27 Giovanni

A/N: Its the Giovanni POV chapter you've all (maybe?) been waiting for!

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It's funny. He never once doubted that Cam would succeed. The young man is the youngest of his Admins. He's already gotten a couple of comments from the others, probing questions. No one had come out and outright asked Giovanni what he was thinking, but they liked to toe the line. It was clear that some came from a sort of jealousy or envy, while some came from genuine concern, but all were united in their belief that it was too fast by far.

Giovanni didn't care. Formerly of Kanto's Elite Four, formerly a proud Kanto Businessman… and now the leader and Boss of the criminal organization known as Team Rocket. Some might call it a fall from grace. Some might call it an arrogant man's last gasp of relevance, his clinging to the final scraps of power and control in his life.

… On days where he was feeling particularly uncharitable towards himself, the Team Rocket Boss might even agree with them. But no. He was the last line of defense between Lance and his Johto goons and the complete destruction of Kanto's culture. Sure, they'd lost the war thanks to that coward Oak, but they weren't beaten completely. Not yet at least. There were still those in Kanto who had their pride.

And yet, every year, Lance grew more powerful, his hold on the Region more solidified. It had been almost two decades since the Johto General had taken over as Kanto's Pokemon Champion, and in that time his team of Dragon Type Pokemon had allowed him to reign supreme, defeating all challengers. Someone with a defeatist attitude might even call him entrenched at this point.

Giovanni knew better. Lance's position was NOT secure, and never truly could be. All it would take was the right person to beat him, and he'd be done. However, it was JUST as likely that the wrong person would beat him, and then Kanto would be in even more dire straits than before. Ultimately, Giovanni refused to rest his hopes on the slim chance that a Kanto Native would eventually grow strong enough to challenge the Elite Four and defeat Lance legitimately.

They needed something else. And luckily for them, Lance and his pets in Silph Co. had oh so foolishly developed the key to their victory for them.

Yes, it was time for something new, which was why Giovanni had called all of his Admins, as well as the Executive not currently holding down Viridian for him, to his office. And though Cam is the last to arrive, with Petrel, Proton, and Archer all getting to his office ahead of the younger man, Giovanni isn't upset. Rather, there's a smile on his face as Cam walks in, looking as calm and collected and clear-headed as ever.

"Ah, Cam, good. You've arrived at long last. I trust that your latest mission was a success?"

Despite being surrounded by older, more experienced criminals, Cam doesn't so much as glance to either side of himself. Every eye in Giovanni's office is on the young man right now, and it would be perfectly understandable for him to be… nervous. Instead, he looks completely at home as he gives Giovanni a sharp nod.

"Yes, sir."

This is what Giovanni liked about his youngest Admin. It was why he'd made him an Admin in the first place. Cam's competence, his stoicism, his all around level-headed nature… it reminded Giovanni of himself. Yes, Giovanni had not doubted for even a single moment that Cam would complete his task. Though there was still the question of HOW Cam had ultimately completed it.

"And what was the outcome, if you don't mind me asking? We won't have time for a written report, I'm afraid."

If the young Rocket Admin had a weakness, it was his seeming inability to speak in complete sentences. Indeed, if he weren't so damn competent… and Ariana weren't breathing down Giovanni's neck after a certain point, Giovanni wasn't sure he would have ever promoted Cam. But they could work on the boy's difficulty with speaking. His ability to get shit done, now THAT was much rarer.

"… Blaine has submitted to Team Rocket's authority."

Giovanni's eyebrows rise, impressed for two reasons. One, that was the first complete sentence he'd ever gotten from the young man. Two… that was the best outcome, so of course he's pleased. As Cam's fellow Admins, and even Archer all shuffle and shift about with their own surprised reactions, Giovanni smiles a wolfish smile and gives Cam a pleased nod.

"Well done. Now please, take your place and listen up. That goes for all of you. I do not want to repeat myself, and what I'm about to say is VERY important."

Every eye in the office turns to Giovanni, but then, just like Cam, Giovanni has never had a single issue being the center of attention. Feeling buoyed by Cam's success, the Team Rocket Boss begins outlining what they're going to be doing.

"This next mission… is all hands on deck. In fact, this will not only be Team Rocket's largest scale operation ever, but it will also likely end up being our most important one."

