The success of the Celadon Game Corner filled Team Rocket's coffers at an unprecedented rate.
An almost fanatical optimism swept through every level of the organization.
Only Giovanni remained absolutely calm.
He knew perfectly well that the success of a single game corner was only the first step.
The organization's deep-rooted problems would not simply disappear because it had money.
On the contrary, ample funds could sometimes become a breeding ground for corruption and laziness.
He needed a sharper knife to scrape the rust off the war machine that was Team Rocket.
And that knife was his newly appointed assistant, Ye Li.
Giovanni sat behind his spacious desk, looking at Ye Li, who sat stiffly opposite him, trying his best to look like part of the furniture.
He casually picked up a document and spoke with an air of indifference.
"There's been a bit of trouble at one of our branch bases in the Johto Region lately."
His voice was flat, betraying neither pleasure nor anger.
"The person in charge is a distant relative of Lambda's. Mediocre abilities, got the position through connections."
"Now the base is a complete mess. A few minor leaders have formed cliques and are constantly fighting over resources. Their mission completion rate has ranked dead last for three consecutive months."
Giovanni set down the document, interlaced his fingers on the desk, and looked calmly at Ye Li.
"What are your thoughts on this?"
Here it comes.
Ye Li's heart lurched.
Another question that could get me killed.
By now, he had figured out this big boss's routine: every so often, he would throw out a question to "test" him.
What thoughts would he dare have?
He was a lowly clerk. Passing judgment on an executive's relative would be asking for death, plain and simple.
"I... I don't have any thoughts."
Ye Li shook his head like a rattle drum, his face practically screaming, "I don't understand," "I don't know," and "Don't ask me."
Inside his head, however, a barrage of complaints had already filled the screen.
[Thoughts? My thought is that useless trash who get ahead through connections should have been kicked out ages ago!]
[Poor management? Infighting? Isn't this the textbook result of organizational stagnation and a lack of incentives?]
[It's a stagnant pool. Everyone's just coasting along, competing to see who can be worse. Of course they're not efficient.]
[If you ask me, they should introduce modern corporate management practices outright. Simple, brutal, and incredibly effective!]
Ye Li's thoughts began to wander uncontrollably. The management knowledge he had gained from being "optimized out" by various companies in his previous life came pouring out.
[First, introduce KPI reviews! Every person, every squad, every month-quantitative, not qualitative. Spell out those mission targets clearly.]
[Completion rates, resources acquired, casualty rates-put everything into data reports so it's all clear at a glance.]
[Next, introduce a system for eliminating the bottom performers! Every quarter, the bottom ten percent in the reviews can pack their bags and leave, or get reassigned to the hardest, most exhausting mining jobs.]
[Then who would dare coast along? To avoid getting cut, wouldn't they all work themselves to death competing?]
[Finally, set up hefty performance bonuses! Those who rank at the top get not just bonuses, but promotion opportunities and first pick of good Pokémon and equipment.]
[The carrot and the stick, both at once. In less than three months, this base's efficiency would definitely rise to more than three times what it is now!]
[Then, infighting? Who would have time for infighting? Everyone would be too busy grinding their KPIs!]
In his mind, Ye Li had already devised an entire reform plan worthy of being called "workplace hell." Every word exuded a capitalist's cold ruthlessness.
He felt that if this plan were actually implemented, the people at that branch base would probably hate whoever had come up with it to death.
Fortunately, he was only thinking about it.
Giovanni listened quietly.
His expression did not change in the slightest, but deep inside, waves were already stirring.
KPI reviews.
Eliminating the bottom performers.
Performance bonuses.
Combined, these unfamiliar terms painted a picture that even he found startling.
It was a management model that squeezed human potential to its utmost and pushed the brutality of competition to its absolute limit.
Compared with Team Rocket's current rough-and-ready management, which relied on prestige and personal loyalty, this plan was practically an overwhelming strike from another era.
Precise, efficient, cold-blooded.
It suited Team Rocket perfectly.
A trace of fervent light flashed in Giovanni's eyes.
Looking at the young man before him, still desperately playing dumb, he felt increasingly satisfied.
This was no longer merely a "strategist."
This was a once-in-an-age genius who could build him a true empire.
Giovanni picked up the internal communicator on his desk and contacted the personnel department right in front of Ye Li.
"Send out a notice."
His voice was steady and forceful as he clearly relayed Ye Li's thoughts from moments earlier in his own words.
"Effective today, we'll trial a new management system at the Johto branch base."
"First, establish a key performance indicator review system, or KPI. Everyone's missions must be assessed quantitatively."
"Second, introduce a mechanism for eliminating the bottom performers. Every quarter, the leader of the lowest-ranked team will be dismissed on the spot, and every member will be demoted."
"Third, establish bonuses for exceeding performance targets. Those who exceed their mission targets will receive proportional bonuses and priority eligibility for promotion."
Every word Giovanni spoke struck Ye Li's heart like a heavy hammer.
Ye Li stared at Giovanni, dumbfounded.
His mind went blank, leaving only a buzzing roar.
How... how did he know all this?
KPI? Eliminating the bottom performers?
How had he come up with those terms?
Had management theory in this world already advanced this far?
Looking at Giovanni's utterly impassive face, Ye Li felt a fear rising from the depths of his soul for the first time.
This man possessed not only unfathomable strength, but also cunning as deep as the sea.
Even his thinking was this... modern?
This went beyond terrifying.
He was an outright monster!
Giovanni ended the call, taking in every bit of Ye Li's shocked expression, as though he had seen a ghost.
An indescribable pleasure welled up inside him.
He thoroughly enjoyed this feeling.
He enjoyed the process of turning Ye Li's thoughts into his own decisions, then using them to intimidate Ye Li in turn.
It was like a game of cat and mouse.
And he was the cat who controlled everything, yet deliberately refused to reveal it.
The thrill of playing an unparalleled master was becoming somewhat addictive.
He looked at Ye Li, the corners of his mouth lifting almost imperceptibly.
"What's wrong?"
"Is there a problem with my plan?"
Before you continue