"Gym Leader Giovanni, I understand how you feel, but please try to calm down."
Officer Jenny tried to soothe the seemingly "quite agitated" Giovanni.
His reaction didn't look explosive on the surface, but Giovanni was usually so steady and composed that this already counted as "worked up."
At her words, Giovanni fell silent, his breathing slowly evening out.
Agatha and Goodshow exchanged a subtle glance. Goodshow gave a tiny shake of his head.
"Are you really sure?" Giovanni's low voice finally broke the quiet.
"Gym Leader Giovanni, I'm afraid so. It's the truth."
Goodshow sounded helpless.
"We don't know the reason, but Damian really has joined Team Rocket. The Island Kahunas in Alola and Sinnoh's Champion Cynthia can both testify to that."
Goodshow glanced at Jenny, who nodded, picked up a remote, and pressed a button.
The display lit up, showing a handsome black-haired boy: Damian.
"This is footage they recorded on-site."
"…"
Giovanni stared at the screen, his gaze growing more and more complicated. He said nothing for a long time.
Then he drew in a deep breath, took out his phone in front of the three of them, and dialed a number.
Beep Beep Beep~
The ringtone echoed through the conference room. Aside from that, you could've heard a pin drop.
Soon, the call connected.
"Yo? Dad?"
The boy's voice came through the speaker—light, with a lazy, slightly offbeat drawl that sounded very distinct.
It was definitely Damian's voice. Goodshow was sure. He'd been the one to put the trophy in Damian's hands after he won.
At the time, Goodshow had been genuinely pleased, thinking another prodigy had appeared in Kanto.
"Damian. What are you doing in Alola?" Giovanni's voice was dark.
"Traveling, obviously." Damian's amused chuckle drifted through the phone.
"Tell me the truth. Did I ever teach you to lie?"
Right now, Giovanni sounded like a volcano about to erupt—still holding back, but just barely.
Noticing that, Goodshow's gray brows drew together.
And as soon as Giovanni's words fell, the other end of the line went quiet.
"So you found out, huh, Dad." The boy's voice turned cold.
"So you really did join Team Rocket. Damian, do you even know what you're doing? How did I raise you? I—"
Giovanni was still outwardly controlled, but anyone could see how furious he was. His tone was sharp, heavy.
"You always say stuff like that."
The boy cut him off, tone flat.
"What did you say?" Giovanni froze.
"I've had enough, Giovanni. Sixteen years. A full sixteen years."
Damian's voice wasn't loud. There was no screaming, no hysteria. Just a calm, even delivery.
"You've always demanded I move exactly according to your plan. Have you ever once thought about how I feel? I'm just a puppet, walking every step to your commands."
"I…" Giovanni's throat seemed to close up, and all he could squeeze out was a hoarse, "It's for your own good."
"Right. And all they ever say is, 'Look, that's Gym Leader Giovanni's son,' 'As expected of Gym Leader Giovanni's son, he's amazing.' No matter how hard I worked, even after I became Indigo Plateau Conference Champion…"
"I still carried your label. It's like whatever I achieved was just an extension of you."
Damian's voice stayed calm—cold, even.
The conference room fell eerily silent. Goodshow's frown deepened, while Agatha's lips curled in the faintest, shadowy smile as her gaze slid over the wordless Giovanni.
Commander Jenny wore much the same expression as Goodshow—brows tightly knitted.
"I'm not your toy. And I'll prove that even without you, I'll succeed just the same."
With that final line, the call cut off.
Giovanni lowered his head, saying nothing, shadows swallowing his face so completely that none of the three could read his expression.
But they all understood: his own son's words had landed like a hammer blow.
"Sigh…"
Goodshow opened his mouth, then closed it again. Considering Giovanni's state, all he could do was let out a quiet sigh.
A strict household, constant public scrutiny, hard work that never got properly recognized… all of it had pushed a gifted child to an extreme edge.
What could he even say? Blame Giovanni? What good would that do now?
"I'm sorry, Chairman. This is my fault." The hoarse, low voice cut through the room.
"It's all right. No one could've predicted this. Don't be too hard on yourself, Gym Leader Giovanni." Goodshow could only try to comfort him.
What kind of mess was this supposed to be?
He felt like crying. He'd actually been thinking of personally inviting Damian to become a member of Kanto's Elite Four once the boy finished this year's journey.
Who could've guessed that the prodigy raised by an official Gym Leader would turn around and join Team Rocket instead?
Goodshow rubbed his forehead. He was exhausted. Who was going to understand his pain?
...
Alola Region.
Damian ended the call feeling… great.
That clean cut meant that no matter what he did from here on out, it wouldn't blow back too hard on Giovanni.
There'd still be some noise, of course—but nothing that would really hurt him.
"Perfect. Once I find the right timing, I can officially take the Team Rocket boss chair."
Lounging back on the leather sofa, one leg crossed over the other, Damian looked completely relaxed.
He'd been waiting for this day for way too long.
Being the number two was boring. If you're going to do it, you go for the boss seat.
"My lord, what should we do next?"
Proton, who'd watched the whole thing from start to finish, honestly wanted to complain: these two father and son really knew how to put on a show.
But as a proper subordinate, he was tactful. Whether it was Giovanni, the soon-to-retire boss, or Damian, the soon-to-be boss, he could accept either.
Not to mention, in his eyes Damian's capability and strength more than met his standards. And Giovanni wasn't dying—just "retiring."
It really didn't matter much. Either one of them in the boss seat worked for him.
"Have the organization members lie low for a few days. We still don't know how Kukui and the others are going to move."
Damian thought it over, then gave the order.
"Yes."
"Cynthia showing up really is a pain. In that case…"
His eyes flashed. He hadn't planned on pulling this trigger so soon, but now he'd have to speed things up.
Cynthia's surprise appearance had definitely scrambled some of his setup.
Tsk. He'd swing by Aether Paradise in a few days and bag Lusamine first.
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.