Want to read ahead. You know where
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The plane Sam took landed in Viridian City, nestled in the Kanto region.
He wandered the quiet streets, half-wondering if he'd ended up in the wrong place entirely.
Compared to the vibrant cities he'd seen in Sinnoh, like Heartho or Jubilife, Viridian felt… lifeless.
The buildings were mostly run-down and low-rise, many boarded up or barely hanging on.
Only a handful of shops remained open, their flickering signs casting weak pools of light onto cracked sidewalks.
If Heartho was considered a first-tier city in Sinnoh, then Viridian… barely passed for fifth-tier.
Sam took it all in with a frown.
The place looked worse than so remote villages he rembered from maps.
And it wasn't just the buildings; the people seed affected, too.
The few passersby hurried along the streets with their heads down, eyes wary, and steps brisk.
No one lingered, no one smiled.
He sighed.
The reason wasn't a mystery.
The shadow of Team Rocket still lood large over this place.
A long ti ago, Viridian Gym was under the command of Giovanni, Team Rocket's notorious leader.
A man like that, responsible for running a city's gym?
The irony wasn't lost on Sam.
With Giovanni in charge, Team Rocket agents had co and gone freely.
Their numbers had swelled, and with them ca cri, corruption, and fear.
The city's morale had crumbled.
Many locals packed up and left, and tourists stopped coming altogether.
It didn't take long for the city to spiral into decay.
When Team Rocket grew too large and too bold, Giovanni eventually abandoned his post as Gym Leader.
Not long after, the Kanto League appointed a replacent: Green, forrly a rival contender for the Kanto Championship, was now the new Gym Leader of Viridian.
Unlike his predecessor, Green poured everything he had into restoring the city.
He took his role seriously, cracking down on criminal activity and making his presence known.
Things had started to shift… slowly.
But Sam knew change wouldn't co overnight.
You don't fix a place like this in a few months.
The scars ran too deep.
There wasn't much here to explore, and Sam wasn't in the mood to pretend otherwise.
By the ti night fell, he had found the only halfway-decent hotel in the area and checked in without fuss.
He turned in early, letting the silence of the crumbling city lull him to sleep.
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Hundreds of ters beneath the surface,
Inside the headquarters of Team Rocket.
A sleek, high-security facility buried beneath the Viridian Forest.
In the dimly lit command room, far from the reach of the League's surveillance, Giovanni's office sat at the heart of it all.
Inside, the mood was tense.
"Boss," a sharp voice spoke up, "the plan on Cinnabar is progressing smoothly. Our test subject has begun to show signs of stable vitals."
A woman stood in front of the massive desk.
Clad in a fitted Rocket uniform, tablet in hand, she was one of Giovanni's most trusted aides.
"According to Dr. Fuji's projections, it'll be another six months before the subject is fully developed and ready to leave stasis."
She hesitated, glancing down at her notes.
"But… there's a problem. Fuji's recent reports ntion frequent psychic outbursts and ntal instability. Severe. We may not have the resources to control it with our current tech."
The room fell silent for a beat.
The large leather chair behind the desk slowly turned.
Giovanni appeared, wearing a sharp wine-red suit, one hand resting against the armrest, the other loosely curled near his face.
His expression was unreadable.
Calm. Cold. Focused.
On first glance, he didn't look like much, just a man in his forties, dark hair, slight build.
But the air around him was heavy.
Even in silence, Giovanni's presence could command a room.
He was the kind of man you didn't forget after a single eting.
His fingers drumd the desk rhythmically.
"ntal instability, you say?" His voice was quiet, low, but carried force.
"This experint… is the cornerstone of Team Rocket's global domination."
"We cannot afford failure."
The aide nodded quickly, remaining silent.
Giovanni leaned forward slightly.
"Initiate the sonic disruptor in Viridian Forest."
She blinked.
"The disruptor? But that'll trigger wild Pokémon, "
"Exactly," he interrupted.
"The League will scramble to contain the fallout. It'll thin their resources."
He paused.
"Have Petrel and Archer strike while the League is occupied. Target Silph Co: Retrieve the Master Ball prototype they've been developing in secret. If it can do what they claim…"
His eyes narrowed, gleaming.
"…then even our experint will kneel."
"Yes, sir," she said quickly, typing the orders into her device.
But she didn't leave.
Giovanni glanced at her sideways.
"You're waiting," he said.
"I thought you might have… more to say."
Giovanni turned away from the desk, his chair swiveling so his back faced her.
"I do."
"Any leads on Ariana?"
There was a beat of hesitation.
The aide, Domino, shifted her stance.
"No concrete evidence yet," she admitted.
"But Sabrina may know sothing. She was seen near the compound the night it happened. If we capture and interrogate her…"
Giovanni's silence was answer enough.
He didn't dwell on it. He changed the subject without missing a beat.
"What's the update on the remnants of Team Aqua and Team Magma?"
She opened another file on her tablet.
"All valuable assets have been moved to Rocket HQ. The remaining field operatives in Hoenn are now under our control."
"We've begun troop deploynts in the region."
She tapped again.
"Sird also reports preliminary contact with Cyrus in Sinnoh. They've agreed to a basic intelligence-sharing pact. Nothing official yet."
Giovanni's hand reached for the wine glass beside him.
He swirled the red liquid calmly before taking a small sip.
"Good."
He stood, walking slowly to the large window behind his desk, though down here, the view was simulated: a holographic projection of a stormy horizon.
"Contact Sird again. Tell her to initiate talks with Team Plasma in Unova."
He smirked faintly.
"That ambitious fool Ghetsis is hungry enough. He'll accept any alliance that suits his interests."
"Yes, sir," she replied crisply, then turned and exited the room.
Giovanni remained where he stood.
He stared into the stormy holographic skies, wine glass still in hand, swirling the contents slowly.
One by one, he muttered nas to himself.
"Archie. Maxie. Cyrus. Ghetsis."
His voice dripped with quiet disdain.
"Short-sighted n. All of them chasing legends, gods, and myths. Gambling their futures on powers they'll never control."
"They want to change the world, but they rely on forces beyond them."
He raised his glass slightly, as if toasting their failure.
"They're dood."
Giovanni's eyes glinted in the dim light.
"I will not rely on gods. I will make one."
"I will absorb their strength… their technology… and I will wield it properly."
"The world won't just tremble…"
He downed the last of the wine.
"…it will belong to Team Rocket."
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