As they walked through Team Rocket's headquarters, a flicker of nostalgia crossed Gardevoir's eyes.
Back then, Elias had brought her through this very place, fighting their way to Giovanni's office—only to end up forging a cooperation with him.
And now, sohow, all those years had gone by in a blink.
Since the interior of the Silph Co. building wasn't particularly large, and they encountered no obstacles along the way, the group quickly made it into the elevator.
Elias pressed the button for the top floor with practiced ease, and the elevator began to ascend.
Ding—
With a clear chi, the elevator reached the top floor.
As the doors slid open, Elias was greeted by a familiar interior that had barely changed over the years.
And just like before, a familiar feline leapt into view at startling speed, launching straight toward him.
Its tal-clad claws glead coldly under the light, giving off a sharp, chilling edge.
However...
Elias didn't so much as flinch. In fact, he even smiled slightly.
What a nostalgic scene. Too bad… Gardevoir's no longer that little Kirlia from back then.
The instant the feline sprang forward, an imnse wave of psychic power locked onto it mid-air.
The force from its leap vanished the mont it clashed with her psychic grip. Before the cat Pokémon could even register what had happened, it was completely immobilized—frozen in midair.
"ow—!"
Held aloft by Gardevoir's psychic energy, the Persian hissed as she looked at it with open disdain.
As expected, cats really aren't that bright. Does it still think it's fighting the sa Gardevoir as before?
"You did well, Gardevoir."
Elias stepped forward and praised her, giving her head a fond rub.
Then he turned his gaze toward the figure seated calmly at the desk across the room and greeted:
"Giovanni. Long ti no see."
At the sound of Elias's voice, Giovanni's eyes twitched ever so slightly.
He had originally intended to test Elias's current strength—see how much he'd grown since those years ago.
What he hadn't expected… was for Gardevoir's power to have reached this level.
That Persian of his was no slouch—it was an Elite-class Pokémon.
For it to be restrained so effortlessly... ant Gardevoir's power was easily at Champion tier.
The thought alone made Giovanni's expression grow a little heavier.
"Seems your Gardevoir's gotten a lot stronger," he said in a low, steady voice.
Then, gesturing to the chair across from him, he added, "Have a seat."
Elias didn't stand on ceremony. He pulled out the chair and sat down without hesitation.
Gardevoir, Sabrina, Latias, and w each took a seat near him.
Without wasting ti, Elias cut straight to the point:
"So, what exactly did you call here for?"
"You've been getting a steady supply of eyelashes from w these past few years—shouldn't that be more than enough?"
As he spoke, Elias closely watched Giovanni's expression.
w was right here in the room. If Giovanni still had designs on her, he'd surely glance her way at the ntion.
But to Elias's surprise, Giovanni didn't even spare her a look.
His eyes stayed fixed on Elias from beginning to end.
What the heck?
Elias couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
What's Giovanni playing at?
As if sensing his confusion, Giovanni opened the desk drawer, pulled out a file, and slid it toward Elias.
"The effect of the eyelashes is limited. With only what w's given us so far, we're no longer able to make any aningful progress," he explained.
Elias accepted the file and flipped through it.
The experintal notes weren't overly complex, and it didn't take him long to verify Giovanni's claim—he wasn't lying.
The benefits of the eyelashes had indeed hit a ceiling.
Which ant...
"You're looking to study w further?" Elias frowned.
Hearing the displeasure in his tone, Giovanni imdiately realized the misunderstanding.
He shook his head and clarified:
"No. w is of little use to us now."
"Compared to her, I'm more interested in you—and the knowledge inside your head."
Giovanni wasn't bluffing.
The eyelashes had already yielded most of w's genetic information. To go any further, he'd need a complete geno—sothing that was just as difficult as creating another wtwo from scratch.
That route had never seriously been on the table.
Instead, he believed the better option was to involve the other half of wtwo's "parentage"—Elias.
That was his true reason for summoning Elias today.
Elias was montarily stunned by the proposal. But after a beat, he understood what Giovanni was really getting at.
He raised a hand to calm the increasingly tense Gardevoir and Latias, then turned back to Giovanni and asked:
"You're that confident I'll be of use to your plan?"
Elias knew full well about Giovanni's wtwo project.
But from his perspective, if the top researchers and professors in the field couldn't crack it, what good would he be—soone with only a passing understanding of Pokémon research?
If Giovanni had ti to chase him down, why not just "invite" Professor Oak instead?
Giovanni, however, wasn't surprised by his reaction.
He stole a quick glance at w—those big, unblinking eyes—and allowed himself the barest hint of a smile.
w had secretly passed along word through a Team Rocket mber: she didn't want Elias to find out too soon that his residual psychic energy had been used in wtwo's creation.
As a trustworthy cri boss, Giovanni had dutifully kept that promise.
Besides, he believed that once Elias saw wtwo, he'd figure it out on his own.
With that in mind, Giovanni spoke slowly:
"I trust in my analysis."
"If you agree to work with us, Team Rocket is prepared to offer you any assistance within our power."
His voice carried the weight of quiet assurance.
Elias took a mont to seriously consider the offer.
Any assistance Team Rocket can provide… That was quite the tempting deal.
At the very least, Elias felt it sounded a lot more reliable than when the League made similar promises.
Because when push ca to shove, Giovanni really did act.
And although Giovanni may have overestimated him, Elias did have sothing that could help move the research forward.
His gaze drifted toward a specific item in his system's inventory.
—w's full geno sequence.
It had been a reward from his first simulation. He hadn't expected to ever need it—after all, it's not like he was planning to create another wtwo.
But now... it might just co in handy.
Since he could essentially leech off Team Rocket's resources, Elias didn't hesitate any longer.
He gave a nod.
"Alright. Deal. I'll help improve the experint—you provide the support."
"But I'm making it clear now: I can't guarantee success."
Even with w's geno, Elias still felt the need to include a disclair.
"Pleasure doing business," Giovanni replied, steady and composed.
There was an unmistakable air of calculation and control about him.
Watching Giovanni like this, Elias couldn't help but smirk.
Now that I think about it… isn't your precious son still in my hands?
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T/N: okay august chill
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