John's Team
Tyrant - Slaking
Vordt - Ursaluna
Smough - Snorlax
Klee - Blissey
Port - Mantine
Zephyr - Pidgeot
Klaus - Wyrdeer
Luna - Clefable
Pixel - Porygon
The New Normal - INTERLUDE – Giovanni
Giovanni watched as John left the room with Petrel. He leaned back heavily against his chair as he pondered about the newest member of the Elite 4.
John was clearly very intelligent; after all, it took a very creative and inventive mind to discover two new evolutions at such a young age. Not only that, but John also was very passionate about influencing the geopolitics of Indigo. Would that be something to nurture further as another person to bounce ideas off of?
Nurturing John's intelligence and passion for politics further would make him another valuable tool for ensuring Kanto's prosperity. However, could John be trusted to always work for the benefits of Kanto, like Giovanni was? Giovanni noticed that John was an ambitious individual, and so would such ambition cause John to sell out Kanto for his own selfish desires?
Could he trust John to share his burden of ensuring a prosperous Kanto? Or would he be more effective as a figurehead for Giovanni's own ideals? No, John was much too opinionated and strong for him to effectively puppet. Giovanni noted that John clearly had his own goals that he was stubbornly fixated on, which would make him a poor puppet.
Giovanni supposed that he could employ some forceful persuasion to encourage John's cooperation. He knew blackmail was an extreme option and would certainly sour the relationship forever. But if it was for the greater good for Kanto, then it might be worth it.
With that in mind, Giovanni reached over and opened his laptop, browsing his files until he found the new one that he created for John.
Said file contained almost everything Giovanni could find out about John through the Pokénet and through his own private investigations. The file listed John's entire family, where he lived, their business interests, John's Pokémon, and a summary of his employed experts' observations about his Pokémon's battles.
Clearly, John greatly loved his family and took nearly opportunity to ensure that his family's would remain prosperous, which was something Giovanni could respect. Giovanni's psychologists all stated that John was heavily affected by the poverty he and his family endured during his childhood, which was the main event driving John's current ambitions and something Giovanni himself could relate to.
Giovanni drummed his fingers across the table as he thought about his options. He supposed that he currently had made a positive first impression on John, so there was no need to tarnish it by resorting to blackmail or threats so soon. He mentally filed it as a last resort option if John no longer chose to work for the good of Kanto.
As always, it fell to him to ensure the future of Kanto, as he knew it would be.
As Giovanni reminded himself of his destiny once again, a familiar pattern knocked on his door briefly before Petrel walked into the room. Petrel gave a subtle hand gesture to indicate that there were no problems and that the room was not being monitored, Giovanni nodded at that.
"Petrel." Giovanni started, "Did you listen to my conversation with John?"
"Yes Boss, heard every last word." Petrel stated. "Do you want the recording of your meeting?" He gestured to a small voice recorder that he had hidden in his jacket pocket that was connected to a tiny microphone hidden in Giovanni's office. The recorder itself was also disguised to look like a normal walkie-talkie.
"No need," Giovanni said with a nonchalant wave of his hand, "just store it under John's file. Make a new tab."
Petrel merely nodded at that before falling silent once more as he loyally waited for Giovanni to provide further instructions and a few moments passed in silence between the two before Giovanni spoke up once more.
"What did you think of John? Is he receptive to our goals?" Giovanni asked.
"I think he would prove useful to you, Boss." Petrel remarked, "His ideas about encouraging and relocating more private businesses into Kanto are very similar to our own ideas, Boss. He may have some unusual ideas about integrating Kanto and Johto together, but I believe his ideas come from an honest desire to better Kanto."
Giovanni nodded at that; it was what he thought too but it was always useful to have a second opinion. Giovanni noticed that Petrel had more to say so he gestured for him to continue.
"I don't think blackmailing or threatening him would be a good idea, Boss." Petrel had clearly predicted Giovanni's line of thinking, "If he reacts negatively to it, we could be in for a bad time." Petrel hesitated slightly as he said this.
"Speak freely, Petrel, I want to hear your true thoughts about what would happen if I chose to blackmail John." Giovanni encouraged.
