"...Uncle Giovanni, you've really given me a choice that's hard to refuse."
Hearing Logan's words, Giovanni's smile only widened.
"But, Uncle Giovanni, while I agree with your proposal in principle, can we perhaps... delay it a little?" Logan narrowed his eyes and gave a knowing smile.
To be honest, it would be a lie to say he wasn't interested in Team Rocket. Having Team Rocket meant having power, wealth, and technology—it was a direct path to the top.
If Logan truly wanted to complete his goals, to uncover the truth about this world, and to achieve his ambition, he would inevitably need an organization like Team Rocket at his side. But—
"Team Rocket doesn't lack money, manpower, or influence. The only reason it has stayed hidden in the shadows for so long without stepping into the light, in my eyes, is because it lacks decisive strength! My strength isn't enough, Uncle Giovanni, and even yours is lacking. Even if we joined forces, we still wouldn't reach the level of strength needed to make Team Rocket the true replacement for the League!"
Logan's lips curled into a cold smile.
This was a world where one man could equal an army. Numbers mattered—they could shorten the time to accomplish things—but in a world where individual might could surpass collective power, the most important factor was always supreme strength.
On the surface, the League's peak powers were the Elite Four and the Champions in the middle of restructuring. If it were just them, Giovanni and Team Rocket's strength could handle it. But who could guarantee that true "Masters" didn't exist out there?
Don't be fooled by Team Rocket's hidden strength or Giovanni's cunning. If a Master-level Trainer appeared, one person could wipe Team Rocket off the map.
Now Logan finally understood why Team Rocket tried to create Mewtwo, why they hunted legendary Pokémon. Giovanni's vision wasn't wrong: if Team Rocket was to stand without weakness, if it was to achieve its ambition, Giovanni had two choices—either personally reach the level of a true Master or control multiple Legendary Pokémon to guard his throne. Only then could Team Rocket stand unshaken.
So even if Logan was tempted, he could never accept Giovanni's offer now. Accepting something far beyond his current ability would only bring despair.
For Logan, there was only one thing to do: increase his strength. Either he became a true Master, or he would bend Legendary Pokémon to his will and command them as his own.
The first path—becoming a Master—Logan had already glimpsed the way forward. But it would take years of relentless effort and exploration.
The second path—subduing Legendary Pokémon—he had already found hints. If his suspicions proved correct, then achieving what no human in history had ever done—making Legendaries obey him completely—would no longer be a dream.
Compared to the high difficulty of becoming a Master, the shortcut of gaining strength through Legendaries was his current priority.
"...I don't know why you've revealed yourself now, Uncle Giovanni. Maybe it's as you said—your health. Or maybe there's another reason forcing your hand. But if you had stayed low for a few more years, let Team Rocket build its strength, maybe even capture a few Legendaries and control them... by then, no one would've been able to stop you when you finally stepped into the spotlight. But instead, you chose now, the worst possible time..."
Logan leaned forward on the sofa, elbows on his knees, raising his eyes to meet Giovanni's. His voice was calm, deliberate:
"As the birthplace of humanity, Kanto and Johto have always produced fierce, powerful trainers. The League has never had strong control here. But in other regions, like Hoenn, it's different. There, the League still holds weight. Do you really think the other regions' Elite Four, Gym Leaders, or even Champions won't recognize the danger if Team Rocket takes Kanto? Do you think they won't act together to stop you?"
"Even if you dominate Kanto now, the moment other regions' powerhouses intervene, your advantage will vanish. If I agreed to your offer today, Uncle Giovanni, what's stopping you from throwing me into the line of fire as a scapegoat, while you slip away to hide again? Don't take me for a fool, Uncle!"
Logan let out a cold snort. He didn't yet have the strength to face all the Elite Four, Gym Leaders, or Champions at once. But that was only for now. When his wings fully spread, when his strength was absolute—for his goals, Logan wouldn't mind standing alone against the entire world.
