Chapter 57

For the last couple of days, Giovanni has kept himself hidden in his office. He's been racking his brain, trying to remember what he has forgotten. Hour after hour, he has stayed on his desk and glared at the wall with his hands together and close to his mouth. He doesn't eat much, and he barely sleeps. Persian lies next to him and stares at the man worriedly. Every now and then, it would nudge Giovanni's side, only for its master to rebuke it harshly. The classy cat Pokemon is deeply distraught by the way its owner has been acting more surly than normal without knowing why.

Suddenly, there is a knock on the door, and Giovanni's eyes turn to it to see Matori, Dr. Zager, and Agent Basker enter the room before Giovanni could say a word.

"What are you three doing entering without permission?" Giovanni growls venomously. "Dr. Zager, your and your people are to stay in your lab until called for."

"We are aware of that, sir," Dr. Zager says, ignoring his boss's demeanor. "But Agent Basker has some crucial information."

"Unless it has to do with us not remembering anything, I could care less what Trent has for me," Giovanni says carelessly.

"Trust me, sir," Agent Basker says, ignoring that his boss referred to him by his old name. "What happened to our memories is only a fraction of what you need to know."

"It's true, sir," Matori says, stepping in. "I've seen what he has to show myself. I swear on my position here in Team Rocket, it is important that you look into this."

Giovanni raises an eyebrow at his assistant. She had never been known to vouch for anybody much be willing to risk her job. He glares at her to make sure there is no hint of her lying for a moment before he sighs.

"Very well, but you better be true to your word," he says.

"Believe me, she is," Agent Basker says bluntly before he takes out a cord attached to his robotic arm and plugs it into Giovanni's computer. "This first video took place several months ago. Apparently, around this time, Team Flare was disbanded, and Lysandre was killed during his attempt to destroy the world."

Giovanni smirks, amused before he says, "I definitely don't recall something like that, but it figures that fool Lysandre would eventually destroy himself."

Agent Basker nods in agreement before he presses a few buttons on his arm, and a holographic image appears. The video is shown from Agent Basker's point of view, and he is walking to Giovanni's office with Dr. Zager. Matori sends them in, and they enter to see Giovanni sitting on his desk with an evil look of bliss on his face.

"Sir!" The Basker and Zager on the video shout as they salute.

"At ease, gentlemen," The Giovanni on the screen says calmly with a grin. "By now, you two have heard of how our team in the Kalos region has vanquished Team Flare?"

"Yes, sir," Dr. Zager replies with a hint of confusion in his voice. "But are you sure it really was Jessie, James, and Meowth who took down Lysandre?"

"I am," Giovanni answers, confidently. "And now that all of our rival organizations are gone, that makes Team Rocket the only one standing as it should have been from the beginning."

"Yes, sir," Agent Basker says with a nod. "Does that mean you have a plan to further our cause for world domination."

Giovanni's grin grows, and he says, "Yes, I do. In fact, there is a recent development reported by our agents in the archeologist community that might give us exactly what we need to control every single Pokemon and rule the world in one swift stroke."

Agent Basker and Dr. Zager look at each other intrigued before they turn to Giovanni.

"Tell me, gentlemen, have either of you heard of the legend of the Gieldanstone?" He queries.

Basker and Zager look confused and shake their heads.

"I thought not. It's not a well-known legend," Giovanni says. "The Gieldanstone is a white jewel that can control Arceus."

"Control Arceus?" Dr. Zager repeats, surprised. "You mean like the ancient red and blue orbs that can be used to control the legendary Hoenn Pokemon, Groudon, and Kyogre?"

Giovanni lets out a loud laugh and says, "No, nothing like those trinkets. I'm talking about a stone so powerful that the oldest Pokemon in all of existence will obey the will of anyone who wields it without question. As in there once was a king in ancient times who wielded the Gieldanstone and used its power to make Arceus destroy his enemies and build himself an empire out of fear."

Giovanni's eyes start to widen in surprise. The way the him in the video described the Gieldanstone sounded like the most amazing thing he has ever heard in his life. Agent Basker smirks, knowing that he has his boss's attention as the video continues.

"If it's so powerful, then what happened to it?" The Agent Basker on the screen asks.

The Giovanni on the screen scoffs and waves his hand as he turns his chair around to look out the window behind him.

