Good days

"This is your room. You can open it with your ID card. If you need any help, come find me in room 6001."

Axin brought Giovanni to his room and offered a few final words.

Giovanni nodded and thanked Axin.

"All right. Sorry for the trouble, and thank you."

Axin shook his head. "It's all part of my job. It's a task assigned by the organization, and I get mission points for completing it, too."

"That's it, then. You must be pretty tired today. Go settle in and get some rest."

Giovanni waved. "All right. See you."

Axin turned and slowly walked away.

Giovanni opened the door and walked inside.

Although Team Rocket was still far from its peak, the benefits it gave its full members were as good as ever.

There was a kitchen, a bathroom, a bedroom, and a living room, with every furnishing he could need. Several sets of Team Rocket uniforms lay on the two-meter-square bed, giving him changes of clothes.

Giovanni had never dared imagine any of this before, yet it had all become reality as soon as he joined Team Rocket. No wonder so many people joined.

Although Giovanni's entry had been somewhat bloody, at least he was still alive, wasn't he?

And he now had his own Pokémon, his first partner.

"Come on out, Weedle."

Giovanni took the Poké Ball from his waist and pressed the button. A white light flashed.

Weedle appeared before Giovanni, then quickly crawled to his feet and rubbed against his calf.

Giovanni slowly crouched and stroked its body. He did not dare touch its head; that horn was venomous, after all, and he had no desire to die young.

Still, just having its back stroked was enough to make Weedle comfortable.

It happily narrowed its eyes, making "Woo-oh" sounds over and over.

Giovanni took Weedle's food off his back. "Hungry? You only just hatched and haven't had anything to replenish yourself yet. Wait while I open your food."

The food Hera had prepared for Giovanni also came with two bowls, one for him and one for Weedle.

People all said Bug-types were weak, but they were also the easiest to feed.

Other newly hatched Pokémon would be picky about their food, and might even need some Miltank milk.

Giovanni had no way to get any for Weedle right now.

Fortunately, Weedle was not fussy about such things. Once Giovanni mixed the Poison-type food, which resembled cat or dog kibble, with a pile of leaves, it crawled over and began eating with relish.

Ordinary Pokémon Food contained small amounts of Berries.

Poison-type food like Weedle's probably included things such as Pokémon venom sacs.

With Team Rocket's resources, that much was still possible.

In this world, Pokémon still followed the laws of nature among themselves, and the Pokémon League did not interfere with that.

It had only made it a crime for humans to hunt and eat Pokémon, discarding a tradition that had lasted a thousand years.

Most of what humans ate now consisted of the most ordinary poultry, livestock, and cultivated crops.

There were also certain Pokémon and some parts that could regrow which were used as food.

For example, Farfetch'd and its leek, Slowpoke tails, Miltank milk-which went without saying-Krabby claws, Alcremie cream...

There were also the Magikarp that proliferated out of control, but they had too many bones and were not good to eat.

These things tasted good, but one word summed them up: expensive. Ordinary people had no chance to enjoy such delicacies.

While Weedle ate, Giovanni also dug in.

He had not eaten a single bite since waking up. If not for the nutrient solution he had received earlier, he might have fainted from hunger long ago.

The human and Pokémon both buried themselves in their meals, soon polishing off every scrap.

It had been so long since Giovanni had eaten his fill that his stomach felt stuffed. In short, he was thoroughly satisfied!

Days like these could count as the good times finally coming after the hardship.

Giovanni went to wash up, thoroughly rinsing away the blood and grime left on his body.

The bloody red water flowing down the drain, along with the scattered flecks of flesh, proved that everything he had experienced today had been real.

Bang!

Giovanni slammed a fist into the wall, his eyes threaded with red veins. Only after he took a great, ragged breath did his gaze gradually grow firm.

After composing himself, he changed into a new uniform and threw the old one into the washing machine, where it churned over and over.

The bloody water washed out of the uniform, and the bloodstains washed out of the clothes, yet they could never be clean again.

"Woo-oh." When Weedle saw Giovanni come out, it pressed close to him again.

The way it clung to him made it seem as though it regarded Giovanni as its parent.

Giovanni did not rush to train Weedle, although his time was indeed rather tight.

There was not only the third stage of selection ahead, but also Mu Sen's Gang.

He had been lucky to survive this time, mainly because Weedle had forced its way out of its shell. Otherwise, he might already have been dead.

But the next time they met, no matter how inept Mu Sen's Gang might be, they would have hatched a few Pokémon.

Two fists were no match for four hands. If they were surrounded and attacked again, both Giovanni and Weedle would be in danger.

So during these fourteen days, Giovanni and Weedle could only grow as strong as possible, so they could deal with the trouble ahead.

It was also because attacking was forbidden during these fourteen days. Otherwise, Giovanni would have gone to kill Mu Sen right now.

Giving an enemy time to grow stronger was a grave mistake.

Although they could not train, they could not simply sit idle either, not when they had just eaten their fill and had plenty of energy.

Giovanni placed a hand on Weedle and activated his Viridian Force. A faint green light blossomed in his hand.

The Viridian Force turned into streams of green light that flowed into Weedle's body, helping it recover from the damage it had suffered.

Weedle narrowed its little eyes in comfort, too.

Only after a while, when Giovanni felt somewhat drained and his head grew groggy, did he stop.

Looking at Weedle, which had fallen asleep in comfort, he sensed its aura growing stronger, and delight appeared on his face.

He had guessed correctly. Viridian Force could restore Weedle's damaged body and potential, and could even continue strengthening it.

This meant Giovanni possessed a divine ability, one that could raise all the Pokémon he would command in the future to a level comparable to Legendary Pokémon.

He looked at the sleeping Weedle, as though he could already see the god of war it would become after Mega Evolution, capable of fighting a first-tier deity alone.

The only problem now was that he still did not know how to improve his Viridian Force.

A power like this, similar to psychic abilities, could surely be improved. When that happened, it would be even more effective and would not fall behind his Pokémon.

Whatever the case, having a strong physique was certainly a good thing. He would have to explore the rest, and might need a psychic's training methods.

He still did not know about that, but once he was strong enough, obtaining those methods would not be a problem.

He just had to make a trip to Saffron City.

Sabrina certainly had not been born yet, but her parents should be there. When the time came, he could simply seize the methods from them.

There was more and more to look forward to in life.