As the helicopter cut through the blue skies of Kanto, Giovanni stared out the window lost in thought. Right now everything was going the way he wanted it to, but his argument with Delia the night before still kept him in a daze. He wished he could say goodbye to her and their little son, but given the circumstances he thought it best to let them go without saying goodbye. That morning he put without anyone noticing in Ash's backpack the envelope with the letter he wrote for his wife days before. He hoped Delia would read it when they were safe and better understand his thoughts and emotions.

After Looker's visit that morning, Giovanni thought that the detective's meddling in the search for answers about Team Rocket would benefit him. A thought settled in his head and now it was also haunting him like all the recent events.

His face had an exhausted countenance, really the whole situation was beginning to wear on him. He was immersed in the skein of thoughts in his head when a soldier from his team approached with a laptop that he placed in front of him on a small table.

"Sir, you have a video call from Celadon City", The Rocket boss nodded silently and watched as the agent connected the video call.

Two familiar faces appeared on the screen. Doctor Fuji with a somewhat tired look and next to him with his arms crossed and silent was the executive Petrel.

"I'm sorry to interrupt you", Fuji said in a courteous and formal tone.

"It must be something important for you to call me in the middle of my way to Pewter City", the Gym Leader answered, interlacing his hands on his legs.

"I think you should come to Celadon City first", Dr. Fuji's face had a determined expression.

Giovanni frowned and before he could say anything to refuse Petrel intervened.

"Sir, I know you're on your way to find Mr. Phillips now, but the doctor has managed to complete Mew's genomic sequence and is now hard at work creating an improved copy of the pokemon, he should come for field trials"

"What Executive Petrel says is correct, if we manage to do it soon you would have the advantage over Leo Cipriani"

Petrel and Dr. Fuji's words sparked Giovanni's interest. For a moment he thought that perhaps it was convenient to divert his path and that it could be beneficial. However, he also thought that if he changed course Ariana and Proton's efforts might be in vain if he missed the opportunity for surprise factor with Cipriani in Pewter City.

He pondered for a moment leaning back in his seat and crossing his arms in front of his chest. Petrel and Fuji watched him close his eyes and remain silent for a moment. Giovanni thought of his advantages and disadvantages in the game he had with the Black Knights' puppeteer. His chess pieces moved in his mind, his queen was safe, but his rook was one move away from being a missing piece.

His dark eyes widened slowly and he leaned forward to take a closer look at the screen.

"I won't go with you. I need to get Eric Phillips back first. Doctor, do your best and give us the advantage", he announced firmly.

Fuji nodded and put his hands in the front pockets of his lab coat.

"For this phase of the experiment I will have the help of Blaine my old friend, I have convinced him and he is interested"

"Blaine worked with us when my mother was in charge, he is a strong and reliable piece"

"Then sir, I'll take care of keeping our research in Celadon safe", Petrel said with a crooked smile on his face.

"Okay", Giovanni quickly passed his hand in front of his chest as a sign of farewell and then cut the video call.

Agent Rocket who had brought the laptop earlier approached and announced that they would soon arrive at the Viridian Forest where they would land and then follow the path overland so as not to be discovered by Cipriani's men.

The helicopter landed in a small treeless area on the outskirts of the Viridian Forest. When the propellers finished turning, Giovanni down with some of his soldiers. His shiny, luxurious black shoes contrasted with the vibrant green of the grass. Some insect pokemon were waiting expectantly nearby.

"Your car is waiting for you, sir", a Rocket Soldier announced, escorting his boss to an SUV that soon set off to cross the imposing Viridian Forest.

Giovanni reviewed the plans for Pewter City on the way. His Persian was now beside him and looking out the car window. Some Pokémon ran scared and got lost in the trees and bushes. As he marked the exits they could take in the city, his phone began to ring in his jacket.

He read Archer's name on the screen and replied calmly as he continued to look at the plans and check key locations that could help in his rescue mission.

"Archer…", said Giovanni answering the call, "how is everything going?"

"Sir, we'll be arriving in Lilycove City this afternoon, all going smoothly"

"Excellent news, are you going to take them to Dewford tonight?"

