For most species of Pokémon, there are three evolutionary stages. But as he lounged back on his comfortable sofa, with his feet resting against the accompanying Poufee, his body warmed by the flickering embers of the fireplace behind him at the back of the dimly lit concave shaped chamber/study, it occurred to Giovanni Salvatore, the leader of Team Rocket, that this was also the case for human beings. For example, his own life to date could be said to have been one of three different stages.
In his first stage, Giovanni had been born the son of a middle class couple from the Genoa region. His father, a handsome, enterprising and charismatic man, had moved to Hoenn and struck it rich after entering into a joint business venture with his wealthy first cousin. They invested in Timber, especially the timber which came from the camphor rich trees of the Hoenn region, which could be put to all sorts of uses. Eventually this grew into a larger logging enterprise, which spread into Kanto where Giovanni would spend most of his childhood. In this stage, the young Giovanni was a sweet, rather shy boy. He was most content at home, with all of its comforts, especially his parents and younger brother, Angelo. On the contrary, at school he was somewhat of a misfit, with a slightly different way of seeing the world compared to others, as well as some sense of entitlement as you do when you're born into the kind of wealth and luxury which he was.
In his second evolution, the now teenage Giovanni headed off to Saffron Academy, one of the most prestigious schools in Kanto. Being away from home for the first time was initially difficult for him but he eventually found his feet and began to thrive as a strong - albeit not outstanding- student. He also grew in confidence and was fairly well liked by his peers. However, the thing which Giovanni liked most about this particular elite school was that it was a mixed school, meaning there were girls for him to get distracted by. This was particularly comforting to him when he would get homesick. He would even end up dating a couple of them. However, there was one particular girl who he noticed more than any other, from the beginning of his time at Saffron Academy right until the very end: her name was Alice. He was over the moon when he finally won the striking strawberry blonde's heart during his fourth year. As he sat alone in his dark fire lit chamber, Giovanni remembered that feeling of ecstasy and what it was like to be genuinely happy. He wished he could feel that way again, even for one more day, if it were possible. If he'd been able, he would've given up every dollar he owned in exchange. Eventually his dedication to his studies, in addition to a very persistent and charming love rival undid what would prove to be Giovanni's best shot at happiness. Also, his parents thought 'he could do better.'
After Saffron, the young Giovanni went on to study at Vermillion University, the most renowned in all of Kanto. He studied a bachelor of economics/engineering. He did well and upon graduating, transitioned into a good entry-level job with a high end financial auditing company. But he was no longer the same happy, sweet, unconventionally charming Giovanni from his Saffron days. He also lost the modest amount of boyish good looks he'd once had. Although he was ticking all the right boxes from the world's point of view, he was no longer someone who was as naturally likeable to others, and he was no longer happy. This third evolution of Giovanni Salvatore tried all he could to be a winner and to be accepted by others, but for all his success on paper, it seemed to Giovanni that the older he got, the less others were interested in what he had to offer. He felt stuck. He felt unloved. And he felt lost.
Eventually, as he entered his thirties and finally acknowledged that he wasn't going to evolve into someone better looking or more charismatic like his father, Giovanni accepted the hand he'd been given and began using that hand to his advantage. He left the unfulfilling, high-pressure environment of his corporate workplace and instead followed in his father's footsteps by starting his own business, using a loan given to him by that very same person. There had always been those more academically gifted than Giovanni but there was one thing he had always had which most of his more gifted peers didn't: he knew how the world worked. It was this strong innate sense of human nature combined with his business savvy and his knowledge of technical systems picked up in part from his engineering degree, which led to his idea. He founded a technical systems company specialising in surveillance and personal protection. He called it: 'Salvatore Safety Services' or SSS for short. This company eventually attracted the attention of some rather shady characters who desired personal protection for associates…and sometimes they desired the exact opposite. This is how the 'spy arm' of the company was born. This company would be renamed 'Team Rocket.' Soon Pokémon also became apart of the business model due to the amount of money wealthy owners would be willing to pay for the return of their stolen Pokémon and secondly because they made great weapons when facing various foes.
The company ended up being a great financial success and it gave Giovanni a sense of fulfilment and accomplishment. Eventually the company expanded all over Kanto and even set up branches in Johto. However, eventually some of their activities caught the attention of law enforcement and much of their work went underground but that just made it more fun to Giovanni. This change in direction also meant a shift in focus to more secret research projects which was a passion of Giovanni's. For many years there was one project he'd been more dedicated to than any other, one which had been kept secret even from most of his own employees. He'd been told by advisors time and time again that what he was trying to achieve was impossible but he saw the potential and the early results had been promising. He knew it could be done! And finally, a little over a year ago, it was done. Team rocket now had the means of travelling through time and space. They had created a formula for bending particles and matter which allowed them to travel between dimensions and also through time. He publicly claimed this was motivated by the desire for a new world order ruled by Team Rocket but Giovanni's main ambition was something different, something much simpler. In recent months, as the project made more and more progress, defying even his own expectations, he dared to dream more and more.
