Three days later
Kanto Magnet Regional Transport Line
Half-past 2300 hours

It really was a shame the subways couldn't run above-ground.

Giovanni stared out the window of the train, not that there was much to see. The underground lights whipped past, seeming to blur together in one long line of light. The car was relatively empty, save for a few other passengers. In the seat next to him, his Persian was curled up into a ball, snoozing. In his lap sat a black leather briefcase, and on top of that, a newspaper. He'd read three articles and found himself bored. He usually knew news when it happened, not the day after. The Rocket boss smirked at the thought. He probably had more workers infiltrating various businesses and the like than most Japanese news stations had reporters. Besides, much of the news was tabloids.

He had, of course, kept his promise to Councillor Tanaka. Giovanni hadn't breathed a word the situation in Sinnoh to anyone else. The other Rockets, however, were becoming rather suspicious. No one had heard from any operations in the other regions and their CEO's good mood had all but vanished. He hadn't spoken with hardly anyone the rest of the week, not even his admins (one of which he knew to be in Sinnoh) and had spent most of the past three days in the firing range.

It was because of this he'd decided to take a simpler, more solitary way to the northern city of Cerulean. The train could get him there in roughly three to four hours, depending on how many stops it had to make along the way. Besides, this gave him an opportunity to keep a low profile, as opposed to flying in via helicopter or in a limousine.

He frowned and shifted in his seat. But couldn't these seats be a little cushier?

His contact had, indeed, encrypted a reply message of sorts the following night agreeing to the terms, so long as Giovanni himself agreed to them. The man's first instinct had been to break the unofficial contract and go in with "guns blazing"… Not that even an AK-47 Assault Rifle would have been sufficient.

Maybe an army of Dark and Bug-types, though. He chuckled breathily to himself. Funny thing, type strengths and weaknesses.

But no, he hadn't even brought his Honchcrow along. For once, he legitimately needed help, and he couldn't let old habits get in the way of his goal, and that was to win back the trust of an individual who really had no reason to trust him. Perhaps the briefcase and harmless feline would be a show of good faith. Giovanni certainly hoped so.

…Well, there was the taser in the outside pocket of the briefcase, but that was for any boneheaded muggers he ran across…

"Evening, sir."

He looked away from the window to see an average-looking girl, maybe in her twenties, standing in the aisle with a cart. On it were several kinds of soda pop, bottled water, coffee, and perhaps tea. The bottles hardly moved on the surprisingly smooth magnet tracks. But he wasn't particularly thirsty at the moment. He let his dark gaze pass over her.

"A good evening to you as well. You're working rather late tonight."

The girl shrugged. "University's on holiday this week. Can I get you anything? Water? Coffee?"

"A stiff drink would be good right now," he only half-joked, smiling to let her know he wasn't quite serious.

"Aha, well, you know Kanto's public drinking laws…"

"Water would be fine." As she went to grab a plastic bottle, he went on, "You're not from around here, are you?"

She glanced up, surprised. "Hm?"

"Your accent."

"Oh, no. I actually grew up in Hong Kong. I attend Celadon University and wait trains when I can to help pay for rent and the like." She wiped down the outside of the bottle with a tower and handed it to him. "But very perceptive. I suppose I should work on my accent, though."

"It's no matter. I work with quite a few international businesses so I pick up on those sort of things rather quickly."

"Really? I'm studying finance and banking. How's the market look years down the road?"

Giovanni couldn't help but laugh a little. "My dear girl, you're the scholar. I am invested in nearly every brokerage in Japan…" Her brows shot up at his claim. "Now how do you think they're doing?" He winked at her. "Good luck with your studies. Oh, and… the number one rule of business? Don't be afraid to suck up to people when you need them. Just never forget you're better than them… They just have to think the opposite is true."

He at last settled back and opened the water bottle. "I'll leave you to your duties. But thank you for the pleasant conversation."

She smiled awkwardly, her Mandarin accent cutting through a little more as she thanked him in return and rolled the cart further down the aisle. He saw her cast one last look in his direction before disappearing through the doors and into the next car.

Giovanni made a mental note. Finance and banking major from Hong Kong… Five or six years and maybe she'd be useful. After all, he could think of many things she could be doing around midnight aside from attending trains; business-related or… not.

He smirked. Yes, he'd definitely be looking that one up in a few years.

About half an hour later, the train stopped in Cerulean. He glanced at his watch as the reverse polarity-powered vehicle slowed to a stop. Forty-five minutes until rendezvous. That was just enough time to grab a coffee beforehand.

Giovanni exited the car, briefcase firmly in hand, Persian at his heels. As soon as they were off, she whined loudly at him. He shushed the cat, tapping her snout.

"Sh, now. I can't exactly go walking around with a Rhydon, can I? We'll be fine." She hung her head as they walked to the escalators leading to the surface. He sighed. "Fine, I'll get you a Rattata tail somewhere along the way." Persian immediately perked up at the promise of a treat, now padding along at his side. Once they were on the escalator, she purred and rubbed her head affectionately against his leg. He smiled and scratched behind her ears.

If only his admins were so easily satisfied.

