"The current situation is," Matori continued, "those three members have been marked by Sabrina's Psychic powers. Now, Sabrina will sense them the moment they even enter Saffron City; they might even be under direct surveillance."
"So this mission... is basically a complete failure."
Giovanni's face remained expressionless after listening.
He only let out a soft sigh.
"Lt. Surge in Vermilion City was caught by the League; he won't be out for several years."
"The recruitment of Sabrina in Saffron City has also failed."
He reached out to stroke Persian's head, his tone carrying a hint of helplessness: "Lately, for our Team Rockets, nothing seems to be going right."
Matori stood to the side, remaining silent.
She knew there was no need to interject at this moment.
Giovanni took a puff of his cigar and looked at Matori: "Has the matter regarding Lt. Surge been thoroughly investigated?"
Matori nodded: "It has. It was caused by a rookie Trainer from Pallet Town."
She paused, her tone carrying a hint of testing: "Boss, should we... give that rookie Trainer a little lesson?"
Giovanni waved his hand.
"No need."
Matori was somewhat surprised: "Boss? He ruined our major plans."
Giovanni rested his cigar on the ashtray and leaned back against the chair's backrest.
"The matter with Lt. Surge was a landmine in itself. I warned him many times to keep a low profile, but he just wouldn't listen."
"Even without this rookie from Pallet Town, there would have been another rookie, or some other Trainer. Something was bound to happen sooner or later."
He paused, his gaze becoming deep: "Our Team Rockets hasn't fallen so low that we need to fuss over a rookie Trainer."
"Moreover, he's from Pallet Town."
Matori was stunned: "Pallet Town... You mean..."
Giovanni nodded: "That old fellow is doing research in Pallet Town. Although he no longer holds a position in the League, if anyone touches someone right under his nose, do you think he would just sit idly by?"
Matori understood instantly.
That old fellow—Professor Oak.
Although he appeared to be just a scholar researching Pokemon, everyone knew how terrifying his status and connections within the League were.
Inviting that level of trouble for the sake of a single rookie Trainer was indeed not worth it.
"Understood." Matori nodded. "Then should we put the matter of Lt. Surge aside for now?"
Giovanni picked up his cigar again: "Mm, set it aside for now. What's most important now is the Ultimate Weapon Project."
His gaze became sharp: "This project has reached the final step. Once it's completed, our conquest of the world will have a true guarantee."
"Have everyone in all branches mobilize and fully cooperate with this project. Everything else is secondary."
Matori stood at attention: "Yes!"
She turned to leave.
Her high heels clicked crisply against the floor.
Her pencil skirt swayed slightly with her steps, outlining the alluring curve of her hips.
Her black-stockinged legs shimmered faintly under the office lights.
"Right."
Giovanni suddenly spoke up.
Matori stopped and turned around: "Boss, are there any other instructions?"
Giovanni looked at her and suddenly remembered something: "Jessie and the others, what have those three been up to lately? Why hasn't there been any news from them?"
Matori's expression became somewhat subtle.
She walked back to the desk and reopened the folder to flip through it.
"The last time they reported their whereabouts, they said they were heading to Lampurchi City to carry out some economic improvement plans."
"After that, there has been no news at all."
Giovanni frowned: "Lampurchi City?"
He thought for a moment, and his expression became strange: "Isn't that a resort city? Seashore, beaches, bikini beauties... That place doesn't even have a Gym, nor any rare Pokemon. What are they doing there?"
Matori's expression became even more subtle: "This... I'm not quite sure either."
Giovanni's frown deepened: "I've been so busy my head is spinning with the Ultimate Weapon Project, Lt. Surge's matter, Sabrina's matter—a whole pile of messes to clean up. Those three, on the other hand, actually have the heart to go on vacation?"
The more he thought about it, the angrier he got, and he slammed his hand on the desk.
Persian was startled and jumped off his lap, letting out a dissatisfied meow before walking to the side to lie down.
Ignoring Persian, Giovanni said angrily: "Deduct all of their bonuses for this month!"
