Team Rocket's rapid expansion, sweeping across two regions in just over a decade, was inseparably linked to Giovanni's dual identities. As a League Gym Leader, he gained access to valuable connections and intelligence, critical assets for both Team Rocket's operations and Silph Co.'s growth.
His role as Silph Co.'s president allowed him to leverage financial influence within the League while providing Team Rocket with resources and a front for laundering its assets.
Lastly, Team Rocket's vast black-market empire cemented his status as the underground emperor of Kanto and Johto.
These identities were interwoven and mutually reinforcing. The loss of even one would significantly impact his power structure.
Now that his identity as Team Rocket's boss was exposed, he had no doubt he would become the League's most wanted fugitive. Every legitimate business associated with him, including Silph Co., would suffer devastating consequences.
"Damn it." Giovanni clenched his fist, his eyes bloodshot with rage.
Three of his top executives had been eliminated in rapid succession, and now, his greatest secret was out. This wasn't a coincidence—someone was deliberately targeting him.
"We're leaving. This place is no longer safe."
A true mastermind, Giovanni quickly suppressed his anger and regained his composure.
Boarding a private jet with Matori, he took off from Viridian City.
Moments after his departure, a figure clad in a dark ninja outfit appeared atop the Viridian Gym, moving with eerie silence.
With a swift motion, the ninja traced a circle on the concrete rooftop with his foot. In an instant, the reinforced surface crumbled like soft clay, revealing a hidden passage. From within, clusters of green Spinarak crawled out, dispersing into the building.
The ninja remained expressionless, his gaze fixed on the distant horizon.
"…Escaped already?"
Pulling out a communicator, he relayed a message.
Meanwhile, aboard Giovanni's jet, the aircraft was en route to Goldenrod City in Johto, where an S-Class secret Team Rocket base awaited.
With his identity exposed, Saffron City was no longer safe. As Silph Co.'s headquarters, it would undoubtedly be under intense League surveillance.
From now on, he would have to retreat into the shadows.
Closing his eyes, Giovanni reflected on what had gone wrong. How had his identity been leaked?
Suddenly, a Poké Ball at his waist trembled. Without waiting for a command, Beedrill emerged, its wings vibrating at an incredibly high frequency.
The pulsating air formed a faint, spherical barrier around Giovanni and Matori.
BOOM!
A thunderous explosion rocked the jet. A powerful force struck the aircraft, violently knocking it off course.
Glasses shattered, and a wine bottle crashed onto the carpet, spilling red liquid across the floor.
Simultaneously, a thick layer of ice rapidly spread along the cabin walls. Within mere seconds, the entire plane was encased in a frozen tomb, plummeting toward the ground.
With a flick of its body, Beedrill smashed a hole through the ice-bound fuselage, carrying Giovanni and Matori as it burst out of the aircraft.
Matori's face turned pale as she watched the frozen jet spiral downward, shattering upon impact. She barely suppressed a scream.
Giovanni's eyes gleamed with a murderous edge. If not for Beedrill's Anticipation ability, he would have been nothing more than an ice sculpture crashing to his death.
A sharp cry echoed through the sky.
A majestic, sapphire-feathered figure with elegantly flowing tail plumes soared into view.
Its icy blue body shimmered like a sculpture of pure frost, a crown-like crest adorning its forehead.
"…Articuno."
Giovanni instantly recognized the Legendary Pokémon.
"Beedrill, land." He ordered with eerie calm.
The attack on the plane had clearly come from Articuno. If he was going to fight back, he needed solid ground beneath his feet—after all, he was Giovanni of the Earth.
Beedrill descended cautiously, its wings poised for a quick counterattack, while keeping a wary eye on Articuno.
As Giovanni landed, he noticed a figure standing on the ground.
"…Noland. So it really was you."
Giovanni's expression grew heavy as he locked eyes with the man in the red cap.
Few individuals in the world could command an Articuno. And among them, the most well-known was none other than Noland, the Hoenn Battle Factory Head.
Noland's face was devoid of emotion.
"…I never would have guessed that Giovanni of the Earth was also the leader of Team Rocket. What a surprise."
Giovanni chuckled, unfazed. Though Noland had an Articuno, he was only at Elite Four level. Giovanni wasn't concerned.
But suddenly, he felt an overwhelming presence surge behind him.
Turning around, his gaze darkened.
A man in an olive-green archaeologist's uniform stepped forward.
Behind him loomed three towering figures, each exuding a terrifying aura.
Regirock, the Titan of Stone.
Registeel, the Titan of Iron.
Regice, the Titan of Ice.
Each of the Legendary Titans stood over five meters tall, radiating immense pressure.
Positioned in a triangular formation alongside the descending Articuno, they completely surrounded Giovanni.
A four-Legendary ambush.
Such a grand reception—only a crime lord of Giovanni's stature could warrant such a spectacle.
...
Elsewhere, Dolores delivered the retrieved Pokémon fossils to Ophelia, who transported them back to Umbrella Pharmaceutical Company.
Afterward, Dolores departed for Vermilion City.
As Syndicate's regional commander in Vermilion, she intended to integrate its operatives into Hive.
Meanwhile, Onando chose to remain with Umbrella rather than return to Unova.
For him, the virus was far more fascinating than anything else.
The Hjelle family's resources… truly formidable.
Ophelia surveyed the underground base, already near operational status.
In mere days, while the mansion above remained under renovation, the subterranean facility had been fully equipped and was now functional.
The efficiency was astounding. It was almost as if the Hjelle family had simply uprooted one of their existing labs and transplanted it here.
With a quiet sigh, Ophelia's gaze drifted into the distance.
By now, it should have already begun…
After all, she had been the one to deliver the encrypted message to the League's Shadow Ops, exposing Giovanni's true identity as the head of Team Rocket.
As for the source of this intelligence, it had come from none other than Madam Sham, the former assistant to Archer, a high-ranking ex-executive of Team Rocket.
To be honest, when Ophelia first discovered that the president of Silph Co. was actually Giovanni, she found herself caught between surprise and a sense of inevitability.
The true identity of Team Rocket's boss had long been one of the world's greatest mysteries. Running an organization of such scale and influence wouldn't be possible without immense resources and power.
And speaking of resources—Silph Co.'s industry spanned the globe, standing as the financial titan of Kanto.
As for power—he was also the Viridian City Gym Leader, entrusted with protecting an entire city.
Looking at it from this perspective, it all made perfect sense.
No wonder. They had once suspected that Andreas, the Senior Vice President of Silph Co., had been compromised by Team Rocket's infiltration. But as it turned out, Silph Co. and Team Rocket were one and the same from the very beginning.
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