"Damian, didn't you say you weren't gonna make too much trouble over there?"
Giovanni felt helpless. Tired, even.
How long had Damian been in Alola? Not even two months. And now?
He'd somehow managed to pick a fight with Alola's Island Kahunas—and even drag a Sinnoh Champion into it.
Giovanni genuinely didn't get it. Sinnoh's Champion and the Alola Region were about as far apart as it got. How the hell had Damian ended up clashing with her?
"Yeah, and I didn't tie them up and toss them into a mine. I already did them a favor. They were the ones who came looking for trouble." Damian clicked his tongue.
He honestly felt he'd been pretty restrained. Which he had to be. Otherwise the Pokémon League would never just sit there and watch Team Rocket "ravage" the Alola Region.
"All right, I'll handle Indigo League. Damian, are you sure you want to go through with this?"
Giovanni thought in silence for a moment, then asked.
Damian had already brought this plan up a couple of days ago, but Giovanni was still worried. In his eyes, Damian's personality was a bit too arrogant and showy.
"Even if my identity gets blown, it's not the end of the world. Sabrina and the others are still in the shadows."
Giving up the Viridian Gym Leader position would be a shame, but Giovanni was prepared to make that call.
Compared to that title, he cared far more about Team Rocket.
Sabrina?
At the name, Caitlin's eyes flickered slightly. If she remembered right, Sabrina was the Gym Leader of Kanto's Saffron City.
Sabrina was part of Team Rocket too?
Honestly, that shocked her. Saffron Gym and Viridian Gym were both official Kanto Gyms.
Official Gyms.
And both of their Gym Leaders had been infiltrated by Team Rocket?
No wonder Team Rocket had managed to grow right under Indigo League's nose. They really were something else.
"Dad, there's no point in you getting exposed." Damian didn't see Giovanni revealing his identity as any kind of win.
"What about you, then? If your identity stays clean, there's a lot we can leverage. I told you to at least use some kind of disguise."
Giovanni rubbed his temples, half exasperated, half amused.
"How is that the same thing?!"
Damian's expression was pure righteous indignation.
"Creeping around, covering my face and hiding in the dark? That's not my style. I'm not interested in cheap tricks. I want the whole world to know—this era belongs to me, Damian. To Team Rocket."
"Anyone who stands in my way, I'll crush with overwhelming force."
His words were bold and domineering, his tone every bit the final boss.
Caitlin's eyes sparkled. As expected of Damian.
"Heh… hehehe…"
Giovanni's eyelid twitched twice. He let out a quiet laugh. In his head, he boiled Damian's speech down to a single sentence.
Nothing much. The kid just really loves showing off.
"Anyway, Dad, just focus on climbing the League ladder. Aim for Champion or chairman or something."
"You can relax. I'll take good care of Team Rocket for you."
Damian patted his chest in assurance. That Team Rocket boss chair? He'd inherit it properly.
"…"
Giovanni couldn't help falling into deep thought.
Something about this felt off. Why did it sound so much like those kings in history being pressured by their heirs to abdicate?
"Forget it. You've got your own ideas. I'll hang up here—the League people are already here."
He ended the call, because his work phone was already ringing.
"Gym Leader Giovanni, are you currently at the Gym?"
"Of course. What can I do for you, Officer Jenny?"
Giovanni responded in his usual smooth, magnetic tone.
"There are some things we'd like to discuss with you. Could we trouble you to come to Indigo Plateau?"
"Right now?"
"Yes. It's important."
"Understood. I'll head over immediately."
Giovanni had to hand it to Indigo League—they worked fast. Hanging up, he got to his feet and walked out of his office.
"Matori, if League staff come by to inspect the place, play it by ear. Don't overdo blocking them."
He gave a quick order to the approaching Matori. He'd always been careful not to leave obvious traces.
Yes, Viridian Gym had hidden rooms, but that wasn't illegal in and of itself. He'd already scrubbed and checked every computer and device. There wouldn't be any proof.
He was certain that once he left for Indigo Plateau, the League would send people to search the Gym. That much was guaranteed.
"Yes." Matori nodded respectfully.
Giovanni walked out of the Gym, got into his car, and headed toward Indigo Plateau. Viridian City wasn't far from it, actually—it was the closest city to Indigo Plateau.
Roughly half an hour later, he arrived.
After straightening his suit, Giovanni slipped one hand into his pocket and walked into the League building. Under the guidance of a League staffer who'd been waiting for him, he was led to a conference room.
"Gym Leader Giovanni."
"Mr. Chairman, it's been a while."
Giovanni greeted the short, white-haired old man at the head of the table with a pleasant smile.
This was Indigo League's chairman, Chairman Goodshow—and the overall head of the entire Pokémon League. In the anime, Brock had once called him "the greatest person in the Pokémon League."
The Pokémon League, as an organization, had only existed for a little over a century. For it to have grown into the world-spanning powerhouse it was today, Goodshow's contributions were undeniable.
"Sit, sit. Calling you over so suddenly like this is a bit rude on my part."
Goodshow smiled kindly and gestured for Giovanni to take a seat. On his left sat a middle-aged Jenny with a stern expression—the overall commander of the Jennys in Kanto.
On his right was an old woman in a dress: Agatha.
That lineup was… not small.
"You flatter me, Mr. Chairman. There weren't any challengers at my Gym today anyway. I was actually planning to head out to train a bit."
Giovanni kept his face perfectly calm as he smiled lightly and nodded to all three before sitting down.
"As expected of you, Giovanni. If all my Kanto Gym Leaders were as reliable as Gym Leader Giovanni, this old man could finally relax."
Goodshow's eyes curved in a happy squint.
"Anyway, the reason we asked you here today is to talk about Damian. Your son is really something, Giovanni. First year on the road and he storms through the entire Indigo Plateau Conference."
He sighed in open admiration. Last year, he'd actually hoped Damian would move on to challenge Kanto's Elite Four, but the boy hadn't taken that path.
"You give him too much credit, Mr. Chairman. The kid still has a lot of work to do." Giovanni's smile deepened slightly, a touch of pride slipping into his voice.
"Hehehe~ You're being a little too modest, Giovanni. Damian's out in Alola leading Team Rocket, and he even caught Alola's island guardian deity, Tapu Fini."
Agatha's raspy voice came low and slow, her cloudy eyes fixed sharply on Giovanni.
"What?" His brows snapped together, as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"Gym Leader Giovanni, your son Damian has joined Team Rocket and become one of their executives. He's currently the overall head of their Alola branch." Officer Jenny said sternly.
"This…"
Giovanni went momentarily speechless, staring at the three of them. His brows knit tighter and tighter as his expression shifted.
In his eyes, there was three parts shock, three parts confusion, three parts loss—and one part dazed disbelief.
"Officer Jenny, are you sure you haven't made a mistake? Damian isn't that kind of person. He's been well-behaved and sensible since he was a kid. I've always made sure to teach him the League's code properly. How could he possibly join an evil organization like Team Rocket?"
"That's impossible. Absolutely impossible."
Once he snapped back to himself, Giovanni spoke with iron conviction.
As if to say: a child raised by Giovanni himself could never turn into some Team Rocket villain.
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.