"The foolish king destroyed himself with his own weapon, and the survivors feared and respected Arceus like a deity so much that they hid it and swore never to speak of it again," he says. "Ever since then, the stone has been believed to be a myth that few to no one knows about. No one knows where it is hidden until now."

Basker and Zager look at each other again before their leader continues.

"According to our agents among the archeologist community, a well-known archeologist named Brandon claims to have found the location to where the Gieldanstone is hidden," Giovanni says. "We are going to find Brandon and force him to lead us right to it."

"And then we use Arceus to obliterate our enemies?" Agent Basker assumes.

"Oh no, Agent Basker. I have something far better in mind," Giovanni answers. "You see, Arceus is a normal type, but it has 17 elemental plates in its body, one for each of the other Pokemon types. We are going to build a machine specifically designed to control all the Pokemon in the world of whatever type a Pokemon is inside the machine is."

"Meaning if, for example, we put a poison or a steel type Pokemon in this said machine, all the Pokemon in the world who are that type will be under our control?" Dr. Zager says.

"Exactly," Giovanni says, turning his chair back to face his minions. "So if we were to get our hands to obtain the one Pokemon in the whole world who can change into all types…"

"We would have control over every single Pokemon in the entire world," Agent Basker finishes.

"Correct," Giovanni says. "And this is where you two come in."

"Ah, I think I understand, sir," Dr. Zager says, smirking. "You want us to build this machine."

"Yes!" Giovanni hisses with an evil grin. "I am counting on your team to use all the technology he has on controlling Pokemon from past operations and use it to build the machine."

Dr. Zager smirks and says, "This all sounds like a magnificent plan, sir, but I'm not inherently sure we have the right technology to do something like that for a Pokemon as powerful as Arceus."

"You don't yet," Giovanni corrects before turning to Agent Basker. "That's where you come in, Agent."

"Sir, what do you want from me?" Agent Basker asks eagerly.

"Team Flare produced a machine powerful enough to control two Zygarde," Giovanni explains. "You are to sneak into their headquarters and gather all blueprints and other information revolving around that machine. It should be more than enough of what Dr. Zager needs to prepare for our own machine to use on Arceus."

"I'll leave at once, sir," Agent Basker says hastily. "I will not let you down, I swear it."

"See that you don't, Trent," Giovanni says. "This is the most important operation in all of Team Rocket. We do this right, and the entire world will forever be in our control."

"Sir!" Agent Baskar and Dr. Zager say simultaneously before they turn around to leave, and the video ends.

Giovanni stares at where the holographic screen was in awe. The way the Gieldanstone was described by himself in the video made him eagerly want to get his hands on it like a prospector hearing about a river full of gold.

"Did your eye happen to record more of what happened during this operation?" He asks Agent Baskar.

"Yes, sir. Down to the very moment we were stranded in the middle of headquarters grounds," Agent Basker says with a grin.

"Show me," Giovanni hisses. "Show me everything!"

"With pleasure," Agent Basker says.

The cyborg presses a couple more buttons, and the hologram projector starts playing more videos and images that he has recorded over the last several months. From Agent Barker's findings in Kalos, to Giovanni informing him that Timothy Durbin and the International Police were leading Jessie, James, and Meowth to Brandon and the Gieldanstone, to his findings that the three of them lied about defeating Team Magma, Team Aqua, Team Flare, Team Plasma, and Team Galactic and that a teenage, raven-haired boy was behind all of it. Giovanni took in all the information, not diverting his eyes from the screen for one second.

Eventually, the video turns to everyone at Team Rocket headquarters outside to watch Agent Basker and Dr. Zager use a wild Vilpix to brainwash a cage full of wild fire Pokemon to show that their machine is finished. After that, Giovanni steps in and says his long speech regarding how Team Rocket began and elaborating on the entire operation to everyone. All the members cheered before they dispersed to get ready to go to the exact location of Brandon and the Gieldanstone.

