In Viridian City of the Kanto region, a man was sitting in an office, petting his Persian on the head. He had short brown hair and black eyes and was wearing a black formal suit with a white long sleeved button shirt with a red tie at the collar and black dress shoes. The man was frowning as he seemed to be deep in his thoughts about something. Or, rather, someone.

It had been years since Giovanni, the leader of the notorious evil organization known as Team Rocket, had thought about someone else in the sense that he currently was. And, if he was honest with himself, he missed that feeling. Giovanni sighed before opening his drawer and pulling out a photo of himself in his younger days, holding a little girl up on his shoulder. The girl, who was smiling widely as she hugged his cheek, had long honey blonde hair and was wearing a white sundress. Giovanni couldn't help but get lost in her sapphire blue eyes.

"Serena...oh, how I wish I could see you again." he muttered to himself as a tear fell down his right cheek. Giovanni put the photo down on his desk and pulled out another one of Serena, years later, in her performer's outfit, dancing around the stage with Braixen, Pancham, and Sylveon by her side at the Master Class competition. He couldn't help but smile warmly.

"Dang, girl, look at you, all grown up and out of your mother's shadow now!" Giovanni exclaimed giddily. Persian was looking at him, confused. She had never seen her trainer like this before. Giovanni was always a cold and sinister guy, so it was weird seeing him happy over a photo of a girl.

"I was so stupid back then. I traded my happiness away. And for what, exactly?! Power?! To try to take over Alola with that blasted woman and those blasted Ultra Beasts?! To try to take over Kanto and Johto with Mewtwo?! To try to take over Unova with Meloetta and the Forces of Nature?! NO! I never should've listened to that bitch of a mother who even got Team Rocket to try to murder Serena at that summer camp! Thank Arceus for Red's son, Ash, being there for her at that time! I never should've cheated on my ex like that! And in front of her too!" he yelled out in anger as more tears, this time of sorrow, dripped down his face. If Persian wasn't concerned then, she certainly was now.

"Perr?" she purred out as she rubbed the back of Giovanni's leg with her head. He absentmindedly rubbed Persian's back.

"I wish I could have been a better father to Serena. Though, admittedly, it was hard to do that with Grace being so difficult to deal with in regards to training her to be a Rhyhorn racer." Giovanni stated with guilt evident in his voice. The room became silent before the video phone on his desk started to ring. Giovanni picked up the receiver and pushed on a button. When the screen came on, he was stunned by who was on the other side.

"Red?!" Giovanni shouted in shock. Persian growled menacingly at the mention of that name.

"Hello Giovanni...or, should I say, Calem. It's been a long time. I see that you're thinking about your daughter." Red replied with a grim look on his face as he eyed the photo on the desk. Voltage was sitting on his shoulder, looking quite grim as well. Giovanni was too stunned to speak, considering that he was face to face with his old enemy from the Alola days.

After a minute, he let out a deep breath before saying in a sad tone, "Red, it hadn't been long enough. I still hated the fact that I was being mind-controlled by a Nihilego's neurotoxin before you saved me. I still hate the fact that Mom is in control of my life. And I still hate the fact that I can't even see Serena again! It is just so frustrating, you know? I should've been there to halt Grace's attempts at making her do something that she had absolutely no interest in doing. I should've been there to help her make her own choices. I should've been there to support her, no matter what she wanted to do. If, when she turned ten, she wanted to travel around Kanto with Ash, I would've let her go. But no, apparently, I had to do my mother and Lusamine's dirty work while Grace continued to pester Serena into Rhyhorn racing. It makes me sick, Red! Utterly and completely sick!" Giovanni suddenly started to break down, to Persian, Red, and Voltage's shock.

"Wow. I always thought you had a heart somewhere in that cold, sinister body of yours, Calem. But I grossly underestimated just how big that heart actually is. Now I feel bad for having to put this on top of your current problems." he stated, suddenly feeling guilty. Giovanni stopped crying and looked at Red with a cold glare.

"What current problem? I swear to Arceus, if anything happens to Serena, I'm going to snap!" he exclaimed in a threatening tone. Red gulped at the rage before putting his hands up.

"Oh boy, I can see that this is not going to end well." he mumbled to himself in fear. Voltage shivered at that. Even Persian looked afraid, which was unusual for her, considering that she was used to Giovanni getting angry all the time.

