Catch Feelings, Not Just Pokemon

Just as Haru had suspected, Giovanni had indeed heard what Sabrina said.

Or, more accurately, Giovanni had been watching Iono's livestream...

It just so happened to be his break time.

He spent every day racking his brains over Team Rocket's operations—was it really that unreasonable for him to unwind a little by watching a female streamer?

Honestly, given his status and influence, if Giovanni wanted to have fun, countless options would automatically present themselves.

Granted, he wasn't about to pull a "loli island" stunt like certain someone, but there were plenty of more acceptable forms of entertainment available.

The problem was, all of those took up too much time. Giovanni needed something more lightweight.

Ideally, he could be on break one minute and back to overtime the next.

That was the kind of leisure that suited someone like him—a true corporate slave down to his soul.

So the internet became one of his go-to choices… and yes, that included watching female streamers.

But among them, he only watched Iono. Every other streamer? Not even on his radar.

Because watching Iono wasn't just entertaining—he could also "gather intel on the enemy" and, bonus points, earn respect from his subordinates.

After all, that Haru who frequently showed up on Iono's stream? Team Rocket had marked him as a target long ago.

Keeping tabs on them through Iono's streams wasn't a bad idea at all.

He'd basically turned watching this streamer from a guilty pleasure into a strategic operation.

Sometimes, when Giovanni's subordinates happened to catch him watching Iono's livestream, they didn't think he was slacking off.

On the contrary—they were deeply moved that their boss was willing to endure the unbearable purity of anime-core content in order to fulfill his mission.

He's really doing this? I'm crying, man.

If the boss was putting in that kind of effort, who were they to slack off?

So... Giovanni didn't really know why Iono had decided to stream early today.

But the moment the stream notification popped up, he unhesitatingly set aside his work and clicked into Iono's channel.

Look, being enemies with Iono and Haru ≠ not watching Iono's streams. That's perfectly logical.

At first, he was watching normally, even wondering what kind of new stunt Iono was pulling this time.

But as time went on, something started to feel off.

Why were his own Team Rocket members suddenly showing up on screen?

And in such embarrassing ways?

Granted, that trio had always been kind of a disgrace, but this was public disgrace, in front of countless viewers...

That really didn't align with Team Rocket's corporate values.

Wasn't Team Rocket supposed to be a fearsome villainous organization?

At that moment, Giovanni finally began to reflect: had he perhaps been too lenient with that trio?

Maybe he should push them a bit harder? Then again, they already seemed pretty motivated...

And to make matters worse, Sabrina, their traitorous psychic ninja, had made an appearance.

She opened with a speech full of anti-Team Rocket rhetoric.

That alone wasn't too shocking—but when she started straight-up insulting Giovanni and declared her intent to face him in a final showdown, that was when he couldn't sit still anymore.

He'd seen people defect to the light before. But someone going full white lotus mode this extremely? That was a first.

And this was one of his former Top Three Executives.

This wasn't just betrayal—it called for a decisive counterstrike.

And of course, her defection was clearly tied to that Haru.

Sabrina had been doing just fine under Giovanni's command, yet now she saw him as some kind of mortal enemy?

Over some unpaid overtime? Was that seriously worth going to war over?

Everything he did was for Team Rocket's dream!

Giovanni had no idea how Haru managed to brainwash one of his own into this mess.

But one thing was clear: if Haru wasn't eliminated, he would become a major threat.

Having reached this conclusion, Giovanni stood up from his chair—the decision was made in his heart.

"Someone, come in!"

The moment he spoke, a Team Rocket member in a lab coat swiftly entered his office.

"Boss Giovanni! What are your orders?"

"I'm personally activating the Mewtwo Project. For the human DNA sample, use Haru's—no more debate."

"And remember: before Mewtwo is fully formed, preparations to control it must be complete. We must have absolute dominance over that weapon."

In stories, it's a common trope for villains' bio-weapons or genetically-engineered tools of war to turn against them—because the mind control wasn't perfect, or the brainwashing didn't stick, or whatever ridiculous excuse.

Giovanni hadn't encountered such a case yet, but that didn't mean he wouldn't plan ahead.

Mewtwo was his ultimate trump card.

And he would never allow it to spiral out of control—certainly not over some nonsense.

