"This is strange. There's no one here at all."
Lillie stayed close behind Grey, scanning the Aether Foundation headquarters with a puzzled expression. The facility was normally bustling with employees, but now there was not a single person in sight. The unnatural silence made her realize that something was wrong.
"Let's find your mother first. She should still be here."
Grey raised his head. His Aura told him that several powerful sources of energy were directly above them.
Unless he remembered incorrectly, that should be where the president's office was located.
"Okay. Thank you, Grey."
Lillie nodded softly and followed Grey upstairs to the president's office.
At that very moment, Giovanni had already forced Lusamine into a corner.
Unless she signed the agreement to cooperate with Team Rocket, the Aether Foundation might cease to exist.
"President Lusamine, even after things have reached this point, you still refuse to agree?"
Giovanni rubbed his forehead as he looked at the unyielding Lusamine. The last trace of sympathy he possessed for the widow was rapidly disappearing.
Just then, a deafening explosion shook the office.
Brilliant blue light erupted as blossoms of blue fire descended throughout the room, sending waves of scorching heat surging in every direction.
"Who dares hurt my sister?"
Grey stepped into the office and looked toward Giovanni, a faint smile appearing on his face.
"And here I was wondering who it might be. I never expected to find Kanto's most, most, most beloved Gym Leader Giovanni here. What's this? Are you trying to force a widow into doing something illegal? I never knew you had such unusual interests, Gym Leader Giovanni. How truly…"
Grey's expression turned cold.
"Disgusting."
"Grey! You again!"
Giovanni glared furiously at him. The Beedrill behind him instantly became a blur and charged forward.
A cold gleam flashed across its poisonous stingers as one of them shot directly toward Grey's throat.
Grey sighed, his eyes filled with resignation.
"This move again? Giovanni, your Beedrill really loves trying to ambush me, but it has already failed several times."
As he spoke, Reshiram spread its wings.
Blue flames erupted in an instant and blasted Beedrill several yards backward.
The attack severely injured Beedrill on the spot, leaving its insectoid body blackened and scorched.
"Giovanni, I told you that the next time we met, I would bring you to justice."
Grey stepped forward and crossed his arms, meeting Giovanni's gaze from across the office.
Giovanni let out a cold laugh.
"When did you find out?"
At that moment, all Giovanni wanted to know was when Grey had discovered his true identity.
From the instant Grey entered the office, he had shown no surprise whatsoever at seeing Giovanni there.
"Gym Leader Giovanni, have you forgotten that I possess Aura?"
"Tch. Then why didn't you report me directly to the League? Given your reputation, you could have easily persuaded them to send the Elite Four to surround and eliminate me."
Giovanni could not understand it.
Grey had possessed numerous opportunities to bring him to justice, yet he had repeatedly allowed him to remain at large.
"Why? Because I wanted to give you a chance, a chance to change your ways. Just as you once offered me the opportunity to join your side, I was willing to let you go several times."
Grey sighed helplessly.
"Unfortunately, Giovanni, I gave you chance after chance, and you disappointed me every single time. This time, I won't let you escape."
"Reshiram, use Blue Flare!"
Reshiram gathered its core power. Brilliant blue light surged around it before transforming into a sea of fire that enveloped the entire office.
The flames illuminated Grey's face as he stared unflinchingly at Giovanni.
At the same time, Palkia, Hoopa Unbound, Annihilape, and Riolu were all concealed nearby.
The instant Giovanni made any suspicious move, the Pokémon would charge him together and take him down.
This was the final chance Grey intended to give Giovanni.
Should Giovanni refuse to appreciate it, he could not blame Grey for showing no mercy.
"Hahahahaha!"
Surrounded by raging flames, Giovanni neither became enraged nor prepared to make a desperate last stand. Instead, he threw back his head and laughed loudly.
Grey watched him in silence.
"Grey, Grey… I never imagined I would ultimately fall at your hands. I believed my disguise was flawless, yet it meant nothing before your Aura."
Giovanni slowly exhaled.
"We've kept up this charade long enough. Let's sit down and have a proper conversation."
Giovanni dropped into the chair that originally belonged to Lusamine. He removed the rainbow-colored R emblem from his chest and casually tossed it into the flames.
"Lillie, help your mother outside. I'll handle everything here."
Grey gave Lillie his instructions. After having Annihilape lend her a hand, he sat down on the guest sofa, crossed one leg over the other, and placed the Fighting Dojo's emblem on the table.
Giovanni raised an eyebrow before placing the Earth Badge on the table as well.
"Giovanni, now that I think about it, I should probably thank Team Rocket. Without the Silph Pokémon Battle Club you opened inside Silph Company, I never would have obtained my initial funding."
Looking back on everything he had experienced, if Grey had to name the people who deserved his gratitude, Team Rocket's members would certainly be among them.
Both his initial funds and several of his Pokémon had come from places controlled by Team Rocket.
"Are you mocking me?" Giovanni asked. "Are you mocking me for failing to recruit you when you were at your weakest, or for failing to destroy you?"
Giovanni did not understand why Grey had brought up the matter.
They both knew exactly what had happened. Even the freeloading executives in the League knew that Grey's initial funding had come from Team Rocket.
"No. Without Team Rocket, I probably wouldn't have brought Silver to the dojo and raised him there."
Grey leaned forward slightly. Noticing the change in Giovanni's eyes, he continued, "Silver is the only son of Team Rocket's leader. You should understand what kind of future awaits him once you're brought to justice."
"The evidence concerning what happened during his childhood should be enough to keep him from ending up behind bars, but his future would still be restricted at every turn."
"Unless Silver left for another region, concealed his identity, and started a new life."
Giovanni laughed at Grey's words.
"So I'm supposed to thank you now?"
Was Grey using Giovanni's son as leverage while calling it repayment for some insignificant favor Giovanni had never even cared about?
"No. The person you should thank is yourself."
Grey stood up and turned his back to Giovanni.
"I'll only say this one last time. Give yourself up, Giovanni. The place is surrounded by Officer Jennys."
"Heh… Hehehe… Hahahahaha!"
Giovanni slowly rose to his feet and applauded Grey's declaration. There was no displeasure in his eyes. Instead, he seemed almost relieved.
"I have met countless Trainers. Even geniuses like Red and Blue were barely worthy of my attention. I always considered myself superior to everyone else. I continuously expanded Team Rocket in order to find my son, yet everything I built has now come to an end because of you."
Giovanni drew himself upright.
"I, Giovanni, hereby dissolve Team Rocket, effective immediately."
"This time, I have lost completely."
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