The atmosphere was utterly still—silent enough to hear a pin drop.

Logan and Giovanni stood one meter apart, locked in a tense stare. Both men were fully alert, their focus razor-sharp. Despite having the upper hand thanks to Mewtwo, Giovanni didn’t dare let his guard down for even a second.

“Logan, what is it you’re afraid of?”

Giovanni’s smile was no longer the warm and friendly one from the previous day. It now carried a heavy undertone.

Logan sneered, “Then what are you trying to pull, Giovanni?”

“…So you’re finally done with the act?”

Logan’s tone dripped with sarcasm.

Being directly called out for pretending, Giovanni didn’t get angry or flustered. Instead, he calmly admitted, “What gave it away?”

“Oh, just that your acting was so bad it was almost funny. Honestly, Uncle Giovanni, maybe skip high-difficulty roles like this next time.”

Logan was lying, of course. Giovanni’s performance was actually flawless. Had Logan not known Giovanni’s true identity from the beginning, he might’ve really been fooled.

Whether Giovanni believed Logan or not was unclear. He simply sighed and replied, “So I blew my cover when we first met, huh? No wonder you didn’t jump in to save me. I must’ve been quite the joke.”

Though his words were self-deprecating, Giovanni’s expression didn’t change. His face was calm, his smile confident. Slowly, he bowed slightly, one hand still tucked in his suit as the other began to rise.

Logan’s eyes narrowed. He was just about to activate the Master Ball when—

A sudden, thunderous dragon’s roar shattered the tension.

Both men’s expressions changed as they instinctively looked up at the sky, still keeping a wary eye on each other.

A massive Aerodactyl descended from the heavens, its wings blotting out the sun. Afternoon light vanished beneath its shadow, casting the land into a prehistoric gloom—like an era when ancient predators ruled the earth.

“Hahahahahahaha—!”

A loud, manic laugh rang out as the Aerodactyl touched down on a rocky plateau nearby. Upon its back stood a man.

He appeared to be in his twenties, sporting a wild explosion of red hair. Arms crossed and chin tilted proudly, he wore a red cloak fluttering in the breeze. His gaze was arrogant, scornfully surveying both Logan and Giovanni from above.

“Elite Four Commander Lance? What are you doing here?”

Giovanni’s brow twitched. He discreetly took a step back, as if guarding against being caught between Logan and Lance. But the calm composure on his face betrayed no fear—only the calculations of a man hunting for the best solution to escape this tightening noose.

“…”

Logan remained silent. He trusted neither Lance nor Giovanni. Even if the man above shared his surname, Logan didn’t appreciate that arrogant gleam in his eyes. So what if Lance was ridiculously handsome? Logan wasn’t some lovestruck schoolgirl!

Lance’s presence—his prideful gaze—was just plain irritating.

“I should be the one asking you that question, shouldn’t I? Giovanni, Gym Leader of Viridian City—better known as the infamous Boss of Team Rocket.”

As he spoke, Lance shot a glance at Logan, seemingly expecting a reaction. But Logan just stood there, expressionless, as if watching a two-man play.

“Tch. Looks like my plan’s been foiled. Oh well. I’ve had many successful operations and my fair share of failures too…”

Giovanni looked back at Logan, puzzled.

He had always kept his identity hidden—even within Team Rocket, only a select few knew the truth. That Lance found out was understandable, but how did this fifteen-year-old kid see through him?

In Giovanni’s mind, Logan had just moved up a few levels on the threat scale.

If only he’d brought Sabrina along… She was one of the few people who could even partially suppress Mewtwo’s ability to Teleport.

Giovanni let out a soft sigh.

But he was a decisive man. Knowing things were now beyond salvaging, he turned to leave without hesitation. Before he did, however, he approached Logan, who watched him warily.

Giovanni reached into his suit pocket and casually tossed something toward him. “Since fate brought us together, consider this ‘Eternal Moon Stone’ a parting gift.”

Logan caught the object midair. It was a thumb-sized stone with a crescent-shaped mark on its surface, radiating a faint moonlight. At first glance, it looked like an ordinary Moon Stone. But from what Giovanni said, this was something far rarer—an Eternal Moon Stone.

“Be careful around Lance. He’s not as simple as he looks… The Elite Four? They’ve never truly respected the League.”

Giovanni’s words were low, whispered only for Logan to hear. Then he smiled slightly, hands back in his pockets, and walked away without looking back.

Only after Giovanni had walked a hundred meters did Lance finally speak.

“…You’re just going to walk away? You really think that little of me? Aerodactyl—Hyper Beam!”

His voice was sharp and filled with menace.

The ancient dragon under him opened its mouth wide, revealing razor-sharp teeth. Blinding energy gathered between them before a searing white beam burst forth. For a moment, it was as if the light outshone the sun itself. The Hyper Beam tore through the air with monstrous force, carving a deep trench into the earth and slamming into a nearby hill.

“BOOOOM!”

The ground trembled violently, nearly knocking Logan off balance. Dust and debris filled the air as the deafening explosion roared like thunder. Massive boulders tumbled down the mountainside. Gabite immediately moved to shield Logan from the shockwave.

Only once the rumbling stopped did Logan lower his hand from his face and peer into the distance.

Where Giovanni had been, a deep, steaming trench had been gouged into the land. A large portion of the hill had been obliterated, rocks continuing to cascade down with crackling crashes. It looked as if some divine force had simply erased a chunk of the mountain.

Logan’s eyes narrowed. That wasn’t a Hyper Beam—that was a damn intercontinental missile.

But he didn’t believe for a second that Giovanni would be taken out so easily.

Sure enough, as the dust settled, Giovanni stood tall in the path of destruction. A massive Golem stood protectively in front of him, its rocky body glistening like diamond. Giovanni had countered the monstrous Hyper Beam with just one move—Harden.

“…Now’s not the time to fight, Lance.”

With hands still in his pockets, Giovanni cast one last look at Lance and Logan. A sandstorm suddenly swirled around him. And as the sands settled… Giovanni was gone.

Logan slowly turned to look up at the man who shared his last name.

——————–

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep