Late at night, aboard a private plane flying back to Kanto.
Giovanni sat calmly on a leather sofa, staring out the window, his mind turning over everything that had just occurred in Paldea.
Matori appeared on the video screen.
"Boss, what's the situation?" she asked.
As soon as Giovanni boarded the plane, his entire demeanor had shifted. Gone was the courteous, polished entrepreneur from before. Now, his expression was cool and unreadable, half-shrouded in shadow, the face of the true Team Rocket boss.
'What a pity...'
Giovanni had carefully observed the man during their meeting, and now, he was certain.
Naoki was the same type of person as Lance: upright, kindhearted, and uncompromising against evil. With someone like that, there was no room for negotiation. If Naoki had been even slightly willing, Giovanni wouldn't have hesitated to offer him a position second only to himself in Team Rocket, someone who could help conquer the world.
But now that hope was gone.
"Boss?" Matori prompted again after a long silence.
Giovanni finally spoke. "He refused to cooperate."
Matori's brows furrowed. Someone dared reject the boss of Team Rocket?
"Just say the word, and I'll—"
Before she could finish, a voice cut in.
"Who's got the guts to turn you down, Boss?" Apollo's voice rang from offscreen.
Giovanni raised an eyebrow. "Apollo? What are you doing there?"
"Reporting on the Sevii Islands. But if you need me to deal with someone, I'm on it. Just say the name."
Giovanni resisted the urge to sigh. His "loyal" subordinates really were ready to start wars on his behalf.
"Do not provoke him," Giovanni said firmly.
He had seen enough. Naoki didn't just have a handful of Legendary Pokémon, there were clearly more he hadn't revealed yet. That red, dragon-like Pokémon beside him during the meeting? The aura it gave off was anything but ordinary.
Apollo blinked, surprised at Giovanni's serious tone, but nodded. "Understood."
Matori asked, "What are your orders, sir?"
Giovanni tapped the table with his fingers for a moment before replying.
"Send a team to Hoenn and Sinnoh. Use the shopping apps to purchase as much Life Goat Milk as you can from the store 'Tree's House.' Ship it all to headquarters."
Matori and Apollo both froze. "Huh?"
"And another thing," Giovanni continued, his voice low. "From this moment forward, no one is to harm or capture any of the Dragonites from Tree's House. Anyone who dares violate that will be expelled from Team Rocket on the spot. No exceptions."
"Yes, sir!" the two responded in unison, not daring to question the order.
"Then get to it."
The call ended.
Giovanni leaned back and rubbed his temples.
'Naoki... What a loss.'
If only someone like him could have been part of Team Rocket...
...
At that same time, across various cities in Kanto.
Team Rocket operatives received a surprise assignment, direct orders from Giovanni himself.
But when they read the mission brief, confusion spread like wildfire.
Buy goat milk?
Still, an order was an order, and when the boss personally assigns something, there's always a reason. Besides, completing it first might just mean a promotion.
Within hours, agents were booking flights and boarding boats bound for Hoenn and Sinnoh. The moment they landed, they whipped out their Rotom Phones, logged into the regional shopping app, and navigated straight to Tree's House.
One after another, they queued up to buy bottles of Life Goat Milk.
Whatever it was... the boss wanted it badly. And for Team Rocket members, that meant one thing: Secure the milk. Earn the favor of the boss. Rise in the ranks.
However, just moments later, every single Rocket grunt's phone screen flashed the same message:
"Sold Out."
"What?!"
They scrambled to refresh the page, jaws dropping as they realized the truth, Tree's House only restocked Life Goat Milk once a day, at exactly 7:00 AM Paldean time.
And once it was restocked, it sold out instantly.
The Life Goat Milk was legendary not just in effect, but in demand.
With no other option, the Rocket agents stationed across Hoenn and Sinnoh set their alarms and braced for the next day.
They slept in hotel lobbies, waited on dockside benches, leaned against terminal walls, all with their Rotom Phones clutched in hand.
When morning came, alarms blared and eyes shot open.
"Go go go!"
They opened the store app.
At that moment, the remaining stock count was ticking down so fast it blurred—50 left… 20… 5…
In just five minutes, all 500 bottles were gone.
The Team Rocket agents stared at their screens in stunned silence.
"I got one!" one agent shouted, tears in his eyes.
"NOOO! I lagged at checkout!" another shrieked, rage-quitting his phone.
But the lucky few knew exactly what to do.
"Get it to the boss. Now!"
By 10:00 AM, a precious dozen bottles of Life Goat Milk had arrived at Rocket HQ from across the regions.
Giovanni stared at them.
"Only twelve bottles?" he muttered.
So many people deployed… and this was all they could gather?
Matori stepped forward, clearly nervous. "Boss, what should we do next?"
Giovanni folded his arms. "Reward whoever secured a bottle. They've earned it."
Then he picked up two of the bottles and handed them to Matori. "Take these to the lab. Have the researchers analyze them thoroughly."
"Yes, sir."
As she turned to go, Giovanni added one last command.
"Have the team try again tomorrow."
"Yes, sir!"
...