Sweeping his gaze back and forth across the four men standing in his office, Giovanni nods upon seeing that his words have had their intended impact. Of course, the sole Executive in the Office is grinning smugly… after all, Archer was the one who found this information.

"Simply put, our target is Silph Co. Thanks to our interrogation of Fuji in Pokemon Tower, we found out about a top-secret project of theirs. A project that is in the final stages of development. Something deemed… the Master Ball."

He lets that hang in the air for a moment, before shaking his head.

"It should be obvious, but just in case it isn't, I shall spell it out for all of you. The Master Ball, or so Silph Co. claims, is a Pokemon Capture Tool designed to never fail. As it currently stands, there is no such thing. Even Ultra Balls are not guaranteed to succeed, and in the case of Legendary Pokemon, there are plenty who have remained free despite hundreds if not thousands of attempts at capturing them."

Taking in a deep breath, Giovanni's eyes blaze.

"If the Master Ball is fully realized, this will no longer be the case. Not only will Kanto's Legendary Birds be up for grabs… but so will Mewtwo."

There's some brief rustling in the office at that. All of his Admins and Executives have been read in on what Mewtwo is, though only Cam and Archer actually know Giovanni's personal history with the Pokemon. Petrel and Proton only know that she's exceedingly dangerous, a Psychic Type, and not to be approached under any circumstances even if they DO catch wind of where she is.

To be fair, Giovanni knows exactly where Mewtwo is, and he believes Lance and his government do as well. Among those with power and influence in Kanto, Mewtwo's location is something of an open secret. No one has the ability to catch her, so at this point it doesn't really matter that they know where to find her.

The Master Ball changes that, of course.

"Lance will jump at the chance to bring Mewtwo under his control once and for all. And if he does capture Mewtwo, then Team Rocket is doomed, and so is any chance of Kanto regaining its independence and sovereignty as a Region and a Nation."

Letting that sink in for a moment, Giovanni allows a toothy grin to spread across his face. He would never smile in front of the common Rocket Grunts, of course… he has an image to maintain as Team Rocket's Boss. However, in the same way, he has an image to maintain with his Admins and Executives, to make them feel special and appreciated. And so, he's a little more open with his emotions. All part of the game, in the end.

"That's where we come in. Our only option, our only hope really, is a preemptive strike. If we can get the Master Ball from Silph Co. before Lance and his Johto dogs can, then we have a chance of capturing Mewtwo ourselves. And once Mewtwo is under Team Rocket control, where she rightly belongs, the Kanto Region will be free of Lance's tyranny in no time."

Just envisioning it was enough to make Giovanni's smile even broader and prouder. With Mewtwo on his team, he could easily beat Lance in a fair fight for the Championship Title. Technically, despite Lance KNOWING he was Team Rocket's Boss, Giovanni had not been accused of any crimes… nor had he actually committed any with his own two hands.

And afterwards, after HE was the legitimate Pokemon Champion, well, Lance could whine and cry all he liked, but the truth was, Johto wouldn't dare restart the war if Mewtwo was on the other side. Giovanni's personal, one-sided smackdown of Lance and his precious Dragon Type Pokemon would be televised live for all to see. Mewtwo's power would be broadcast to people of both Kanto and Johto, to say nothing of the rest of the world.

It would be what should have happened eighteen years ago, when Mewtwo had first been made. She would obey, and Giovanni would take his home back. Everything would be as it SHOULD have been from the very beginning.

… But first, the Master Ball.

"I should hope I've impressed upon you all the importance of this operation. And that's why… I'm calling for all hands on deck. EVERY Team Rocket Grunt, Admin, and Executive in and around Saffron City has been activated. Everyone in the Celadon and Cerulean Hideouts, as well as our spies in Silph Co. itself, will move as one."

Straightening up, stepping away from his desk with his hands clasped behind his back, Giovanni puts on his most serious face.

"They will call us terrorists. They will decry our actions as criminal. And by their laws, they will be. The largest force of Team Rocket in our organization's history will descend upon Saffron City and occupy its streets. We will close down all businesses, suppress all dissent, and invade Silph Co.'s headquarters itself. This is not what I want to do… but it is what we MUST do, if we are to get ahead of Lance and the sycophants at Silph Co. who are so damn eager to hand him the keys to the kingdom for a quick buck and a pat on the back!"

Giovanni turns to Petrel first.

"Admin Petrel! I leave you in charge of occupying Saffron's streets. You will be our first line of defense, as well as our early warning sign."

