in his voice. "You came early and didn't even say anything. At least give me a chance to welcome you properly."
"It's fine. I've had a bit of free time lately, and since I'll be in Saffron City on Sunday for a Silph Co. meeting anyway, I decided to come here early and rest."
Giovanni wore a gentle smile. Even the way he spoke was soft, giving him the vibe of a friendly neighbor you'd run into next door.
"Then what are you thinking of doing while you're in Saffron City? Just walk around for a few days, or are you planning to go out somewhere?"
Grey asked, trying to get a read on Giovanni's schedule.
Besides, the Gym Leader Tournament was about to begin.
By now, Gym Trainers from all across Kanto had arrived. A few from truly far-off places still hadn't made it in, but most would reach Saffron City within three days.
A once-every-three-years Gym Leader Tournament was guaranteed to be a spectacle.
Which Gyms would earn the title of the Eight Major Gyms, and which Gym would take the top spot—
It wasn't just the Gym Leaders who wanted to know. Every Trainer in Kanto wanted to know.
And now that Grey had entered the picture, everyone felt like they were facing a deadly threat.
Not only did he have Zapdos and Articuno, but the rest of his team were no pushovers either.
Just putting his Blaziken on the table was enough to squeeze into the Eight Major Gyms lineup.
The Eight Major Gyms were about to be reshuffled.
"I don't really have any plans. I'll probably just drink tea in the hotel every day and stay there until the tournament ends."
Giovanni smiled, giving an answer that stayed vague.
Hearing that, Grey couldn't help shaking his head.
Stay in the hotel and drink tea?
That excuse wouldn't fool a three-year-old.
But since Giovanni said it, Grey didn't keep pushing that topic. Instead, he asked about Giovanni's Gym.
"If I remember right, Viridian Gym only reopened not long ago. You'll be away for quite a while this time—won't that cause problems with handing out badges?"
That was what Grey was curious about.
Giovanni really was the type of Gym Leader who opened his doors for maybe ten or so days out of an entire year.
Based on how many badges he gave out, on average he handed out one badge for every five days the Gym was open.
His record was giving out two badges in a single day.
Other than that, most Trainers simply didn't meet Giovanni's standards—he'd battle them for a bit, then send them on their way.
"It's fine. I already had someone cover the Gym as the acting Gym Leader. This might be the easiest year I've had in a long time."
Giovanni teased himself, while his feet subtly shifted a little in Silver's direction.
A big part of why he came early was because of Silver.
Giovanni couldn't wait to see him. After finally shaking Lance's pursuit and taking a long detour, he had ended up here.
Grey caught that small movement immediately, and a guess formed in his mind. He turned and walked deeper into the dojo.
"If you don't mind my humble place, you can come in and sit."
"Since it's an invitation from you, Grey, then I'd better accept properly."
On a normal day, Giovanni might have refused.
After all, Grey was Team Rocket's mortal enemy.
The first person to ever destroy a Team Rocket base.
But things were different now.
Grey might have crushed Team Rocket, but he also gave Silver a warm roof and food.
On one side, the organization. On the other, his son who'd been wandering out there alone.
It nearly made Giovanni's mind split in two.
In the end, though, he only decided to put Grey's dojo at the very end of the list.
First, take out the other Gyms—then slowly eat away at the Fighting Dojo.
When that was done, all of Kanto would be his.
And his son, Silver, would definitely love the "gift" he was about to give him.
Giovanni's mood was clearly excellent.
Even knowing he'd be facing the strongest Trainers in all of Kanto, he still believed he would take Kanto for himself.
If it were anyone else, their confidence would've shattered already.
With their own schemes in mind, the two of them walked into the room.
The livestream also caught the moment the two entered.
And once viewers realized Giovanni had come as a guest, the chat practically short-circuited.
[Wait—who just showed up? It's not Halloween today. Who's cosplaying that?]
[This feels more like April Fools'—just here to mess with people.]
[Hold on, I just got to Viridian Gym! And Gym Leader Giovanni left?! What am I supposed to do about my Earth Badge?!]
[Easy—go battle the acting Gym Leader. Way easier than Giovanni himself.]
[Good idea. I'll go after the stream. Wish me luck, brothers!]
[We salute the brave warrior on his journey!]
[One bow! Two bows! Three bows!]
[You're lucky Giovanni can't see chat, or he'd drag you online for this.]
[Drag you online? Giovanni's not that bored—he usually just buries people in the ground.]
[A Ground-type Gym Leader burying people alive? That's hilariously type-accurate.]
As always, the stream's mood took a sudden hard turn.
Not that it had ever been particularly serious in the first place.
Since there weren't many Trainers coming to challenge right now, Grey carried over two chairs. After Giovanni sat down with him, Grey set a cup in front of him.
"You know how to make tea too?"
Seeing how Grey handled the kettle, he looked like someone who actually knew what he was doing.
"I know a little, but I'm not the one making tea today. Bumiao, I'm counting on you."
Grey couldn't order Sabrina around, and it wouldn't feel right ordering Silver around either.
That left Bumiao as the only available option in the dojo.
"Huh? Me again?"
Bumiao blinked, pointing at herself.
She didn't know how to make tea either. Was she supposed to waste good tea leaves?
"More skills, more paths. Besides, I want to try your 'craft.'"
Grey had been handing out a lot of motivational soup today.
Giovanni listened to Grey, but his gaze stayed fixed on Silver in the distance the entire time.
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