Chapter 170: Discussion

Giovanni's Office – The Rockets' Headquarters

Inside the dimly lit office of Team Rocket's leader, the air was thick with tension.

The massive leather chair sat at the head of a long, polished mahogany desk, where Giovanni leaned back, his piercing gaze fixed on the two men standing before him.

Petrel and Archer stood stiffly, their heads lowered, beads of sweat forming on their foreheads.

Neither dared to speak.

Neither dared to move.

Giovanni's mere presence was enough to make them feel as if an invisible weight was pressing down on them, suffocating and unrelenting.

For several moments, silence filled the room.

Then—

A deep voice finally broke the oppressive stillness.

"I just want to know the result."

His tone was calm, almost indifferent—but the underlying threat was unmistakable.

This operation had cost them heavily.

But if they had successfully obtained the Master Ball data, even partially, then perhaps—

Perhaps it wouldn't be a complete failure.

Hearing Giovanni's words, Petrel and Archer both exhaled slightly, their shoulders relaxing just a bit.

They had not completely failed.

At the very least, they had retrieved part of the data.

"Boss…" Petrel was the first to speak, carefully choosing his words.

"Although we weren't able to acquire the full set of information, we managed to obtain a significant portion of it."

Half the Data

Giovanni's brows furrowed slightly.

"Half?"

His tone remained calm, but a flicker of dissatisfaction flashed in his eyes.

Half of the data? What good was half of something unfinished?

Archer quickly stepped in.

"Yes, Boss." He nodded. "Our scientists managed to locate the Master Ball data in a research lab on the ninth floor of Silph Co. The download had already begun... but before we could finish, the security system activated a data destruction protocol."

Archer clenched his fists.

"By the time we realized what was happening, half the data had already been wiped."

"And the other half?" Giovanni's gaze sharpened.

"Recovered and extracted." Archer confirmed. "The scientist in charge of the download, one of our own, managed to escape with the remaining files."

That was at least something.

Even if incomplete, Team Rocket now possessed half of the Master Ball's research.

The Cause of the Failure

"And yet… the mission still failed."

Giovanni's voice was low.

Archer and Petrel both froze, feeling a chill crawl up their spines.

A moment of silence passed before Giovanni's gaze drifted toward Petrel.

"Why?"

The question was simple.

But the weight it carried was immense.

Petrel gulped.

He knew there was no easy way out of this.

"Boss… everything was going according to plan." He took a deep breath, wiping the sweat from his brow.

"But there was… an unexpected interference."

Giovanni's gaze darkened.

Unexpected?

"A kid…" Petrel muttered.

"A kid?" Giovanni repeated, his voice carrying a dangerous edge.

Archer, who had been standing quietly, shot a glare at Petrel.

That idiot was trying to drag him into this!

But it was too late to back out now.

Archer quickly added, "Yes, Boss. A young trainer somehow infiltrated Silph Co. and unknowingly stumbled into the eleventh floor… where Petrel was stationed."

Giovanni's Displeasure

The temperature in the room seemed to drop.

Giovanni's fingers tapped against the polished surface of his desk.

A single child… disrupted the entire mission?

His expression remained unreadable, but the tension in the air grew heavier.

"A mere brat…" Giovanni murmured.

His voice was soft, but it carried a dangerous weight.

"Tell me… was the boy that strong?"

Neither Petrel nor Archer dared to answer immediately.

They hesitated.

Finally, Petrel clenched his fists.

"Boss… That brat was… unusual."

Giovanni's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Unusual?"

Petrel nodded.

"His Pidgeotto... it used a technique I've never seen before."

Archer glanced at him, clearly skeptical.

But Giovanni was listening intently.

"Go on."

Petrel took a deep breath.

"In an instant, his Pidgeotto split into three—attacking my Crobat from three different angles at the same time."

At that moment, even Archer's expression changed.

This wasn't just an excuse.

This was real.

Even Giovanni tilted his head slightly, as if processing what he had just heard.

"Three simultaneous attacks… from three different directions?"

Giovanni's Interest

For the first time since the meeting started, Giovanni looked intrigued.

His eyes narrowed thoughtfully.

A new battle technique?

Or perhaps—

Something more.

"Describe it again." Giovanni's voice was firm.

Petrel swallowed hard before continuing.

"It wasn't just a normal attack, Boss." His voice was strained. "Pidgeotto literally split into three separate images… and each one attacked Crobat simultaneously.**"

"An illusion? A speed technique? A new move?"

Giovanni's mind raced.

There were several possibilities—

But none that fully explained what had happened.

After a long pause, he spoke again.

"And this trainer… What is his name?"

Petrel hesitated for only a second.

Then—

"Ash Ketchum."

A Name to Remember

Giovanni leaned back in his chair.

For the first time since the meeting began—

He smirked.

"Ash Ketchum."

He repeated the name slowly, as if savoring it.

A young boy—who had not only disrupted Team Rocket's plans but had also demonstrated an unknown battle technique.

This was no ordinary child.

"Interesting."

His smirk widened.

Then, after a long pause—

He finally spoke again.

"We will keep an eye on him."

Petrel and Archer both exhaled in relief.

But deep inside, both men knew one thing for certain—

This was far from over.

To Be Continued…