Xiao Yan looked at the Middle-Aged Man and still did not say a single word.
"Consider it agreed then, my name is Giovanni." The Middle-Aged Man named Giovanni reached out his hand toward Xiao Yan, and Xiao Yan instinctively extended his still-trembling hand to shake it.
Giovanni first flashed a smile at Xiao Yan, then said to the three Team Rocket members who had been hiding in the corner.
"Help your superior heal his Pokémon, then bring him to his office afterward."
"Understood!" Following that, Giovanni walked out.
(This person has potential; his strength will definitely become formidable in the future.)
The three Team Rocket members walked over to Charizard's side, took out several bottles of potion from the medical kits in their hands, and set to work treating Charizard on the spot. Meanwhile, Xiao Yan looked on anxiously at the scarred Charizard from the side.
(I'm sorry. You followed me, yet I always end up getting you hurt. I promise you, this is the last time. I will definitely grow stronger together with you and help you become a powerful Pokémon.)
A few minutes later, Charizard flew over to Xiao Yan's side with great vitality, and the wounds on its body had completely healed. At this, the heavy stone in Xiao Yan's heart seemed to have been put down, and his complexion was no longer as pale as it had just been.
"Lord Xiao Yan, let's go!"
Immediately, the Team Rocket personnel brought Xiao Yan to the office and left on their own beforehand, leaving him alone in the room. Xiao Yan was quite shocked by the sight before him: a statue of himself, a giant water fountain, luxurious bathroom fixtures, and numerous new gadgets he had never seen before.
"The newest model of Pokémon incubator?" Xiao Yan walked in front of a device:
Xiao Yan simply placed the egg given by the man in black onto it at random. He saw the egg shake continuously, followed by a burst of white light. A crack appeared on the eggshell amidst the white light, and a Pokémon emerged from the egg. After the white light receded, a Riolu was sitting on top of it, and the very first thing it saw when it opened its eyes was Xiao Yan.
Xiao Yan picked up the newly hatched Riolu, whose body was still smeared with thick, viscous egg fluid. Xiao Yan took out a clean piece of cloth to wipe down Riolu's body. Throughout the process, Riolu kept acting affectionately toward Xiao Yan; it seemed to really like him.
"Riolu, come with us!" Xiao Yan held an empty Poké Ball in his hand, and Riolu gently touched the Poké Ball, thus allowing itself to be caught by Xiao Yan.
Because he was already carrying six Pokémon on him, the seventh Pokémon was automatically transferred to the Professor's place for safekeeping.
A few minutes later, Xiao Yan placed the egg given by Xiao Ming (the poor fellow whose 98-game winning streak I terminated) onto it.
Before long, out came a Squirtle that similarly opened its eyes and recognized its daddy. Xiao Yan finished wiping down its body just like before and caught it.
Right then, the sound of Team Rocket members came from outside the office door.
"Lord Xiao Yan, Boss Giovanni told me to take you to participate in this operation. I heard it's very important." A Team Rocket grunt reported from outside the door.
"Alright!" After tidying up a bit, Xiao Yan followed the Team Rocket members out to execute the mission.
Several hours later.
Xiao Yan, along with a group of about a hundred Team Rocket members at the scene, arrived at a small village.
"As it turns out, we've detected the presence of the Legendary Beast Entei here."
While someone was reporting this matter to Xiao Yan, a Pokémon with reddish-brown fur walked out from the bushes, and Xiao Yan took a closer look and felt this Pokémon looked very familiar.
"Lord Xiao Yan, that's Entei."
"Begin the capture operation immediately." Giovanni walked out from the crowd and commanded the people at the scene. At that moment, a net laced with electricity snared Entei. Entei tried to break free but was shocked by the electricity, wearing a painful expression.
"You can't hurt him! He's our village's guardian deity!" A little girl who looked to be about five or six years old ran in front of Entei to protect him.
"Little Sister, the adults are working. You don't need to meddle." A Team Rocket grunt rudely kicked her. At that moment, Xiao Yan's body instinctively moved to protect Little Sister.