"No sir, the best thing is to spend the night in the city and continue our trip tomorrow. Do not worry I will inform you of all our movements"

"Correct"

"Sir, you must know that his son has been asking for you since this morning. Do you want to talk to him?"

"It's not the right time now, I'll get in touch when they're in Dewford"

"As you order, boss"

"Keep me informed Archer"

Delia looked at the blue-haired executive Rocket, he was a few meters from them talking on the phone, he seemed serious and she could bet he was talking to Giovanni. Her son, Ash, was next to her looking out the window of the jet that was taking them to the Hoenn region, his face had a mixture of tiredness and sadness that made her feel her heart sink in her chest. For Ash that his father hadn't said goodbye to them was disappointing. For years the little boy lived always longing to see and be with his father like the other boys. He longed to be able to enjoy breakfast with his two parents, spend afternoons playing or walking with the family. Learning about the pokemon next to him, however, that could never be like that, Giovanni came and went, and many times they spent long periods without seeing each other. Ash was an intelligent and sensitive boy, he always tried to understand the kind of life they led and appreciated the moments that the three of them spent as a family. But the years passed quickly and her son was growing up, he needed his father by his side now more than ever.

The woman with eyes the color of chocolate like her hair gently caressed her son's cheek with the tips of her fingers. The boy turned his face a little to see his mother and a brief smile spread across his childish face.

"Are you tired, dear?", His mother asked him, adjusting his dark hair.

"Just a little, I hope we get there soon"

"Me too, when we're in the new house I'll make you a cup of hot chocolate and I'll make your favorite cake, what do you say?", She commented trying to cheer the boy up.

"Okay, mommy", he answered without much emotion and returned his attention to the sight of the blue sea below them.

Leo Cipriani tossed a pair of white dice with red dots on his fine wood desk. One lucky number ten thought as he stared at the dotted faces with fives staring up at the ceiling. He got up from his executive chair, his dark gray coat perched on the back of it. He was wearing a black shirt with the cuffs rolled up to his elbows and unbuttoned at the top.

As he looked out the window of his office in his new building in town, he smiled like he knows he's about to win at a poker game where everyone else thinks he's done for. The fingers of his right hand moved playfully, caressing the gold ring he wore on his middle finger. A bright red letter posed on the front of the ring. And Leo raised his arm to rest the palm of his hand on the glass of the window, he carefully observed his ring he always carried it in the inside pocket of his jacket, but now he could wear it with pride .

"I'm waiting for you, boy", he spoke in his thick voice that filled the space in his large, modern-looking office.

Someone knocking on the door made him turn around to see one of his men appear after yelling that he could come in.

'We have news from Viridian, sir"

Cipriani returned to his place behind his desk and waited to hear the news from his agent. The young man with black hair and dark red eyes was carrying a folder with notes. This was the most trusted man in Cipriani's ranks. A cunning and competitive assistant who had been by his side since his beginnings in Johto. When he was still working under the command of Mateo Cipriani. Dahn fully understood his goals and ambitions and swore his allegiance to him. Since then he became his assistant and right-hand man.

"We are informed that Delion was defeated by Team Rocket executive Proton. He was later caught by city police officers"

Cipriani's face seemed annoyed for a moment, but he kept quiet, waiting to hear more about the agent's report. He took the dice that were on the desk and began to play with them in his right hand, rolling them between his fingers.

"Do you know if our little friend is out of his little beach hole yet?", He asked as he leaned back in his chair.

"We're told that it seems he's already on his way. Going back to the situation in Viridian City, our communications center has also been attacked, and our forces in the city right now are minimal"

"We knew this would happen, have you sent more troops to entertain them like I told you?"

"Yes, as you ordered. They will be arriving this afternoon. If all goes according to plan, we'll capture Team Rocket executives Ariana and Proton"

"Very well, how is our special guest?"

"He's still guarded in the basement cell, I have two 24-hour guards with him. He won't be able to escape"

"Don't forget to secure our little lifeguard. I need to have him here as soon as possible. You can now move our men in Celadon"

"Okay, sir, I'm retiring now", Cipriani's trusted young assistant nodded and then left the office.

