Time passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, three days had gone by, and the appointed day between Giovanni and Sabrina finally arrived.
"Are you really ready?"
Sabrina's sharp eyes fixed on Nozomi as she spoke, her tone deadly serious.
"You've already asked that ten times," Nozomi replied, exasperated. "Everything's ready. All my Pokémon are fully prepared."
During the few days he'd spent at the Saffron Gym, Nozomi's impression of Sabrina had been completely overturned.
Before this, every source he'd ever come across portrayed her as cold, emotionless, and detached from human warmth.But after actually spending time with her, he discovered the truth—Sabrina was like a spoiled young lady: bad-tempered, vindictive, and with a touch of obsessive-compulsive behavior.
The contrast was so sharp that if Nozomi hadn't personally witnessed her overwhelming psychic power, he might've thought this Sabrina was a fake.
"Are you really sure you're ready? Giovanni is a very cautious man. Team Rocket's preparing to invade Saffron City this time. He'll definitely bring a lot of people."
"No matter how many men Giovanni brings," Nozomi countered calmly, "he won't be able to overcome Lance and Lorelei. The entire city is crawling with League agents right now. Even if Giovanni moved all of Team Rocket here, we'd still have the strength to fight."
Although the League's authority had waned slightly in recent years under Team Rocket's growing influence, it remained a powerful organization with unmatched command and mobilization power.Once they received reliable intelligence that Giovanni might make a move on Saffron City, the League immediately dispatched Lance—who had just returned from Hoenn—and Lorelei to assist in the coming conflict against Team Rocket.
Rumor even had it that the Hoenn Champion, Steven Stone, was on a private jet headed for Kanto to join the anti–Team Rocket operation!
Hearing Nozomi's reasoning, Sabrina's tense shoulders finally relaxed a little.
"Then follow me," she said coolly, her aloof demeanor returning in an instant. "Giovanni just sent a message—he wants to meet in an abandoned manor on the outskirts of Saffron City."
"Finally," Nozomi sighed. "I was about to lose my mind waiting for that message."
After checking his outfit and the disguise mask on his face, he made sure everything was perfect.This time, he was posing as a trainee from the Saffron Gym, acting as Sabrina's assistant.
Before leaving, he quickly called Lorelei and Lance, instructing them to wait for his signal before taking action. Then, together with Sabrina, he headed toward the outskirts of Saffron City.
Silph Co. Vicinity
Beside the towering Silph Co. headquarters stood a high-rise building—normally bustling, but now eerily silent, in stark contrast to the noisy city around it.
A month ago, this building had been leased by a front company secretly controlled by Team Rocket. It was now one of their operational hubs.If anyone could see past the reflective one-way glass, they would find the building's interior filled with Rocket Grunts hurrying about on various tasks.
On the top floor, Giovanni stood before a large map of Kanto, lost in thought.
No one would've imagined that the same Team Rocket boss who'd recently led the assault on Indigo Plateau was now hiding in Saffron City all along.
"Boss Giovanni," came a woman's voice as Matori entered the room, "all personnel are in position. We can begin at any time."
Normally composed and calm, even Matori couldn't hide a flicker of excitement in her eyes.
As a loyal member of Team Rocket, seeing the organization grow stronger filled her with pride.
"I see." Giovanni absentmindedly stroked Persian's head, his expression unreadable. "What about Sabrina? Has she agreed to cooperate with us?"
His tone was unusually serious. This alliance was a crucial part of his plan.If Sabrina agreed to cooperate, the success rate of the entire operation would skyrocket.
"She replied just now. She's on her way to the meeting location."
"Excellent," Giovanni said with a thin smile. "Then our final obstacle to entering Saffron City is cleared."
He gazed out the window, his eyes landing squarely on the towering Silph Co. building.
Matori followed his gaze. "Silph Co…"
"As long as Team Rocket gains control over Saffron City," Giovanni continued, "we'll seize Silph Co. and acquire the Master Ball's manufacturing technology. With that, and Mewtwo's power, every Legendary Pokémon in existence will fall under our command. When that happens, there will be nothing left in this world that can stand against Team Rocket!"
Giovanni's ambition burned fiercely.
As a true schemer, he was far from satisfied even after creating and capturing Mewtwo. His ambitions had only grown since the Indigo Plateau attack.He no longer sought to dominate just Kanto and Johto—his eyes were set on the entire world.
In his mind, having only one Legendary Pokémon was far too risky.
Powerful though Mewtwo was, it wasn't invincible. In certain matchups, even regional Champions with the right type advantage could potentially rival—or even defeat—a Legendary Pokémon.
To challenge the massive League organization, one disobedient Mewtwo was nowhere near enough.
Thus, his attention turned to Silph Co. and their Master Ball project.
With Mewtwo as his foundation, Giovanni now intended to capture more Legendary Pokémon.Only by commanding enough of them could he achieve true, overwhelming dominance.
"I look forward to that day myself," Matori said, her voice trembling slightly with excitement.
"Let's go," Giovanni ordered, standing up. "Bring the team. We're meeting Sabrina."
If he wanted to realize his grand ambition, the first step was securing control of Saffron City—and with the Saffron Gym's cooperation, success would come much easier.
The plan was already in place: once Saffron was under their control, he would use Mewtwo and the Psychic-types from the Saffron Gym to erect a massive Light Screen barrier around the entire city, isolating it completely.
The barrier would remain until he obtained the Master Ball's production data from Silph Co.
Once he captured even one more Legendary Pokémon, Giovanni would no longer need to hide like a rat in the shadows. He could walk freely in the sunlight—unopposed, untouchable.
"How many people should we take?" Matori asked.
Giovanni thought for a few seconds before answering decisively: "Athena and Apollo will stay to guard the building. Bring Chakra and Oka with me."
This time, he was pulling out all the stops—not only had he summoned two of the Beasts, but even the Four Generals stationed in the Johto Region had been recalled.
"Is that really necessary?" Matori frowned. "With Mewtwo on our side, no one can defeat you."
"We're making sure nothing goes wrong," Giovanni said coldly. He was a man who never gambled with uncertainty.
"Yes, sir."