Updated as of 8/24/16

"Truth can strike down the specter of fear."

February, 1969…

The early morning, which has just begun to break the thinning evening sky, creeps into the large house as one member alone makes his way around the lower section. A man, with brown messy hair in short curls, dark brown eyes, and bolted cheeks, makes his way to the garage with a single duffel bag in his left hand. He never dreamed that the day would come when the best solution was to run away and leave not just his wife but his young son as well. Their business ventures are actually thriving despite a rocky first year, the same one following their joint graduation from university. They have a nice house here in the middle of Viridian City. Giovanni is happy for the most part save for when he goes into his odd brooding episodes (something he chalks up to be inherited from his mother). This month they even celebrate their fifth wedding anniversary. To an outsider, it seems strange he would want to leave such a situation behind, even if it is only a temporary change. He, however, has his reasons (although he has fought with himself trying to justify them).

His mother on the other hand, the woman who never approved of their union in the first place and only relented at the countless urgings of his father, has been telling him over the past few months to take such an action. He first went to his father Basil about the situation, knowing if anyone would understand and give good advice, it would be him. He initially disagreed with his wife on her conditional lend of tuition money to Minerva, her daughter-in-law, when Marcellus begged after Celadon University reneged their own offer that final year. It wasn't fair to basically blackmail him into branching the family business out to Kanto in return, especially when she made the proclamation that they would accept family money from the time their son was born until three months after graduation to ensure neither would drop out and not earn a degree. That would reflect badly on the family, after all. Despite how adamant he had been about not doing so, he had to give in. Not only did the pain medication the hospital was feeding him make him more pliable but he couldn't stand the idea of his family not being taken care of. Granted his injury turned out not to be life-threatening, but that didn't erase the image of his usually strong wife crying over the prospect of almost losing him that day in the park.

Initially his father suggested he try and talk to her about what he came to find out was really going on. Marcellus turned a blind eye for two years, preferring to let her and Sullivan take care of things while he was a stay-at-home-dad. He ended up hating his major, anyway, and he wasn't very good at anything business-related. Then a planned attack on the both of them took Sully's life, and Marcellus could no longer ignore what he knew Minerva had gotten herself into. Things couldn't stay fine the way he wanted them to after that conversation.

It all went much deeper than he originally thought, however. Not only was the Pokémon medicine side of things killing competition (especially with trade then closed to other regions) but she and Sully were dealing in things from substances for humans to weapons to the illegal purchase and sale of non-native Pokémon. Sully had even found a way to start importing things from other regions to be sold at inflated prices. People would pay for them due to the ban. After hearing from Samuel the rumors that many scientists were unhappy with the direction Silph Co. was going along with the way some of his wife Robin's colleagues felt about Celadon U as an employer, she decided to try and poach them. This was ultimately successful as was the bribing of some of the government officials in Viridian. They held a tight leash on the police and would ensure the newly christened Team Rocket could operate with no interference from them.

Needless to say, Marcellus was shocked at just how much has been accomplished in three years. Then again, Sully was conniving, and she was always driven to succeed no matter the cost. The conditions were also ripe for picking young people off from their disillusioned lives with the economy still struggling, a problem made even worse when an extreme politician won the right to represent Kanto in the Pokémon Nation. He had joked with her and Sam and Robin about it back before it happened, that no way would the bigot win. Granted he was enamored with the more radical of the three running, but none of them seriously thought he would make it. He's the reason Kanto pulled out of the united regions, something that has already started to damage them.

When he went back to his father and told him the full truth, the man did a one-eighty and sided with his wife. Marcellus should come home for at least a little while. Neither parent liked their only son linked so closely to what was coming to resemble organized crime. If he couldn't convince her to drop everything but the legitimate portion, then perhaps he should stay in Sinnoh, they ultimately said. Knowing them, it was less suggestion and more an order. He tried desperately to accomplish this task several times, but it always ended in an argument. Eventually they just stopped talking except for when it was necessary. He watched helplessly as the young woman from a poor neighborhood in Cerulean who only ever wanted to do better than her parents, first for herself and then for her son, moved further away from him and into this enterprise he could never agree with. His father assured him things would be fine for his son if he couldn't or wouldn't take him along. He would be taken care of. Of that there would be no concern. Despite her surname on his official records, he was still a Hakubi. Marcellus waited two more weeks before making that choice to go home for now, and it was another one until he is actually trying to act on it.

