Team Rocket's Secret Base in Celadon City had been wiped out by Agatha...
Aside from Athena, who had vanished, every Team Rocket member had been arrested, including a senior executive!
When the news reached an island somewhere out at sea,
Giovanni merely raised his glass of red wine, looked toward the land northwest of the island, and said with a smile,
"Consider this a token of my respect, Mother..."
Behind him stood Lance and Lambda, two of the Four Generals, as well as Ouka, one of the Three Beast Warriors!
None of them spoke. They simply bowed their heads respectfully and stood quietly in the shadows.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
After a long while, a series of crisp knocks broke the silence in the room. Giovanni leaned back in his leather chair and gently closed his eyes.
Seeing this, Ouka turned and opened the door. His brow furrowed as he said quietly,
"Come in!"
Ignoring Ouka's displeasure, the newcomer walked to a spot a meter from the desk. Looking at the chair facing away from him, he bowed and said,
"Boss! I've brought all the information you wanted!"
Silence hung over the room.
"Very good..."
At last, the chair turned around. Giovanni's face was shrouded in darkness, his expression unreadable. He rested his chin on his clasped hands and said leisurely,
"Then it must be good news?"
The newcomer respectfully handed Giovanni a file and said quietly,
"This is all the research the Evil Moon Organization has accumulated on Pokémon genetics! They also specifically mentioned something about a few very unusual Pokémon..."
Once again, the only sound in the room was Giovanni turning the pages. After an indeterminate stretch of time, he finally put the documents down and said with a soft laugh,
"A Steelix enlarged through Growth, a Swampert capable