Chapter 47: Mewtwo

Giovanni stormed into his office, his rage unabated. He couldn't fathom how his own agents had turned against him, but a nagging feeling told him that something was amiss.

As he paced the room, he muttered to himself, "From the looks on their faces, they seemed oddly happy, and there was no apparent reason for them to attack me. It felt more like they were thrown onto me. What is happening today? First, there was that incident in front of the gym, and now this. I need to investigate this, but first, I have to clean myself up."

With that decision, Giovanni set about restoring his composure and appearance, determined to unravel the mysteries that had unfolded that day.

Giovanni entered the bathroom, his anger gradually subsiding. He began to undress and stood before the mirror, examining himself.

Giovanni observed, "Hm, look at this. My beard is growing back again. I should shave it off."

He picked up an electric trimmer, ready to give himself a clean shave. However, to his astonishment, the trimmer suddenly began to vibrate uncontrollably, startling him. In his surprise, Giovanni involuntarily raised his hand, causing the trimmer to shoot into the air before making a crash landing directly on the top of his head. The mishap left him with a bald strip in the middle of his head, akin to a road cutting through a dense jungle.

Giovanni stood frozen in the bathroom, his face contorted with a mix of disbelief and seething anger as he stared at his reflection in the mirror. The bald strip in the middle of his head, separating his remaining hair, sent him into a rage.

His voice roared with fury, "MOTHER F.U.C.KERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!"

Unbeknownst to Giovanni, Gengar had been the mastermind behind this hair-raising prank. Gengar watched the scene unfold, his laughter echoing in the bathroom.

Gengar remarked to himself, still amused, "[Look at this dude, GAGAGAGA. Well, it's time to make our exit before he becomes even more suspicious.]"

Gengar, unsatisfied with his recent antics and still seeking amusement, continued to drift through the various rooms. Unfortunately, each room seemed as mundane as the last, leaving him disappointed. However, his ghostly curiosity led him to a colossal door adorned with a prominent red "Restricted Access" sign.

Unable to resist, Gengar approached the door, fully intending to investigate further. To his astonishment, as he moved closer, an invisible force suddenly pushed him back. Perplexed, Gengar scrutinized the door, realizing that some sort of barrier was blocking his entry.

Gengar pondered aloud, "[Looks like there's a barrier here. How am I going to get inside?]"

Gengar contemplated his options for overcoming the barrier, and then a mischievous grin crossed his face.

Gengar exclaimed with a chuckle, "Haha, why bother going through it when I can go under it?"

With that, he phased through the floor and emerged inside a room filled with computer equipment. Gengar's ghostly form allowed him to explore freely, and he began to survey the array of computers. Among the data on the large display screens, he found various metrics and heart rate readings, but they didn't make much sense to him.

As he ventured further into the room, his curiosity was piqued when he came across an unknown Pokémon ensconced within a contraption of machines and wires, all connected to the surrounding computers. Gengar, intrigued by this mysterious sight, moved closer to investigate.

Gengar floated up to Mewtwo, which stood eerily still without any discernible movement. Determined to get a reaction, Gengar playfully tapped Mewtwo's shoulder, expecting the usual startle and subsequent prank-induced responses. But to his surprise, there was no reaction from the Psychic-type Pokémon.

Unperturbed, Gengar tried once more, tapping Mewtwo's shoulder with a little more force, but still, there was no response. Gengar then dispelled his invisibility, appearing right in front of Mewtwo, expecting to catch a glimpse of shock or curiosity in its eyes. However, Mewtwo remained motionless, its gaze fixed on some distant point.

Growing increasingly perplexed and frustrated, Gengar decided to resort to humor. He contorted his features into a series of comical and bizarre faces, hoping to provoke at least a hint of a reaction from Mewtwo. Yet again, his efforts yielded nothing, and Mewtwo remained unresponsive, as if locked in a deep trance.

Gengar scratched his head in bewilderment. "[Hmm, is this some kind of statue? It's not moving at all, but I can sense that it's alive, so it can't be a statue. Plus, I've never seen a Pokémon like this before.]"

Gengar's curiosity deepened as he gazed at the mysterious Pokémon before him. Despite his best efforts to recall any information about this unfamiliar creature, his mind drew a blank, leaving him in a state of puzzlement and intrigue.

Gengar's curiosity continued to gnaw at him, but a sudden realization struck him.

