In the Black World —
Ash looked at the gray and purple stone in Giovanni's hand and couldn't help but exclaim.
If it had been any other item, his reaction wouldn't have been so strong, but… this gem was different. Its shape, size, and even the internal pattern were exactly the same as the Mega Stone that had helped Charizard evolve! The only difference was the color.
Unlike the vibrant, life-filled stone from before… this should be a specific Pokémon's Mega Stone. But whose could it be?
On the airship earlier, Ash had received a stone from Giovanni that looked similar to the later fossil but differed in size and color. That stone was brimming with immense vitality and should be an item to aid evolution to the next stage, though its exact use was unknown.
The stone in Giovanni's hand now was the same type as the one that helped Charizard evolve. As for the specific model… Ash had a vague guess, but it was somewhat unbelievable…
"Mega Stone? It seems you've seen this before, Ash!"
"I guess you also recognized that colorful stone you took on the airship just now, right?"
Giovanni didn't expect Ash to actually know about this special gem. Logically… this item should be unique in the world. It seemed his assumptions were off!
Ash didn't deny it, but he didn't confirm it either. Even a dying man's words can be kind, and Giovanni wasn't dead yet! He just showed some remorse now and wanted to go to prison to atone. What if he had a change of heart later and his ambitions flared up again?
"If you don't say anything, I'll take that as a yes… Forget it. Although you called this gem an 'evolution stone,' you can't guess which Pokémon it belongs to, can you?"
"Mewtwo's?"
Giovanni: !!!
"You can tell?"
"My Aura detected Mewtwo's Aura signature on it. I couldn't believe it at first, but now it seems my detection was correct." Ash took a deep breath, trying to calm the turmoil in his heart.
The gem was indeed Mewtwo's Mega Stone, just as he had sensed! In other words… Mewtwo could also achieve a higher form of evolution?! If Mewtwo, who already possessed Legendary-tier power, evolved again… it was simply unimaginable! This was why Ash couldn't believe his initial detection.
"Aura is so convenient!" Giovanni sighed, then carefully stroked the Mewtwonite in his hand and continued.
"That's right. The 'evolution stone' you speak of is an item belonging to Mewtwo."
"But I didn't snatch it or find it. It was a derivative item born alongside Mewtwo…"
"After Mewtwo was created, this gem appeared with it. It seemed to have a strange resonance with Mewtwo, even amplifying its power!"
"Now it seems… just as you said, Ash, this gem should grant Mewtwo the power to evolve to a higher level!"
A complex emotion flashed through Giovanni's eyes.
"When this gem appeared, I stored it in deep-sea marrow silver, which isolates all detection and perception, to prevent Mewtwo from sensing it."
"As for the reason… Hah, I'm not afraid of your laughter. I was afraid Mewtwo would become too powerful."
"For that reason, I put limiting mechanical armor on it to restrict its strength and growth, and I sealed this gem. I originally planned to gradually gain control over Mewtwo before revealing this item…"
"But you know what happened next. Mewtwo rebelled."
Giovanni didn't know how Ash and Mewtwo were acquainted, but he understood one thing very well. Since Ash knew Mewtwo and cared so much about it, their connection couldn't be one-sided. Some bond must have formed between them, so it was natural for Ash to know about Mewtwo.
"No wonder my Aura didn't detect it either…" Ash showed a surprised expression. He had scanned Giovanni with his Aura before. If Giovanni had been carrying a Mega Stone radiating Mewtwo's Aura, he wouldn't have missed it. So a special metal had been used to block his detection…
...
[Lance: Wait a minute… Mewtwo's Mega Stone?! Can Mewtwo even undergo Mega Evolution?]
[Mewtwo: …I don't know. According to Professor Sycamore's theory, I shouldn't be able to Mega Evolve, right?]
[Professor Sycamore: It's not my theory, but the conclusion from my book referenced in the live chat…]
[Professor Sycamore: The so-called Mega Evolution uses the bond between two beings to activate the link between the Key Stone and the Mega Stone, triggering ancient genes within the body to achieve a regressive evolution effect.]
[Professor Sycamore: But… if you, Mewtwo, are an artificial Pokémon, how could you have ancient genes? It can't be a mutation from Mew's genes, right?]
[Mew: How rude! I don't have any 'ancient genes.' My genes can transform to mimic the appearance of any Pokémon! Except for a very few~]
[Mew: Mewtwo is different from me! He can't even change a hair, he can only fight! A brute! At most, he just looks a bit like me!]
