Deep within Viridian City, hidden beneath the Viridian Gym, lay the true heart of Team Rocket's operations.
A vast underground base.
A place where whispers of secrets, ambitions, and power lurked behind every closed door.
Inside the command center, the dim glow of monitors illuminated the room as operatives moved efficiently, tracking deals, trainers, and global events.
At the center of it all, Giovanni, the elusive leader of Team Rocket, stood behind his desk, arms crossed. His expression unreadable.
Across from him, Matori adjusted her glasses, a thin tablet in her hands.
"Report," Giovanni ordered.
Matori nodded, scrolling through her data.
"Team Rocket's influence has finally reached the Galar Region," she stated.
Giovanni raised an eyebrow.
"Impressive. And Dynamaxing? Still exclusive?"
"Yes. It appears to only work in Galar. However…" Matori hesitated.
"Chairman Rose is hiding something."
Giovanni's smirk faded.
"Of course he is."
Chairman Rose. The figurehead of Galar's power industry. A philanthropist, sponsor, and business mogul.
But his record was too clean.
Nobody without secrets held that much power without scandal.
"Keep watching him," Giovanni ordered. "If there's something to exploit, we'll find it."
Matori nodded and continued.
"On another matter," Matori said, adjusting her glasses, "Elliot Kane has finished collecting Beedrill Stingers, apparently."
Giovanni's expression flickered with interest.
"Really?"
"Our sources say he's heading toward Cerulean City," Matori confirmed. "Either he's just going early… or he really is done."
Giovanni leaned back in his chair.
"I have no doubt he's done. The kid's smart."
Matori didn't argue.
Giovanni had a sharp instinct for people. If he believed Elliot had completed the task already, then he likely had.
But that wasn't the only news.
"According to League intel, Elliot's status is now being officially monitored," Matori added.
"By whom?" Giovanni asked, his eyes narrowing.
"Lance himself, well at least his status is."
The room fell silent.
Giovanni's smirk returned, but his eyes gleamed with something dangerous.
"Lance, huh? Interesting."
It was rare for the Champion to personally monitor a single trainer.
What made Elliot Kane worth watching?
Was it his strength? His resourcefulness?
Or something else?
"And Mewtwo?" Giovanni asked, his voice shifting to something colder.
Matori glanced at her reports.
"Its psychic power is growing exponentially," she reported. "It's already stronger than Sabrina."
Giovanni's fingers tapped against the desk.
Sabrina was one of the most powerful psychics alive.
And yet, Mewtwo was already beyond her.
"We need it calm and under control," Giovanni said, his voice final.
"For now, let it grow."
Matori nodded but stayed silent.
Giovanni's expression was unreadable as he continued.
"If it ever leaves… it will be hunted."
"By us. And by others."
There was no escape for Mewtwo.
Not truly.
Fate or Design?
As the reports concluded, Giovanni turned his attention to one last document.
A dossier.
On Elliot Kane.
His eyes traced the file, pausing on one detail in particular.
Deino.
A pseudo-legendary Pokémon. Rare.
Powerful. Unpredictable.
A brilliant stroke of luck.
Or was it?
Giovanni's fingers hovered over the data.
Was Elliot's rise to power truly by chance?
Or was there something else at play?
He leaned back in his chair, smirking.
"Let's see how far you'll go, Kane."