"Yes Boss. I think we should avoid becoming antagonistic with John. In a direct fight, I definitely couldn't beat him. And I'm not very confident in your chances either, Boss." Petrel declared, "And John's family is the only thing holding his leash. If we go after them, we have more to lose than he does."
Giovanni agreed with his analysis. He knew that his talents laid more towards leadership and strategy than it did as a trainer. Giovanni thought that he was a great trainer, but he could admit that he wasn't the best. Additionally, he knew that a public fight between himself and John would destroy what remains of Kanto's already meagre political influence.
"Do you think he could be manipulated? Perhaps we could use him as a figurehead?" Giovanni suggested.
"Unlikely, Boss, I think he'd eventually notice that he was being manipulated and would not react well to it. It would only really work in the short term." Petrel replied, "I think it best to work with him rather than try to force him to work with us."
Giovanni accepted that; it was his preferred way to work with others rather than with forcing them to work for you. The latter often ended messily, he learned.
"How did he react to my gift?" Giovanni asked, "Did he think of it as a gift or a bribe?"
"The latter, Boss." Petrel responded, "He was clearly taken aback and was surprised by it, though it was obvious that he was very happy to receive it. As I escorted him out, he was thinking very deeply about something. I believe he was thinking about your gift, and how he would pay you back for it."
"Good, then my actions paid off." Giovanni declared, though he inwardly confessed that he would be fine if John saw it as a gift too. Giovanni really wasn't as mercenary as others were made to believe. He could tell instinctively that John would greatly care for Porygon, and Giovanni still sought for his Pokémon's happiness.
He would never voluntarily give a Pokémon away to someone that would abuse them, not again.
Returning back to the topic at hand, Giovanni resumed his questioning, "How do you think we should proceed with our relationship with John, going forward?"
Petrel considered this for a moment before replying, "I think John thinks of you as a friend, Boss. I believe he would be willing to help you if you asked him to, so long as he sees your request is reasonable." Petrel paused momentarily, "However, as with all new relationships, I recommend proceeding with caution and to continue observing him. We shouldn't make any big requests to John based on our perceived assumptions before we can get a better measure of him. Maybe he could surprise us."
Giovanni contemplated Petrel's words. He supposed that there was no harm in maintaining a positive relationship with John for the moment. John currently provided little reason to force Giovanni to make use of his more extreme options.
Giovanni gave a simple nod at Petrel to signify that he agreed, before moving on to the next topic.
"For the past few weeks, I have been considering reforming my mother's project. But John's statement that it would be a terrible and overly short-sighted idea has caused me to hesitate. I want your opinion, Petrel."
Giovanni was pleased to see that Petrel showed no sign of confusion or hesitation at the change in topic. He always appreciated intelligent subordinates, just so long as they weren't more intelligent than himself.
"I think that…with John's appointment to the Elite 4 and his newfound friendship with you, Boss, that it might be overly hasty to reform Team Rocket at this point." Petrel cautiously stated, stopping for an instant to observe Giovanni's expression before continuing "I believe that there are too many unforeseen consequences with being associated with Team Rocket, Boss, and it would be disastrous if the public found out. You would be deemed persona non grata."
Giovanni grimaced at that but kept his silence. So far, he had, at worst, made use of legally questionable acts in his quest to restore Kanto to its proper place, nothing that couldn't be denied with the right bribes or blackmail.
However, employing Team Rocket would be a shift towards violently ignoring the laws of the League and it would bring unwanted attention towards himself. If his connection to Team Rocket was disclosed to the public, it would undermine everything that he worked so tirelessly to build up.
"That was in-line with my own thoughts as well," Giovanni conceded, grimacing slightly at the thought of losing everything. He shuddered at the thought of Kanto's future without his guiding hand, "We shouldn't allow Kanto's reputation to be sullied with her association to brutes and thugs. She must be better than that." Though he may change his mind on that if the situation got took a turn for the worse.
Petrel gave a respectful nod to his statement before continuing to maintain his silence, waiting to see if Giovanni had any further questions to ask.