After hearing Giovanni's declaration, the man in the lab coat immediately lit up with excitement.

"Yes, Boss Giovanni!"

"However, Pokémon created through this method may still be influenced by the deeply imprinted instincts inherited from both their 'parents' on a genetic level."

"While it won't exceed our control, it may exhibit some unusual behavior at times. This is an instinctive trait that comes with Mewtwo's birth."

Giovanni, however, waved off the concern without hesitation.

"That doesn't matter. As long as it remains fully under our control, we're fine. Instinct is something all living beings possess—there's no shame in that."

"In fact, I'd say it'd be more troublesome if it lacked basic instincts for survival and combat."

"Alright, if there's nothing else, then let's get started."

"I can't wait to witness Mewtwo rip both Mew and that man to shreds."

"Yes, Boss Giovanni!"

As he responded, the excitement on the lab-coated man's face grew even more intense.

At long last… was their grand plan finally about to begin?

This was a true Legendary-tier Pokémon, after all. With it on their side, surely Team Rocket could rise to greatness once more.

Watching Giovanni's figure recede into the distance, the man's hands trembled slightly, as though he were already seeing the bright future of Team Rocket shining before his eyes.

---

Meanwhile, as Team Rocket moved to create Mewtwo, the battle between Haru and Iono versus Sabrina was about to begin.

A Grass-type going up against two Poison-types.

Type matchups in Pokémon can be surprisingly complex.

Excluding the rare "Typeless" cases and the Stellatype—which doesn't alter resistances—Game Freak had designed eighteen different types in total, each with its own advantages and resistances.

As a result, when two types clashed, all sorts of interactions could occur.

For instance, Bug-type moves deal double damage to Psychic-types, while Psychic moves only deal normal damage back to Bugs. That's a relatively mild counter relationship.

Go further and you'll reach the classic starter trio dynamic—Water, Fire, Grass.

That's a fully reciprocal triangle. Water deals double damage to Fire, while Fire only does half to Water.

Then there's the extreme case of Dragon vs. Fairy.

Dragon-type attacks deal zero damage to Fairy-types, while Fairy moves hit Dragons for double damage.

Which is why, after the introduction of Fairy-types, Dragon Pokémon basically became their chew toys.

Pokémon like Gardevoir, Tapu Fini... or Azumarill, shot up in prestige because of that.

Under equal levels and double-disadvantage conditions, unless your opponent is brain-dead enough to send out something like Kricketune Man, there's almost no chance of winning.

In short… going up against an opponent with a type disadvantage is usually a dumb move in Pokémon.

And yet, that's exactly what Haru was about to do—facing two Legendary-tier Poison-types at once with a pure Grass-type.

This would be his first official battle in front of a public audience, and barring any surprises, it would likely become his breakout moment.

A master of unfavorable matchups… is still a master!

"Pongpong, now... let's begin our final battle!"

Haru pulled out his Terastal Orb and hurled the glowing sphere toward Ogerpon.

"Terastallize—become the radiant version of yourself!"

Power surged around Ogerpon, completely engulfing her in shimmering white crystal.

Then came the faint sound of cracking—the crystals began to expand.

The light grew blinding. It was alive. It pulsed. It breathed. It grew. And then, one by one, the crystals burst apart.

Shards glittered in the air like scattered petals, refracting rainbows as they fell, silent as a flower rain.

Where the crystal once stood, Ogerpon reappeared.

Her small body now shimmered like glass, and floating before her was a large mask—larger than her own body.

Like Ogerpon herself, the mask was fully crystallized, glowing with a dazzling brilliance.

Yes—this was Ogerpon's Terastallized form.

Ogerpon was the only known Pokémon with multiple special Terastal forms.

Her ability changed depending on which mask she wore.

For example, with the Teal Mask, her Speed increased after Terastallizing. The Wellspring Mask boosted her Special Defense.

You could say she only reached her full potential after Terastallization.

In the games, her masks also had a hidden passive:

As long as she held a mask, her move power was multiplied by 1.2×.

This was one of the reasons she earned the nickname "The Real Baxcalibur."

Of course, that's just in the games—a tactic by Game Freak to push DLC sales.

In reality? Ogerpon was even more outrageous.

In the games, she couldn't 1v4.