Suddenly a light flicks on in the hallway leading to the garage. All he can do is freeze in his tracks, knowing he has been caught red-handed. Her voice follows quickly after.

"So I married a coward after all." He turns around at being called such an enraging term. At the end of the hall stands a woman in a silk lavender bathrobe, her dark hair loose and cascading down her back. He forces himself to swallow his feelings and tries to harden his resolve. Besides being the one he loves, he has also always been attracted to her since he saw her from across the quad that day with Sam.

"Minnie, you-"

"Don't call me that. You know I hate it." This silences him as he tries to think of the proper thing to say. Then again, what is the correct etiquette for telling your wife that you're leaving her and their young child behind to head home to a region an ocean trip away? He imagines no such guideline exists. Nevertheless, his resolve returns.

"Look, I need some time away. All we do is argue, and it's tiring to say the very least. I don't agree with what you and Sullivan have done. I love you, and I love Gio, but I can't continue on like this. It's not fair to any of us, and you know it."

"So what took you so long to leave? We don't need you to take care of us." He doesn't respond to that, knowing it's true. She never needed anyone to do anything for her, but when they got together, they came to eventually reply upon each other. As much as he doesn't want to leave, he knows she doesn't want him to either despite any other proclamations. Perhaps it's worth one more shot before he takes a short reprieve in the region he grew up in.

Dropping his bag onto the plush dark carpet, strides over, and takes her hands in his, ready to propose something more radical than he has ever asked over the past few months.

"Let's just drop everything. I know Sully is gone, but there has to be someone else capable who can continue on what you guys have built. We can go back to Sinnoh, you, me, and Gio. It'll be just the three of us like it used to be. We were so happy back then, remember? It can be that way again." He doesn't get an immediate response, so he takes that as a positive sign. He was always the more open and sappy one, as she terms it. Words and emotions are not her strong points, which also makes him hopeful. So when he finally gets an answer, he nearly pulls his hands back, the only thing stopping him being the fact he really doesn't want to let go just yet.

"No."

"Why not? We can make it on our own like that first year, just in a colder climate. Your mom can come, too. And we'll keep in touch with Sam and Robin, if they want to have us."

Without meaning to, he takes a snipe at how her decisions have caused a rift in their friendship. When Sam found out she was using him and Robin not just for their research but for their colleagues' information as well, he was livid. If anyone found out where it was all going and for what purpose, both of their reputations would be ruined, everything they worked for wiped out. Making matters even worse, they were expecting their first child. He stopped talking to her completely, and he barely tried to keep in contact with Marcellus. Robin was a little more forgiving although it was in secret for concern over how Sam would react.

That isn't what annoys her, however. He is completely forgetting what really happened during that time he has rosy vision for.

"Nothing was good that year. Your mother was constantly breathing down our necks. We weren't making enough to pay our bills let alone take care of Giovanni. Do you really want to go back to either being beholden to her or letting our son go without?"

"Do not make this about him," he counters angrily, finally pulling his hands away. "Yes, maybe we'd have to rely on them for a little while again, but at least we'd be doing the right thing."

"Oh, come off it. Not everything is black or white, right or wrong."

"No, what you're doing is definitely wrong. But I guess I've been wrong all this time. You always rejected my parents' wealth, but now you have no problems with how you're gaining it, even if it hurts other people. You just want to be in charge. You don't care if you actually help anyone anymore. What would your dad think?"

Just as the words leave his mouth, he instantly regrets them. He doesn't believe them, at least not all of the way. He even half-expects her to slap him, but no blow comes. She was never one prone to physical violence, only ever smacking him in a jesting manner when he would get on her nerves, but her father is a topic he knows better than to ever bring up in such a context. Her cold, hard stare at him is almost worse.

"Go," she says quietly.

"I'm sorry," he tries to defend. It is hopeless, however.

"You want to run away back to mommy and daddy, then get out already."

"I'm not going away forever."

"I don't really care if you do." In this moment, he knows she means that. He's brought it upon himself.

"I'll call when I get there."

"Don't bother." Swallowing the lump that has formed in his throat, he steels himself to go on.

"Fine. But at least give Gio the note I left for him on the table."