"The way you're hesitating, Red, it's obvious that something had happened to Serena. So, spit it out! WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO MY DAUGHTER?!" he yelled out as he clenched a fist.

Red took a deep breath of his own before saying in a scared tone, "OK. Three days ago, Serena got kidnapped by Guzma..."

"WHAT?! DID YOU JUST SAY SHE GOT KIDNAPPED BY GUZMA?!" Giovanni exclaimed, eyes wide in shock. Persian was shaking in fear.

"Yes. And you know what that means, right, Calem?" Red asked seriously. Giovanni gasped as he remembered who Guzma was working for.

"No. No. NO! Please don't tell me that Lusamine injected a Nihilego's neurotoxin into Serena's body! PLEASE! ANYTHING BUT THAT, I BEG OF YOU!" he shouted in a hopeful tone.

Giovanni's worst fears were realized, as Red said with an apologetic look on his face, "I sincerely wished that wasn't the case too, but unfortunately, it is the truth. On top of that, Lusamine adopted Serena!" Giovanni abruptly stood up, absolutely horrified by the revelation.

"WHAT?! NO! Not my girl! NOT SERENA, DAMNIT! Now the Island Kahunas are going to go after her and try to murder her! They don't know how to save her! Though, admittedly, it's almost impossible to do that. I mean, you had to enlist the help of the guardians in order to beat the Ultra Beasts last time. Which reminds me: they don't know that I've faked my own death! So, they probably think that the only way to stop them is by killing Serena!" he screamed out as more tears started to fall down his cheeks. To Giovanni's confusion, Red actually smirked.

"That's what Hala was going to do before a certain trainer knocked out both of his Pokemon in one hit apiece. And I'm pretty sure you can guess who that trainer is. Here's a hint: he has a history with both you and Serena." he stated. Giovanni's mouth dropped wide open.

"No way, you're talking about Ash, aren't you?" he asked in shock. When Red nodded, Giovanni shook his head in amusement.

"Of course. I should've known. Ash was always overprotective when it comes to Serena. After all, he did bring out his aura when Cassidy and Botch or whatever the hell his name is tried to take her away from him. If he was that overprotective then, I'd hate to be Lusamine right now." he stated with deep hatred for the woman evident in his voice.

"Yeah, from what Hala said, Ash even beat Guzma's Darkrai in three moves with a Greninja who can transform into what his friends have dubbed 'Ash-Greninja'. That tells you how serious he is about Serena. And Ash knows that the only way to save her is to beat her Ultra Beasts in a full six-on-six battle. Unfortunately for us, Lusamine is still pretty smart. We'd have to wait for either the semifinals or finals of the Alola League if Ash was going to get a shot at that, assuming that both makes it that far without facing each other before then." Red replied, feeling disgusted at the situation in general. Giovanni smirked at the mention of Greninja before scowling.

"I figured as much. Arceus damn it, we'd have to wait five fucking months to potentially see Serena back to normal?! Yeah, I tell you, this whole situation sucks! And ah, Ash-Greninja. I have heard of him. If you've seen the Kalos League and Crisis like I have, you would know how powerful he is. In fact, it actually does not surprise me that he managed to beat that thug's Darkrai. Though, I am surprised that he did it in three moves. But hey, that just goes to show you exactly how much Ash deeply cares for my daughter. In fact, I can safely say that he loves her. And to be honest, those two are perfect for each other." he pointed out, showing a fondness for Ash that he had never shown to any of his enemies or even allies before. Red nodded in agreement.

"Calem, old friend, I have a piece of advice for you. Take control of your own life for once. Ditch Team Rocket. Reveal your true identity to the world. Go be there for Grace. She needs your support more than ever now. Ash needs your support more than ever too. Be there for him. In fact, don't just do it for them. Do it for Serena...if you truly do love her." he stated sternly. Giovanni was utterly stunned by those words as he smiled warmly. Before he could say anything, however, the office door suddenly slammed open. Giovanni's face became pale.

"Shit, I need to go! Talk to you later!" he exclaimed in a rushed tone. Before Red could react, Giovanni hung up the receiver. He then frowned as he hurriedly put both of his photos in his pocket and looked up to be face to face with an angry woman. She had long black hair and the same black eyes as Giovanni and was wearing a red collared, long sleeved jacket, a black short sleeved shirt underneath it, a black skirt, gray leggings, and red heels.

"Mom..." Giovanni hissed out in a hostile tone. Madame Boss couldn't help but smirk evilly.