[Mewtwo: …] He wondered… had it been too long since he last gave Mew a good thumping? What made Mew think it could say such cheeky things?
[Cynthia: Wait… Giovanni said the Mega Stone was born alongside Mewtwo. Could it be that… Mewtwo's creation was destined? Otherwise, why would a corresponding Mega Stone appear?]
[Lance: You mean, Mewtwo existed in the world before, died for some reason, and then the world's will made it reappear through Team Rocket's hands?]
[Cynthia: Exactly! Because of that, Mewtwo possesses ancient genes and a corresponding Mega Stone!]
[Giovanni (White): Nonsense! Mewtwo is the result of Team Rocket's hard work! It's purely a product of our organization! It belongs to Team Rocket!]
Giovanni cursed angrily in the live chat. If it were really as Cynthia and Lance said… weren't Team Rocket just pure tools? The so-called artificial Legendary… was it all a scam? They didn't create a Legendary; this Legendary was meant to exist in the world, and that's why it was created? How could Giovanni accept that?!
[Lorelei: 'Hard work'? Can you create another Mewtwo now? In other words, have you forgotten the production technology and process for Mewtwo?]
[Giovanni (White): …]
[Lorelei: And you don't know where you put Mewtwo's Mega Stone, right?]
[Giovanni (White): …]
Now that all of (White) Giovanni's memories of Mewtwo had been erased, naturally… he couldn't remember the location of Mewtwo's Mega Stone either.
However… in this world, he had neither found a Key Stone nor brought the Mega Stone to Clear Cliff. This might be the so-called butterfly effect… But it was also because of this that… the current whereabouts of Mewtwo's Mega Stone were unknown to anyone!
[Giovanni (White): Mewtwo, you still have time to restore my memory now. Once I remember, I might be able to find your Mega Stone. You want to get stronger too, right?]
[Diantha: Don't believe his lies! He lusts after your power!]
[Mewtwo: …] Lusts after my… what now?
[Mewtwo: Stop dreaming. I won't help you recover your memories. Besides, deleting memories is easy, but recovering them isn't so simple. You'd better accept your fate.]
[Giovanni (White): Tsk…]
[Lance: That's right, can't you learn from your other self? That one was moved by Ash and is preparing to disband Team Rocket! Giovanni, it's time to turn over a new leaf!]
[Giovanni (White): Oi! That's not me in the Black World at all! Being beaten by a brat and disbanding Team Rocket is a disgrace! I'll never admit that he's another version of me!]
The perspectives of the involved party and third parties were completely different. For instance, White Giovanni had no idea why Black Giovanni would surrender? Why give the Mega Stone to Ash? And why actually disband Team Rocket? He was the Boss of Team Rocket! A villainous mastermind! Wasn't it normal to go back on his word? He was a villain, after all! Rules… were for the righteous to follow!
But looking at Black Giovanni's expression in the video… it didn't seem like he intended to go back on his word at all. Right now, White Giovanni felt as if he'd swallowed a whole lemon—extremely sour…
...
In the Black World —
Snap.
Giovanni closed the metal case in his hand and tossed it over. Ash instinctively reached out and caught the case of deep-sea marrow silver in mid-air.
"This is my last gift to you. I hope you and Mewtwo can stand at the top of the world."
"Hah, it's truly ironic. Team Rocket created it, and Mewtwo was in my hands for at least two years, yet I never formed any bond with it."
"On the contrary, less than half a year after it rebelled, it seems to have formed a fairly good bond with you…"
Seeing the lonely, self-mocking expression on Giovanni's face, Ash bluntly retorted.
"That's because you in Team Rocket treated Mewtwo as a tool! That's why Mewtwo would never be close to you!"
"It's a living being of flesh and blood! An independent individual, not your property, let alone your tool!"
Hearing this, Giovanni looked up at the sky, where the clouds had dispersed and a full moon had appeared, and sighed with emotion.
"Perhaps… that's also why I'm giving this to you."
Then, Giovanni took out a communicator and spoke those words with complex emotions.
"Relay the order. Effective today, Team Rocket… is disbanded!"
"Collect—huh? Ah? B-Boss… did I hear you correctly?" An incredulous, deep voice came from the other end of the communicator.
"Boss! Is someone threatening you? I'll lead a squad over now! Even if it's the League, we'll make them pay!!" The deep male voice seemed to have thought of something, instantly becoming high-pitched, nervous, and furious!
"Do you think I'm someone who can be threatened?"
