Two more days passed, and a new mission arrived.
An official Team Rocket mber approached Giovanni. "Lord Giovanni, per the new assignnt, you are to accompany the Vipers on a mission. Please follow ."
Giovanni frowned. "Vipers?" The last one, Mondo's squad, had been wiped out, leaving only Archer. Now, it was another squad operation. This was the second ti.
Captain Matt likely wouldn't be intervening again. If sothing happened this ti, Giovanni would have to resolve it himself. A captain was not his nanny; as a pillar of Team Rocket, Matt had his own heavy burdens.
In the past month, Giovanni's own strength had transford— as long as his opponents weren't seasoned, high-level trainers, he now had the power to fight back. And despite the risks, acting with a squad also had its benefits.
"Let's go," he said, closing his door.
The grunt handed him a owth-thed mask. "Please put on your mask. This is a covert operation."
Giovanni frowned but put on the mask. So, Matt really won't be coming this ti.
They arrived at an assembly point where five unfamiliar Team Rocket mbers were already waiting. They looked puzzled when they saw Giovanni; it seed they hadn't been inford of his presence.
"Are you the Captain?" one of them asked.
"No," Giovanni replied casually, looking at the grunt who had led him there.
The grunt leaned in and explained quietly, "The Vipers is newly established. Their Captain was just recently promoted. These mbers are also eting for the first ti."
"Understood," Giovanni nodded. The grunt then took his leave.
The five mbers of the Vipers looked at Giovanni with wary eyes. Though they didn't know his identity, they could sense his status was not low. Perhaps he's the son of so executive? They collectively thought.
Otherwise, why would he be assigned to their squad under such mysterious circumstances? Of course, everything depended on what their Captain would say.
After waiting for about half an hour, the Captain of the Vipers finally arrived. Giovanni looked closely and realized it was a familiar face. It was Archer. Thanks to the two resources—the item from Giovanni and the official supplies he now received—his Arbok had successfully reached an advanced level of strength, and he had been promoted.
He was late because he had gone to Giovanni's room first, only to find it empty. He had their mission data, so he knew Giovanni would be acting with them. Thinking he might have arrived early, Archer had rushed over.
Even with the owth mask, he recognized Giovanni at a glance— but after Giovanni gave him a subtle wave of his hand, Archer showed no sign of recognition.
He walked over and looked at his five new subordinates. Seeing him, they imdiately understood this was their new leader. They quickly saluted.
"Captain!"
"At ease," Archer said, his voice now carrying a new authority. "My na is Archer, Captain of the Vipers, codena: Viper. When on missions, you will only refer to by my codena.
Rember this." He had a military background, and his new rank brought out an iron-willed deanor. His powerful aura made the five mbers imdiately nod.
"Yes, Captain Viper!"
Viper? Giovanni's eyes flickered with interest.
One of the grunts, wanting to make a good impression, stepped forward. "Captain, my na is—"
"Karl, right?" Archer cut him off. "No need. I have all your information. Your nas, your strengths... I know them like the back of my hand."
Karl's face stiffened, and he silently retreated.
"This mission is short," Archer continued. "No need to prepare extra food. We aim to go today and return today." He distributed several data slates. "This is the mission data. Read it on the way."
He handed one to Giovanni. The others watched, trying to gauge their new Captain's attitude towards the mysterious masked boy, but they couldn't make anything out.
Giovanni quickly glanced at the slate and understood. The mission was simple, just one word: "Kill."
Besides accumulating wealth by selling Pokémon, how could a dark organization like Team Rocket not be stained with blood? The assassination business was even more lucrative.
This ti, the target was a businessman whose company was competing with a Team Rocket subsidiary. After failing to acquire his company, the problem had to be solved at its root.
The target himself had no strength, and the bodyguards he could afford were no match for a trained Team Rocket squad.
They were to go today and return today because the man was in Viridian City. Daring to cause trouble under Team Rocket's nose was a death sentence. Such small matters were handled by individual squads; executives and captains wouldn't take action unless absolutely necessary, as exposing their strength would attract the unwanted attention of the Alliance.
Team Rocket was still biding its ti.
Archer took out an Arbok-thed mask and put it on. "Is everyone clear?"
The five grunts put on their own masks and nodded.
"Depart," Archer commanded.
The group of seven quickly left the Viridian Base. As the saying goes, a dark and windy night is for murder— by the ti they reached the outskirts of Viridian City, it was already evening.
The ti for action would be when the night was at its deepest. The Alliance was not yet the powerhouse it would beco. The Officers who would one day plague Team Rocket were still few and far in between.
There was no need to fear being discovered.
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