Chapter 2: Aren't the Evil Teams in Other Regions All Just Pushovers?
Mammon was sixteen this year. In his own words: if you've been given a life in this world, not going on a journey at least once makes it incomplete.
Giovanni — ever the doting father — figured the kid had a point. Training behind closed doors could only take you so far. So he personally saw Mammon off at the edge of Viridian City.
And then…
Roughly five months into Mammon's journey, on a certain day, at the Viridian Gym:
"Mammon sent you?"
Giovanni eyed the dark-haired girl standing before him with a subtly scrutinizing gaze.
She was cute — fair-skinned with a sweet, innocent look about her. But that wasn't the point. The point was that she claimed Mammon had referred her here to the Viridian Gym.
"Yes! Hello, Mr. Giovanni — my name is Mitsuki. I'm not old enough to start my journey yet, so Mammon said I should stay with you and learn for a while." The girl spoke bashfully, her cheeks tinged pink.
You're just talking. Why are you blushing? And more importantly…
Giovanni's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly as he studied the girl more closely.
So Mammon wanted him to mentor and train this girl? What was that kid thinking?
It wasn't a big ask, really — just taking on a Gym apprentice.
But Giovanni wasn't keen on having an unfamiliar person around. After all, his real identity couldn't exactly see the light of day.
What if something slipped?
"What's your relationship with Mam—"
After a moment's thought, Giovanni began to ask about her connection to his son, his deep voice measured and cautious.
"Oh — Mammon also said that if I end up pregnant, I should have the baby here at your place."
The girl named Mitsuki's voice dropped to barely a whisper, her ears flushing bright red with embarrassment.
But the moment those words hit his ears, Team Rocket's boss — Kanto's lord of the underworld — felt his pupils physically vibrate.
He froze. Completely and utterly froze on the spot.
After a very, very long silence:
Giovanni: "…Huh?"
The flashback ended there. Giovanni looked at his beloved son — legs kicked up on the coffee table, lounging without a care in the world while Matori worked his shoulders — and rubbed his temples with a pained grimace.
Little Mammon, once so fair and adorable, as precious as a porcelain doll… had clearly gone off the deep end.
"Mammon, what are you thinking of doing next?" Giovanni asked.
He'd never hidden anything from Mammon, and he'd never tried to map out his son's path for him.
He respected Mammon. This was the son he loved most — especially after what happened ten years ago.
"Funny you should ask — that's exactly what I wanted to talk to you about."
Mammon waved Matori off, stood up, and took a seat across from Giovanni.
"Dad — how would you describe Team Rocket's current position in Kanto?" A slow grin spread across Mammon's face.
"Just say what's on your mind."
Giovanni poured himself a cup of tea and took a quiet sip.
"Fine, I'll put it another way. Does Team Rocket still have room to grow in Kanto?"
The moment the words left his mouth, Giovanni understood exactly where this was going. And so did Matori.
Team Rocket was the most powerful criminal organization in Kanto's underworld — but in Kanto alone, they'd essentially hit their ceiling.
"Are you suggesting the organization expand into other regions, Young Master?" Matori pushed her glasses up, her brow creasing.
As Giovanni's secretary, Matori didn't have much talent as a Trainer, but she was sharp. There was a reason Giovanni kept her at his side.
Giovanni sipped his tea in silence.
"The Boss has already dispatched the Beast Trio and Vicious to the Johto territory," Matori noted.
Kanto and Johto hadn't officially split yet — technically, Johto was still part of the greater Kanto region. But Johto's territory was vast in its own right.
Word was the League was already considering granting Johto independence for easier governance.
"Johto doesn't have any force capable of standing up to the Beast Trio. It's only a matter of time before it falls."
The Beast Trio and Vicious were all senior Team Rocket executives. Few Trainers in Johto could match any of them.
"It won't be enough. Even with Johto's resources, we still can't take on the Kanto League."
Mammon shook his head.
"So what's your idea?" Giovanni asked, noncommittal.
"Dad, we don't need to keep butting heads with the Kanto League over this tiny patch of turf. Just maintain the status quo here."
Mammon grinned.
"Lance's Flying Corps is seriously strong. Plus there's that unkillable old bat Agatha, and then Hitmonchan Bruno and Lorelei on top of that — four Champion-tier elites. There's no reason to pick a fight with them right now."
The Kanto Elite Four was genuinely fearsome, especially Lance — the so-called invincible Dragon Master.
Of course, Lance wasn't truly invincible. Mammon was pretty sure his old man could go toe-to-toe with him.
But the Kanto Elite Four was unquestionably the strongest Elite Four in the world.
Last year, Mammon had witnessed Lorelei in action firsthand. That terrifying blizzard she unleashed was absolutely not something an Elite-tier Pokémon should have been capable of producing.
No question about it — this Kanto Elite Four was on the level of the Pokémon Adventures manga versions.
"So instead, we keep expanding! Take over the underworlds of every other region!"
"But Young Master, the other regions have their own criminal organizations. Making enemies of all of them isn't exactly a wise move." Matori's frown deepened. She felt Mammon was being recklessly aggressive.
"The other regions' evil teams? Ha!"
Mammon burst out laughing, his voice dripping with mockery.
"Let me tell you something, Matori. I have always believed that Team Rocket is the strongest criminal organization in the world. And the rest of them? They're all bottom-feeders."
"Hoenn's Team Magma and Team Aqua — two incompetent leaders running two incompetent organizations, obsessing day and night over expanding the land and the sea. What a joke."
"Sinnoh's Team Galactic is even more special. Decent firepower, sure — but their grand ambition is to destroy the universe and rebuild it from scratch. Are they out of their minds?"
"Unova's Team Plasma is a bit of a headache, I'll give them that. But even they have zero vision in the grand scheme of things."
"Kalos's Team Flare is the same breed of crazy as Team Galactic — certifiably insane. And Alola's Team Skull is just a street gang."
"As for Galar and Paldea? Those two regions don't even have a noteworthy evil team. We'd waltz in completely unopposed."
Mammon rattled off his roast of every region's villainous organization with undisguised contempt and a sneer on his face.
Giovanni listened with genuine interest. He was curious where Mammon had even gotten intel this thorough. The kid understood each organization inside and out.
Team Rocket might rule Kanto's underworld, but every region was separated by open ocean. They could barely handle the local League — who had the bandwidth to keep tabs on "competitors" across the globe?
"Well then, Mammon — since you seem to know them all so well, which region do you want to start with?" Giovanni asked with a faint smile.