With ten minutes to 0100 hours, he simply sat in a late-night Starbucks, sipping a black coffee, a spare one in front of him. Underneath the table, Persian gnawed on a frozen Rattata tail – a rather large one. She seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the treat, though. It had cost him less than the bitter coffee he sipped at, yet it was a fine gift to her.

He shook his head idly. Pokémon would never cease to amaze him. Half of them wanted nothing and the other half hated you just for looking at them.

The Rocket leader sighed. Speaking of…

"Persian, up." She craned her head back at her companion and mewled, the half-eaten tail still in her paws. "Come, now, we can't leave him waiting… You know how he is about punctuality."

Begrudgingly, the feline stood, treat in her mouth. Giovanni tossed the now-empty coffee cup in the trash bin, grabbed the spare, and after giving a wave to the cashier up front, headed out.

They entered the dark alley, only a few people passing on the main street. It was a relatively warm night, clear skies, especially considered they were far north. After all, Kanto took up a pretty good-sized chunk of Japan. It was normally busier downtown, but tonight that didn't seem to be the case.

All for the better, Giovanni mused. He leaned up against the wall of a brick building and set the briefcase down. Persian sat on her haunches and arched her neck to survey the skies. She dropped the thawing Rattata tail near her front paws.

Feeling slightly ridiculous, he raised his voice and called, "I'm here on your terms. I brought you coffee, damnit! I don't even have my pistol on me!" He threw up the hand which wasn't holding the hot beverage. "I know you're up there, and you know I'm here, you paranoid basta-"

His voice suddenly caught off as the wind was knocked from his lungs. Some invisible force slammed him against the wall and forced his arms up. Giovanni coughed at the impact, but wasn't entirely unprepared for the odd greeting. He grinned through his pain as a rush of iridescent blue light filled the alley a moment later. It eventually dissipated, and in the low streetlights a figure stood, easily fifteen centimeters taller than he. It appeared vaguely feline, only bipedal and more humanoid than not. A powerful violet tail lashed as the Pokémon glared at him with eyes of the same hue.

The Genetic Pokémon approached silently and pulled aside one side of the suit jacket with a three-fingered paw. Telekinetically, he checked the pocket, then went to the other side. He took out the wallet and flipped through its contents before returning the leather object to its original spot.

The Rocket leader sighed as he felt an invisible push up the sleeves of his jacket. "Is this really necessary?"

"Yes," a deep voice curtly responded in his mind.

The induced paralysis was released in his hand as the Psychic took the coffee cup. He surveyed its contents, snorted, and set it on the ground. Persian, who'd been sitting attentively, mewled at the newcomer.

"I realize it was meant for me. I do not care for addictive human beverages," he responded, and with a thought lifted out the contents of her trainer's pockets. He separated the cell phone and at a psychic touch it lit up.

Giovanni cleared his throat. "There's a password on there. It's-"

"I know what your password is," he interrupted distractedly. After paging through messages, e-mails, and a few other logs, he returned the phone as well. The Psychic then unlocked the briefcase, quickly filed through its contents, and closed it.

The businessman scoffed. "Are you going to dissect my cat, as well?"

"Don't tempt me."

He waved a paw, and released Giovanni from the wall. The man rolled his shoulders and dusted off his suit. "You know, Mewtwo, you could have simply read my mind and seen I harbor no ill intentions."

"You are such a rotten, corrupted individual you lie to yourself. I had to be certain."

An awkward silence filled the air, punctuated only by Persian once more chewing her treat.

"How have you been?"

Mewtwo blinked at the question. "…I am functioning at normal levels, mentally and physically. Why?"

"For Arceus' sake, it's a question, not a test." He rubbed his temples. "And for the record, I did used to be your trainer. Believe it or not you do cross my mind once in a while."

"And you, mine, every day."

He winced at the sharpness, which made his ears ring and stars dance in his vision. He tried not to glare at Mewtwo and said, "Why don't we skip the formalities."

The Psychic gave an affirmative grunt and telekinetically unlatched the briefcase. He gave a subtle "go on" gesture with a paw to the Rocket.

"All right, now you're just showing off."

"Perhaps you simply require a better lock."

Giovanni thumbed through the documents until he found the primary sources and the photograph his secretary had printed off. He handed over the stack, the photo on top.

He scrutinized the photograph, holding it up to the light. After a pause he said with finality, "This photograph was obviously doctored."

"…No, it's not."

"There is no other explanation for the apparent scene taking place."

"Mewtwo, there are six other pictures with that same view of Cyrus and the Lake Guardians, all from different cameras, in different cities, at different times, all within the past month, all previously seized by the Sinnoh government." He glared and advanced on the legendary, stepping less than a meter away. "Now tell me, why would the government hide evidence of a matter which never existed in the first place?"

Mewtwo shook his head. "I do not believe you understand, Giovanni… I was part of the reason Cyrus disappeared at all. I helped put him in the Distortion World with Giratina in the first place. He couldn't have escaped. If he has…"

When he finally looked back up at the human, Giovanni saw something in his eyes he'd never seen. He hadn't seen it upon the copy's conception. He hadn't seen it in the gym, nor at Mount Quena, nor even when Deoxys nearly killed him in battle just a few years back. He hadn't thought the emotion even existed, not for his perfectly failed creation:

Fear.