After Liam left, Giovanni and Blaine remained standing at the edge of the ruins.
Giovanni stared sharply at the wreckage before him for a long time before finally speaking.
"Blaine, you were there when it happened. What do you think of that Pokémon called Mewtwo? How strong is it?"
There was an indescribable meaning hidden in Giovanni's tone, and Blaine couldn't help but shiver when he heard it.
"Boss! What are you trying to say?! That Pokémon called Mewtwo... it's a monster!"
With Liam gone, Blaine had gone back to calling Mewtwo a monster.
"Heh, a monster, huh? Then that means it's truly powerful. A Pokémon like that... I would really like to have it working for Team Rocket. By the way, Blaine, I've already made my decision. The Mewtwo Project will continue, and you'll remain in charge of it. Now that we've already produced one successful specimen, I'm sure you can create another Mewtwo."
Giovanni spoke calmly, a faint smile on his face.
"What?! N-No! Boss, that's impossible! This project is far too dangerous! Please allow me to refuse!"
The moment he heard Giovanni's words, cold sweat covered Blaine's forehead. Without even thinking, he immediately rejected the proposal.
"Hm? Heh, refusing, are you? Very well. I'm not someone who likes forcing others. Since you won't agree, then you may leave. Leave Team Rocket. As for your research notes and experimental data, I've already had people organize them. You won't need to take any of that with you."
Blaine's refusal clearly hadn't surprised Giovanni at all. Without even turning around, he casually waved a hand.
"What?! You...!"
Blaine was furious, but there was nothing he could do.
In the end, he could only bow slightly.
"Thank you for letting me leave, Boss. You have my word that I will never reveal any Team Rocket secrets to anyone. Thank you for taking me in all this time. Farewell."
With that, Blaine turned and left Viridian Gym.
"Sigh... another talented person gone. Considering everything you've contributed to Team Rocket, I'll let this matter end here. But as for the experiment going forward... Fuji?"
"Present, Boss. What are your orders?"
As soon as Blaine departed, Giovanni sighed softly and called forward another researcher wearing a white lab coat.
"Fuji, from this point on, you'll be responsible for the project. Do your best—for the organization, and... for yourself."
"Yes, Boss. I will give it everything I have."
"Good. However, I have one requirement. You've seen what happened this time. The experimental Mewtwo was uncontrollable. Therefore, your task is to create a controllable Mewtwo. That's not too much to ask, is it?"
"Uh... yes, Boss. I'll do my utmost."
Fuji hurriedly wiped the sweat from his forehead and nodded repeatedly.
"Heh, doing your utmost is enough. What a shame... all this equipment could have still been used. But perhaps this is for the best. We can't continue conducting experiments inside cities anymore. The disturbances are simply too large. I've already purchased a small island at sea. A new research facility will be built there, and from now on, all of your experiments will be conducted on that island."
"Yes, Boss! Understood!"
"Good. Go make the preparations."
"Yes, Boss. I'll take my leave."
Seeing that Giovanni no longer had anything to say, Fuji adjusted his glasses and quietly withdrew.
"Sigh... this whole situation is troublesome. Liam... are you dissatisfied with me? Heh, but that's alright. I won't be angry. We're family. No matter what happens, Team Rocket and I will always support you."
Giovanni looked up at the sky as dark clouds gradually gathered overhead. A smile rested on his lips, but his voice was utterly resolute.
...
Meanwhile, after leaving Viridian Gym, Liam took out the tracker and casually pressed the button on top.
Beep~
The device immediately lit up.
"Let's see... wow, this thing's pretty advanced. Range... five kilometers. No target detected. The range can probably be increased. Hm? What's this below? A map?"
Beneath the radar-like green display was a detailed map showing the major roads and buildings of Viridian City within the search radius. Everything was clear and easy to understand.
As he spoke, Liam pressed the button again.
The search radius instantly doubled to ten kilometers.
Still no sign of Mewtwo.
However, this time he noticed something else.
At the edge of the display was a tiny red arrow that continuously swayed back and forth, as if pointing toward something.
"...So I just follow the arrow? Looks like Mewtwo has already gotten pretty far away. Seriously... this is turning into a real pain. Well, no helping it. This mess is my responsibility. Come out, Garchomp!"
"Grahhh!"
Now that he knew the direction, things became much simpler.
Liam quickly released Garchomp and immediately set off in pursuit.
By his calculations, Mewtwo had already been gone for three days.
With Mewtwo's speed and that much of a head start, Liam was honestly worried that it might have already left Kanto entirely and fled to another region.
Sigh... hopefully Mewtwo has found somewhere to stop and rest. Otherwise...
Feeling the fierce wind rushing past his face, Liam could only smile bitterly.
...
Three weeks later.
On the overseas island of Cinnabar, the long-abandoned Cinnabar Research Institute finally resumed operations.
Blaine, who had returned to Cinnabar Island not long ago, stood in a white lab coat watching advanced machines come online one after another.
A smile slowly appeared on his face.
A moment later, he walked up to a massive incubation chamber.
Then he reached beneath the wig on his head and pulled out a mysterious capsule-like object.
After taking a deep breath, he carefully placed the capsule into the chamber.
Glub... Glub... Glub...
The nutrient solution bubbled softly.
Within the liquid floated a tiny pink cell—so small that it was no larger than a grain of rice.
As it drifted gently within the chamber, it gradually began to show signs of life.
Watching from outside, Blaine finally revealed a satisfied smile.
At the same time...
Click.
Aboard an ocean liner crossing the sea, Liam stared expressionlessly at the tracker in his hand.
The search radius had already been expanded to its maximum range of two hundred kilometers.
Yet there was still no trace of Mewtwo.
Only the endlessly wavering red arrow remained.
Liam felt utterly helpless.
Just as he was wondering how a single Pokémon could possibly run this far, a cheerful young sailor approached him with a bright smile.
"Hello, Mr. Liam. First of all, thank you for choosing to travel aboard the Shimakaze. I'm here to inform you that we'll be docking shortly. We've arrived at the destination of this voyage—the port of Nuvema Town in the beautiful Unova region. Please prepare to disembark. Thank you for sailing with us, and we hope to welcome you aboard again in the future!"
"..."
Hearing the sailor's words, Liam slowly turned toward the horizon.
The coastline was becoming increasingly clear.
Suddenly, a bitter expression appeared on his face.
"...What the hell?!"