After Aoki completed the exchange, the staff immediately reported the matter to their superiors in a state of considerable alarm, their voices trembling with the weight of the unprecedented event.

Then his boss, in a similar state of panic, relayed the information directly to Giovanni.

Giovanni, who had been sitting in his office reviewing documents, was genuinely stunned after hearing the detailed report, the papers in his hand forgotten for a moment.

He had thought that Aoki would redeem all of his accumulated points, which was a common enough occurrence, especially given the powerful incentive of a thirty percent discount that few within the organization could ever hope to enjoy.

He had also been mentally prepared to allow Aoki to make a small, manageable profit from the entire transaction, viewing it as a minor cost of doing business with a valuable asset.

But what he absolutely had not expected was the sheer scale of it all...

Damn it, Aoki actually had such enormous savings. He had liquidated hundreds of millions of Pokecoins, converted them all into exchange points at a favorable rate, and then proceeded to raid the resource exchange office's inventory with the efficiency of a seasoned strategist.

"Hehe, it's fine, just let this kid earn a little more. It is of no real consequence in the grand scheme," Giovanni said, taking a deliberate sip of his tea in an effort to calm himself down slightly, though the action did little to soothe his surprise.

"Um... yes, sir!" The flustered person in charge on the other end of the phone was stunned for a moment, not daring to say anything more, his agreement meek and immediate.

However, from this singular event, he could see quite clearly that this particular cadre named Aoki was an individual who could not be made an enemy, even if a close friendship was not possible; his backing within the organization was evidently too strong to challenge.

"It is nearly my scheduled training time. Please bring me the Soil of the Earth I asked your department to collect for me some time ago," Giovanni said, his tone returning to its usual commanding presence.

Known as the Earth-Style Master, the most useful and sought-after things for him were, of course, high-quality ground-type training materials, and the Soil of the Earth was among the best.

"Um... Chief, this... I am afraid it is gone. We no longer have it in the inventory," a voice with a slightly crying, desperate tone sounded on the phone, filled with apprehension.

This specific batch of earth's soil was something Giovanni had ordered them to collect a significant time ago, a task they had finally completed just these past few days before carefully logging it into the main inventory, but he had forgotten to explicitly tell the staff that these particular items were not to be made available for general exchange, given their high price and specialized nature, making them unsuitable for ordinary members.

But who could have predicted that a veritable robber would appear today, one with both the means and the audacity to acquire everything.

Hearing the terrified voice on the communicator, Giovanni frowned subconsciously, a deep line of irritation forming on his brow.

"Forget it, then just bring me the Earth Powder instead. That will suffice for today's session," Giovanni stated, willing to settle for the second best option available, his patience wearing thin.

"Chief... Chief, this... I am very sorry, but this is also gone. It was exchanged as well," the person in charge's voice now truly sounded like he was on the verge of tears, completely overcome with dread.

Prominent black lines of pure annoyance appeared on Giovanni's forehead, his composure cracking.

Just how much did this kid exchange in a single go? The scale was baffling.

Without paying any more attention to the thoroughly frightened and incompetent person in charge, Giovanni decisively hung up the phone, the action sharp and final.

He was so genuinely angry that he really wanted to find someone to beat up, to vent the building frustration.

Thinking of this, Giovanni looked down at the communicator on his desk again, his expression dark and contemplative.

...

On the other side of the base, Aoki returned to his private room with a full load, his bags and containers overflowing with precious materials, a deep sense of satisfaction settling within him.

A thirty percent discount was really, truly great, an opportunity he had maximized to its fullest potential.

Although he had spent a truly colossal amount of money this time, every last Pokedollar had been absolutely worth it for the haul he had acquired.

Aoki had never before had such a profoundly great and comprehensive shopping experience in his entire life, a true spree.

The Team Rocket resource exchange's inventory was effectively directly emptied of its most valuable components, a testament to his thoroughness.

At this particular moment, Aoki was holding a small, reinforced glass box in his hand, which contained a dense mass of rich, yellow, soil-like material that seemed to pulse with a dull energy.

"I truly didn't expect that I would be so fortunate here. I even managed to exchange for a full piece of Soil of the Earth," Aoki murmured to himself, secretly very pleased indeed.

The Soil of the Earth was quite a precious and rare commodity, highly sought after by ground-type specialists.

This thing could significantly increase a Pokemon's innate perception and fine control over ground-type energy, a valuable boost.

Although it was, unfortunately, a one-time use consumable item, its immediate effect was surprisingly and consistently good, providing a dramatic spike in efficacy.

As long as the Pokemon were being actively trained to better control their ground attributes and to utilize ground-type skills, the amplification effect would be great, helping them achieve superior training results much faster and with greater efficiency.

If used solely and specifically during focused training, it had an effect almost equivalent to that of the legendary Earth Plate, though without the permanence.