"Hello, brat boy. Good to see you too." she said in a sarcastic tone. Giovanni rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"Just cut the crap, Mom! What In the blue hell are you doing here?!" he exclaimed with an edge in his voice. Madame flinched, but never lost her smirk. In fact, it grew wider, which terrified Giovanni.

"Aw, come on, you need to lighten up. I mean, you're always angry-" Madame got interrupted by his fist punching the wooden desk so hard that he drilled a huge hole straight through it. Persian yelped in fear at the sight. Madame, however, didn't look the least bit intimidated.

"Oh, I'm usually not THIS angry." Giovanni stated as he showed her his bloody knuckle. Madame simply shrugged.

"Eh, whatever, brat boy. Anyway, I'm taking a five month trip to Alola. Would you please-" Once again, she was unable to finish her sentence before Giovanni grabbed her throat. Madame gasped in horror at the hateful look on his face as he pulled her closer to him. Persian's face showed a mixture of shock and terror.

"You knew, didn't you?" Giovanni asked through gritted teeth. Madame looked like she was about to scream for help, but he covered her mouth.

"YOU FUCKING KNEW THAT SERENA GOT MIND-CONTROLLED BY A NIHILEGO'S NEUROTOXIN, DIDN'T YOU, BITCH?!" Giovanni yelled out as he slammed her back first into the wall and held her there. Madame winced in pain as she struggled against his strength. After a while, she surrendered. As Giovanni uncovered Madame's mouth, he scowled at the evil smirk that had crossed her face.

"Isn't it great, brat boy? Now your own daughter is under Lusamine's control. We can finally finish what we started nine years ago. In five months' time, the world as we know it would cease to exist! We'd have our own Paradise! And no, you're not going to join us in our Paradise!" she exclaimed with an evil laugh at the end. Giovanni released Madame from his grasp, making her fall to the floor on her butt.

"Good, because I didn't want to live in your pathetic idea of a Paradise anyway." he spat out. Giovanni then motioned for Persian to follow him.

The duo was at the door before Madame yelled out in an urgent voice, "GIOVANNI, WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING?!" The man turned to face his mother with fire in his eyes.

"My name is not Giovanni. Not anymore. My name is Calem. AND I QUIT!" he proclaimed with sheer determination in his voice. And just like that, Calem and Persian ran out of the office, out of Team Rocket's hideout, out of the Viridian City Gym, and into the actual city itself. They kept running until they reached a bench. Luckily for the duo, there were hardly any people around at the time, due to it being really early in the morning. When they finally sat down, Calem took both of his photos out of his pocket and stared longingly at Serena's face.

"Serena...oh, my poor girl. I'm so sorry that you had to get involved in Mom and Lusamine's business. But I swear to Arceus that I will do whatever it takes to help save you. You...have...my...word..." he whimpered before breaking down again. Calem didn't know how long he cried for, but before he knew it, he felt two arms wrap around his waist. Startled, he opened his eyes and turned his head to the right. Calem was even more stunned by who he saw.

"GRACE?!" he exclaimed in shock. Calem rubbed his eyes to make sure that he wasn't imagining things, and to his delight, Grace was really sitting there next to him, actually hugging him. Persian was looking warily at her, but ultimately calmed down upon seeing her trainer so full of happy emotions.

"Hello Cal. It's been ages, hasn't it?" Grace asked with an adorable smile on her face. Calem couldn't help but realize just how much he missed that face.

"What...but...how? How are you even in Kanto? And how did you recognize me?" he stuttered out, still stunned. Grace had a sad smile at the sound of that.

"Well, to answer your second question first, it was that photo of you and Serena that drew me in to you. Only you and I would have that picture." she replied. Calem smiled warmly at that.

"Yeah, only Serena could bring us back together." he admitted with guilt evident in his voice. Grace nodded in agreement.

"As for your first question, I just got here hoping to find you, actually. I was originally supposed to be in Hoenn planning to watch Serena win her final ribbon so that she could get into the Grand Festival. And then she..." She couldn't finish, but Calem knew what she was implying.

"Got kidnapped by Guzma just so her evil grandmother and stepmother could brainwash her with a Nihilego's neurotoxin. Yeah, I know. I just snapped at Mom for that exact reason." he stated in a bitter tone. Grace just looked at him, in awe.