"Flamethrower." Instantly, Charizard suddenly appeared before everyone and launched an attack at the rude grunt who had just kicked Little Sister. That Team Rocket member didn't have time to dodge and was burned by the raging flames until nothing was left but ashes.
"Xiao Yan, are you going against me?" Giovanni walked out in front of the crowd and said angrily.
"Although I have already agreed to work for you, I cannot stand idly by and watch that little girl get bullied, nor am I willing to see a Pokémon suffering!!!"
"In that case, those who stand in my way shall die!!!" Giovanni roared at Xiao Yan, calling out Nidoqueen. Charizard recalled the memories of being brutally tortured by Nidoqueen previously the moment it saw her, and it took a few steps back.
"Charizard, don't be afraid. This is our battle."
(I won't let you suffer that kind of hurt again. I believe in my Charizard, and I also believe in miracles.)
"Nidoqueen, Mega Punch."
"Charizard, fly up." When Nidoqueen was more than ten meters away from Charizard, Charizard flapped its wings and flew into the sky to dodge Nidoqueen's attack.
"Charizard, Fire Spin." Charizard's eyes flashed with a red glow, and then it used Fire-type energy to form a Fire Spin around Nidoqueen, trapping her within it.
"Nidoqueen, Hyper Beam." Xiao Yan didn't expect that Nidoqueen could actually move under such circumstances. Charizard was hit square-y by the Hyper Beam and plummeted downward.
"Charizard!" Xiao Yan immediately rushed over, acting as a human cushion to break the impact for Charizard. However, Xiao Yan got hurt as a result, leaving a streak of blood at the corner of his mouth. Charizard looked guiltily at the blood flowing from the corner of Xiao Yan's mouth.
"It's fine. Go ahead and fight with peace of mind. No matter how many times you fall, I will catch you." Xiao Yan gently stroked Charizard's face.
"Haha, that makes me laugh my fur off. Kid, I'll let you catch it until you drop dead. Nidoqueen, finish him!"
Right then, Charizard's eyes turned blood-red and it let out an angry roar toward the sky. Fire-type energy continuously gathered together, and then a Fire Blast struck toward Nidoqueen.
The next second, Nidoqueen's Thunder Punch and Charizard's Fire Blast collided and exploded, creating smoke that completely obscured everyone's vision. After the smoke cleared, Charizard was seen standing upright and tall in the arena, while Nidoqueen beside it had lost its ability to battle and was lying on the ground.
"Charizard, we did it." Xiao Yan hugged Charizard and laughed.
"He's a lot like me when I was younger. Just when on earth did I start to change?" Giovanni gazed at the boy hugging Charizard and Nidoqueen lying on the ground.
Subsequently, Giovanni silently walked up to Entei and unbuckled the net for him.
"Xiao Yan, this battle was magnificent. At any rate, I am also a Gym Leader. Take this Viridian Gym Badge." Giovanni held a Gym Badge in his hand, ready to hand it to Xiao Yan.
"I don't accept badges given by the boss of Team Rocket."
"Is that so..."
Giovanni called a Team Rocket member over.
"Starting today, Team Rocket is officially disbanded. Tell everyone that these past years, thanks for the hard effort." "Huh? Boss."
Then Giovanni looked at Xiao Yan with a smile.
"Alright! The one giving you the badge now is not the boss of Team Rocket, but a Gym Leader."
Xiao Yan accepted the badge from Giovanni's hand.
"And this is a Master Ball. Although there is only one, I hope it can help you. The time is almost up, and I, too, am going to set out on a journey once again with my Pokémon. Until we meet again."
"Mr. Giovanni, thank you for your care during this period of time!" Xiao Yan gazed at Giovanni's retreating back and bowed deeply.
(Xiao Yan... I've remembered this name. You will definitely become a great Trainer in the future. When that time comes, I truly look forward to having another Pokémon battle with you.)
Before you continue