As they walked through Team Rocket's headquarters, a flicker of nostalgia crossed Gardevoir's eyes.
Back then, Elias had brought her through this very place, fighting their way to Giovanni's office—only to end up forging a cooperation with him.
And now, somehow, all those years had gone by in a blink.
Since the interior of the Silph Co. building wasn't particularly large, and they encountered no obstacles along the way, the group quickly made it into the elevator.
Elias pressed the button for the top floor with practiced ease, and the elevator began to ascend.
Ding—
With a clear chime, the elevator reached the top floor.
As the doors slid open, Elias was greeted by a familiar interior that had barely changed over the years.
And just like before, a familiar feline leapt into view at startling speed, launching straight toward him.
Its metal-clad claws gleamed coldly under the light, giving off a sharp, chilling edge.
However...
Elias didn't so much as flinch. In fact, he even smiled slightly.
What a nostalgic scene. Too bad… Gardevoir's no longer that little Kirlia from back then.
The instant the feline sprang forward, an immense wave of psychic power locked onto it mid-air.
The force from its leap vanished the moment it clashed with her psychic grip. Before the cat Pokémon could even register what had happened, it was completely immobilized—frozen in midair.
"Meow—!"
Held aloft by Gardevoir's psychic energy, the Persian hissed as she looked at it with open disdain.
As expected, cats really aren't that bright. Does it still think it's fighting the same Gardevoir as before?
"You did well, Gardevoir."
Elias stepped forward and praised her, giving her head a fond rub.
Then he turned his gaze toward the figure seated calmly at the desk across the room and greeted:
"Giovanni. Long time no see."
At the sound of Elias's voice, Giovanni's eyes twitched ever so slightly.
He had originally intended to test Elias's current strength—see how much he'd grown since those years ago.
What he hadn't expected… was for Gardevoir's power to have reached this level.
That Persian of his was no slouch—it was an Elite-class Pokémon.
For it to be restrained so effortlessly... meant Gardevoir's power was easily at Champion tier.
The thought alone made Giovanni's expression grow a little heavier.
"Seems your Gardevoir's gotten a lot stronger," he said in a low, steady voice.
Then, gesturing to the chair across from him, he added, "Have a seat."
Elias didn't stand on ceremony. He pulled out the chair and sat down without hesitation.
Gardevoir, Sabrina, Latias, and Mew each took a seat near him.
Without wasting time, Elias cut straight to the point:
"So, what exactly did you call me here for?"
"You've been getting a steady supply of eyelashes from Mew these past few years—shouldn't that be more than enough?"
As he spoke, Elias closely watched Giovanni's expression.
Mew was right here in the room. If Giovanni still had designs on her, he'd surely glance her way at the mention.
But to Elias's surprise, Giovanni didn't even spare her a look.
His eyes stayed fixed on Elias from beginning to end.
What the heck?
Elias couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
What's Giovanni playing at?
As if sensing his confusion, Giovanni opened the desk drawer, pulled out a file, and slid it toward Elias.
"The effect of the eyelashes is limited. With only what Mew's given us so far, we're no longer able to make any meaningful progress," he explained.
Elias accepted the file and flipped through it.
The experimental notes weren't overly complex, and it didn't take him long to verify Giovanni's claim—he wasn't lying.
The benefits of the eyelashes had indeed hit a ceiling.
Which meant...
"You're looking to study Mew further?" Elias frowned.
Hearing the displeasure in his tone, Giovanni immediately realized the misunderstanding.
He shook his head and clarified:
"No. Mew is of little use to us now."
"Compared to her, I'm more interested in you—and the knowledge inside your head."
Giovanni wasn't bluffing.
The eyelashes had already yielded most of Mew's genetic information. To go any further, he'd need a complete genome—something that was just as difficult as creating another Mewtwo from scratch.
That route had never seriously been on the table.
Instead, he believed the better option was to involve the other half of Mewtwo's "parentage"—Elias.
That was his true reason for summoning Elias today.
Elias was momentarily stunned by the proposal. But after a beat, he understood what Giovanni was really getting at.
He raised a hand to calm the increasingly tense Gardevoir and Latias, then turned back to Giovanni and asked:
"You're that confident I'll be of use to your plan?"
Elias knew full well about Giovanni's Mewtwo project.
But from his perspective, if the top researchers and professors in the field couldn't crack it, what good would he be—someone with only a passing understanding of Pokémon research?
If Giovanni had time to chase him down, why not just "invite" Professor Oak instead?
Giovanni, however, wasn't surprised by his reaction.
He stole a quick glance at Mew—those big, unblinking eyes—and allowed himself the barest hint of a smile.
Mew had secretly passed along word through a Team Rocket member: she didn't want Elias to find out too soon that his residual psychic energy had been used in Mewtwo's creation.
As a trustworthy crime boss, Giovanni had dutifully kept that promise.
Besides, he believed that once Elias saw Mewtwo, he'd figure it out on his own.
With that in mind, Giovanni spoke slowly:
"I trust in my analysis."
"If you agree to work with us, Team Rocket is prepared to offer you any assistance within our power."
His voice carried the weight of quiet assurance.
Elias took a moment to seriously consider the offer.
Any assistance Team Rocket can provide… That was quite the tempting deal.
At the very least, Elias felt it sounded a lot more reliable than when the League made similar promises.
Because when push came to shove, Giovanni really did act.
And although Giovanni may have overestimated him, Elias did have something that could help move the research forward.
His gaze drifted toward a specific item in his system's inventory.
—Mew's full genome sequence.
It had been a reward from his first simulation. He hadn't expected to ever need it—after all, it's not like he was planning to create another Mewtwo.
But now... it might just come in handy.
Since he could essentially leech off Team Rocket's resources, Elias didn't hesitate any longer.
He gave a nod.
"Alright. Deal. I'll help improve the experiment—you provide the support."
"But I'm making it clear now: I can't guarantee success."
Even with Mew's genome, Elias still felt the need to include a disclaimer.
"Pleasure doing business," Giovanni replied, steady and composed.
There was an unmistakable air of calculation and control about him.
Watching Giovanni like this, Elias couldn't help but smirk.
Now that I think about it… isn't your precious son still in my hands?
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T/N: okay august chill
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