"Giovanni… what would you say is the purpose of your existence?"
Elias let out a long sigh, dragging out his tone as he asked in a slow, thoughtful drawl.
Giovanni: ?
What the hell's gotten into him?
They hadn't seen each other in years, and now Elias was suddenly waxing philosophical?
Was this the price of resurrection or something?
Giovanni couldn't help but feel uneasy.
And it wasn't just him—even Gardevoir blinked in surprise at the sudden shift in Elias's tone.
"Garde?" she tilted her head, utterly baffled.
"Ahem."
Realizing he might've gone a little overboard with the act, Elias gave a dry cough to steady himself.
Then, adjusting his approach, he continued more directly:
"Giovanni. Why did you really create Team Rocket?"
He asked because, if he remembered right, in the original timeline, Giovanni's true purpose for founding Team Rocket was to search for his lost son.
If Giovanni so much as hinted at that, Elias could seize the moment, bring up Silver, and bleed him dry in one clean stroke.
But…
When Giovanni heard the question, he didn't even think about his son.
He simply assumed that, after working together for so long, Elias was finally curious about his ambitions.
With that assumption in mind, Giovanni straightened his spine, his expression turning solemn—almost heroic.
Ambition—dreams—those were matters of pride for any leader.
It was no exaggeration to say that much of a leader's charisma stemmed from their vision. No one wanted to follow someone with no drive or purpose.
And Giovanni, who had always had a crystal-clear sense of self, curled his lips in a calm smile.
He spoke, voice low and steady:
"There's no need for a reason. No lofty ideals. Creating Team Rocket was never about that."
"To shake the League… to turn Pokémon into business… to forge a massive organization spanning multiple regions—that is my purpose."
"Team Rocket doesn't need a grand mission to be feared. Its existence alone is enough to make people tremble. That's my strength."
By the time he finished, a shadowed smile had crept across Giovanni's face.
He'd never had much respect for those other villainous groups from different regions and their ridiculous dreams.
Flooding the world with oceans? Erasing emotions to build a 'perfect' society?
All that nonsense sounded like childish fantasy. Giovanni had neither the time nor the patience to play those games.
To him, molding Team Rocket into a genuine global powerhouse was the dream. He didn't need another reason to justify it.
Of course, in his heart, there was one thing that stood above even that vision—finding his son.
But after so many years, that hope had dulled. He hadn't given up, exactly… but the numbness had long since set in.
The odds of ever finding Silver…
...were painfully slim.
Still—
He figured Elias would be stirred by such ambition, right?
Giovanni had confidence in that. These days, truly pure evil organizations were rare.
His subordinates—the Beasts, the Four Generals—were loyal precisely because of his personal charm and the Rocket "corporate culture."
Elias, surely, would be drawn to it too.
That's what Giovanni thought, anyway.
On the other hand, Elias, after listening to this complete deviation from the script, could only stare, blinking.
Are you serious right now?
You think I don't know you, Giovanni? I know you better than you know yourself.
Just admit you're looking for your son—why the dramatics?
Seeing Giovanni's self-satisfied expression, Elias decided not to beat around the bush anymore.
Looking him straight in the eye, he said plainly, face emotionless:
"Giovanni, your son's with me."
Short. Blunt. Delivered in an offhand tone.
But the moment the words left his mouth, the atmosphere in the office seemed to freeze. The pressure in the air dropped sharply.
Giovanni nearly thought he'd misheard.
Never mind how strange it was for an old collaborator to bring something like this out of nowhere—just the fact that Elias knew he had a son was enough to stun him.
Hardly anyone in Team Rocket even knew about Silver.
Only a select few—people like Archer, who had been with him for decades—were aware of it.
"Where did you hear that?"
Giovanni narrowed his eyes after regaining some composure, voice low and tense.
He didn't believe for a second that Silver was actually in Elias's hands.
After all, he'd searched for years without a trace. There was no way Elias had stumbled on him out of the blue.
Elias, seeing Giovanni's disbelief, smiled.
Instead of answering, he casually held out a hand to Gardevoir.
"Phone."
Gardevoir understood immediately and handed her phone over without a word.
Taking it, Elias dialed a video call right in front of Giovanni.
As the screen lit up, a bright, energetic face appeared in the frame—Blue.
"Mrs. Gar—Elias?" she greeted with a surprised blink.
"Hey, Blue. Do me a favor and bring Silver over," Elias said straight to the point.
Though clearly confused, Blue nodded and turned to yank someone over from off-screen.
"Silver—Elias wants to talk to you."
The red-haired teen, wearing his usual scowl, was dragged into the camera's view.
The moment Giovanni saw that unmistakable head of crimson hair, his confident demeanor cracked—visibly.
As the boss of Team Rocket, he'd weathered many storms.
Even when Mew had appeared before him out of nowhere proposing a cooperation, he'd kept his cool and negotiated like a pro.
But now…
Giovanni found himself reeling, his thoughts stuttering to a halt.
Even through the screen, the faint sense of familiarity radiating from the boy was unmistakable.
Names could be fake. Faces could be altered. But that visceral pull—the unmistakable blood connection—that couldn't be faked.
Which meant…
Elias… might actually be telling the truth.
Elias, of course, was very pleased with Giovanni's reaction.
He turned the phone back toward Blue and Silver, waved, and said:
"Thanks, that's all I needed. I'll leave you two to it."
And with that, he ended the call.
Right before the video cut off, he noticed Silver's face shift slightly—clearly, the boy had sensed something, too.
"See? I wasn't lying. Your son's really with me," Elias said, flashing a grin.
Giovanni was still frozen in place. His eyes widened just a touch, and—for once—his breathing was noticeably uneven.
Meeting Elias's gaze, he gripped the arms of his chair tightly and asked, voice rough:
"Why… Why is Silver with you?"
"How did you meet him?"
The fact that Giovanni could even remain seated was a testament to his composure.
He didn't believe Elias had kidnapped Silver.
After all… when Silver was taken, Elias would've been a child himself. There was no way he could've pulled that off.
"He was originally with Pryce—yeah, the same one you investigated back in the day. The guy with the mask."
"I ended up clashing with Pryce, and during the chaos, I rescued Silver—and a little girl who was with him. That's pretty much how it happened."
Elias leaned back, then tilted his head, eyes gleaming with mischief.
"So, Giovanni… Have you figured out how you're going to thank me yet?"