Gengar pondered, "[What could this be? Wait a minute, I think Master sent me here to investigate this mysterious Pokémon. I should return and report everything I've seen to Master as quickly as possible.]"

With that decision in mind, Gengar swiftly phased into the ground and vanished from the room. He departed from the Viridian Gym, making his way toward the Pokémon Center to share his discoveries with Julian.

Meanwhile, back at Team Rocket's headquarters, Giovanni was meticulously tending to his hair, which appeared pristine, as if no mishap had befallen it at all.

Giovanni sighed in exasperation. "I'll have to put on that ridiculous wig to conceal the mess from earlier. But why are these bizarre incidents happening today? First, the incident with the guard, then those two fools inexplicably attacking me, and now this. It all seems too orchestrated to be mere coincidence. I hope whoever or whatever is behind this never crosses my path, or I'll make them regret it."

As Giovanni was adjusting his wig, he suddenly heard a knock on the door. Quickly, he straightened himself and called out, "Come in."

A female Team Rocket agent, the same one who had been observed leaving Giovanni's office by Butch and Cassidy, entered the room. She appeared visibly nervous, unsure of how to deliver her report to Giovanni. Giovanni, ever observant, narrowed his eyes as he detected her anxiety.

Giovanni inquired, "What's the matter, Rebecca?"

After a brief internal struggle, Rebecca finally mustered the courage to speak.

Rebecca blurted out, "Boss, all the Pokémon we captured this month... they've escaped."

Giovanni's face contorted with disbelief and rage.

Giovanni thundered, "WHAT?"

Giovanni, overcome with shock and anger, suddenly rose from his seat, slamming both hands onto the desk. The force of his actions caused his wig to tumble from his head, revealing his new hairstyle to a startled Rebecca. She couldn't help but wonder.

Rebecca's thoughts raced, 'Was his hairstyle the same when we carried out that mission? That means he was wearing a wig all that time.'

Giovanni swiftly recognized the situation and hastily placed the wig back on his head.

He demanded, "What do you mean they all escaped?"

Giovanni swiftly redirected the conversation, and Rebecca, displaying her intelligence and cunning, readily followed suit.

Rebecca reported, "It appears the Pokémon managed to break free from their cage and dug a tunnel to escape underground without triggering any of our surveillance."

Giovanni's brow furrowed with disbelief as he responded, "How is that even possible? The Pokémon inside weren't strong enough to break the cage."

Rebecca nodded in agreement. "You're absolutely right, Boss. It appears that the escape was orchestrated by a Pokémon, and a powerful one at that."

Giovanni raised an eyebrow. "A Pokémon?"

Rebecca continued her report, explaining, "Yes, Boss. Upon investigating the cage door, we discovered that the steel had been slightly melted upon direct contact. Furthermore, there was a visible fist print, suggesting the use of a Fire-type move from the outside

Giovanni leaned forward, his interest piqued. "Did you manage to retrieve any footage from the CCTV cameras in that room?"

Rebecca hesitated briefly before responding, "No, Boss. It seems that this Pokémon is exceptionally clever. It either redirected the cameras or disabled them."

Giovanni's expression darkened as he processed the information. "So, you're telling me that a solitary Pokémon infiltrated our base, caused chaos, and freed the captured Pokémon, all without anyone noticing?"

Giovanni's frustration continued to mount, and he clenched his fists as he fumed over the disastrous events of the day.

Rebecca continued, "Sir, we've reached the conclusion that the Pokémon responsible for infiltrating the base was a Ghost-type."

Giovanni's curiosity was piqued. "A Ghost-type?"

Rebecca explained further, "Yes, even though we couldn't capture clear footage of it, we did notice some anomalies in certain camera recordings. There were moments when a blur appeared on the screens, indicating that the entity was passing through walls, suddenly materializing and dematerializing as it moved from one location to another. We strongly believe it was a Ghost-type Pokémon, and a highly powerful one at that."

Giovanni muttered in anger, "A freaking Ghost-type Pokémon. It all makes sense now—those incidents with the guard, those two imbeciles, and the bathroom mishap. I was manipulated by a mere Pokémon, humiliated and left in this wretched state. Just you wait, when I find you, you won't escape next time."

With determination, Giovanni vowed to track down the elusive Ghost-type Pokémon responsible for the chaos that had befallen him and Team Rocket that day.