That night, back at Tree House Ranch, Naoki messaged Mewtwo.
[Naoki:] Giovanni came to the ranch today.
[Mewtwo:] What was he doing there?
[Naoki:] Trying to buy Life Goat Milk. He also proposed expanding Dragonite Express into Kanto and Johto. I refused.
Mewtwo's response came after a pause.
[Mewtwo:] I have no interest in him anymore.
It had long since moved on from its past with Giovanni.
Through years of travel, Mewtwo had come to understand something deeply.
The world was full of people, some like Giovanni, manipulative and self-serving.
But also others like Naoki, or like Ash, people who chose empathy, kindness, and purpose.
As long as the other party didn't interfere with their peaceful life, that was enough for Mewtwo.
Mewtwo: I understand. I won't feel conflicted anymore.
Seeing the message, Naoki replied with a simple thumbs-up emoji.
If Mewtwo had already let it go, why should he dwell on it either?
Naoki brushed the matter aside.
It was now March 27th, Year 202 of the League Calendar. Spring was quietly drawing to a close.
Life at Tree House Ranch carried on like usual. Combee buzzed busily through the air, collecting honey. Butterfree danced among the blooming flowers. Pawmot stood watch over the chicken coop. Alcremie played alongside the Garganacls, while Ogerpon, Calyrex, and the others held an impromptu garden party, black tea and gossip included.
Magnemite, who belonged to Iono, had stayed behind. As part of her streamlined strategy, she had only brought seven Pokémon in total. Six were with her at the gym. Only one Magnemite remained behind, lazily recharging by the living room TV.
The ranch's grass was getting a bit overgrown, so Naoki grabbed the lawn mower from the shed and began trimming it himself.
Nearby, Koraidon and Cyclizar sprawled out in the sun, basking in the warmth of a lazy afternoon.
From across the garden, Ogerpon waved its hands energetically.
"Poni~!"
Naoki laughed. "Don't mind me! You guys just enjoy yourselves."
But something nearby caught his eye.
Not far from Calyrex, four Pokémon stood gathered in a semicircle, watching him with reverence: Wo-Chien, Ting-Lu, Chi-Yu, and Chien-Pao.
The sight was surreal.
They stood there as if... honoring Calyrex.
What was going on?
Noticing Naoki's curious gaze shifting between himself and the quartet, Calyrex calmly offered an explanation through telepathy.
"My charisma drew them in," Calyrex said serenely. "They've chosen to follow me of their own free will."
It turned out that during Calyrex's time tending the garden, the ruinous quartet had sensed his aura and moved by the powerful life force he radiated, pledged themselves to him in silent allegiance.
Just like long ago, when his two loyal steeds, Glastrier and Spectrier, rode at his side.
Naoki was a little stunned.
Were these Pokémon establishing a relationship similar to the bond between Ho-Oh and the Legendary Beasts? Or Lugia and the Legendary Birds?
Now that he thought about it, their reversed forms shared traits reminiscent of Calyrex's own energy… maybe that's why they felt so drawn to him?
The memory of their past, once feared as the Treasures of Ruin, rose to the surface in Naoki's mind, and he nodded in understanding.
"That's a good thing," he said softly.
Maybe one day, the world would tell stories of the Calyrex and his Guardians of Fertility.
Calyrex gave a gentle smile.
Nearby, a floating Polteageist noticed that Calyrex had finished his black tea. It quickly drifted over, gracefully refilled the Sinistea on the table.
Ogerpon and Gholdengo, on the opposite side, also raised the cups in front of them with joy, enjoying this spring tea party with the Calyrex.
"Pon"
...
Meanwhile, far away over the vast ocean, the sea mirrored the sky so perfectly that the horizon seemed to vanish. Puffy white clouds floated across a bright blue sky, their reflections rippling in the still water. For a moment, it was impossible to tell where the ocean ended and the sky began.
A few Wingull glided gently over a small tropical island, perching atop a swaying coconut tree. They turned their gazes toward the open sea, where a massive figure steadily crossed the water.
The creature was Wailord, the largest Pokémon in the ocean.
And riding on its immense back was a regal figure with flame-colored fur, a billowing mane like white smoke, and powerful limbs wrapped with iron bands. A red six-pointed crest marked each cheek, and a golden helm adorned its forehead like a clover bloom.
It was Entei—one of the three legendary beasts of Johto, who had been summoned by Ho-Oh to travel across the sea and meet a certain human.
Now, Entei stood tall on Wailord's back, its stance proud, yet its gaze heavy with solemn thought. The sun beat down, the wind stirred the sea spray, and yet Entei remained unmoved, eyes fixed on the distant horizon.
Two days had passed since it left The Bell Tower.
Thanks to Wailord's steady pace, it was making progress, but slowly.
"Have Suicune and Raikou already reached Paldea?" Entei wondered.
It couldn't fly or run across water. And so it remained aboard Wailord, enduring the sluggish pace across the vast ocean.
It was proud, majestic, and undeniably powerful.
But in this moment, under the endless sun and ever-rolling waves, Entei couldn't help but grumble internally…
"Flying really would've been nice."
...
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