Leaving no time for to say anything else, he goes back to retrieve his bag before he continues on to the garage to leave. She doesn't even watch him go, both not wanting to see him but also unwilling to admit she is wrong. He wills himself not to look back, but in doing so, he misses a last opportunity to stay. She may be no good with words as current evidence supports, but he has always been able to read beyond what goes unsaid. Because he doesn't turn around, he doesn't see it.

As the door clicks shut, they part, both unaware of just how long it will before they meet in person again.

Far from the lapsing rains of Johto, a man with bolted cheeks and messy gray hair with only subtle hints of brown switches the TV in his study on mute. The picture box in the left corner diagonal from his desk continues to show reports of strange weather and plane crashes, which are confusing everyone from lay persons to authorities as evidenced by the coverage. The older man sitting at his desk, however, has a good idea of what is going on. He looks to his left out the large window there, greeted by the usual clouds that hang around northern Sinnoh. The small town is not located so north it is perpetually covered in snow as it is in places such as Snowpoint City, but the weather is almost always chilly with frequent rain.

He came here almost forty years ago after his parents beckoned him home, but who he left behind he never truly lost track off. Neither did his new wife as she felt his ex and their only child were some kind of threat to the couple's life, but that was never true. He left in the early morning hours like the coward he has since spent his life trying not to be. She mostly dropped off the radar and went on to continue running the criminal syndicate that drove him away. Luckily enough for young Gio, he received the best education and grooming as Team Rocket was far more successful than any of the ventures they had tried before as partners. They made money in varying ways, which became her number one goal. If something would not bring profit, even a legendary Pokémon that few believed existed, then she passed on it. Their son, however, was different.

Giovanni finished the work his mother started. Her top agent at the time set off in search of the mysterious Mew and disappeared with the ball technology she invested so much time and money into. From then on, Mew was nothing more than a wasted cause. As soon as Giovanni was left in charge, however, he started up again on the venture. Instead of aiming to make lots of money, however, his desire was to create the most powerful Pokémon who would help him gain control of and then rule the world. Such a venture never panned out though Marcellus is unsure of all of the details. Any records he had were mysteriously destroyed, most before he could get a good look at their contents. As a result, he knows nothing of the New Island tournament that almost claimed his grandson's life and where Mewtwo attempted to find his way in the world. He also knows nothing of Giovanni's continued, fruitless search that has led to Johto this day, the day when his son, grandson, ex-wife, and old friend will be forced together again in events that are still pending.

"Watcha watching?" a familiar voice interrupts his thoughts. He turns and looks at the entrance to his office at the short redhead standing there. Her wild hair, much more puffy than his previous love, cascades down her back, untouched by age (thanks in part to her genetic experiments). He smiles softly and turns the television off.

"Nothing, just some news report from Johto." She doesn't believe him in the slightest.

"You do realize who's behind all of that, don't you?" He half laughs.

"The former Madame Boss of Team Rocket infamy. I'm not a fool. I was married to her for five years." His wife scowls, her cat-like green eyes slanting in disapproval. "Oh, like you haven't kept tabs on everything she's done since we met?" This is met with no answer since the truth is hard to deny to the man she's been with for thirty years. His expression suddenly turns serious. I just wonder what she wants."

"From what I've gathered, your grandson is her target."

"Ash? But he's been missing for over five years."

"He never disappeared."

"What do you mean?" Suddenly the conversation loses its light-hearted nature.

"Giovanni took him. He doesn't know who he is except for the adopted child of the Team Rocket leader." Although shocked, he continues on asking questions.

"And his mother then...?"

"Has been mourning his loss for no reason." Marcellus clenches his fists at the notion. He never personally met Delia, but anyone who could get past Giovanni's defenses has to be someone incredible. The last thing any mother deserves is to bury her child, even if not physically.

"She turned him into something far worse than I ever imagined..." He clenches his fists and pounds his desk. "I have to go. I have to make things right. It's all my fault." She half smirks, knowing his reaction was going to be exactly this.

"The plane is waiting for you. Your bag is also onboard."

"What do you mean it was Ash?!" Misty demands angrily. Gary, too, is anxious for their explanation. He knows that these three used to follow Ash and his friends around, causing trouble and trying to steal Pikachu and other Pokémon. The three come to their senses and stand straight up, deciding not to reveal anything further. It surprises them enough that their boss has kept Ash hidden for five years from most people, renaming him and treating him as an adopted son rather than his own biological child. Obviously he was somehow brainwashed since he has so willingly taken on the role of Team Rocket heir. They all realize, however, that their boss has his reasons and that they must keep it a secret at all costs.

