Chapter 384: Giovanni's Attention

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In the dead of night, deep within the southeastern reaches of Viridian Forest, within Viridian City, stood a grand old mansion with lavish interior decor.

While Sato and his Pokémon were happily enjoying a late-night snack deep within Viridian Forest, watching a swarm of Butterfree soaring across the sky, a tall young man in a well-tailored suit stood in the top-floor room of this mansion, gazing at the night sky over Viridian Forest through the wall-length window.

The mansion was located at the northeastern edge of Viridian City. From this room, the tall young man with a close-cropped haircut could easily see the lush greenery of Viridian Forest.

At this moment, he too was watching the Butterfree fluttering into the night sky, a trace of nostalgia appearing on his face.

Beside him, a well-built Persian with sleek, shiny fur sat quietly on the floor. It mimicked the young man's actions, lifting its head to admire the beautiful scene outside the window.

Knock, knock, knock~~

Suddenly, a series of knocks sounded at the door.

"Come in," the man said, his expression immediately turning serious. He sat back in the luxurious executive chair behind his desk and spoke in a calm tone.

At the same time, the Persian leisurely padded over to the desk and lay down, pretending to sleep.

Soon, a tall woman with long black hair, dressed in a sharp secretary uniform, entered the room. She closed the door behind her and walked up to a spot just two steps away from the Persian.

The woman had a slender figure and striking features—an attractive woman from Kanto. However, she maintained a stern expression, her sharp eyes behind large, old-fashioned black-rimmed glasses making her appear strict and unapproachable.

She was holding a stack of documents, clearly here to report something important.

"It's late. What is it, Nanami?" the young man asked, frowning slightly as he locked eyes with his secretary.

At this moment, the Persian opened its eyes slightly and glanced at her, its muscles subtly tensing.

"Yes, Boss Giovanni. The task you assigned me yesterday has been completed. I just finished compiling these documents—they contain information on the standout rookies from the latest Team Rocket Rookie Competition," Nanami reported with a respectful bow before speaking in her usual expressionless tone.

After finishing her report, she stepped forward, bypassing the Persian, who had closed its eyes again. She placed the stack of documents in front of Giovanni before quickly retreating to her original position.

"Good work. It's late, you may go rest," Giovanni said, his interest piqued as he took the documents and gave them a cursory glance before nodding at Nanami.

"Yes, Boss Giovanni. You should also rest soon," she responded with another respectful bow before turning to leave, closing the door behind her.

Once she was gone, Giovanni sighed softly and turned his gaze back toward the night sky above Viridian Forest.

However, within a few minutes, the Butterfree that had been drifting through the night air gradually disappeared from sight.

Seeing this, Giovanni lost interest in stargazing and returned to his desk.

He turned his attention to the stack of documents before him, picking them up and flipping through the pages one by one.

Each page contained detailed records of Rocket members—their backgrounds, their experiences since joining Team Rocket, and even comprehensive information about the Pokémon they owned.

In short, by thoroughly reading a single page, Giovanni could gain an in-depth understanding of the Rocket Grunt it described.

As he read, he occasionally marked certain pages with either a circle or a cross using his pen.

Unfortunately, out of the forty or so pages in the stack, only a handful received a circle from him.

"Tch, a bunch of leeches… The moment they saw an opportunity, they all scrambled to insert their own secret proteges into the rookie matches," Giovanni muttered, his tone filled with disdain.

"Too bad for them. Not a single one of their planted candidates will receive my trust. Team Rocket needs fresh blood—not the rotten bureaucracy of the League."

He quickly finished reviewing the stack and pulled out the four pages he had marked with circles. His expression darkened as he glanced at the remaining pile of rejected candidates.

Among the four selected profiles, the topmost sheet featured a photograph in the upper right corner—an image of a young man in an elite trainer's uniform standing alongside a Swampert.

The young man in the photo was none other than Sato, standing with a cold, determined expression. Behind him, his towering Swampert loomed like a small mountain, its eyes fixed on the same unseen target, its massive arms protectively bracing Sato.

The photograph was taken outside a restaurant in Pewter City, capturing the moment Sato had stepped forward to confront Kosuke.

Even through the image, one could feel the commanding aura emanating from both the young man and his Pokémon.

"In just over a month, he went from an ordinary citizen with a clean background to a trainer with top-tier elite strength… How intriguing," Giovanni mused, narrowing his eyes at the file. "What secrets are you hiding?"

Then, he shook his head slightly. "Well, every strong person has their secrets. Compared to Sabrina and Koga, he's still lacking. I'll let him grow freely for now. Sophia… as long as he remains useful to me, I'll ensure he isn't snuffed out prematurely."

Giovanni's piercing gaze locked onto the photograph of Sato and his Swampert as he whispered these words to himself.

Meanwhile, Sato and his Pokémon had finished their late-night meal. Now back in his treehouse, he lay on a simple wooden bed, staring at the screen of his communicator.

Displayed on the screen were just four words: "Viridian Gym."

"Viridian Gym, huh?" Sato muttered, his eyes narrowing in surprise. "I never would have guessed… Does this mean my next mission involves Giovanni, the leader of Team Rocket? That's way too sudden."

For a while, he simply stared at the screen, deep in thought, contemplating the nature of his upcoming task.

The idea of potentially facing Giovanni made his heart race—not with fear, but with a mix of tension and excitement.

As a result, sleep remained elusive.

Tonight was shaping up to be a long, sleepless night for Sato.