Deep within the Vermilion City Gym.
The air here is perpetually filled with a sharp scent, like military-grade lubricant.
A stark contrast to the humid mists of the Cerulean Gym.
Lt. Surge was once a soldier.
A remarkably skilled one, at that.
Even after changing careers to become a Gym Leader, the preferences of his former life as an elite soldier haven't faded in the slightest.
A few abstract, battle-damaged style art pieces hang on the metal walls.
In a corner, a weapon maintenance rack even holds several training swords.
It feels less like a Gym and more like the command room of an elite unit.
Gym Leaders have a lot of power; they can decorate their Gyms in any style they wish. There are no standards in that regard.
Lt. Surge leaned back in his wide, alloy chair, his combat boots casually propped on the edge of the control console, his fingers tapping intermittently on the armrest.
On the encrypted communication screen before him, Giovanni's figure was half-hidden in shadow, only the slow, stroking motion of his hand on his Persian's fur clearly visible.
"...So, that old man Oak has raised an interesting little brat this time?" Lt. Surge's voice, tinged with a coarse laugh, cut through the slight static on the comms channel.
"The Golden Gyarados doesn't matter... anything's possible with Shiny Pokémon."
"But sticking with a Pikachu just won't do~"
"I'll have to show him that Raichu is the proper path~"
This touched upon a key issue.
Lt. Surge believed that Pokémon should, whenever possible, evolve to their final forms. Pokémon that couldn't evolve were, in essence, defective.
And, assuming it wasn't forced unnaturally, quickly reaching the final stage of evolution to obtain a fully developed body was also better for training.
It was simply a matter of a Trainer's philosophy.
This was mainly due to the nature of Pokémon, which had led to Trainers splitting into two schools of thought.
1: Some Pokémon require special items to evolve to their next stage, so human intervention by a Trainer is reasonable.
2: Normal Pokémon should reach their next stage through their own training and growth, so it's best for Trainers not to interfere.
Neither side could be definitively called right or wrong; it just depended on the individual situation.
On the other end of the screen.
Giovanni's voice came through, steady and betraying no emotion. "A Golden Gyarados... rare, indeed. What's rarer is his ability to make such an inherently ferocious beast obey."
"Meowth's report was vague, but his fear was genuine."
"That Pikachu... I suspect it's no ordinary Pikachu."
...If Giovanni had witnessed the true power of Pika-God, he probably would have had to say:
—I'm worldly and experienced, what haven't I seen?
—I've really never seen a Pikachu like this!
(Laughter).
Lt. Surge's tapping stopped for a moment, the corner of his mouth pulling into a wider grin. "What, Boss, are you tempted too?"
"Thinking of recruiting him as a mascot for the organization?"
After all, Ash Ketchum was only 10 years old. Even a villainous organization like Team Rocket wouldn't stoop to exploiting child labor like that.
Among the villainous organizations of this world, Team Rocket, while genuinely evil, was still relatively professional.
Even if they wanted Ash to join Team Rocket and become an active member, he'd have to be an adult first.
The current Team Rocket was already fully established. It wasn't in desperate need of fighting power, so there was no need to force things.
A brief silence.
Giovanni's voice spoke again, now with an inscrutable undertone. "Team Rocket needs fangs that can tear into prey, not a canary in a cage."
"Vermilion City is your territory, Lt. Surge."
"On my behalf... 'weigh' him thoroughly."
"See if that piece of material can just spark a little, or if it can truly be forged into a fine blade."
"And, of course, see if he... can be of use to us."
If he could be used, all the better.
If not, it didn't matter.
Giovanni had the magnanimity to tolerate a threat.
Even knowing the boy was a Trainer specially cultivated by Professor Oak, he wouldn't think of eliminating him early on.
["If I am ever defeated by another's strength, it will only prove that my own training was insufficient."]
That was how Giovanni thought.
He was the boss of Team Rocket.
But he was also the strongest Gym Leader in Kanto.
He was an ambitious man, but also a Pokémon Trainer.
The communication ended abruptly.
The screen went dark, reflecting Lt. Surge's own face with its playful smirk.
He held the pose for a few seconds, then scoffed and lowered his combat boots from the console.
"...The Boss always talks in such roundabout ways."
He stretched his neck, producing a faint crack, and his gaze swept over to another auxiliary screen that had remained on beside him—
It clearly displayed an image taken from a distance by a patrol boat that had risked everything to capture it a short while ago:
On the sea under the night sky, the mountain-like silhouette of a Giant Dragonite, and in front of it, atop a lighthouse, several human figures so tiny they were almost negligible.
The image was a bit shaky, but the terrifying pressure, originating from a fundamental level of life itself, seemed almost to seep through the screen.
Though the picture was blurry, Lt. Surge could still make out that the figure standing at the very front was the subject he and Giovanni had just been discussing—Ash Ketchum.
"First a Golden Gyarados, and now a behemoth that should only exist in myths..."
Lt. Surge's finger traced over Ash's blurry figure on the screen, a glint of mixed curiosity and cruelty flashing in his eyes.
"Your luck is top-notch, boy."
He leaned back against his chair, hands clasped behind his head, staring at the frozen image of the giant beast and the boy on the screen.
The harsh lights from the Gym ceiling reflected as cold pinpricks in his eyes.
"To be able to calmly communicate with that kind of monster..."
"That courage alone puts you ten leagues ahead of those weaklings who run with their tails between their legs at the sight of a Raichu."
His low, expectant monologue echoed in the empty Gym.
"I'm really looking forward to it, little boy..."
"Just don't you dare... disappoint me too quickly."
Lt. Surge's fingers unconsciously tapped the armrest of his chair, the rhythm slow and powerful, like the prelude to a war drum.
"I have high hopes for you~"
Strictly speaking, Lt. Surge was merely a partner of Team Rocket.
Strictly speaking, Lt. Surge was merely a subordinate of Giovanni.
Although Giovanni commanded Team Rocket, Giovanni was not Team Rocket.
What happened to Team Rocket... Lt. Surge didn't actually care that much.
The organization was not the same as the individual.
He was simply captivated by Giovanni's charisma.
In fact, this was the same reason the other few Gym Leaders had joined Team Rocket.
Otherwise, given the status and position of Gym Leaders, Team Rocket wouldn't actually have been able to force them to join.
In a way, it could be understood that the Gym Leaders chose Team Rocket.
As for the reason?
Well... how to put it...
The situation in the Kanto League was currently a bit of a mess.
Because the Kanto League lacked a Champion who could command the entire League and keep everyone in line.
This meant that no one faction truly submitted to another.
The Elite Four was one faction.
The eight Gym Leaders were another.
Professor Oak, Bill, Professor Cerise, and the other Pokémon Professors were yet another group.
But having said that, they also had other connections with each other... and even engaged in mutual opposition and competition.
For example:
Erika, while a Gym Leader, was also a visiting professor at Celadon University and a rising star in the academic world.
Bill, Professor Cerise, and Lt. Surge... the three of them could be considered their own Vermilion City faction.
...In short, the whole situation was a headache.
And Giovanni—in Lt. Surge's eyes—was the one qualified to take the throne of League Champion and bring stability to the Kanto League.
As for why Lt. Surge didn't try to do it himself?
Of course, it was because he couldn't beat the monstrously strong Elite Four.
____
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