"Since it's a request coming from you personally, Boss, I'll go check it out. But let me say this up front—if I can't find him, then it just means your intel was off. Don't go blaming me," Lucas stood up and stretched, then downed the remaining red wine in his glass in one gulp and smiled at Giovanni.
He didn't have anything urgent to do at the moment anyway, so he might as well go and look for that Fuji guy.
"Of course. You could start by heading to Cinnabar Island. The Three Legendary Birds Project has already been launched. Sabrina will be taking people to the Seafoam Islands to capture Articuno. If you have time, maybe you could watch over things," Giovanni nodded and, as if remembering something, added casually.
Seafoam Islands weren't far from Cinnabar Island, and according to Team Rocket's years of research, Articuno resided in the deeper parts of those caves.
"Oh? So, Boss already had something planned," Lucas paused, realizing now why he was being sent to Cinnabar first—it turned out Giovanni was counting on him as a backup.
Although Articuno was just a relatively ordinary legendary Pokémon, Sabrina was only at the Elite level. Usually, there wouldn't be any mishaps, but with Lucas acting as insurance, things would be much safer.
The Three Legendary Birds Project had been set in motion. It seemed Giovanni was getting ready to make his move.
"Kanto has been calm for too long. We can't just sit by while the Elite Four continue dismantling our bases," Giovanni's calm and steady smile gradually turned sinister, a cold glint flickering in his deep eyes.
Because of their hatred for Team Rocket, Lance and Lorelei had caused no small amount of trouble for them over the years!
But getting into a direct conflict with the Pokémon League over those destroyed outposts would be an extremely irrational move.
Still, it wouldn't be long now. The time was drawing near.
Once Mewtwo fully awakened, Giovanni would finally have the confidence to declare open war on the Kanto League.
And when that time came, he would make the entire world know the true power of Team Rocket!
"I'm definitely looking forward to that day," Lucas grinned. A head-on collision with the Pokémon League—that really would be interesting.
After chatting idly with Giovanni for a bit, Karen and the others returned. But this time, they were dressed in Team Rocket uniforms.
Compared to the weird and garish uniforms of other organizations, Team Rocket's was actually quite stylish.
Moreover, Team Rocket's executive members were a bit special. There wasn't a strict requirement to wear the standard outfit, and many executives just wore casual clothes. It all came down to personal preference. Giovanni never enforced it.
"Not bad at all. Karen and Marnie both look great—and very fitting too," Lucas gave the two a once-over and nodded in satisfaction.
Even in a world where the average level of attractiveness was already high, the two of them stood out.
Karen wore a black short-sleeved top over a white shirt, with a bold 'R' insignia across the chest. Her lower half sported white hot pants, preserving her bold and sexy style.
Marnie, on the other hand, wore a black round hat, a sleek black long coat, and a tight-fitting mini skirt, showing off her long, fair legs—still just as eye-catching.
Yep, both of them were gorgeous.
Will: "...…"
What about me? Huh? Do I not count?
So, in your eyes, it's only the women who matter?
Draped in his Team Rocket uniform, Will stood there looking utterly dejected. What kind of person was this guy, really? Was he invisible or something?
Did his presence amount to so little?
Damn it, Lucas, you really are heartless! Be a decent human being!
The once-confident Will was now howling in his heart!
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"Not staying for dinner?"
At the gate of Viridian Gym, Giovanni tried once more to make Lucas stay.
Next to Lucas stood the now casually dressed trio—Marnie, Karen, and Will. After all, this was still Viridian City. Wearing Team Rocket uniforms out in public was just begging for trouble from local law enforcement.
"No thanks. I've stayed here before. Besides, I've never really had a proper look around Kanto," Lucas smiled and shook his head. He wasn't one to idle around, especially now that he had his own plans forming in his heart.
"In that case, let's have a proper drink next time," Giovanni didn't insist. He patted Lucas on the shoulder and smiled.
"No problem," Lucas nodded, turned to leave, but then paused as if something had occurred to him.
"What is it?" Giovanni asked, puzzled by Lucas's sudden turn.
"Boss, if I remember right, you were born in Viridian Forest and naturally possess the Viridian Power, don't you?" Lucas narrowed his eyes.
The Viridian Power!
Once every ten or several decades, the Viridian Forest would choose a child born within it and bestow upon them the Power of Viridian.
This was undoubtedly one of the most powerful special abilities in the Pokémon world.
A gift from nature itself!
Those with this power could read the hearts of Pokémon, communicate with them, and even heal them. Some variations of the power came with additional unique traits.
The previous wielder of the Viridian Power was Lance!
And Giovanni was likely the one before him.
Hearing this, Karen and the others looked at Giovanni in shock. So the Power of Viridian was real?
"How did you know? That's right, I do possess the Power of Viridian," Giovanni was momentarily stunned, clearly surprised that Lucas knew this. Very few people in the world should've known about it.
Honestly, wasn't it ironic?
The ambitious, ruthless leader of Team Rocket was chosen by nature and granted a healing ability meant for the gentle and kind-hearted.
Maybe that's why Giovanni never used Viridian Power in public.
