Giovanni and Lysandre walked down a quiet corridor and entered a sleek, high-tech conference room radiating cold sterility...
Lysandre pulled out a chair and sat down, his gaze fixed curiously on the silent Giovanni.
Noticing the stare, Giovanni lifted his head. Their eyes met, and an invisible tension filled the air.
Just then, the electronic door slid open. Three men of distinct appearances entered.
They were: Maxie of Team Magma, Archie of Team Aqua, and Ghetsis of Team Plasma.
Lysandre withdrew his probing gaze and turned to the others.
"Why did you call us here?" asked Archie, the blue-haired leader of Team Aqua, after taking his seat.
The other two also looked toward Lysandre.
Each of them ruled their own region. An unspoken rule among villainous organizations was clear: Do not interfere with another region's affairs.
But that didn't mean they were ignorant of each other's activities. So when Lysandre reached out to them, every one of them was deeply curious.
Lysandre didn't answer immediately. He tapped his fingers lightly on the table and asked, "I assume you've all heard about Cyrus?"
The room fell into heavy silence...
Cyrus, the leader of Team Galactic, had recently been arrested by the Sinnoh League inside a high-rise building. In a single night, the once-mighty organization had been completely dismantled, vanishing like a popped soap bubble.
Archie, ever the quick thinker, instantly grasped Lysandre's intent. He exchanged a meaningful glance with Maxie.
Lysandre smiled faintly and said, "I think… Giovanni here is better suited to explain."
All eyes immediately turned to Giovanni, who had remained silent until now.
Though his memories were gone, Giovanni wasn't a fool. Years of strategic thinking hadn't vanished with his past. Piecing together what he'd just heard and the story Caleb had told him, he quickly deduced their purpose.
"Cooperation," Giovanni said flatly.
Maxie raised an eyebrow, as if surprised to see Giovanni here at all.
Lysandre continued, "Team Galactic in Sinnoh, Team Rocket in Kanto, and the Johto syndicates have all collapsed. So who's next?"
Would it be Team Plasma in Unova? Team Flare in Kalos? Or Team Magma and Aqua in Hoenn?
No one knew.
The weight of his words settled over the room. Even these proud leaders couldn't ignore the precedent: Team Rocket, a colossal empire, had fallen overnight, without warning, as if some unseen force was aiding the League.
They'd all been stunned when they first heard the news.
Lysandre gave them time to think, not rushing the conversation. He then glanced around and said, "Take some time to rest. We'll reconvene tomorrow to discuss this further."
No one objected. One by one, they left the conference room...
...
When Giovanni returned to his quarters, however, he found someone already inside.
He closed the door, eyes flickering with confusion, but his face remained impassive.
"What is it?" he asked.
Matori reported coolly, "The base in Alola is complete. When do you plan to leave?"
'Alola?' Giovanni didn't recognize her, nor did he know what Alola was. The memory loss left him feeling powerless.
Caleb's words from earlier surfaced in his mind.
Giovanni closed his eyes, exhausted, and didn't respond.
Matori didn't notice anything unusual. She assumed her boss was simply worn out from Team Rocket's collapse and the stress of moving between regions. She'd seen this look before.
'Maybe I really do need to rest.' Giovanni thought with a silent sigh.
Lysandre's words and the subtle probing from Ghetsis and the others had raised his trust in Caleb from fifty to eighty percent.
Clearly, in his current state, continuing undercover wasn't wise. Giovanni thought for a moment, then replied wearily, "After tomorrow's meeting."
Matori had no objections. As Giovanni's secretary, she was used to his temperament, "Understood. I'll begin preparations."
With that, she left.
Giovanni watched her go, then stood motionless for a while, trying to recall what had happened over the past days, but his mind remained stubbornly blank.
After a moment of hesitation, he picked up the phone again and dialed the number on the note.
"Is this the Organization? This is Giovanni. I'd like to request a period of leave…"
....
~Kanto Region~
After hanging up, Lorelei wore a deeply perplexed expression...
Seeing this, Lance frowned and asked, "What's wrong? What did he say?"
"He said…" Lorelei recounted the entire conversation, then groaned, "What on earth did Caleb do to him…?"
After thinking it over, Lance said, "This might actually be a good thing. Since Giovanni has lost his memories, why not play along with his delusion?"
"What if he regains his memories midway?" Lorelei asked worriedly.
Lance thought for a moment, "Don't worry. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."
She realized he was right and nodded reluctantly, already planning to meet Giovanni in person.
Lance watched her for a beat, then asked, "Did Caleb say when he'd be back?"
Lorelei shook her head, "No. But he seems to be in the middle of some kind of game, so he it probably won't be anytime soon."
…
~Sinnoh – Celestic Town~
Cynthia looked at the beautiful girl before her and asked, "How have you been lately? Do you need any financial support?"
Lily smiled sweetly and said, "Thank you, Cynthia-nee, but no. Our game has been selling really well recently."
Though they'd struggled with cash flow at first, those days were long behind them.
Cynthia's expression softened, "That's good to hear. Can you stay here for a few days?"
Ever since learning about Lily's connection to Caleb, and having long since adopted Caleb as family, Cynthia had taken it upon herself to look after the girl in his absence.
Beyond that, she genuinely liked Lily. Both were poised, intelligent, and open-minded. And since Lily had researched ancient myths and Celebi's lore extensively during her search, they shared countless topics of conversation.
Since Caleb's departure, Cynthia often invited her to visit Sinnoh.
Lily thought carefully, then replied, "I think I can spare… two days?"
Cynthia's elegant brow furrowed. "Only two?"
Lily gave a helpless shrug, "I can't help it. Besides managing the company, I've got a flood of new Trainers challenging the gym."
She was now the Gym Leader of Mahogany Town. Her schedule was packed.
"I see…" Cynthia smiled, "Then, have you ever considered working for the Sinnoh Pokémon League?"
Lily shook her head and quipped, "I'd rather not. If I suddenly showed up here, Lorelei-senpai would beat me to a pulp."
Lorelei and Lance had gone out of their way to help her secure her position in Johto. Though it was mostly for Caleb's sake, Lily wasn't the type to forget kindness.
Cynthia didn't press further.
Lily asked, "Any news from Nii-san lately?"
Cynthia sighed, shaking her head, "None. That guy has disappeared again. No one knows where he's gone this time."