Giovanni's eyes glinted faintly. Back then, Lucas hadn't gone into much detail, only mentioning that the organization he originally came from was extremely mysterious, with a goal centered around legendary Pokémon.
"Yes, this time, our teacher has also given us a mission—to search for clues related to Ho-Oh and Lugia."
"Ho-Oh and Lugia, huh... Are you planning to leverage Team Rocket's resources for that?"
Matori, who was brewing tea nearby, paused slightly. Ho-Oh and Lugia—those two legendary Pokémon of Kanto—were certainly not easy to track down.
Adjusting her glasses, she frowned slightly. It was obvious that Lucas intended to use Team Rocket's vast network and resources to uncover their whereabouts.
"Right now, the organization is already severely understaffed. Lucas, you should understand that."
Matori's tone was tactful. She was Giovanni's secretary and also handled many of Team Rocket's operations.
Currently, the Three Legendary Birds project, the genetic research experiments, and other large-scale operations were all ongoing. There simply wasn't any spare capacity to pursue those two legends.
In Johto, there weren't many current projects, but the Johto branch led by the Three Beasts was still expanding. The Three Sacred Beasts plan had just failed recently, and they too didn't have the energy to chase after Ho-Oh or Lugia.
"I understand that. But my teacher wouldn't expect Team Rocket to do it for free."
"Karen is a Dark-type Champion level. Will is a Psychic-type Elite Four level. And Marnie—she'll be joining too. I don't think you'd turn down that kind of offer, right, Boss?"
Lucas shrugged. After all, Team Rocket wasn't a charity. It would be one thing to ask for a minor favor, but searching for Ho-Oh and Lugia was no small matter. It would require immense effort and resources to even find a lead.
Team Rocket wasn't going to commit to something like that without compensation.
Giovanni narrowed his eyes slightly. A Champion and an Elite Four level joining Team Rocket…
Marnie widened her beautiful eyes and looked toward Lucas in surprise. He hadn't mentioned this part to her at all!
She was the proud little sister of the Spikemuth Gym Leader, the future leader of Spikemuth Gym herself—and now she was about to become a member of an evil organization?
"Well... I suppose there's nothing wrong with it?"
Marnie blinked, glanced at Giovanni, then turned her gaze back to Lucas.
She had already made up her mind to follow him—so putting on Team Rocket's uniform for his sake didn't seem like such a big deal.
Besides, Team Rocket... thinking about it, it actually sounded kind of thrilling.
Once her thoughts were clear, her expression returned to its usual cold, aloof demeanor.
Yep. Not a big deal.
"Boss, even though Team Rocket is already strong, it still lacks true powerhouses. Karen is quite skilled and can shoulder major responsibilities."
Lucas looked at the contemplative Giovanni and continued. Right now, all three Rocket Executives had public-facing roles and couldn't act freely.
The Four Generals each had their own projects. Of the four, only Archer was truly useful. The other three were barely on par with squad captains.
Archer had good intelligence and strategic vision, but his strength was lacking.
Don't be fooled by the fact that in the original story, Archer used the Plates to control Arceus and became a sort of final boss. In terms of actual combat power, he was at most on par with Carr.
He couldn't even compare to executives like Sabrina and Koga. Koga, at least, later teamed up with Bruno, Karen, and Will to form the so-called "Losers Alliance" and cobbled together a pseudo-Elite Four for Johto.
Currently, the most outstanding among Team Rocket's higher-ups was definitely Sird, one of the Three Beasts.
In the original timeline, Lorelei had been in a slump after the Kanto Elite Four dissolved following a failed operation. She went into seclusion on the Sevii Islands, disillusioned and broken in spirit.
Even in that weakened state, she wasn't someone just anyone could handle. The fact that Sird defeated Lorelei proved her genuine strength.
Plus, she had Darkrai as her hidden trump card. But damn— Sird was a double agent!
Because of her undercover status, she even tolerated that arrogant dwarf Carr ordering her around. How could anyone expect much from her in that position?
Karen, on the other hand, was a true Champion. In both mindset and power, she far outclassed most of Team Rocket's senior members.
Karen: Listening to Lucas pitch her to Giovanni like a product, she wore an awkward yet polite smile.
Am I some kind of unwanted item or what? Damn it, I'll endure this!
"But right now, Team Rocket really doesn't have the energy to search for Ho-Oh and Lugia," Matori said, still trying to stay rational—but even she was tempted. Still, she hesitated and turned to Giovanni.
Ultimately, she was just a secretary. The real decision-maker was Giovanni.
From a personal standpoint, she could accept it. Karen's Champion-level strength was too valuable.
A Champion-level Trainer—such individuals were incredibly rare across the entire world. No organization would turn down someone like that unless their leader was an idiot.
"And the timeframe? Lucas, how much time do you need to produce results? And just their whereabouts will suffice, right?"
Giovanni looked at Karen thoughtfully, then turned to Lucas.
Ho-Oh and Lugia…
Those two legendary Pokémon from Kanto were well-known to any native. But most had only ever heard tales of them—very few had actually encountered them.
Probably fewer than ten people across all of Kanto could truly claim to have met them.
The trail of legends was too elusive. Even with the Three Legendary Birds, it had taken Team Rocket years to track them down.
So, when it came to Ho-Oh and Lugia… one could only imagine the effort required.
"Within two years. As long as accurate leads can be provided. Also, I'd like help searching for this girl."
Lucas gave his answer, pulling a photograph from his pocket and placing it on the table in front of Giovanni.
The photo showed a beautiful brown-haired girl wearing a form-fitting, sleeveless blue top.
Green!