In reality, she absolutely could.

"How arrogant. Absolutely arrogant! Using a mere Grass-type Pokémon to oppose me?"

"Where's your real ace? Do you honestly think you can stop me with that tiny plant?"

Still in her hot-blooded psycho-sister mode, Sabrina was clearly enraged by Haru's "disrespect."

"Munkidori, use Sludge Wave on Ogerpon!"

As a Legendary-tier Pokémon, Munkidori and his two toxic partners didn't come with the usual flashy exclusive moves.

However, perhaps to make up for that, he did learn a high-power Poison-type STAB move—Sludge Wave, a move with damage on par with Moonblast.

While it lacked Moonblast's general versatility, it was perfect against Grass-types.

Sure, Munkidori was acting a little hesitant for some reason—but taking down a Grass-type Pokémon should still be well within his ability.

Or so Sabrina thought.

But then—Iono wasn't having it.

"What do you think you're doing? I'm your opponent. You don't get to attack Haru."

"Fezandipiti—use Brave Bird on Munkidori! Flatten that damn monkey!"

Now both Pokémon—who had already been reluctant to fight under the control of these two—were completely bewildered.

In one-on-one fights, they could barely hold their own against Ogerpon, and now their Trainers wanted them to fight each other?

Sure, the humans would walk away fine. But they'd be the ones buried underground for another few centuries.

"What are you doing?! Hurry up and move!"

Seeing the two hesitate, the women pulled out deep purple chains—nearly identical to the ones fastened around the Pokémon's necks.

Sabrina gave hers a shake, glaring at Munkidori.

"Looking like that, huh? What, you want me to pull a hundred rolls on you again?"

Iono, meanwhile, rested her chin on one hand, flashing a shark-toothed grin.

"I'm not that cruel. I'll just use you two as crash-test dummies for Electric-type moves."

These two are insane!

Why did they have more power from Pecharunt than the actual Legendary Pokémon?

Who were the real divine beasts here? Who was the actual embodiment of desire?

Despite their unwillingness, the two Pokémon had no choice but to obey their tyrants.

Because if they didn't, those "punishments" would be far worse.

But before they could act, what they saw was Ogerpon's tiny legs—and the massive thorned club she held in her hands.

"Ogerpon—dodge, then use Swords Dance, and follow up with Stomping Tantrum!"

"Ummaah!!"

Ogerpon's signature move—Ivy Cudgel—was commonly used by Haru.

But since it was a Grass-type move and therefore resisted by Poison, Haru instead had her use the neutral Stomping Tantrum.

It sounded pretty basic, but if it connected… it'd be like a Squire getting hit with a Zaku's minigun. Instant KO.

Unfortunately for the Poison-types—too busy squabbling—they couldn't dodge in time.

And Ogerpon's "stomp" wasn't just a foot—she used her spike-covered cudgel as her foot.

"Gwaa—!"

"Gyaah! Kili-kili—!!"

Even so, a Legendary-tier Pokémon was still a Legendary-tier Pokémon. No matter how weak they were, one hit wouldn't be enough to one-shot them.

They were sent flying into a cliff wall, crashing into it hard enough to leave two deep Pokémon-shaped dents.

Even so, Ogerpon's move stunned the livestream viewers.

"That power… was that really just Stomping Tantrum? How can something so small and cute hit that hard?!"

"A normal Pokémon couldn't do that... And this wasn't even a high-power move! That was just a basic ground-type attack!"

"Wait, wasn't that guy using Terastalization from Paldea? But aren't Terastallized Pokémon supposed to have a giant gem on their head?"

"I dunno. I'm from Paldea and I've never seen that kind of Terastallization before."

"Could it be… a Legendary Pokémon?"

"No way. Absolutely not! You're telling me that bastard of a main character is a Legendary-tamer too?!"

While the battle raged on, Iono caught a glimpse of the rapidly scrolling comments and smirked crookedly.

"That's right. She is a true Legendary. Haru is way stronger than you all think."

"But it's fine. I will win. And once this battle's over, I'm going to absolutely destroy that Legendary-tamer."

"I'm gonna ride him until he cries for mercy—in front of his so-called girlfriend."

"?"

"??"

"..."

Is Lady Iono... okay??

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