Pokémon: Raising Abandoned Pokémon into Legends

Chapter 80: Boss Giovanni

"What I gave you is just a prototype of a new product we’ve been developing. Not the actual item."

President Takuma’s words hit Rio’s ears like a bucket of cold water.

Rio instantly demonstrated what it meant to have a smile vanish. His expression turned into one of utter speechlessness as he stared at the old man.

Damn it—what a waste of emotion. Got me all excited for nothing. And here I thought I’d stumbled upon the luckiest break of my life.

Ten minutes later, the testing was over.

President Takuma patted Rio on the shoulder with a smile. "Rio—inviting you here for testing was absolutely the right call. Otherwise, Silph Co. would have taken a serious hit from this whole ordeal. I’ll have my secretary transfer your payment shortly, and I’ll also give you a pass so you can come and go freely for future tests."

"Doing what I’m paid for—it’s only right," Rio said with a nod. He’d already gotten over the Master Ball rollercoaster.

"Good—I won’t keep you. I’ve got plenty of other matters to attend to." President Takuma left the lab.

After he left, Secretary Sheila smiled and asked Rio to wait for a moment. About ten minutes later, Rio received a transfer of 100,000 League coins. When Sheila returned, she handed him a Silph Co. access pass that would grant entry to most floors of the building.

Rio then left the company with Sheila escorting him. They took the elevator down. As they entered, there was already a man inside wearing a hat and a white uniform—different from the ones the three researchers had been wearing. Sheila looked at him with mild surprise.

"The First R&D Department?" she asked.

The man in white paused, then nodded.

Sheila added: "Shouldn’t you be in the lab at this hour? The president requires that no one leaves the lab during working hours."

"Uh... Professor Schubert kicked me out," the man said after a two-second pause.

"Ah—Professor Schubert. He does have a bit of a temper," Sheila said, looking away.

Rio, however, kept his eyes on the man a moment longer. His psychology knowledge told him something was off. He’d noticed that while speaking, the man’s hands were constantly rubbing against his pants—a sign of nervousness. And he was pressed against the elevator wall—a defensive posture. What was he nervous about? What was he afraid of?

Rio was curious, but he didn’t dig deeper. This was Silph Co.’s business, not his. After a couple of seconds, he looked away.

The moment Rio’s gaze shifted, the man let out an almost imperceptible sigh of relief. But then his eyes widened again—because he saw the young man in front of him pull out an M-marked Poké Ball and fiddle with it.

"Sheila—do you know what this ball is?" the young man asked.

"Of course I do—it’s President Takuma’s dream project. He’s been developing it for a long time—it’s called the Master Ball. President Takuma always says that once the Master Ball is developed, it’ll shake the entire Pokémon world and make Silph Co. the most valuable company on the planet. But he’s been saying that ever since I became his secretary—and I still haven’t seen any real progress."

Sheila glanced back at the researcher. "By the way, that guy behind you is one of the people working on it."

The researcher forced an awkward smile.

A moment later, the elevator doors opened. Rio and Sheila stepped out first, followed closely by the researcher, who gave Rio a long, meaningful look.

Half an hour later, that same researcher arrived at the Saffron Psychic Gym—which was currently closed to the public. But he had changed his appearance entirely: the hat was gone, revealing a head of blue crew-cut hair, and the white researcher’s uniform had been replaced by a white suit with a large "R" emblazoned on the left chest.

Around him, many others in similar uniforms filled the Gym. The moment they saw him, they all bowed and respectfully called out: "General."

Acknowledging their greetings with a slight nod, the man made his way through the Gym and entered a room with a large screen. Inside was Sabrina, the Saffron Gym Leader.

Sabrina also greeted him with respect: "General."

The man nodded. "Sabrina—contact Boss Giovanni. We can begin preparing for Plan X."

A moment later, a middle-aged man with an extraordinary presence, dressed in a black suit with an "R" insignia, appeared on the large screen.

"Archer—I hear you’re saying Plan X can be implemented?" the man on the screen said calmly.

Seeing the middle-aged man, Archer’s face lit up with excitement and respect: "Yes, Boss Giovanni. I’ve been embedded in Silph Co. for a long time, and today I finally witnessed their latest progress. I boldly predict that within a month, the Master Ball—capable of capturing any Pokémon with 100% certainty—will be completed. I request that the organization initiate Plan X against Silph Co. to seize the Master Ball and all research materials."

The man on the screen nodded and gave a single word: "Approved."

After a two-second pause, he added: "I will be there personally."

"This operation will also retrieve that item from Old Man Fuji. We’ve failed twice already—I don’t want to see a third failure. The Master Ball’s best use is for Mewtwo."

Archer nodded. "Understood, sir. Before taking control of Silph Co., I’ll personally lead a team to reclaim that item from Fuji."