For years he had planned every move he was now making. He closely followed in the footsteps of Giovanni and Team Rocket ever since the Gym Leader took over and now it was his time to brag about all of his hard work up to this point. He waited so many years in the shadows, lamenting the past, and strongly hating those who betrayed him. He now he could be up on the throne of Kanto. Each one of the domino pieces that Cipriani arranged in a meticulous and intelligent way would begin to fall one on top of the other until reaching the end where his objective was to crush Giovanni.

In Viridian City, Ariana and Proton met just outside of town at one of Team Rocket's old hideouts. After their actions the previous days they were now in a better situation in the city and could give their boss positive news. Most of their men were with them in those facilities that were rarely used, since most of the time they served as warehouses for their illegal merchandise.

It was a high-ceilinged building made of thick metal sheets. It had high brick walls and just a few dusty old windows. Behind the building stood some huge trees and it was kept away from the main road so it was a good hiding place.

"Let's toast to our victory", said Proton raising a bottle of champagne, his cheeks were a little red, after drinking so much.

"For our victory!", The redhead accompanied him, raising her glass.

She was sitting on an old steel chair near where her partner was. All the soldiers on their team were celebrating with them in that old warehouse. Some were drinking and others were eating while chatting with each other. The executives were convinced that the city was now secure and that they just had to stay there awaiting orders from Giovanni. They had already reported to him and Archer the night before about their movements during those days and what they achieved with them. Now the leader could go to Pewter City in search of Phillips while they brought Cipriani's attention to Viridian, and his family would be safe as well.

The police in Viridian City were on alert and continued to search for the Rocket Soldiers who had caused pandemonium the night before along with the Black Knights, most of whom were caught and were now behind bars. The agents patrolled the city, the streets were lonely, its citizens had preferred to stay in their houses, sheltered.

After crossing the Viridian Forest, Giovanni was now on the outskirts of the city. In a small place of passage where travelers could rest after crossing the forest. There were some benches under a wooden awning and some drinking fountains. The Rocket boss was hoping to move towards Cipriani's building after his soldiers attacked a Black Knights communication center that some Team Rocket men had been guarding. It would be an excellent distraction and then he could focus on the search and rescue of Eric Phillips. Which he knew would not be easy.

"Sir, team B is ready", his agent announced, placing his radio on his belt.

"They can get going", he told him as he finished buttoning his shirt.

His agent had given him a bulletproof vest and also a gun. Giovanni was a gym leader, the kind of person who lives for the pokemon and assumes a life of honor and respect. But he was also a feared man with enemies. This particular enemy, the Gym Leader knew that he was dangerous and that he had to be prepared for anything. He put on his jacket and followed his agent who was waiting for him

"Team A is guarding Cipriani's building and they're expecting us to support the mission"

Giovanni nodded and then looked up at the sky that was now beginning to darken.

As night began to fall, Cipriani's dominoes began to move, falling one on top of the other. In a series of unfortunate events for Giovanni and his criminal organization without his knowledge.

On Viridian the footsteps of the Black Knights surrounding the old warehouse where the Team Rocket forces were celebrating their recent victory went unheard. Between the hubbub of the men of Proton and Ariana, a noise cut the atmosphere and all the surprised soldiers turned their faces to look at the roof of the warehouse beginning to fall on them. The Rocket executive, Proton, dropped his glass of alcohol and his head began to search for an answer, that was an attack with explosives.

"Get out, hurry up!", Ariana shouted, pointing to the exits.

A second rumble from another explosive shook the side wall of the building. Then several smoke bombs flooded the place causing the Rocket soldiers to feel dazed between the blackness of the smoke and the agitation of not understanding what was happening. When Proton came out still coughing and covering his face with his forearm he found himself surrounded by a hundred of Cipriani's men. Ariana, who came out a little earlier, turned her face to look at him worriedly. The Black Knights were armed and pointed fiercely at them.

"Get on the ground quick", one of the Black Knights yelled.

Quickly the Rocket soldiers were threatened. Proton and Ariana were ready to fight, although they knew they were at a disadvantage, when Executive Rocket was about to take the pokeball from his Golbat a bullet went through his leg. He fell to the cold ground groaning in pain.

"Proton!", Ariana exclaimed with concern, going to his side.

The thud of a weapon hilt rang in Proton's ears and he screamed the name of his partner as she fell on top of him with a heavy blow to the head. He was then hit from behind too.