Giovanni took a few minutes to go over his meeting with John once more just in case he missed something. After thinking through it and finding nothing and seeing that nothing else needed to be discussed, Giovanni dismissed Petrel with a wave of his hand. Petrel gave him a deep bow and left without another word. Alone in his office again, Giovanni took a quick glance at his watch and groaned as he saw how late it was. Nevertheless, he still had a few calls to make before he could end the day.
He called his second-in-command, figuring that Archer wouldn't be asleep yet until he heard back from Giovanni regarding the meeting. He was proven correct as Archer answered after a few short rings.
"Boss? Is there something you need?" Archer greeted with a tired voice.
"I will be sending you the recording of the meeting I had with John. Go over it carefully and call me if you spot any glaring problems that I should be informed about." Giovanni stated with a tone that demanded compliance, "I also want you to contact Proton and make sure that his grunts remain on a tight leash. I do not want to hear anything about the crimes committed by Team Rocket. No fighting, no stealing, nothing. Do you understand?"
"Yes Boss, understood." Archer affirmed, before continuing with a hint of uncertainty, "But Boss, I think that Proton and his subordinates are…displeased…with their lack of action. I think that-"
"I do not care if Proton and his grunts are displeased, Archer." Giovanni interrupted, "I am ordering you, and him, to sit still and not create more problems for me. There will come a time where his expertise might be required, but now is not the time. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes Boss, but I still think it would be better if you were the one to tell him." Archer tried.
"No." Giovanni denied firmly, "There must not be any evidence that directly links myself to Proton, and by extension, Team Rocket. I must maintain a degree of separation from any of their actions." And Archer would prove to be a convenient fall-guy if Team Rocket proved to be uncontrollable.
"Yes Boss, understood. I'll inform them right away." Archer replied warily.
"Good." Giovanni ended the call. He could tell that Archer didn't believe he could persuade Proton to back down, but Giovanni was far too tired at the moment to care. Besides, Giovanni thought that Proton and Team Rocket remained too dependent on his financial backing to go against him. Reassuring himself, he then quickly dialled another number.
"Boss? Everything okay?" A female voice asked.
"Yes, Ariana, everything is fine." Giovanni responded, "I will be sending you the recording of the meeting with John. Go over it and tell me what you think."
"Of course, Boss, I'll get on that right away." Ariana remarked. They then proceeded to talk about how the various science projects were undergoing and if they needed to change anything.
"Oh, and before I forget," Giovanni cut in, "I gave John a Porygon as a gift. I will let you know if he makes any discoveries regarding it."
"Wonderful," Ariana cheered, "Arceus knows that my scientists aren't making any progress. Perhaps a new perspective would be useful."
"Oh, and the Masterball project with Silph Co. is progressing smoothly, Boss." Ariana continued, "We should be able to manufacture a prototype within the next few months."
"That's good," said Giovanni, "Have we found a way to make the Masterball able to capture other trainer's Pokémon?"
"Unfortunately not, Boss." Ariana replied regretfully, "Both my scientists and the scientists working for Silph Co. agree that finding such a method would take too much time or is outright impossible. I am sorry that we are unable to meet your expectations, Boss."
"No, that's fine," Giovanni conceded, "I have decided against making use of Team Rocket at this time anyways, so such a function would be wasted on the Masterball."
"Oh? I see. Thank you for your understanding, Boss." Ariana remarked with mild surprise, as if she wanted to say more but held her tongue, "That's all I have to report, is there anything else that you need?"
"No, that's all. Have a good night." Giovanni hung up.
Giovanni looked at the time and groaned again at how late it was. He could already anticipate the tiredness that is bound to plague him tomorrow.
Ah, well. He had already endured many sleepless nights on the road to achieving his destiny. It was just another price to pay to ensure Kanto's greatness.
A.N Thanks to everyone who commented; I really appreciate the support. A bit of a shorter chapter this time, but I hope this chapter fleshes out Giovanni and his motivations. He's an important character to my story, and I hope that I've created a character that you can believably understand.
For clarification, Whitney's Miltank is Female, and I've tried to go back and edit/change all previous references to it being male. But, if I missed any (which I probably did), this is just to confirm that it is female.