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"Damn—thank goodness Giovanni didn’t bring Beedrill this time. Otherwise, with his battle skills, I might have been the one to lose." From a statistical standpoint, Rio had the advantage in this battle—Mega Charizard X was five levels higher than Rhyperior, and it wielded the divine move Sacred Fire. Yet victory had still been incredibly hard-fought, and he’d nearly lost. If Giovanni had sent out his ace, Beedrill, the outcome likely would have been very different. "Kid, you’re impressive. This battle—I lost." Giovanni acknowledged his defeat openly, without any sign of embarrassment. "Just lucky. If this had been in the wild, the outcome would still be uncertain," Rio said with a smile. Giovanni smiled back but said nothing more. He didn’t repeat his invitation for Rio to join Team Rocket. After recalling Rhyperior, he prepared to have Proton arrange the withdrawal of all Rocket members from Silph Co. But when he looked at Proton, he paused—Proton’s eyes were wet with tears. "Proton, what’s wrong?" Giovanni asked, puzzled. "Nothing... I just feel disappointed," Proton quickly wiped his eyes. "Disappointed that you lost, Boss. This defeat clearly doesn’t reflect your full strength." As expected of a Rocket executive—his loyalty to Giovanni is absolutely genuine. Losing made him cry...Rio was taken aback by Proton’s display. "A loss is a loss. Withdraw all Team Rocket members. We honor our bets," Giovanni said, patting Proton’s shoulder with some satisfaction.With subordinates like this, how could world domination ever be out of reach? Giovanni turned and led the way out. "Yes, Boss," Proton echoed, following behind. At the arena entrance, Giovanni stopped and looked back at Rio. "Kid—we’ll meet again. Next time, I’ll show you my true strength. I hope our bet still stands—if you lose, you join Team Rocket." Next time, I won’t be so reckless in my challenge.Rio shrugged. "Of course." Giovanni’s lips curved slightly, then he turned and left. Moments later, Rio watched as wave after wave of Rocket members withdrew, leaving only the bewildered Silph Co. employees behind. Rio took the elevator to the president’s office annex, where Silph Co. President Takuma and his secretary Sheila had been held captive. He’d spotted them earlier through the glass window while waiting with Giovanni before Protom set up the battlefield. "Rio!" President Takuma was astonished to see him. "What are you doing here? Where are the Rockets?" Rio untied their ropes and explained: "I’ve driven Team Rocket away. Silph Co. is safe now." "You drove Team Rocket away?!" Secretary Sheila exclaimed in disbelief. Rio smiled at her. "That’s right—I defeated their boss, Giovanni, so he withdrew his forces." Sheila was speechless. President Takuma interjected: "So the commotion we heard outside earlier was from your battle?" "Yes, that was me," Rio shrugged. President Takuma gave Rio a long, thoughtful look, then stood up and walked out. About ten minutes later, he returned and grabbed Rio’s hand firmly. "Rio—Silph Co. owes you an immense debt of gratitude! Without you, our company would have been ruined." Old man, stop with the thanks and just give me the Master Ball! Give it to me, and I’ll always come running whenever your company’s in trouble.Rio smiled and said: "You’re too kind, Grandpa Takuma. Please—no talk of debts. Fighting evil and maintaining social order is the duty of every outstanding trainer." "You’re right." President Takuma nodded, released his hand, and turned to leave. Rio’s smile froze instantly. What the hell?! Where’s the Master Ball?! Didn’t they say they’d give me a Master Ball if I saved Silph Co.? Old man, you can’t just take me at my word like that! I said it wasn’t important, and you just went with it?! Damn it—if that’s the case, I might as well have joined Team Rocket! Rio was starting to regret it—he half-considered having Charizard fly him after the retreating Rockets. But the next second, President Takuma stopped at his desk and pressed something. A hidden compartment slid open, and he retrieved a Poké Ball engraved with the letter M. Rio: (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧ Fighting evil and maintaining social order is my lifelong pursuit! Anyone who wants to join Team Rocket can go ahead—I’m staying right here as Silph Co.’s most loyal guardian! "You’re right—but Silph Co. still needs to repay its debts," President Takuma said, walking toward Rio with the Poké Ball. "This Master Ball was recently completed by our company. So far, we’ve only produced two—one was taken by Team Rocket, and this is the other. Today, I’m giving it to you—the world’s best Poké Ball, in the hands of the world’s strongest trainer." "You flatter me, Grandpa Takuma—I’m far from the world’s strongest trainer," Rio said, scratching his head with feigned modesty, while his right hand snatched the Master Ball with lightning speed. The moment he touched it, the corners of his mouth shot upward uncontrollably. He was thrilled. Absolutely thrilled. Finally—finally—he had the Master Ball in his hands. Ho-Oh. Lugia. Mewtwo. Daddy’s got the goods now! Just wait—I’m coming for you! At the Saffron Psychic Gym. Sabrina, having just returned from Lavender Town, was stunned to see Giovanni leading his team back so early. Though she didn’t understand why they were back so soon, she excitedly approached to offer her congratulations. "Congratulations, Boss, on taking control of Silph Co. and acquiring the Master Ball—another major step toward Team Rocket’s world domination!" Giovanni shot her a brief, slightly frowning glance, then walked calmly into the Gym. Sabrina’s expression stiffened. Proton paused and said flatly: "The mission failed. We secured one Master Ball, but we didn’t take control of Silph Co." "The mission failed? How is that possible? Who could have stopped Team Rocket from taking over Silph Co.?" Sabrina’s face was filled with disbelief. "Who else but the same kid who made you and Archer fail?" Proton allowed himself a slight smirk at the thought of Archer in prison, then quickly suppressed it. This was the organization’s darkest hour—he couldn’t afford to look too happy. Fortunately, Sabrina was too shocked to notice. She asked in confusion: "That shiny Charizard trainer? How could he have stopped you? Didn’t Boss handle it? He couldn’t possibly have beaten Boss, could he?" Proton adopted a pained expression. "Boss tried to recruit him—they made a bet. If Boss won, Rio would join Team Rocket. If Rio won, we’d withdraw from Silph Co. You can guess the outcome." Sabrina was stunned. She looked up at the sky—just as a black Charizard flew overhead.