Cassidy: "Boss!!"
Butch: "Boss!!"
Drowzee: "Boss!!"
James: "Boss!!"
Jessie: "Boss!!"
Meowth: "Meowth!!"
After receiving the message from the secretary Matori, the two elite Team Rocket squads—who had been discussing their next move in the combat briefing room—immediately rushed over.
The moment they saw the imposing middle-aged man seated on the high-backed sofa, Jessie, Cassidy, and the others straightened and saluted with absolute respect. The man before them was the leader of their organization—the very soul and faith of Team Rocket.
"Mm."
"The mission to capture Ash ends here," Giovanni said calmly.
"Jessie, Cassidy—report everything. I want to know more about this boy."
"Yes!" Jessie answered.
"Yes!" Cassidy followed.
The two squads began their reports in the order they had joined the operation.
Originally, this mission had been assigned to Jessie's team. The ones who had clashed with Ash first were also them.
Disguised as chefs, Jessie, James, and Meowth had infiltrated Professor Oak's Pokémon Summer Camp, remaining there for nearly two full weeks. Because of this, they understood Ash far better than Cassidy's squad, which had joined later.
From the events at the summer camp, to the first clash on Viridian Road, and then the repeated failures to infiltrate Pallet Town—as Giovanni listened, stroking the fur of the Persian beside him, his expression remained unreadable.
"Meowth," Giovanni finally said,
"are you saying that this boy's psychic ability doesn't just include healing and enhancing skill comprehension, but also the ability to peek into and hear other people's thoughts?"
At those words, Giovanni's eyes sharpened for the first time.
Others might not understand Ash's power—but Giovanni did.
Because he possessed the same ability.
He had named it Viridian Power.
Viridian Power had two terrifyingly strong functions.
First: enhancing a Pokémon's origin, raising its potential and aptitude.
Second: fusing one's will with psychic power and overlaying it onto Pokémon, directly boosting their combat strength.
Years ago, Team Rocket's previous female leader—his mother—had abandoned him in the slums of Viridian City to avoid vengeance from enemies, leaving him to fend for himself.
Life in the slums was hell—especially for an "orphan" with no Pokémon.
In the end, he had joined a group of Bug Catchers, banding together for survival, throwing stones and stealing food, until he finally captured a Weedle through sheer desperation.
That was when Giovanni discovered he was a psychic.
Relying on Viridian Power, enhancing Pokémon potential and combat ability, and armed with nothing but a Weedle, he had risen forcefully from the slums—step by bloody step.
For years, Giovanni believed Viridian Power only had those two effects.
It was only recently—after watching the Summer Camp broadcast—that he realized Ash also possessed Viridian Power.
And when he saw that Ash's version included healing and teaching Pokémon to master skills, Giovanni finally understood:
His own Viridian Power was incomplete.
There was far more to it than he had ever imagined.
The ability he had treated as his ultimate trump card for half his life… still hid secrets unknown to him.
The moment he realized this, Giovanni ordered Jessie's team—who had infiltrated the camp—to capture Ash at all costs.
That was the real reason behind the attack on Viridian Road.
It wasn't just that the League hadn't taken Ash seriously enough yet.
It was because Team Rocket took him very seriously.
At first, Giovanni wanted Ash purely to research the secrets of Viridian Power.
Later, Dr. Fuji, the man overseeing the Mewtwo Project, learned of this through unknown channels and urged Giovanni to capture Ash as well.
Dr. Fuji believed—almost instinctively—that Ash's healing psychic power could solve the fatal problem of genetic collapse in the Mewtwo Project.
Researching Viridian Power and resolving the final bottleneck of the Mewtwo Project—
That was why Giovanni had sent an elite squad on what should have been a trivial mission.
Unfortunately…
Because of multiple complications, Giovanni and Team Rocket were temporarily unable to touch Ash.
Only temporarily.
Especially now—after hearing Meowth's claim that Ash's Viridian Power could also read thoughts—Giovanni's interest burned hotter than ever.
"Our disguises were flawless," Meowth continued eagerly.
"Jessie, James, and I never exposed ourselves. But when we met that kid on Viridian Road, he acted like he'd already seen through us."
"The moment we met, he commanded his Pokémon to attack."
"And this time, when Drowzee was sent over, it hadn't even confessed yet—but that kid instantly identified it as ours, knew it belonged to Team Rocket, and even knew Cassidy was the Trainer."
"Based on all that… I boldly suspect his psychic power lets him hear people's thoughts!"
Meowth spoke faster and faster, eyes shining.
Giovanni listened intently—and when Meowth finished, a rare look of approval appeared on his face.
Meowth puffed up instantly, shooting a smug glance at the Persian beside Giovanni, his expression practically screaming:
See that? I'm the Boss's most trusted subordinate. You're just a useless lap cat.
"Meow~"
The Persian flicked its whiskers, pressed its head against Giovanni's hand, and gave Meowth a disdainful sideways glance—silent, mocking.
Meowth instantly snapped.
Jealousy exploded, his face twisting in fury.
"Boss," James suddenly spoke up,
"besides the mind-reading ability Meowth mentioned, I believe that kid can also communicate with Pokémon—maybe even control them."
"Oh?" Giovanni's eyes lit with interest.
"Explain."
Compared to mind-reading, Giovanni found the idea of controlling Pokémon far more intriguing.
After all—
Once the Mewtwo Project succeeded, that would be the next problem he needed to solve.
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