In the end, Mew still left.
To Mew, finding its companion was the most important thing right now. However, before leaving, it promised August that it would return to visit him someday.
Before it departed, August specifically warned it to be careful of Team Rocket. Whether or not it actually listened was another matter.
All he could do was wish Mew good luck.
"Gardevoir, let's go," August called.
Once they passed through this tunnel, they would arrive in Cerulean City. After spending a night camping outdoors, he was already itching for a hot shower.
Gardevoir happily hugged the [Psychic Pte] August had just given her and followed closely behind.
---
Viridian City — Viridian Gym
Deep beneath the gym, in the secret underground base—
Giovanni lounged in his chair, absentmindedly stroking his Persian's fur.
"So, the mission failed?"
His tone was eerily calm, as if discussing something that had nothing to do with him.
But the Team Rocket executive standing before him knew better. Those familiar with Giovanni's temperament understood that this was a sign of his anger, which only made him more nervous.
"Yes, Boss Giovanni."
"According to reports from Pewter City, our forces encountered B-rank surveilnce target 'Demon Ranger' August. He cooperated with Pewter Officer Jenny and Gym Leader Brock to thwart the operation."
"Both Rocket squads were completely wiped out. Everyone is currently detained at the Pewter City Police Department."
"Based on intel from our informant inside the police force, August's primary Pokémon, Gardevoir, has likely reached Elite Four level."
The executive swiftly delivered his report.
Giovanni remained silent.
Tap… Tap…
His fingers drummed against the armrest of his chair, each tap like a hammer striking the Rocket executive's heart, making his forehead break into a cold sweat.
Just as the tension became unbearable, Giovanni finally spoke.
"I see. You may leave."
It felt as if his heart had nearly leapt out of his throat, but the executive didn't dare hesitate. He quickly exited the office, even taking care to close the door softly behind him.
Giovanni picked up the file on August and skimmed through it.
"Persian~"
His Persian rubbed against his leg, zily stretching its body.
Setting the file down, Giovanni turned to the darkness of the room. "Matori, what's your take on this?"
A woman with short hair and gsses emerged from the shadows, clutching a clipboard—it was Team Rocket's top secretary, Matori.
"I believe this was an intelligence failure," she said, adjusting her gsses.
"According to our surveilnce, the st confirmed sighting of August before Mt. Moon was at the Silph Hotel in Viridian City. Yet within a single day, he was already in Pewter City. The intelligence division completely failed to track how he left the hotel and arrived there."
"If we had detected his movements earlier, this mission's failure might have been prevented."
In Matori's eyes, this was purely the intelligence department's incompetence. They should be held accountable.
But Giovanni thought differently.
"An Elite Four-level Gardevoir… August must have noticed our spies and deliberately shook them off."
Gardevoir could sense human emotions. Trying to tail August without being detected by a high-level Gardevoir? Nearly impossible.
"Then… should we take him out?" Matori asked.
August had ruined their pn to capture Mew, causing a major loss.
Not only had they lost several custom-made devices designed for catching Mew, but now their tracking efforts were back to square one—it was unknown when they'd be able to locate Mew again.
To Matori, August deserved to be taught a lesson.
Giovanni pondered for a moment before shaking his head.
"The Mt. Moon incident was probably just a coincidence. Now that he has resigned as a ranger, he no longer has direct conflicts with Team Rocket. As long as he doesn't pose an immediate threat, there's no need to make an enemy out of him."
"We're at a critical stage in the Mewtwo Project. The Kanto League is already a problem—we can't waste manpower on irrelevant individuals."
"Understood," Matori replied seriously.
"And tell Lt. Surge to y low for now. The situation at Vermilion Harbor was already troublesome enough—I don't want a repeat of that incident."
Even Giovanni felt a headache coming on when he recalled the recent mess at Vermilion City.
Because Lt. Surge's smuggling operation had been exposed, Giovanni had been forced to eliminate an entire division of International Police officers in Kanto.
Although he had managed to cover it up, there was no guarantee the League wouldn't uncover the truth in the future.
And if they did…
Interpol would definitely come knocking.
Still…
"Once Mewtwo is complete…"
A gleam fshed in Giovanni's eyes as he clenched his fist, as if he were preparing to grasp the entire world in his hand.
---
August had no idea that Giovanni had dismissed him as a "temporarily non-threatening bystander."
He was still worried about potential retaliation, so before entering Cerulean City, he changed his appearance again.
Walking through the bustling streets of Cerulean, he saw posters of the Cerulean Sisters pstered everywhere. Street vendors lined the roads, selling all kinds of reted merchandise—the idol craze was in full swing.
"Looks like the Cerulean Sisters are really popur around here."
It was no wonder the League had tolerated their abysmal battle skills and refrained from stripping them of their Gym Leader status for years. Just from the sheer amount of fan enthusiasm, it was obvious why the League allowed them to stay.
Casually grabbing a flyer from a stand, he gnced at the swimsuit-cd images of the three sisters printed on it.
To be honest, he wasn't particurly impressed.
"Meh. Still not as pretty as my Gardevoir."
After making this assessment, August was about to look for a hotel to stay in when—
A familiar figure suddenly fshed before his eyes.
"Hm?"
His eyes lit up, and he immediately stepped forward to follow.
---
T/N: OMG ITS MATORI!!! GUYS ITS MATORI!!