Karen and Will exchanged confused glances. Why only Green? Shouldn't Silver be included too?
But out of trust in Lucas, they said nothing.
Lucas internally grumbled: "Are you two dumb? Silver is Giovanni's son. You expect him to arrest his own kid for us?!"
Yes, Silver was actually Giovanni's son!
Ten years ago, under the orders of a Masked Man, Ho-Oh and Lugia abducted gifted children across Kanto. Silver was one of them.
At that time, Team Rocket was rapidly expanding. Though Giovanni feared for his son's safety, he buried his emotions for the sake of the organization.
A decade had passed. Giovanni never showed it outwardly, but he had been quietly searching for Silver all along.
Still, Team Rocket couldn't function without him now, and Silver had completely disappeared.
Even so, Giovanni still kept a photo of himself with young Silver.
In the manga Special, after Team Rocket suffered catastrophic defeat in Saffron City, Giovanni lost everything. Stricken with a terminal illness, he finally devoted himself fully to finding his son.
In the end, to save Silver, Giovanni was willing to sacrifice his life—proving that even the ambitious, dark-hearted Rocket Boss had a father's love.
So, asking Team Rocket to search for Green was fine. But searching for Silver?
That would definitely raise Giovanni's suspicions—not worth it.
"No problem. Then allow me to welcome all three of you to Team Rocket."
Giovanni glanced at the photo and smiled at Karen, Will, and Marnie.
Two years was tight, but agreeing for now posed no real risk.
After all, tracking down legends always involved a bit of luck.
"We look forward to working under you, Boss Giovanni."
Seeing that things were settled, the three gave Giovanni a polite bow.
Well, they were now technically part of Team Rocket—and Giovanni himself was a top-tier Champion. Not too humiliating.
Giovanni's deep gaze revealed a smile. With a Champion and an Elite Four member joining, Team Rocket's strength had surged.
"Have Matori take you to pick up your uniforms. She'll also explain your respective duties."
Giovanni considered briefly, then added. With Karen and Will's strength, they could easily be given honorary officer status.
The two nodded in agreement.
As for Marnie…
With Giovanni's experienced eyes, he could tell this little girl was simply Lucas's follower. She could be assigned casually.
Soon after, Matori led the three of them to the storage area, leaving the room to Giovanni and Lucas.
"Boss, about that important task you mentioned earlier?"
Once everything was in place, Lucas took a sip of red wine and asked about the mission Giovanni had previously mentioned when contacting him in Michina.
"Lucas, if we were to go to war directly with the League right now, what do you think our chances of victory would be?"
Giovanni's expression turned serious. He swirled the wine in his glass, gazing at the crimson liquid as a deep look settled in his eyes.
In that moment, he was no longer the familiar Gym Leader known to the public—but the true Boss of Team Rocket!
"If we only consider the League's apparent power in Kanto, we have a 70% chance of winning."
Lucas narrowed his eyes, thinking carefully before responding.
Yes—70%.
But that was only against the League's visible strength. Of the eight Gyms in Kanto, Viridian, Saffron, Vermilion, and Fuchsia were already under Team Rocket's control.
Which meant only four Gym Leaders were truly loyal to the League.
With that in mind, Lucas believed Team Rocket had a 70% chance of victory in a direct confrontation.
However, that was based on appearances alone. Kanto was the headquarters of the Pokémon League—no one knew what trump cards they still had.
Professor Oak was once a Champion himself. Though he'd long retired and become a researcher, who knew if he still had powerful Pokémon in reserve?
And there were the Jenny and Joy families. In the anime, a nurse Joy once appeared with a Latios. No one could guess the depth of their hidden strength.
Not to mention—this world had black technology! Even movie villains had machines capable of suppressing legends. You think the League has nothing like that?
You don't become the world's dominant power without some heavy artillery.
Also, while Kanto currently had two confirmed Champions—Lance and Agatha—Red and Green were both kind-hearted kids.
If a war broke out, there was no doubt those two would side with the League.
That 70% estimate was generous—and only if Lucas fought with all his might. With Eternatus alone, he could boost the odds by 20%.
"Exactly. Even with just their visible strength, the League still has deep roots."
Giovanni's face darkened. The Pokémon League had ruled the world for too long. Their foundations were massive, their influence omnipresent.
And this was just the Kanto League. If war broke out… Kanto could call for 'reinforcements' from other regions!
Bringing in a few Champions from elsewhere—was that really so hard?
"That's why I've been pursuing greater power. Lucas, have you heard of Mew?"
Leaning back on the sofa, Giovanni took a sip of wine and asked.
"Of course. The mythical Pokémon of Kanto, said to possess the genes of all Pokémon and considered the ancestor of all species."
Lucas's eyes flashed.
Mew!
If you linked Team Rocket and Mew together, there was only one possible conclusion—
Mewtwo, the man-made legend!
Lucas had already guessed it. Technically, Team Rocket should have already begun research on Mewtwo.
Although Giovanni trusted him, there was no reason to share that kind of intel—after all, Giovanni would want to control Mewtwo himself.
"That's right. Team Rocket once pursued Mew. We invested enormous time and resources into gathering data and clues before finally locating it."
"And the result?"
"Failure. Mew is, after all, a mythical legendary. Even though we prepared extensively, it still escaped."
Giovanni sighed with regret. They had spent years tracking Mew and set up the perfect trap—only for it to break free.
"I imagine the losses were heavy?"
Lucas narrowed his eyes. Mew was said to contain the genetic code of all Pokémon and could transform into any species.
In one of the original movies, the Mew at the Tree of Beginning even transformed into Ho-Oh.
(End of Chapter)