"You just snapped at your mother?! Is that what happened to your hand?" she asked while pointing at his bloody hand. Calem simply shrugged.

"Eh, I drilled a hole through a desk at my office...a place that I'm never, ever, EVER returning to again. I think the desk suffered more than I did." he stated with a chuckle. Grace couldn't help but giggle as she caressed his hand. Calem smiled as he once again realized just how much he missed her. A minute later, he became serious.

"Mom was driving me insane for years now. She forced me to take Nihilego's neurotoxin, which, in hindsight, led to our divorce. She forced me to try to take over Alola with Lusamine and the Ultra Beasts. When that failed, she forced me to take the 'Giovanni' moniker. She forced me to become the leader of Team Rocket. She forced me to steal other people's Pokemon for money. She forced me to create and try to recapture Mewtwo. She forced me to use Meloetta to try to control Landorus, Thundurus, and Tornadus. And if I didn't comply with Mom's wishes, she...she...she was going to seriously injure or possibly murder Serena!" he exclaimed in anger as more tears started to fall. Grace's eyes were wide in horror as she cupped her hand over her mouth.

"Oh, my Arceus, Calem! That's terrible!" she shouted.

Calem nodded before saying in a determined tone, "I never wanted to do any of that evil crap. But now...there is a silver lining in this situation: now Mom CAN'T kill Serena. She needs her alive if she wants any chance of her and Lusamine's plan working. So therefore, she loses that leverage over me." Grace let out a relieved breath.

"Well, at least one good thing came from this terrible situation. So, what are you planning to do now?" she asked curiously.

Before Calem could respond, they all heard a voice very familiar to him and Persian ask, "Boss? What are you doing out here? And with Grace, nonetheless?" He and Grace abruptly stood up at the sight of James and Meowth.

"James, Meowth, what are you two doing here? Did Mom send you after me?" Calem asked harshly, guarding her from them. To James and Meowth's shock, Persian was hissing aggressively at them.

"Uh, no. We just got back from Alola. Why?" James asked, now very confused. Calem's eyes narrowed.

"Then did you, by any chance, see this girl anywhere?" he asked, holding up the photo of Serena the Performer. James and Meowth both gasped in surprise at the sight of that.

"Whoa, hold the phone! Is that Serena?" the Scratch Cat Pokemon asked.

"Yes, Meowth. She's my...no, our daughter." Calem answered with a hint of sadness evident in his voice as he took Grace's hand into his. James and Meowth's mouth dropped wide open.

"WHAT?!" they exclaimed in shock. Calem and Grace both nodded to show that they had heard him correctly. James and Meowth both sweated profusely upon remembering the time when they, along with Jessie, had captured Serena and Bonnie.

"OK, this is awkward..." James said in a very low tone that only Meowth could hear.

He nodded before saying, "No, we didn't see Serena. But we did see her Pokemon. Ash's friend, Lillie, is taking care of them now as we speak. And for your information, we know about what's been going on with her." Calem and Grace smiled warmly at the mention of his stepdaughter.

"Good. They're in good hands then. Say, can you do something for me? It's nothing evil, I promise. I'm way past that now. In fact, I just ditched Team Rocket because Mom is one of the people behind the planning of Serena's intoxication." he stated. A horrified James and Meowth looked at each other, unable to speak. Then they nodded before staring back at Calem with determined looks.

"Well, the truth is, we were going to ditch Team Rocket too. So...how about we make a deal, Boss? If I get all my Pokemon back, we'll help you out." James replied.

Calem smirked before saying, "Deal. Here's what I want you to do. Spy on Team Skull. Spy on the Aether Foundation. Spy on Jessie. Spy on Serena. Spy on Mom. And help Ash out whenever possible. Oh, and guys...don't call me 'Boss' or 'Giovanni' anymore. Just call me Calem."

Meanwhile, Madame was sitting in her office, fuming over the betrayal of her son. She eventually calmed down before picking up the receiver from a video phone and punching in a number. A minute later, Jessie's face appeared on the screen, her eyes glowing red.

"Madame." she said with a smile. Madame smiled back at the daughter of her closest friend.

"Jessie. How's the Thrifty Megamart coming along?" she asked curiously.

"Good. Acerola's still being held captive. And Mimikyu is still training hard. We'll be ready for when the twerp shows up." Jessie replied confidently.

Madame had an evil smile on his face as she said, "Perfect. Ash Ketchum needs to be eliminated as soon as possible."