"We don't have time to waste with you twerps," Jessie says. "We have more important things to worry about. Come on, you two," She turns around to leave, and Meowth and James do as ordered.

Their answer is less than satisfactory to say the least, and Misty finds her fists balled up in anger. They are not going to get away when there is so much she knows they are not saying. If they know anything about Ash, even if it is just a tidbit or rumor a couple of years old, she wants to know now. She unballs her fists and reaches with her right for her pokéballs attached to her belt (something she started wearing as a gym leader to ensure she is always prepared).

"Wait a second!" she yells. This actually get their attention, and they stop walking though they do not turn around. "I challenge you to a battle right now. If I win, you tell me what you meant." Jessie and James share a glance with each other and Meowth. Yes, they have to look for the son of their boss, but they also remember all of the times the twerps sent them blasting off again. Since their days of following Ash and everyone ended, they have both become more powerful as trainers along with their Pokémon. Meowth still prefers to stay out and act more like a human, and he also knows they have no time to waste. Before he can voice his opinion, though, Jessie and James both turn back towards Gary and Misty.

"You're on, twerp."

"It'll be a two-on-two battle then," Gary speaks up. Misty looks at him, not expecting him to step in like that.

"Fine with us, right, James?" He glances at his long-time partner and best friend before reaching for his chosen Pokémon.

"Victreebel, go!" Jessie follows suit and sends out Lickitung. Both Pokemon stand there and await future orders. Misty and Gary take a few seconds each to survey their competition before choosing their own pocket monsters. As if in sync with each other, he calls forth Umbreon while she tries to send out Politoed. As is the case more often than not, Pysduck takes this as his cue and calls himself out instead of his teammate, the water type his trainer originally befriended as a Poliwag and was then nurtured at the Cerulean Gym into his final form that often clinches badge battles for his trainer. Rather than get angry and show them any attempt to get ahead, she just rolls with it. Psyduck and Umbreon stare down the other two, all four awaiting their master's commands.

"Misty, Gary! Where are you guys?" a voice suddenly interrupts. They hear some loud footsteps and leaves crunching while sticks break. Whoever is coming at them is running, and his steps pound harder the closer he gets. Tracey suddenly bursts through the tree line, out of breath and looking frantic.

"Tracey, what's wrong?"-Misty

"Professor...Oak..." he wheezes. Gary looks at him kind of pathetically for being winded so easily, but he has no idea that the young man has been running around frantically looking for any of his friends after getting lost. "Lost...him..."

"What?" Misty exclaims. "How could you lose the professor?"

"You mean my grandpa's wondering around by himself with no Pokémon to protect him?" Tracey stands up and sees their anger and annoyance, which prompts him to back away as he stutters.

"I-I don't know."

While the "twerps" are distracted, Jessie, James, and Meowth see this as the perfect time to get away. They quickly recall their Pokémon and turn to run into the darkness of the trees. Umbreon and Pikachu, though, see them and try to alert the others. At first Misty and Gary both shrug them off, but Pysduck starts crying at his trainer.

"Psyduck, be quiet already! You're giving me a headache." With the attention off of him, Tracey finally sees what the Pokémon were trying to tell them all along.

"Guys, they're getting away!" Gary and Misty look at where their opponents just were, only to find that they are indeed gone.

"This is all you fault!" she yells at Gary.

"How is this my fault?" They glare at each other, but Tracey, who has had to sit back and watch so many arguments, most more heated than even the ones she shared with Ash, cannot take it right now.

"Why don't you stop your flirty fighting and go after them already?" His comment causes both to blush as he is not normally so forward and outspoken.

"Let's go, Umbreon!" He and the psychic type take off while Misty recalls Pysduck. Tracey takes off as well, and Pikachu waits for Misty before he begins to give chase himself.

As they run, they falter several times as there is not much light to help them see the way. Bushes and low hanging branches scratch them and draw a little blood, but all Gary and Misty can think of is what they meant by their Ash comment. Pikachu wants to know as much as the humans, and if Tracey knew what happened just before he showed up, he would be the same. Five and a half years ago, their friend disappeared and has not been seen or heard from since. If there is any chance that those bumbling fools know where he is and if he is okay, they have to drag it out of them, not only for their own benefit but for Delia. Parents should never have to bury their children, even if his burial was more figurative than literal, but the feeling of knowing you will never see your child again is the same.