Then, he looks to Proton and Archer.

"Admin Proton, Executive Archer, you two will occupy the Silph Offices, and maintain control of the lower floors at all costs. No one leaves without our permission. And what that actually means is that no one leaves whatsoever. Am I understood?"

The two men in question nod sharply, determination on their faces. Even Petrel, fuck up that he is, looks rather amped. But then, that was the point, wasn't it? In fact, Giovanni could detect excitement from ALL of the men in the room… except for Cam. Oh, he's listening. Giovanni can see it in the young man's eyes. Intense focus and concentration, a single-minded drive to succeed that exemplifies why Giovanni promoted him at such a young age.

… He truly does see himself in the boy. And so, Giovanni makes his decision, making eye contact with Cam.

"Admin Cam, you will make your way to Silph Co.'s offices. Once on site, you will receive your task."

There was a reason for this. It wasn't because Giovanni was afraid Cam wouldn't be able to handle anything… but because Giovanni knew the young man would handle ANYTHING Giovanni threw at him.

No plan survives contact with the enemy. The Team Rocket Boss knew this more than most. After all, he'd had all sorts of plans eighteen years ago. The Mewtwo Project was supposed to be the plan to end all plans, the plan to win them the war. But between the Catastrophe, and even Mewtwo herself, Giovanni had wasted most of his fortune and in the end, had nothing to show for it.

Even more recently, Giovanni's plans had been stymied. First Mt. Moon, with the Pokemon Fossils. Then Blaine getting cold feet. Fuji making a nuisance again and again. This very hideout getting ransacked by that rampaging young woman! Even he had fallen to her impossibly strong Pokemon…

Yes, Giovanni was used to his plans failing, at this point. A hundred plans could succeed, a hundred missions could go off without a hitch, but with just one failure, it would all fall apart. And that was where Cam came in. Excepting the Mt. Moon mission, Cam had not failed him since. And so, Giovanni considered the young Admin to be his trump card, his ace in the hole.

Somewhere along the line, something would break. Somewhere in the course of implementing this massive mission, to go from small-time crime and burglary to forcibly occupying a whole city, Giovanni expected to run into some sort of issue.

And that was where Cam would come in. He would be there to plug whatever fucking leak Giovanni was sure would pop up, so that Giovanni himself didn't have to.

"Is everyone clear?"

At the round of nods, Giovanni grunts and crosses his arms over his chest.

"Good! Dismissed!"

It was honestly quite refreshing to have someone so much like him. Someone he KNEW he could rely on. As the four Rockets all file out of the room, heading for Saffron, Giovanni reflects.

… Beyond a shadow of a doubt, Cam is the future. Not just of Team Rocket, but of Kanto itself. Giovanni isn't as young or spry as he used to be. He's younger than a lot of the other old goats from the war, but it's still been eighteen years. He's not going to be around forever. Cam though… Cam represents a new wave.

Giovanni's other Admins and Executives are either overly ambitious thugs, or pure sycophants. There's not a single one among them who Giovanni would consider handing the reins over to.

Yet… for a moment, he smiles and closes his eyes, letting himself picture it. Him, on top of the world, a Master Ball in hand containing Mewtwo. As Pokemon Champion, Kanto has prospered under HIS rule. Ah, but he's old enough to be ready for retirement. No one could possibly beat him, of course… so he gets to choose his successor.

As he holds out the Master Ball in his mind's eye, there's only one person he can imagine himself giving it to, only one person he can imagine letting control the incredible power that is Mewtwo. As Cam takes it in this little daydream, he gives Giovanni one stoic nod, and Giovanni… well, Giovanni places a hand on his young protégé's shoulder, pleased as can be with the son he never had.

… It's a nice thought, to be sure. But just a thought for now. Opening his eyes, Giovanni makes for the door of his office as well. After all, if Giovanni wants to make that distant future a reality, it's time to get to work.

-x-X-x-

A/N: I can't necessarily put into words what I was trying to do by having Blaine and Giovanni's chapters back to back. Maybe trying to make you guys, the readers, feel a certain type of way about Giovanni?

I dunno if I succeeded, or even what success would look like, but hopefully everyone enjoyed!

As always, feedback is greatly appreciated! Comments and Likes sustain me!

Also, the next TEN chapters can be found on my P atreon for early access!