Matori froze for a moment and said cautiously: "Uh... Boss, they don't have a bonus this month."
Giovanni: "?"
Matori added: "Not just this month, they didn't have one last month either. Nor the month before that. Going back three more months, they still didn't have any."
Giovanni: "..."
He looked at Matori: "Good grief, do I really have no way to handle those three?"
In his anger, Giovanni pressed his cigar into the ashtray and ground it down hard.
"I can't discipline them?"
He pointed at Matori: "Go contact them immediately! No matter what method you use, get me in touch with those three! I want to speak with them personally! I'm going to give them a thorough scolding!"
Matori nodded: "Yes, Boss. I'll go right away."
In the hallway, the sound of Matori's heels tapping against the floor gradually faded away.
Giovanni was left alone in the office.
He leaned back in his chair, looked at the ceiling, and sighed.
"Jessie... James... Meowth..."
As he uttered those three names, a vein throbbed on his forehead.
"You three better really be working on some economic improvement plan!!!"
...
"Yes, yes, yes!"
"Right, right, right!"
"Understood, understood!"
The Team Rockets trio—Jessie, James, and Meowth—were currently bowing and scraping toward the communicator screen, their heads nodding like woodpeckers.
On the screen, Boss Giovanni's face was as dark as the bottom of a pot.
"You three listen to me clearly! If you dare pull any more stunts, this month's bonus..."
From the other end of the communicator came Matori's weak reminder: "Boss, they don't have a bonus..."
Giovanni's mouth twitched, and a vein throbbed on his forehead: "Then deduct next month's! And the month after that! And the one after that!"
"Yes, yes, yes!"
"Right, right, right!"
"Understood, understood!"
The trio went through another bout of frantic nodding.
Finally, the communicator screen went black as the other side hung up.
The three of them let out a long breath simultaneously and wiped the sweat from their foreheads.
James's legs went weak, and he slumped onto the ground, looking like a puddle of mud: "We're so miserable... so miserable... We just finished doing hard labor in Lampurchi City, tired as dogs, and we haven't even been out for long before getting a scolding from the Boss..."
Meowth also sat down, leaning against James, looking at the sky with a dazed expression and smacking his lips: "The dried fish over rice in Lampurchi City was really so fragrant, meow..."
"That taste, Meowth is drooling just thinking about it now, meow... I miss it so much, meow..."
Thud! Thud!
Two iron fists accurately smashed onto the heads of James and Meowth.
Jessie stood before them with her hands on her hips, looking down at them aggressively: "You two useless things! Pull yourselves together!"
"A tiny setback like this has crushed you?"
"Who are we? We are Team Rockets! We are the Team Rockets that will stand at the peak of this world in the future!"
"Quick! Everyone get up! We need to regain our glory!"
She brandished her fist, her long red hair looking exceptionally dazzling in the sunlight.
James and Meowth looked up at her listlessly.
James: "Then... what should we do now?"
Meowth: "Exactly, meow, what are we going to do, meow?"
Jessie: "..."
Jessie's expression instantly froze.
She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but her mind was a complete blank.
Right, what should they do?
The mission for Pikachu was still incomplete, they hadn't gotten any money, and now they didn't even have a place to stay.
She maintained her pose with hands on hips, but her momentum had already begun to crumble.
Just then, in the distance, a dazzling light shot up into the sky!
It was the light of thunder and lightning!
Yellow electrical arcs burst in the air, letting out a deafening roar!
The entire forest was illuminated by this light for an instant!
The trio shuddered simultaneously and all turned their heads toward that direction.
"This electricity..." James's eyes widened into circles.
"Could it be..." Meowth's cat ears perked up.
"Pikachu!!!" Jessie shouted excitedly.
The three looked at each other, the sparks of hope igniting in their eyes at the same time!
"Charge!"
"This time we must catch that Pikachu!"
"Meowth's bonus depends on it, meow!"
The three broke into a sprint toward the direction of the electrical outburst, completely forgetting they were still holding wooden sticks.
At this moment, their minds were filled with nothing but Pikachu.