Every word Giovanni spoke struck Lin Yan's heart like a drumstick, hammering it again and again. His heartbeat quickened, and he felt as though his blood were flowing backward, a chill creeping down his spine.
His hand instinctively reached for the Poké Ball at his waist. A moment later, however, he quietly withdrew it from midair and slowly raised his head, calmly looking at the lionlike man reclining in the high-backed chair above him.
He admitted that he had underestimated Team Rocket's intelligence-gathering abilities. He had thought his cover was flawless, when in truth it was riddled with holes.
But Lin Yan also knew that they might have obtained all his information as soon as he joined Team Rocket.
The fact that he had made it safely through the recruitment trials and used Team Rocket's channels to strengthen his Pokémon meant that the man before him would not simply take his life. There had to be something he needed Lin Yan to do.
If he showed too much panic or cowardice now, he would surely lower his value in the other man's eyes.
As long as he had value, he could survive in organizations like these!
After everything they had experienced, Ye Lan was not the only one who had continued to grow. Lin Yan's resolve was also long past that of the downtrodden high school student he had once been.
"I like the ambition in your eyes, Chi Yan. To think the Shadow Team let someone like you escape."
"If I were them, once I decided to act against you, I would eliminate you at any cost and leave no loose ends."
Giovanni's faintly mocking voice reached him, yet it eased the tension in Lin Yan's expression.
At this moment, the difference between being called "Lin Yan" and "Chi