"Boss, are you saying we should tell that kid outright that we're Team Rocket… and even reveal the Mewtwo Project to him?"
"Use your brain for once. That kid already sees through our identities, yet he still told us to 'think about our wording' before explaining ourselves again. That means he wants us to put up a layer of cover."
Standing beside Giovanni, the female secretary Matori adjusted her glasses and spoke calmly.
"That child is now a seed talent under direct League protection. He clearly doesn't want an open, on-the-record connection with Team Rocket."
"Then what identity do we fabricate? And how do we explain our purpose?" James asked nervously.
"He only gave us five minutes. He's about to call again—and it's a video call. Should Boss avoid appearing?"
"James, have you lost your mind?" Jessie snapped.
"Boss is the Gym Leader of Viridian City under the Kanto League. Why would he need to avoid anything?"
Matori pushed her thin metal-framed glasses up her nose.
"Just say you're staff from the Viridian Gym. That you approached him because there's a very rare and special Pokémon in the Gym that was injured—one even Pokémon Doctors can't treat. You wanted his psychic abilities to help heal it."
"If he truly can read minds, then he's probably already learned Boss Giovanni's identity from you lot. There's no need to hide it."
"And since we're trying to repair relations with this child, sincerity matters."
Bzzz—
🎵 In the quiet blue night, I ponder philosophy alone, insects rolling and chirping in the grass… 🎵
Exactly five minutes later, Ash's video call came through.
Inside the office, Jessie, Cassidy, and the others had already removed their Team Rocket uniforms, changing into the casual clothes they'd worn on Route 1. The giant red R emblem on the wall had been covered with cloth, and with the lights fully switched on, the once-dim office now looked bright, professional—like a modern corporate headquarters.
Giovanni stood impeccably dressed in a tailored suit. Beside him, Matori wore a formal business outfit. At first glance, they looked like executives of a legitimate company.
When the call connected, Matori projected the video feed onto the large electronic screen so both sides could clearly see each other.
Ash glanced at Team Rocket's side of the screen, nodded in satisfaction, and smiled faintly.
Talking to smart people really does save effort.
But while Ash looked pleased, Giovanni, Matori, Jessie, and the others went pale the moment they saw his background.
Ash sat at his desk, facing the computer. Directly behind him, clearly visible through the camera, hung a large map on the wall.
Not just any map.
It was a detailed map of the Southern Kanto Archipelago—and on it, a bright red flag had been planted squarely on New Island.
Coincidence?
Before they could cling to that hope, their remaining illusions shattered.
On Ash's desk sat a LEGO rocket model, positioned perfectly within the camera's frame. And in Ash's arms…
…was a Mew plush toy.
Coincidence?
Not a chance.
Giovanni and Matori exchanged a look.
This kid not only knows Jessie's team is Team Rocket… he knows far more than we ever imagined.
The cloning of Mewtwo using Mew's genetic data.
The hidden laboratory on New Island.
Secrets even the League and Kanto's great families didn't know.
Ash knew everything.
And when Giovanni himself appeared on screen alongside Jessie's group, Ash showed not the slightest hint of surprise—clearly, Giovanni's true identity was no secret to him either.
"League protection. The backing of Kanto's great families. A Champion-class Charizard at his side… and detailed knowledge of our deepest secrets."
"Is this a warning?"
"Or a knock on the door?"
Giovanni stared at the screen, then slowly smiled.
What a terrifying child.
And yet—
If someone like this were part of Team Rocket… how wonderful that would be.
But sadly, such a person would never truly belong to them.
…
"Hello~ Big brother, big sister. We meet again."
Ash's cheerful voice rang out.
"Sorry, I had something to take care of earlier. Now, you can tell me who you really are… and why you came looking for me in the first place."
In Pallet Town, inside a red-roofed, white-walled house surrounded by flowers and greenery, a six-year-old boy calmly held a video call—
—with the supreme leader of the most ruthless criminal organization spanning Kanto and Johto.
"Hello, little Ash," Jessie began brightly.
"I'm big sister Jessie, this is big brother James, this is Meowth, and this is Auntie Cassidy…"
"That day, we really did come to ask you for help. But you were a bit too naughty, so big sister Jessie wasn't very gentle afterward. I hope you don't blame me~"
She paused, grinning.
"After all, big sister Jessie is lively and adorable—unlike Auntie Cassidy, who's so violent and temperamental, or big sister Matori, who's so serious and flat—oops!!"
The tension shattered instantly.
But under the murderous stares from Cassidy and Matori, Jessie quickly coughed and regained her composure.
"Anyway," she continued seriously,
"James and I work at the Viridian Gym. There's a very rare and special Pokémon there that's sick and injured. Ordinary medical treatment doesn't work at all."
"We learned from the Pokémon Summer Camp broadcast that you possess psychic healing abilities. Acting on Gym Leader Giovanni's request, we came to ask if you could help heal that Pokémon."
"So, little Ash… would you be willing to help? That poor Pokémon is really suffering."
"Helping a rare and special Pokémon heal…" Ash murmured thoughtfully.
His gaze drifted down to the Mew plush in his arms.
Understanding flashed through his eyes.
So this… is how you want to play it.
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T/N:
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