"Take them away", ordered a tall, stocky man with purple hair. He was Commander Parton of the Black Knights.

Rocket soldiers and executives were loaded into different trucks. They tied their hands and feet and covered their eyes. Not knowing where they were going.

Parton took a photograph of the bound and unconscious Rocket executives which made its way to Leo Cipriani's phone. When he looked at the picture he smirked and rolled the dice again on his desk this time the dice both landed on sixes.

"The first step is taken", he said to himself with emotion.

In Celadon City, Petrel was with Fuji in the lab below Team Rocket's casino. The city was known to be a great metropolis with huge skyscrapers, its inhabitants were proud of it. The recently opened casino was one of it's most beloved buildings. However, they were unaware of the fact that Giovanni's organization hid one of it's lairs under the building.

The sirens of patrol cars, fire trucks and ambulances filled the atmosphere of the huge city. The commercial center of Celadon city had exploded in a premeditated attack. Now it was on fire and many people were trapped. It was an alarming situation and all the rescue forces moved there. The whole city was attentive to what was happening in the mall. So when the Black Knights' helicopters circled the casino, few even noticed. Cipriani's soldiers fired their missile launchers nonstop for a few minutes. The building began to give way under the weight of the roof that cracked under the attack. The lights went out and everything seemed to vibrate.

Petrel staggered as the second round of missiles hit the building. Dr. Fuji grabbed a table in the lab and looked at the executive.

"We have to get out of here", Petrel yelled as he watched the security camera footage, a moment later the footage faded. The screens only showed static.

"I need the information", Fuji hurriedly stuffed some documents, his laptop and other things into a briefcase.

"Quick, take everything", Petrel helped him put in some folders with more documents.

They ran down a long corridor, the ceiling above them creaking and seeming to wobble. Upon reaching the elevator, Fuji hit the button hard, however it did not work.

"Let's go this way", Petrel told him, pointing to another corridor that Fuji had never walked through in all those months he spent down there.

As they ran as fast as their legs would carry them. An explosion coming from the laboratory facilities made them throw themselves to the ground. A blast of fire passed over their heads. The doctor clasped his arms tightly above his head. Petrel stood up and pulled Fuji up by the arm.

"Hurry up doc or you'll end up fried"

"There's no way out", he said as he looked down the hall. "Where the hell are we going?"

"This way", Petrel told him, pointing to a grate on the floor.

Petrel kicked at the grate until he gave way and pushed Dr. Fuji into it. Outside, Cipriani's men were still shelling the casino. Now a group of the city's police force was heading to the scene.

Dr. Fuji fell to his knees on a damp floor. He got up in a hurry taking the briefcases with the his research from Mew. The place was dark and reeked of mold and stagnant water.

"Are we even lower?", He asked, adjusting his glasses.

"It's a small security tunnel" Petrel told to the Dr. Fuji, looking for a small lamp that he always carried on his belt. "It will take us a few streets away from here, we'll be safe"

The dim light helped them to continue on their way. After about ten minutes of walking that seemed like an hour to the doctor, Petrel ran, lighting with the lamp a rusty ladder that seemed to have once been red.

"This way doc"

They both came out in an old and forgotten sewer in the middle of a smelly alley between two apartment buildings. The executive came out first and after making sure that no one was there, he helped Fuji to come out as well.

"And now that?", Dr. Fuji asked, raising his face to look into the distance as a cloud of smoke filled the sky. He thought it was probably because of the casino falling apart.

Petrel took his phone and realized that he had no signal so he couldn't just call Archer or Giovanni. "Well, first we have to get out of here", He point to the end of the alley where the street was.

Petrel banged on the glass of a car parked on the sidewalk with his hand wrapped in the doctor's lab coat. The alarm began to sound loudly. They both got on and left the place in a hurry. Between the disaster in the mall and the casino no one paid attention to the black car that passed fiercely at a speed above what was allowed. Soon they had left the city leaving behind the city being lit by fire in both buildings and a thick nine of smoke. The noise of patrol sirens and fire trucks.

Dr. Fuji was holding tightly against his chest the briefcases that carried the information of his valuable research. He still had the hairs in his arms on end. He felt anxious and Petrel guessed that he was not used to danger.

"Doc, Do you like the beach?"