However, because it was a disposable consumable and could only produce its greatest effect during a single training period, its overall market value was greatly reduced compared to permanent artifacts.

But it was still a very precious material, commanding a high price.

If it could be combined with some other complementary materials, the held items or training props produced would be even better, though Aoki planned to use it raw.

Although his Tyranitar was now a Rock and Dark dual-type, it could still use this thing to great effect, benefiting from the ground-type energy.

And the Swampert he had recently recruited was also a part ground-type Pokémon, making it doubly useful.

So after seeing the material listed, Aoki had bought it without a moment's hesitation, his decision swift and sure.

At thirty percent off, it was a huge profit, an absolute steal!

In addition to these premier items, there were many other high-grade materials acquired. According to the vast amount of materials purchased by Aoki this time, even if the consumption rate of all his Pokemon was adjusted to the absolute highest level, Aoki estimated that he could maintain an efficient, intensive training period of at least half a year within that mysterious unknown space he utilized.

Lying back on his sofa, he felt comfortable both physically and mentally, a deep contentment washing over him.

However, before Aoki could feel entirely comfortable for long, the communicator on his body rang with its distinctive, urgent chime.

When he took it out and looked at the screen, Aoki's face immediately looked a little strange, a knot of tension forming in his stomach.

It was Giovanni again, calling so soon after the exchange.

Could it be that he had exchanged so many things at once and Giovanni had already found out about the depleted inventory?

He felt a little uneasy, a prickle of anxiety.

But after considering Giovanni's famously broad mind and strategic vision, he probably wouldn't care about these what were, to him, "small amounts of money" in the grand scheme of his ambitions.

"Chief, are you looking for me?" Aoki said directly after pressing the answer button, keeping his tone respectful and neutral.

"Are all the things you needed almost ready now? Have you found the information I asked for?" Giovanni said lightly, his voice giving nothing away.

"Yes, everything is prepared," Aoki answered truthfully, unsure of what else to say.

"Then proceed to the private battle hall on the bottom floor and wait for me there. I'll be there very soon," Giovanni said, and without waiting for a reply, he hung up the phone, the line going dead.

Aoki stood there in his room for a moment in a daze, processing the command.

What was the meaning of this?

Did Giovanni want to challenge him to a fight personally?

Aoki's heart tightened slightly at the prospect, a cold dread seeping in.

He couldn't even hope to win against Giovanni's Persian, let alone the rest of his team.

But after thinking about it further, it should be impossible for a man of Giovanni's stature to use Pokemon of that immense level to fight against him, a mere cadre; it would be utterly pointless.

Aoki felt a little relieved at that thought, though the anxiety remained.

Anyway, there was truly no way to escape it now that the order had been given.

It was better to just go down and see what was actually going on.

...

Following the clear signs on the wall, Aoki soon arrived at the very bottom floor of the massive base, which was the primary battle place for base members, usually used to settle personal grudges or conduct sanctioned matches.

However, the battle fields used by ordinary rank-and-file members and those reserved for cadres were of course completely different in quality and size.

He was directed to a specially designed, soundproofed private room, where the ground was made of a much harder, more resilient material than the standard fields outside.

When Aoki arrived there, the room was empty and silent, awaiting its occupants.

He walked around the impressive venue quietly, inspecting it, and found that it was indeed vastly different from ordinary venues, clearly built to a higher standard.

Whether it was the advanced, reinforced material of the ground itself or the carefully regulated environmental controls surrounding the battlefield, it was top-tier.

It was actually beyond Aoki's initial expectation that the Rockets, an organization that famously believed in winning by any means necessary, would possess such a professionally constructed competition venue comparable to those used in the official League tournaments.

"How is it? Is this venue pretty good? I had it built to my exact specifications," a firm, confident voice came from the doorway behind him.

A man wearing a tailored black suit with a large, bold red "R" embroidered on the left chest and a dark red shirt underneath stood there. He had a resolute, strong face, neat short black hair, and a confident, almost smirk-like smile on his lips.

As expected, he was the leader of Team Rocket himself!

Giovanni walked into the room step by step with that same confident smile, without any subordinates following him; he had come entirely alone.

He slowly unbuttoned his suit collar, took off the expensive black jacket, and threw it casually onto a nearby bench, revealing the dark red dress shirt underneath.

Just by looking at his fit, muscular frame outlined by the shirt, one could tell that Giovanni was very strong and tough, a man in his prime.

He was full of energy and purpose, a commanding presence.

He rolled up the sleeves of his shirt neatly and unbuttoned the cuffs that restricted his movements, preparing himself.

At this time, Giovanni was at the very peak of his life and at his most ambitious, his power growing.

At this very moment, his goal was nothing less than to conquer the entire Pokemon world through any means.

If the legendary Mewtwo could truly be fully controlled and utilized, Aoki felt that Team Rocket might actually have a chance to replace the League itself in terms of power.

Just because his name was Giovanni! He was a man who made the impossible happen.