In the heart of Viridian City, beneath the polished floorboards of a Gym that served as a façade, Giovanni sat in his private, dimly lit office. The sleek mahogany desk before him was scattered with digital reports, and the walls around him displayed numerous screens showing various operations—some legal, others far from it. A faint scent of incense lingered in the air, masking the ever-present smell of ambition.
At his side, Persian lounged lazily, its red gem glinting in the soft light. Giovanni, dressed in a sharp black suit with a discreet red "R" embossed on the cuff, was reviewing a digital report when the terminal on his desk beeped sharply.
Incoming Call: Trainer ID – Yellow
Giovanni's eyes narrowed. Leaning back in his chair, he steepled his fingers.
"…Interesting," he murmured.
Persian stirred, sensing the shift in its master's mood.
With a tap of a button, the screen flickered to life, revealing a live feed of a girl wearing a red hat and a Team Instinct jacket. Giovanni's expression subtly shifted, a flicker of recognition passing through his eyes as he leaned forward, scrutinizing the girl. Her bright eyes were serious, calm, and purposeful. The red cap sat snugly over her golden hair, and the yellow Instinct jacket practically blazed against the muted tones of his office.
"…Well now," Giovanni said, his voice smooth but laced with steel. "You're not who I expected to be calling from this Trainer ID."
The girl smirked faintly, folding her arms. "I could say the same. You don't exactly strike me as the type of gym leader who picks up his own calls."
Giovanni allowed a slow, measured silence to hang in the air before replying. "Most trainers don't know what they're dialing into when they call this number."
Persian let out a low growl, its tail curling slightly around Giovanni's chair leg as the tension in the room built.
"I take it you're not calling to schedule a badge match," Giovanni continued. "So, what is it? A warning? A threat? Or... a proposition?"
The girl's expression didn't change, but her eyes sharpened. "Let's call it a negotiation. I'm calling because I wish to propose a trade: Information on Silver for a few numbers and some intel."
Giovanni's breath hitched for just a second—a faint, barely noticeable shift—but Persian beside him immediately reacted, its ears flicking at the change in its master's demeanor.
"…Silver?" Giovanni repeated, his voice quieter now, tinged with something far more dangerous. The kind of quiet before a storm.
The girl didn't flinch. "Yes. Your son. Red hair, sharp temper, good instincts, bad attitude. Went missing a while ago. Off the radar of both the League and… other networks. But not mine."
Giovanni's fingers twitched, then stilled. His gaze darkened.
"I see," he said, leaning back slowly in his chair. He steepled his fingers again, his mask slipping back into place. "You've managed to uncover information that none of my agents—none of my people—have been able to. That suggests either incredible luck… or very dangerous friends."
The girl's lips curled into a knowing smirk. "Well, you have three of your people tailing Red's son. Pretty dumb. I wouldn't want to get his attention like that. By the way, has your Beedrill recovered yet?"
Giovanni's face didn't twitch, but the air in the room grew frigid, like ice spreading across the floor.
"…So it was you," he said, his voice now like a blade sheathed in silk. "I wondered who turned those agents into quivering wrecks. I assumed it was Red who had returned, but of course, it was his son."
Persian growled low, sensing the rising tension.
The girl grinned. "Me? No, that was Ash. Though, your agents did use hydrogen—highly flammable gas—to fill their weird balloon."
"I assume this is the same Ash who leveled half of Pokémon Tech with some unknown move mishap… and triggered a regional power outage with a Pikachu?" Giovanni said, his tone ice-cold.
The girl leaned back in her chair. "I mean, what did you expect? He is Red's son."
Giovanni went still. No flicker of expression. No twitch.
But behind his eyes, something shifted. Something clicked.
"…Red's," he repeated slowly, almost reverently. "Son."
Persian's ears flicked, its red gem faintly gleaming in the low light.
Yellow watched him, her posture relaxed, like she had lobbed a firecracker into a minefield and was now waiting for the explosion.
Giovanni leaned forward again, shadows cutting sharp lines across his face. "You mean to tell me that boy… Ash Ketchum… is Red's son?"
Yellow nodded once. "Kanto League's best-kept secret. Not even most of the Indigo Elite knows. Raised quietly in Pallet. Hidden, but not forgotten. I figured you would've already known that with your information-gathering skills. Did you not?"
"Enough distracting me! Where is Silver?" Giovanni snapped, his patience wearing thin.
"Silver is with the Masked Army in Johto. The leader kidnapped him along with five other kids… and the leader? Gym Leader Pryce."
Giovanni's fist clenched around the edge of his desk—not enough to break it, but the wood creaked under the strain.
"Pryce," he hissed, the name venomous on his tongue. "That frozen relic is behind this?"
Persian let out a sharp growl, its fur bristling at Giovanni's rising fury.
Yellow didn't flinch. She leaned in, her voice steady. "Silver was taken for a reason. I don't know what Pryce is planning yet, but it's not good."
Giovanni's eyes narrowed. "Why are you telling me this?"
"Because I wanted a favor and some contact info. I need the contact info for Cynthia in Sinnoh, Chairman Rose in Galar, and the Rubin-Menzi family."
Giovanni's eyes glittered with calculating interest at the names Yellow had just mentioned—names that carried immense international weight.
"Cynthia… Rose… and the Rubin-Menzi family?" he repeated, his voice low and thoughtful.
Even Persian turned its head slightly, its ears twitching at the sudden gravity of the request.
"You don't ask for small favors, girl," Giovanni said, steepling his fingers again, studying her like a chessboard. "Sinnoh's Champion. Galar's industrial magnate. And the Rubin-Menzi family—now that's a name I haven't heard in years. Nobility masquerading as philanthropists. Fine, consider it done."
"Oh, and try to keep Team Rocket away from Red's kid. The guy is off doing Arceus-knows-what, but we don't want him coming down to Kanto to punish Rocket again. He's only gotten stronger, and the collateral would be horrifying," Yellow said before hanging up the call, leaving Giovanni alone in his office.