Petrel asked, turning his face a little to look at Fuji who seemed confused by his question.

"Blaine", he said a moment later.

In Lilycove City, Ash marveled at a pokemon move show that was taking place in the central plaza. His mother was next to him. The place was illuminated by the lanterns of the square. The sky was clear and dark so the stars were visible and it gave the moment a magical touch that made Ash feel excited and happy. The trainers and his pokemon were doing their best to entertain their viewers. A Raichu in a top hat and bow tie walked up to Ash and handed him a flyer about the next pokemon contest in a week.

"Everyone come support us", a young trainer announced with her Butterfree fluttering gracefully beside her.

When the show ended Delia took Ash's hand to start walking out of the plaza. She looked at Archer who was coming from across the street.

"If you're ready, we can go to the hotel now"

"Yes, it's fine", Delia said as she looked at the black car parked across the street.

As the car moved through the streets of Lilycove City, Delia looked at her son who was glued to the window looking out at the sea that shimmered in the moonlight.

"Did you like the pokemon's show?", She asked gently.

"Yes, those pokemon were amazing and I think their trainers are great"

"I liked it a lot too, son"

When they arrived at the hotel, Ash looked at the huge building and his eyes widened in surprise. He had a huge, shiny marquee with it's name on the front. A stairway led to the front door, which was guarded by two uniformed guards. In the lobby, the little boy focused his attention on some paintings of pokemon native to the region that he did not know.

"Come on, honey", his mother said, snapping him out of his reverie. She took him by the hand and they walked towards the elevator accompanied by Archer.

A man in a dark suit looked at them suspiciously from afar. He then left the hotel, losing himself among the people walking on the street.

In Pewter City, Cipriani's communications center met the same fate as Giovanni's casino in Celadon City. In the same way, he attracted the attention of the police forces of the city and also of Leo Cipriani.

Giovanni looked at the black car in which he assumed the Black Knights puppeteer travels. He would surely go to see what was happening with his place of communication, thinking that he would find it there. When the car was far enough away, the Gym Leader came out of his hiding spot in a parking lot across the street from Leo's office building.

"Start with the plan", he announced over the radio to the A team accompanying him that night.

Then the whole building went dark. The guards at the front gate were sedated with darts that the Rocket Soldiers fired from afar. Giovanni then presented himself in front of the now dark construction. When he opened the door his Persian walked past him. A group of Black Knight soldiers appeared running down a corridor.

"Screech", he ordered to Persian.

The pokemon's deafening attack left the men sprawled on the ground clutching their ears tightly. Giovanni headed towards the place where Cipriani's soldiers had appeared before. He then found a set of stairs that led to a dark room that he immediately knew was the basement, as reports from his men had informed him. He heard the voice of one of his agents from the radio he wore on his belt.

"We have secured the building sir, there were not many men taking care of it"

Giovanni went down the concrete stairs, the place was dark when he reached the end, he took out his phone from the back pocket of his pants and lit the screen on his way. He then ran into a cell at the end of the place. There was a man lying in the middle of the cell.

"Eric", he yelled running into the cell, his hands tightening on the metal bars.

His friend lifted his face heavily to look at him with pity.

"You shouldn't have come, Giovanni…"

The Gym Leader was hit hard from behind with a metal bar. What followed was the mocking laugh of Cipriani's assistant.

"Damn", Eric yelled at him angrily.

In the town of Lilycove, Delia and Ash were sleeping in their room at the town hotel. Suddenly a knock on the window made the little boy come out of his sleep. He got up from the bed rubbing his face. The noise sounded again and Ash walked over to the window, pulling the curtain aside. A smiling Gengar looked at him with his shining eyes. He then went through the window and made a funny face at the boy who held his laughter so as not to wake his mother. The ghost pokemon flew around the room clowning around.

He left the room through the door and Ash blinked for a moment thinking that he was gone. Gengar or half of his body walked through the door smiling and motioned with his hand for him to follow. For a moment the son of the gym leader hesitated. But then he smiled and went for his slippers, walking quietly to the door. When he was in the hallway he looked at the pokemon frolicking at the end of the hallway where there was a window that revealed a street below it.

"Do you want me to go with you?", Ash asked as Gengar pointed out the window.