If Giovanni wanted to hand over Team Rocket, so be it. If he dared go back on his word, Logan wouldn't hesitate to take it by force.
After all, Team Rocket was an organization as old as the League itself. To say he wasn't tempted would be a lie.
More importantly, whoever had forced Giovanni to come out of the shadows now must be unimaginably powerful. After all—this was Giovanni!
Giovanni listened silently to Logan's words. When Logan finally stopped, Giovanni slowly clapped his hands.
Clap—clap—
"Brilliant. Truly brilliant. Logan, you are almost frighteningly rational for your age. Your caution, your ambition—I admire them both. You exposed your hunger for what Team Rocket is now, yet at the same time, you warned yourself that you lack the strength to take it. That level of restraint... dangerous. Give you a few more years, and I fear my Team Rocket really would fall into your hands."
Giovanni sighed. "You have ability. You have ambition. And most importantly... you have luck. This time, I must give my all to try and keep you here. For the first time, I feel a crisis standing before a sixteen-year-old boy. Ridiculous, isn't it?"
"Your ambition—I can sense it. You want to stand alone against the world. But sadly, I won't live to see it."
With that, Giovanni grabbed the old man beside him—Silph—and hurled him at Logan's feet.
Logan blinked in confusion. Giovanni's voice turned cold.
"This old man once treated my mother like a dog, nothing more than a tool for his goals. Even though she poured her sweat and blood into building Silph Co., because she held too much evidence of his crimes, he murdered her. Afterward, he tried to keep me too, like raising another dog."
Giovanni's smile twisted with venom. "But he forgot—this world belongs to the strong. Not money. Not politics. Strong trainers rule everything. He treated me like a dog, but I can return the favor. And now, Silph no longer needs to exist."
His voice was chillingly calm as he continued, "One hundred and seven people. Every blood relative of the Silph family. All across the globe. I ordered them all executed during Team Rocket's attack on Saffron City."
Logan's eyes widened. Holy shit... this was the real Team Rocket boss. Ruthless. Absolutely ruthless. Wipe out the whole bloodline?
The old man's body convulsed with rage at Giovanni's words. His cloudy eyes lit with madness as he thrashed on the ground. Who wouldn't? To be told your entire family, every descendant, was slaughtered... it would drive anyone insane.
"Don't glare at me like that. This is only justice. Your sins have destroyed countless families. If not for how you treated my mother, you wouldn't be here today."
Giovanni leaned forward, steepling his fingers under his chin in the classic commander's pose. "If I hadn't rooted out every Silph, your descendants would eventually strike at mine. Endless revenge, generation after generation. For the sake of my children's future, I had to end yours."
Ignoring the old man's thrashing, Giovanni's eyes returned to Logan. "He has nothing left. That makes him dangerous. He's still Silph's chairman, still has resources. If he lives, he will unleash madness—against me, against you, Logan. Even if you don't fear him, wouldn't you find it troublesome if he struck at your loved ones?"
Logan watched Giovanni's calm, deadly smile. Now this... this is the true villain. The real mastermind. Ruthless. Calculating. Brilliant.
"Oh? Uncle Giovanni, you want me to kill him myself?"
"You can spare him. But then the consequences are yours to bear."
Giovanni's gaze bored into him, forcing Logan to choose: kill a man who had done him no personal wrong, or spare him and inherit the burden of a vengeful, broken monster.
Giovanni suspected Logan was still just sixteen—a boy. If killing an innocent shattered his heart, good. If he spared Silph, even better—the chaos that would follow would break him anyway.
Logan sighed. "You really underestimate me, Uncle Giovanni."
Why did everyone think he was just a naive sixteen-year-old?
Come on—he was a college graduate in his previous life!
--------------------
T/N:
Check out my Patreon
[email protected]/FictionalRealms784 - (Replace '@' with 'a')
for 5 Advanced Chapters absolutely FREE—or unlock 35 Advanced Chapters
--------------------