An idea then occurs to Tracey, and he calls out Venonat. Misty glances behind her at the pair, but she soon understands. Venonat has great sight, even in bad conditions. After all, when Ash got lost from the group trying to save Lapras those years ago, she was the one who helped track him down.

"Venonat, remember Team Rocket?" he asks as they run.

"Veno!"

"Great! Scan the area for them, okay?"

"Venonat!" Immediately she begins her search the surrounding trees until his compound eyes locate the trio. "Nat nat!"

"This way, guys!" He turns and follows his trusty Pokémon while Misty and Pikachu do not hesitate to do the same. Gary, reluctant to let his grandfather's assistant take the lead over him, turns and runs with Umbreon at his side.

Venonat leads the way through yet more trees and bushes as she keeps her sight trained on the two humans and that Meowth who can talk. They seem to have stopped, likely believing they have gotten away. Knowing they will soon hear the loud sounds of people running, Venonat lets Tracey know how close they are. He stops running, causing Misty to almost run into him and Gary to slam into her. She is about to go off on him again when Tracey starts talking.

"Venonat says they're right up ahead, I'm guessing fifty feet or so."

"We should sneak up on them then so they can't hear us and take off again."-Misty

"And if they try, I'll use Umbreon's psychic to keep them from moving."

"Pika," Pikachu agrees.

"Breon!"

"Let's go then."-Tracey

Silently they tiptoe through the woods and towards the trio, all the while Venonat keeps tabs on them. They still have not moved from their spot, which makes the others fairly confident they can catch them. When they get close enough, however, they can hear them having a conversation.

"So is he really the twerp?" James asks in a hushed tone, knowing their pursuers could be nearby. "How could we not notice for five years?" His eyes look genuinely uncertain and a little angry for not recognizing their former enemy. He is loyal to the boss to be sure, but there is no way he would have gone along with kidnapping and reeducating him, as what has seemed to have happened. At least, he hopes he wouldn't. Unlike himself, Ash has a mother who loves him dearly and doesn't treat him like a pet that was adopted to do the family's bidding.

"We have to be wrong. Why would the boss bother with him? You saw how much he didn't care that day when he found out."-Jessie

"Jimmy's right, Jess. Dat was definitely Ash. He mighta changed his looks and all, but it was him."

"The twerp wouldn't have done half of the things the boss's son has." The two boys agree with that. Max is nowhere near as cold as their boss can be, but he has also lusted after the same power and money, just not as explicitly. In fact, the only thing he and Ash would have in common is their ability to make friends and the way they train their Pokémon. Ash would never want to lead Team Rocket to take over the world, sign off on experiments that hurt the creatures he loves when his father was prepping him to take over, or help steal Pokémon from their trainers. Max has done that and more. He is only nice to his best friend Abby and to his Pokémon. Proton even approves of him, and everyone knows how messed up he is.

In the bushes, Ash's friends take these small tidbits in somberly. Though it is not a common technology, there have been isolated cases of brainwashing or reeducating a human using Pokémon. The person effectively becomes someone else entirely. Even the great, caring, nice guy Ash could be trained into a good little heir and soldier in his father's mafia organization. Such an idea as that, along with vague but disturbing thoughts of what Ash could have done, strikes them all with silence. Pikachu looks at the ground. His trainer would never do terrible things. When he and the others got lost on that Pokémon theme park island, he defended Ash to everyone. He couldn't have been wrong. Misty, however, is not about to take this quietly. The redhead does not want to imagine what Ash could have done. She wants to know.

Before the others guys can stop her or even try, she bursts from the bushes and yells at the trio. They look over at her, clearly startled.

"What has Ash done?" Jessie steels herself and stands up, not about to tell anything to the twerpette. James follows suit along with Meowth. Seeing no reason to remain hidden, the guys come forward also.

"We're not telling you anything." That only further pisses her off.

"If you two buffoons don't start talking now, my Pokémon and I will make sure you wish you hadn't made it off of that plane." Jessie scoffs at such a notion, but this only pushes Misty further. She will open up and not only hand them their dignity but something else as well. Gary and Tracey know this won't solve their dilemma so the former acts quickly before Misty can call out one of her Pokémon or send Pikachu in.

"Umbreon, use psychic to keep them in their places."