This night was one of those occasions, as he tented his thin, snake-like fingers together, feeling both excited and confident about current developments. However, this positive train of thought was interrupted by a knock on the door: "enter", he responded formally, hiding his significant frustration. The figure who entered was his secretary, Matori. Giovanni noticed she seemed highly agitated.
"Sir, we need to talk", she announced in a serious and somewhat distressed tone.
"What's gotten you so worked up Matori?" He asked sincerely.
"I was just speaking with Dr Zager. He says there's been an incident with the project. He would like to speak with you ASAP."
"Where is he?" Asked Giovanni irritably.
"He's actually waiting outside", she answered somewhat nervously.
"Fine. Bring him in", he answered, with a shake of the head. Matori promptly turned and walked back outside Giovanni's office chamber. She re-emerged moments later with the doctor, who wore an incredibly distressed expression on his face.
"G-Giovanni, Sir", he stammered, as he saluted his boss with his right arm.
"What's this I've been hearing about problems with the project, Zager?" He demanded.
"W-well", he began hesitantly, as Giovanni grew more visibly frustrated, "um…well, the pan-dimensional Pokémon is beginning to run amok. We're currently struggling to contain it. A few operatives have already been taken injured."
"And why are you giving me a progress update while it's still down there running amok, instead of making sure it's contained!?" Giovanni fumed, slamming his fist against the sofa. "I know your game", he continued, now staring malevolently at the Doctor with a piercing glance, "you want to use this as an excuse to abandon the project don't you?"
"Well, we think it would be best. You see", he continued, as his hands began trembling violently, "we have more problems than just the beast itself."
"Please, do elaborate", Giovanni responded coldly.
"Well, the inter dimensional portals are starting to become less stable." Giovanni's face had turned a colour so bright that not even the dimly lit room could hide it. Matori was now beginning to fret. "You see", the doctor continued, tapping his fingers together, "we've created so many portals now that this dimension is beginning to show signs of instability."
"Whoa-whoa-whoa", Giovanni retorted, gesturing madly with his hands. "What do you mean instability? You said the multiverse model meant that we could only create new timelines, not threaten existing ones", he insisted passionately.
"Well, Sir", he responded cautiously, his body still trembling, "I-it's not quite that simple. The amount of temporal rift being created by the distortions does have an effect, we can't keep ripping holes in space forever. Also, there's still a lot we don't know about the properties of space time, the multiverse model is highly theoretical. There are some who believe that by travelling between dimensions it's possible to erase some timelines just as fast as new ones are created. In fact, some believe that at some point, all the different universes begin to collapse in on themselves, that there comes a point where there can only be one. To put it bluntly Sir, if we continue these tests for much longer, I fear that this entire universe will be destroyed." Giovanni turned his body to face the flickering fireplace some distance away at the far end of the chamber. He paused for what seemed like an eternity to his colleagues, as he tried to process this terrible set back. 'Why do things never work out for me?' He pondered internally. He wanted to do nothing but cry but he knew he had to continue to project strength. He was the leader of the greatest criminal enterprise in the world. He couldn't give in, no matter how bad things got. So he did what all strong leaders do: he absorbed the pressure, then calmly and decisively calculated a plan to move forward. As he finished calculating his plan, he turned his seat back around to face the doctor.
"Very well Dr Zager, how do you recommend we proceed from here?"
"Well Sir", he began, now sounding more composed, "I recommend you bring forward your invasion timetable. Hit as many of your targets as possible over the next few days. Act decisively and quickly and the world won't know what's hit it. In that case, if we even still need to use the pan-dimensional beast, it should be strong enough to secure the victory for us." Giovanni pondered this briefly, as he gently stroked his moustache between his finger and thumb.
"Agreed", he responded. "We begin with the attack on Silver City at dawn tomorrow. As for the remaining attacks, do you think we have enough manpower to execute all of them within one week?"
"We may be a little stretched", Dr Zager admitted, "but we've got strong contacts. Finding people willing to lend to the cause shouldn't be an issue if need be. Besides, the mole is reporting promising results so far."
"Good. Good. Thank you Zager. You may give the order. Have the elite squadrons set out at 0400 hours tomorrow, and be in contact with the space centre and have them release the next batch at 0600 hours. Then go and get some rest, you too Matori. We've got a big day ahead of us tomorrow."
"Yes Sir", they responded in unison, before hastily leaving their boss's chamber.
Giovanni Salvatore's pursuit of happiness had been dealt another blow. But he wasn't done yet. Not by a long shot.