Though he was cruel and manipulative, willing to use even innocent Pokémon for biological experiments to satisfy his ambitions, deep down, there was a genuine kindness in his heart. Like his deep fatherly love for Silver.
Perhaps that's why the Viridian Forest chose him.
Or maybe Giovanni had once been a gentle person before ambition twisted him.
Or maybe the Viridian Forest just had bad judgment… who knows?
"Boss, don't forget—I carry the Blackthorn name too," Lucas chuckled. Even if he hadn't known from the source material, his own Blackthorn powers could sense the uniqueness of Giovanni's energy.
"So that's how it is. I really did forget. Lucas, you're a genius born of the Blackthorn clan, after all," Giovanni smiled in realization. With talent as monstrous as Lucas's, it would be strange if he didn't inherit the clan's power.
"Why bring this up now?" Giovanni asked with interest.
Viridian Power…
Honestly, he couldn't remember the last time he'd used it. Though it was a gift from nature, it was also a cruel reminder of who he used to be.
"Every ten or so years, a new bearer of the Power of Viridian emerges. It's been over twenty years since Lance left the forest. Boss, have you heard anything about the next person chosen by the forest?" Lucas's eyes narrowed.
Yes, none of the past Viridian Power bearers were ordinary!
Lucas didn't know what triggered the forest to choose its champions, but he did know this:
Giovanni and Lance, two holders of this power, were both legends of their time!
That's no exaggeration.
Both men were top-tier Champion-level trainers. Even now, they stood at the peak of the world.
And Lucas also knew that the current generation's Viridian Power holder was another monstrous talent!
Red, Blue, Green, and Yellow!
Green was on the run, Blue had just received a beating from him, and Red—the obsessive training maniac—was likely off raising Pokémon in some backwater cave.
The only one whose whereabouts were unknown was Yellow.
And Yellow was the current bearer of the Power of Viridian.
"Now that you mention it…" Giovanni paused thoughtfully.
Indeed, the new bearer should have emerged by now, but he hadn't paid attention to that news.
"If you need the info, I can have someone look into it," he offered.
"I did hear a rumor once," Matori suddenly chimed in after thinking it over.
"There's a small village near Viridian Forest where a child was said to use a strange ability to heal injured Pokémon. Maybe she's the one."
Matori wasn't certain. Until she'd just heard her boss admit it, she thought the Power of Viridian was nothing more than legend.
"Do you know where this village is?" Lucas's eyes lit up as he asked her.
Yellow—a kind-hearted, pure-hearted girl!
Of course, that wasn't the main point. The real point was her potential!
Yellow's potential wasn't any weaker than Red or Green. In some aspects, it was even scarier.
Because Yellow's Viridian Power came with a built-in "battle cheat"!
Yes—literally a cheat during battle. When her inner emotions surged strongly enough, her power would grant her Pokémon temporary boosts in power and levels!
She was basically a walking game modifier.
"If you need it, I can send the location to your phone," Matori said, blinking from behind her glasses. She still didn't get why Lucas cared so much about this child.
"Please do," Lucas nodded.
After receiving the location, he bid farewell to Giovanni.
"Let's part ways here. From now on, you two should use Team Rocket's resources to search for Ho-Oh and Lugia," he told Karen and Will at the edge of Viridian City.
The two of them were now officially Team Rocket members, and Giovanni had generously given them executive status.
They'd need to report to other branches to get their duties assigned. Just like that, they already had subordinates under them.
"Of course. But what about Green and Silver?" Karen asked, frowning slightly.
They had joined Team Rocket for its massive resources and manpower, making it easier to complete the Masked Man's tasks.
"You can also search for Green. As for Silver… his identity is more complicated. Don't use Team Rocket resources to look for him," Lucas said, shaking his head.
Even though Giovanni trusted him, as the saying goes—one should always keep their guard up.
Team Rocket still belonged to Giovanni, and he'd definitely be watching their movements.
Searching for Silver was not something they could afford to use Team Rocket's power for.
"Understood," Karen and Will exchanged glances, clearly confused, but they didn't question it.
After all, Lucas was in charge of this mission. Even if they didn't like his personality, they knew full well that his strength was above theirs.
Better to follow his lead.
"Team Rocket is quite fun, really. You two can enjoy it—but remember, if you run into Lance, retreat immediately," Lucas said with a grin, though his warning at the end was serious.
Karen and Will hadn't followed the Masked Man without reason. Neither of them were good people to begin with. Karen, a Dark-type specialist, had a nasty disposition by nature, and as for Will—one look at his flamboyant outfit made it clear he wasn't exactly the upright type.
Now that they were part of Team Rocket, they'd likely feel emboldened.
But that didn't mean they were above the law. The Kanto Elite Four were no joke. Lance and Lorelei had already destroyed too many Team Rocket bases to count.
If they were unlucky enough to run into Lance on a "surprise inspection"…
Ahem, they'd better run as fast as they could. Otherwise, if they got caught just days after joining Team Rocket, Lucas would be mortified—after all, he was the one who had recommended them.
"Don't worry. We get it," they nodded in unison.
(End of Chapter)