By the time the video changed to the entire combat unit is hiding by a large pyramid and some ruins, Giovanni is at the edge of his seat. Even Persian is intrigued as it watches the video with its master. The two of them wait patiently before Looker, Timothy, Coovers, Electchu, Poliwrath, Shockwave, Gengar, Odyssey, and Brandon leave with the chest containing the Gieldanstone. Team Rocket then ambushes them, and Timothy takes out the rest of his Pokemon while Brandon and Coovers take out all of their Pokemon. Giovanni is demanding the stone, but they are refusing to give it to him. Suddenly, Team Rocket is surrounded in a blue aura, and they are lifted into the air, unable to move. A strange figure covered in a brown cloak and hood flies toward Giovanni and tells him that he will be stopped, and he won't even remember the figure. The mysterious being then waves its hands, and Giovanni disappears with a flash before other Team Rocket members begin to disappear one by one. The Agent Basker in the video turns to Timothy Durbin and screams for his revenge before the image turns white, and he is suddenly on the grounds of Team Rocket headquarters with everyone else. The machine is no longer where it was, and neither Agent Basker, Dr. Zager, or Giovanni have any memory of what they are doing.

The video ends, and the projector turns off while Agent Basker detaches the cord from Giovanni's computer and puts it back inside his arm. Giovanni frowns, and he puts his hands together again as he processes the information.

"Do you have any theories as to what that cloaked figure is?" He asks.

"A few," Dr. Zager answers. "The most probable one is that it is a Pokemon of sorts with incredible psychic powers. Based on what it said to you, it seems to know enough about us that it was on to our plans and most likely destroyed the machine as well, knocking out my team and me."

"I see," Giovanni says, deep in thought. "But what about the Gieldanstone?"

"I took the liberty of contacting our agents inside the headquarters of the International Police before we came in," Matori says. "They've reported that Looker has recently returned there, and he carried a small chest to their most secure vaults hidden below. He refused to tell anyone what is inside, but the way they described the chest matches the description of the one containing the jewel in Agent Basker's last video."

"How secure is their vault?" Giovanni asks.

"If it were any human or Pokemon in the world, it would be impossible," Matori says before she grins. "But our agents there know every flaw in their security."

"Excellent," Giovanni says with a grin. "I want all the information they have concerning their safe on my desk immediately. We must begin making plans to liberate that stone at once."

"Right away, sir," Matori says before she exits the room.

"What about this cloaked figure somehow comes to stop us?" Dr. Zager asks. "This mysterious Pokemon or whatever it is seems to know so much about us that it might stop us again if we go after the stone."

"A fair question, Dr. Zager," Giovanni says. "I suggest you and your team begin creating countermeasures from any psychic powers it might use on our agents out there. If this supposed Pokemon does come, I want our agents to capture it alive while they retrieve my jewel. Once they are done, I want you to use any information Agent Basker still has regarding the machine you built for Arceus and start rebuilding it. Spare no expenses."

"Yes, sir," Dr. Zager says before he leaves the room.

Giovanni turns to Agent Basker, and he grins at the cyborg man.

"Anything you want me to do, sir?" Agent Basker asks.

"Apart from giving Dr. Zager all the information he needs for the machine, yes," Giovanni says. "My direct order to you is simply this: be proud."

"Sir?" Agent Basker asks, confused.

Giovanni stands up and walks over to Agent Basker with an evil, pleased grin.

"I must admit I thought you a mere pawn before and after you lost your eye and leg," Giovanni says. "I did not care how hard you tried to show your worth even when you collected valuable information with your robotic eye and arm. But now that you've given me the most valuable pieces of information I will ever need, you've shown your worth, and it's more than I would ever ask for."

Agent Basker stares at his leader, unable to know what to say. Giovanni places his hands on both of the cyborg's shoulders and continues.

"From this day forward, you will never be called Trent Lane ever again," he declares. "Your true name now and forever will be Basker."

Agent Basker's eyes widen in disbelief. He can't believe the words that came out of Giovanni's mouth. After several seconds, he recollects himself and proudly salutes his leader.

"Sir, thank you, sir!" He says.

Giovanni nods with a smirk and says, "Now go to Dr. Zagar's lab and give him all the information you have."

"Yes, sir!" Agent Basker replies before immediately leaving the room.

Once the cyborg man leaves and it's just Giovanni and Persian again, the leader of Team Rocket grins and lets out an evil heart laugh. Persian smirks for its master as Giovanni returns to his chair and starts stroking his pet.

"The Gieldanstone. What a magnificent treasure," Giovanni says. "To think that I came close to obtaining something so powerful that I would finally achieve my goal."

"Meeoooowww," Persian meows.

"This information lifts my spirits, my pet," Giovanni says. "Soon, I will have the key to command the powerful Arceus itself and use it to control all the Pokemon in the world. All of humanity will bow to my majesty, and the world will finally be mine."