"During the pursuit of that kid, we lost him midway when he slipped into Viridian Forest.
We relied on Meowth's sharp sense of smell to track him to the spot where he had stopped—
and then we were ambushed by a swarm of Beedrill."
"According to Meowth's translation, those Beedrill clearly attacked us under that kid's command."
"Later, we drove ahead and reached Pallet Town first. Logically speaking, the kid should have still been behind us.
But the next day, when we disguised ourselves as a milk company and called to probe for information, we found that the kid had already returned home early."
"So it's highly likely that while still in the forest, the kid either asked Flying-type Pokémon for help—or directly controlled them—and rode back to Pallet Town."
"Based on this, I suspect that besides healing injuries, helping Pokémon learn skills, and the mind-reading ability Meowth mentioned earlier, this kid also possesses the ability to communicate with Pokémon—perhaps even directly control them."
"After all our encounters so far, this kid looks harmless on the surface, but in reality, he's extremely good at hiding his cards."
"According to our analysis, when he revealed himself as a psychic at the Pokémon Summer Camp—showing the ability to heal Pokémon—that was likely intentional, meant to attract the League's attention."
"Then, when reporters from Saffron TV entered the camp, he immediately used the live broadcast to advertise himself, claiming he had the power to help Pokémon comprehend skills—and even announced he would open a skill-learning shop."
"Every single move he's made has had a clear objective. And so far, everything he's revealed has been low-profile, support-type abilities.
But with a mind as cunning as his, there's no way he hasn't held something back."
"So I believe his psychic abilities definitely have other effects we don't yet know about."
As the second-in-command strategist of the team, James calmly laid out his reasoning.
"Hmm…"
On the sofa, Giovanni nodded in agreement.
Was Ash still hiding other abilities?
There was no doubt about it.
As another possessor of Viridian Power, Giovanni knew better than anyone—
Viridian Power could also enhance Pokémon potential and amplify their combat strength.
"Cassidy, Butch," Giovanni said, turning his gaze.
"What did you discover when you sent Drowzee to that kid's side?"
"Yes—yes, we did!" Cassidy nodded rapidly, then reported everything Drowzee had experienced while staying with Ash.
"Cold, ruthless methods… terrifyingly fast growth in strength…
And he even has an Elite Champion–level Charizard, personally assigned by Professor Oak, guarding him?"
"Protection from the League.
Support from major Kanto families and financial conglomerates.
And on top of that, a Champion-level Charizard by his side…"
"With this many layers of protection, it's no longer a question of whether I want to move against that kid—
I can't, and I dare not."
Giovanni's expression remained calm, but his thoughts churned.
"He understands the balance of power among upper-class forces, uses interests to restrain interests…
Cunning as a fox.
Outstanding Trainer talent.
Decisive and ruthless when necessary…"
"Perhaps that kid really will become what he claimed at the Summer Camp gathering—
a Trainer who stands at the very pinnacle of the Pokémon world."
"At this point, Team Rocket can no longer suppress his growth."
"From now on, we must not provoke him.
Instead, we need to find a way to repair our relationship—
perhaps even establish goodwill and cooperation."
"Otherwise… Team Rocket may one day be completely destroyed by that boy."
This wasn't alarmism.
Everything that had happened recently had already proven Ash's Trainer talent and methods.
Based on those alone, becoming a League Champion was practically guaranteed.
And with Viridian Power on top of that—
Reaching Giovanni's level… or even surpassing him… was almost inevitable.
Under normal circumstances, Team Rocket's rule was simple:
If we can't recruit a talent, we eliminate it.
But the problem was—
They couldn't touch him anymore.
A Champion-level Charizard alone was already beyond what Team Rocket could casually provoke or suppress.
Giovanni himself was powerful—but as Ash had already analyzed—
He wasn't a lone wolf.
He was the head of a massive organization.
And aside from Giovanni himself, no one in Team Rocket—not even the Four Executives—
was a match for the Charizard protecting Ash.
At this point, Team Rocket could only hope Ash wouldn't retaliate.
Otherwise, the losses would be catastrophic.
Bzzz—
🎵 "In the deep blue silence of the night,
I ponder philosophy alone,
As insects roll and chirp in the grass,
Their voices strangely delicious…" 🎵
Inside Giovanni's office at Team Rocket HQ, the two elite squads were finishing their mission report.
Just as the briefing wrapped up—
A ringtone suddenly rang out from Meowth's pocket.
Everyone—including Giovanni—turned to look at him.
Meowth's face stiffened, embarrassment flooding his expression.
"S-sorry, Boss—!"
After apologizing, Meowth frowned and glanced at the caller ID.
It was a completely unfamiliar number.
Team Rocket members' phones were specially encrypted—
no spam, no sales calls, no random numbers.
Ordinarily, outsiders had no way of knowing how to contact them.
That made this call unsettling.
Meowth hesitated, worried Giovanni might suspect betrayal—
then, gritting his teeth, he pressed answer and turned on speaker mode.
"Hello—who is this?!"
A moment later, a youthful, innocent voice came through the phone.
"Hello, this is Ash from Pallet Town.
May I ask—are you the one I met on Viridian Road before, who asked me for help?"
The instant the words left the speaker—
Meowth froze.
Of all the possibilities he had imagined…
Ash calling him was the one thing he had never considered.
Meowth stood there, stunned and disbelieving.
Around him, Giovanni, Matori, Jessie, James, Cassidy, and Butch exchanged shocked looks.
The room fell into a dead silence.
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T/N:
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