"N-no… Then why?!"
"Hah, it's just because I lost a bet… Enough, no more nonsense. From now on, disband Team Rocket. Let as many people quit as will. Those who won't quit… just let them be."
"A bet? Boss! Team Rocket is your life's work! How could you… just because of a bet?!"
"Are you telling me to break my promise?!"
Giovanni's angry voice made the person on the other end speechless for a moment. In truth, he really wanted to say… Boss, haven't you broken promises all the time? For a villain… keeping promises is wrong, isn't it?
"Sigh… Besides, I'm turning myself in to the League. Don't try to rescue me. I'm doing this voluntarily."
"Boss!!!"
"Apollo! Are you disobeying my order?!"
Apollo: "…"
"I understand, Boss… I'll relay your instructions. But… Team Rocket will never truly be disbanded because of this!" After Apollo's resolute voice came through, he ended the call.
This made Giovanni laugh. "Starting a rebellion now? Should I call that loyalty or stubbornness?…"
Giovanni put away the communicator, then looked at Ash. "Satisfied?"
"Mhm… Finally, I want to ask you a question… Why are you keeping your promise?"
"That… is an adult's secret. Ponder it for the rest of your life. Do you have Lance's number?"
"No."
"If not, forget it. I'll call him myself… Hello? Lance? It's Giovanni, Boss of Team Rocket. Provoking you? No, no, no. I'm surrendering…"
Ash watched as Giovanni called Lance, the Johto Champion and a Kanto Elite Four member. Seeing him chat and laugh, it didn't look like a surrender call at all… more like catching up with an old friend.
Was the person on the other end really Lance?
...
[Lance: What the—?! He actually disbanded it! I thought Giovanni was joking!]
Until Giovanni used the communicator to contact Apollo, Lance didn't believe Black Giovanni would actually disband Team Rocket. Even if it was a version of Giovanni, he didn't think so… After all, wasn't it still Giovanni? How could a scheming old fox like him disband Team Rocket over a bet?
But now it seemed… Good grief, he was serious! He even took the initiative to call to surrender!
Back then, Lance probably didn't even know Giovanni was the Boss of Team Rocket… As for why Giovanni had his number… wasn't that natural? Giovanni was the former Viridian Gym Leader, after all, and the strongest Gym Leader in Kanto. Having the contact info for the Kanto Elite Four was a given.
[Giovanni (White): Idiot! Lunatic! Moron! Team Rocket was actually disbanded because of a kid and a stupid bet! What is he thinking?!]
White Giovanni lost his composure… He truly lost it! He didn't know what the person involved was thinking, but from a third-party perspective, it was simply humiliating—being beaten by a kid and disbanding Team Rocket! What a disgrace!! He really couldn't fathom it… why his other self would disband Team Rocket! Because of some sudden conscience? Ridiculous!
[Lance: Oho, someone's getting agitated. I won't say who.]
[Lorelei: Tsk tsk, cursing and yelling at yourself… First time seeing that… Hahaha, I can't hold it in anymore, I want to laugh out loud!]
[Bruno: Count me in, count me in! Hahaha, Giovanni beaten by Ash and disbanding Team Rocket… I never dreamed of such a thing. Allow me to laugh for a whole day, hahaha!]
[Chairman (Indigo): The world-famous, infamous Team Rocket, disbanded just like that… Ash, why don't you go have a match with Giovanni too? Let's see if he'll disband Team Rocket?]
[Ash (White): Uh… I probably couldn't beat Giovanni, right?…] He trained his Pokémon like in the video, plus had the Aura cheat code and the help of natural lightning, and only defeated Giovanni after Pikachu was severely injured. If he in this world went to find Giovanni, it would undoubtedly be like the old man hanging a lantern in the outhouse—looking for trouble (找死)!
[Gary: Be more confident. Remove the 'probably.']
[Giovanni (White): You brat, come if you dare! I guarantee you won't get a chance to be 'moved' like the kid in the Black World!]
[Ash (White): I'll come find you when I'm stronger!!]
[Steven: I have a question… With Team Rocket disbanded, what happens to the Team Rocket trio?]
[Wallace: Hmm, that's true… Without Giovanni and without Team Rocket, what reason would the Team Rocket trio have to keep following Ash?]
The Team Rocket trio wanted to present Pikachu to Giovanni, which is why they kept following Ash. Now, with Giovanni surrendering and Team Rocket disbanding, where would the loyal Team Rocket trio go? In the Black World… would they give up following Ash?
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