Giovanni's back was currently turned to everyone as he sat in a large leather chair, looking like a silent sculpture.
Just a view of his back was enough to make the air in the room feel doubly pressurized.
Ariel and the other three walked into the room, their footsteps amplified in the empty space, sounding particularly abrupt.
Corona's expression was the most unsightly; he kept his head low, his fists clenched at his sides like hard stones, and his jawline was set tight.
Viper's expression was much more relaxed, sizing up the surroundings with great interest, his eyes scanning every shadow in the room like a cat.
Dar still had that squinting look, but the usual smile at the corners of his mouth had faded significantly, making his thoughts unreadable.
Ariel's gaze fell upon Giovanni's back.
This man was the Emperor of Team Rockets.
Without needing any extra movements, he could make even his most defiant Superiors fall as silent.
Silence.
An oppressive silence lasted for a full minute.
"You've all arrived."
Giovanni finally spoke, his voice flat and devoid of any emotional fluctuation, yet it was like a giant boulder dropped into a calm lake, stirring up waves in everyone's hearts.
He slowly turned his chair around, and that face, usually hidden in the shadows, was finally revealed.
With sharp contours and deep eyes, time had not left many marks on his face, but had instead distilled an aura of total control.
His gaze swept over the four of them in turn, as if inspecting his tools.
"I have read all the mission reports for this operation."
Giovanni's fingers tapped lightly on the smooth tabletop, making a rhythmic 'thud, thud' sound, each tap hitting everyone's heartbeat.
"Dar, Viper, you did well; you completed the support work perfectly."
"Yes, Boss Giovanni."
The two bowed slightly.
Giovanni's gaze then turned to Corona, lingering for a noticeably longer time.
Corona's body tensed instantly, and he buried his head even lower.
"Corona."
Giovanni's voice remained flat.
"Your courage is commendable; daring to draw your sword against the League's Champion is a quality every member of Team Rockets should possess."
Corona snapped his head up, a glimmer of hope flashing in his eyes.
"However,"
Giovanni's tone shifted, suddenly becoming several degrees colder.
"Courage and recklessness are two different things. A successful operation is judged not by how flashy the process was, but by the final result. Meaningless individual heroism only brings unnecessary trouble and risk to the team."
He didn't directly mention Corona's pathetic flight after being defeated by Lance, but every word felt like a slap, stinging Corona's face.
Corona's face turned from red to white, his lips twitching a few times, but he couldn't utter a single word.
He could feel the gazes from Viper and Dar beside him, carrying a faint, subtle mockery.
Giovanni stopped looking at him, as if he were already a piece of worthless junk.
Finally, his gaze landed on Ariel.
"Ruth."
"Present."
Ariel responded neither humbly nor arrogantly.
"Your report was very detailed,"
Giovanni's tone softened slightly.
"Not only did it record the battle process, but it also analyzed Lance's tactical style."
He paused, leaning forward slightly, his eyes like a hawk's, staring sharply at Ariel.
"You did very well. At the critical moment, you didn't choose to act impulsively like Corona, but instead preserved yourself and brought back the most valuable intelligence. This is the quality a Team Rockets successor should have—calm, rational, always putting the organization's interests first."
As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere in the room instantly became subtle.
The corner of Viper's mouth curled into an imperceptible arc, her gaze toward Ariel gaining a hint of playfulness.
Dar's squinted eyes seemed to open a crack, a sharp light flashing within.
As for Corona, he glared deathly at Ariel, the jealousy and malice in his eyes almost manifesting into substance.
Giovanni's evaluation was equivalent to publicly announcing the winner of this internal competition.
He had not only negated Corona but also personally elevated Ariel to a higher position.
Ariel's heart was perfectly calm.
He knew this was only the beginning.
Giovanni's recognition was both a reward and a shackle.
From today on, he would carry more scrutiny and expectations.
"However,"
Giovanni leaned back into his chair, fingers interlaced on the desk.
"The trouble you encountered this time has also shown me the deficiencies in our current plans. Relying solely on Superior Trainers is still a bit difficult when facing the top combat power of the League."
Just as his voice fell, the shadows in the room suddenly began to twist.
An indescribable sense of oppression appeared out of thin air, as if the air had been sucked dry, and the temperature of the entire space dropped several degrees.
Ariel's heart constricted suddenly; this feeling... was very familiar!
A figure emerged silently from the shadows behind Giovanni.
It floated in mid-air, its entire body covered in restraint armor with smooth, cold lines, brimming with a sense of power.
Purple skin was faintly visible between the gaps in the armor, and within its deep eyes, there was no emotion, only a void of indifference.
Mewtwo!
It just floated there quietly, not saying a word, but that majestic psychic field enveloped the entire room, causing Viper and Dar's breathing to hitch.
Among the four, only Corona had never seen this fellow before.
Corona's face was now deathly pale, his body trembling uncontrollably.
This pressure was a hundred times more terrifying than facing Lance's Dragonite!
"Let me introduce you."
For the first time, a hint of near-fanatical pride appeared on Giovanni's face as he reached out, as if showing off his most perfect masterpiece.
"Its name is Mewtwo."
"This is the strongest lifeform created by our Team Rockets using all our resources and Mew's genes. It is also our future... ultimate combat power."
"You few have also witnessed this fellow's power."
Giovanni stood up, walked to Mewtwo's side, and stroked the cold armor on its body, his eyes fanatical.
"The predicament you faced today will no longer exist in the future. The League's Champions and Legendary Pokémon are not worth mentioning before it."
His voice was full of seduction:
"In the future, Mewtwo will participate in our various operations. When it arrives in your area, your task is only one—to cooperate unconditionally with all its work. Its will is my will."
Mewtwo remained silent, its hollow eyes looking down at the four people below as if looking at a few insignificant ants.
Ariel looked up, meeting Mewtwo's gaze.
From those eyes, he could feel a bottomless sense of confusion and pain.
That was it; although Team Rockets had created it, they could not give it a reason for existing.
Who am I? Where did I come from? Where am I going?
These three ultimate philosophical questions were a Curse capable of destroying the mind of a being that had just been born with world-shattering power.
And Giovanni had exploited this confusion, forcibly instilling a false meaning of existence using concepts like 'battle' and 'the strongest.'
The strong are born to fight, born to clear all obstacles for Team Rockets.
What a ridiculous and pathetic brainwashing.
Ariel knew in his heart that this control built on deception and oppression was like a castle built on sand.
For now, Mewtwo might still be the sharpest sword in Giovanni's hand.
But how long could such a divine sword with self-awareness be deceived?
When it broke free from its shackles and found its true self, who would be the first person the sword's edge pointed at?