'Silver?'
Upon hearing Giovanni's words, Pryce's pupils contracted.
Ever since cooperating with Giovanni's Team Rocket, Pryce had already known that the Silver he once abducted was Giovanni's own child.
However... this matter absolutely could not be admitted.
Once admitted, not only would he lose Team Rocket's continued support, but he would also become enemies with Giovanni.
That was undoubtedly the last thing he wanted to see.
Compared to the orderly League, Team Rocket was the more terrifying enemy.
"Hehe, I think Mr. Giovanni must be mistaken."
"I don't understand what you're saying. This old man has never had anyone called Silver here."
"Besides, my adopted sons and daughters all follow me willingly—no one can take them away."
"Is that so?", Giovanni's expression showed neither sorrow nor joy. The eyes under the shadow looked especially resolute, "Then maybe I truly misunderstood."
"But... let me state this, I've already released those three Pokémon from the Burned Tower."
"As for you, take care of yourself," After speaking, Giovanni turned his body and slowly walked toward the door that had just been blown open.
Pryce clenched his fists, a flash of icy cold light appearing in his eyes.
To him, Giovanni's actions were tantamount to a declaration of war.
If he wanted to save his childhood Pokémon, he had to capture Ho-Oh and Lugia.
And just last time, the Ho-Oh he had captured was rescued by those three Pokémon.
"Giovanni, are you provoking me?"
"You provoked me first!", Giovanni's deep roar echoed through the gym as he turned back to face Pryce.
"A large part of why I founded Team Rocket was to find my son."
"But yo-you, this guy, actually hid it from me for so long!", Giovanni's eyes seemed to be bursting into flames, "If back when we first started working together, you had told me this, I might have been angry, but I wouldn't have ruined your plans.
"But now, you still want to hide it from me."
"How long exactly do you plan to keep this from me?"
With Giovanni's roar, a Beedrill radiating a terrifying aura appeared beside him.
Pryce suddenly felt like he was being stared at by the Grim Reaper, his whole body tingled faintly with pain.
Only when Swinub appeared and erected a barrier in front of Pryce did that suffocating aura ease slightly.
"Giovanni, I admit you're a hero of the underworld, and I admit I was wrong."
"But you can't beat me."
"Even without Delibird, at best, you'd draw against me."
"If we both want to achieve our goals, we can't be enemies."
"What about now?", Giovanni's hands moved quickly, like a blur of afterimages.
Dugtrio, Tyrantrum, Rhyperior, Nidoking, Nidoqueen, Poké Balls containing all these Pokémon dropped beside Pryce.
With flashes of white light, those Pokémon surrounded Pryce.
Pryce instinctively gripped his wheelchair tightly, eyes filled with disbelief.
Now he finally understood why Giovanni could become the leader of Team Rocket.
Besides his charismatic personality, it was mostly because of his combat prowess.
Relying on this kind of Poké Ball control skill alone, Giovanni could seize the upper hand in battles against anyone.
Pryce took a deep breath. Catching sight of Swinub from the corner of his eye, his confidence surged again.
"You're strong, but still not enough."
"When it comes to training gaps, no matter how good your battle sense is, it can't bridge that chasm."
"I've thought of that too," Giovanni grinned and snapped his fingers lightly.
"So, I created a god, a true god."
The next moment, the Beedrill beside him suddenly moved.
It didn't attack Pryce, but struck the mountain above the gym.
Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!
After a series of deafening explosions, a spaceship with a strong sci-fi vibe appeared in Pryce's vision.
And hanging from the underside of that spaceship, connected by various neural network systems, was a humanoid Pokémon clad entirely in armor.
"Pryce, now you may use that Swinub of yours, one said to rival a god, to face wrath."
"The WRATH… of a true GOD!"
———
A few minutes later, Giovanni flew away in the spaceship.
Pryce lay in the ruins on the ground, holding Swinub, coughing up blood from time to time, his gaze blank.
He never thought he'd lose so miserably. In front of that Pokémon, all of Swinub's attacks were laughably weak.
That Pokémon was simply born for battle.
Even if Delibird had been by his side, Pryce still didn't believe he could defeat Giovanni with that Pokémon.
At best, it would have been a draw.
Thinking of the words Giovanni had thrown at him before leaving, a shadow passed over Pryce's eyes.
"You want me to find Silver and return him within half a year?"
"Do you really take me for one of your subordinates..."
"Wait till I find the secret of Gigantamax, then we'll see who wins!"
Just as Pryce was imagining how to beat Giovanni into the ground in the future, a photo appeared on his phone.
It showed Pryce half-dead and Mahogany Town Gym turned into rubble.
Pryce glanced around and, seeing no one nearby, replied in confusion, "Are you a reporter? How do you have a photo of my gym?"
["No, I'm Axel."]
Pryce felt puzzled, but still responded in a friendly tone, "Young friend, how do you have my contact info?"
["I was just attacked by Team Rocket, so I was in a bit of a mess. But where did this photo come from?",] Seeing Pryce playing dumb, Axel chuckled a few times, then his tone turned serious.
["Giovanni was sent by me to beat you up. The photo was from him too."]
Immediately after, Axel sent a screenshot, it was a chat log between him and Giovanni.
Crack!
Pryce crushed the armrest of his wheelchair, though his expression remained composed.
"Young friend, I don't know what you're talking about. I was indeed attacked by Team Rocket, but it must have nothing to do with Gym Leader Giovanni."
"As a Gym Leader, how could he do something like that?"
Pryce had thought it through, this matter must not be admitted.
Once admitted, both his and Giovanni's Gym Leader statuses would be revoked, and it would be far more troublesome to act afterward.
As long as he didn't admit it, even if the whole world suspected, no one could touch the two of them.
Just a chat log? Ask and it's Photoshopped.
Seeing Pryce's calm and courteous reply, Axel fell silent for a moment.
He looked up at Leon, who was sitting nearby, and finally made a bold decision.
He replied again to Pryce, ["You're seriously gonna deny this?"]
["You freaking Ninja Turtle or something?"]
"Hehehe~ Young friend, you're joking. This old man is getting on in years, a mild temper is only normal."
"As for that matter with Giovanni, I truly don't know much about it."
"If there's nothing else, let's not chat for now. I need to go to the police."
After putting down the phone, Pryce began furiously pounding the ground.
Endless ice formed beneath him, coalescing into a massive humanoid figure, rushing eastward.
'To hell with juniors. To hell with Gigantamax.'
'Right now, all I want is Axel's death!'
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