"Um!" Before they can blink, the trio is surrounded by a blue aura of energy, and they find their limbs unable to take commands. For such a small Pokémon, Umbreon packs a lot of power. The only other time Misty can remember seeing such psychic abilities from someone was Sabrina, who trapped them in her dollhouse and Sabrina's father, who pulled Ash's pants down and made him dance in his boxers. There a few choice things Misty would love to have Umbreon make them do, but she refrains from voicing it. The angry Rockets glare at their enemies, not sure if they are able to speak or not (the same as the captors).

"We're not telling you twerps anything."-Jessie. Mystery solved, everyone thinks.

"Maybe some electroshock therapy will change your mind," Misty says as she looks at Pikachu. The mouse, however, does not like the tone in her voice or the way she eyes them with scorn. They may be temporary prisoners, but all they want is to protect their secret the same way the others want to know the truth. Pikachu knows Ash would never approve of purposely hurting anyone, even if it was to help him or someone else. Misty is not like that, either, but she is apparently slipping into more base desires as people do when their emotions are pushed to the brink.

"Pika," he shakes his head, refusing to do them harm.

"What do you mean no? We have to make them tell us where Ash is!"

"Pika-pi pikachu chu pika." Unable to translate the way Ash always could, despite being his trainer for five years now, she only stares at him.

"He said da oder twerp wouldn't want ya to hurt anyone 'cause of him," Meowth translates.

"Then tell us what you know," she takes to sounding more like she is pleading than demanding.

"No chance."

"But Jessie," James starts. He always was the more emotional one of the two and able to show his human side. Though he is loyal to his boss, he also remembers all of the times the man was unfair and mean to them. He even sent them to Unova a while back not because he believed in them but because they would flush the other team out of hiding. He didn't care what happened to them. This was, of course, before they were competent agents again. He has to come to see them as more valuable since then, but he still often treats them like dirt. Loyalty does not always win out, especially in the face of such grave wrongdoings and when they have barely been shown the same loyalty from the man. "If someone could tell you where your mother is, wouldn't you want them to?"

"No. She dumped me and ran off chasing a dream. I don't need her, even if she was still alive."

"Fine. But you aren't the only one who can talk."

"James, don't you dare," she warns.

"The boss is wrong, Jessie. Don't you see that?"

Able to turn her head, she stares at the man, who only shows determination in his eyes. She hadn't stopped to think about that yet, but he's right. Taking someone against their free will and changing them is wrong. Her mom left to chase Mew for her boss and never came back, but that was her decision. Ash had no say that afternoon five and half years ago. The same thoughts about loyalty that James just had come to her mind as well. She doesn't protest anymore. "We don't know much, but the boss adopted a son and has been preparing him to take over Team Rocket. He always kept him pretty hidden from us and made him change completely when he was traveling the other regions."

"So he's been allowed to train and travel?" Tracey asks.

"Yes. The closest Jessie, Meowth, and I ever got to him was today on the plane, but we've seen him around the base a lot."

"We never thought about da twerp 'cause he disappeared so long ago, but we knew somethin' was up."

"So Giovanni got careless," Gary says.

"Actually, he snuck on board. We weren't supposed to see him."-James

"You're telling us that Ash is alive and has been living with Team Rocket as someone else? What did Giovanni do, brainwash him?"-Gary. They don't answer, and the group knows instantly that is the truth.

Suddenly, a ringing interrupts the silence. The Rockets recognize it as the communication device the boss game them. Gary knows they have to answer it so that whoever is calling them will not become suspicious so he commands Umbreon to release them. As soon as they are freed, Jessie goes to answer the call some teen feet away from them.

The gang looks between each other and tries to comprehend what they have just found out. Tracey even wonders if the professor's disappearance is now connected to this gang of Pokémon thieves and the missing son of his former student.

"What are we going to do?" Gary breaks the silence but quietly so as not to be heard on the other end of the Rocket call.

"We rescue Ash."-Misty

And so the plot thickens...

It was weird trying to name Gio's mom because she was never mentioned in any English version and was only referred to as Madame Boss in the radio drama and related media. I picked Minerva finally because of my love for Classical Mythology but also because she was the goddess of intellect and war. I know the radio drama portrayed her as just wanting to make money, but she was very good at doing that so I would have to bet she was pretty smart and would use any tactic she deemed necessary. I think Gio went more into the army/conquering the world through force than she did, but not all parts of war are battle. So there's that.