Clashing with Mu Sen's Gang

Aside from the few boys Giovanni had chosen, the others actually had no idea that he could help hatch Pokémon.

It made sense. No one would be kind enough to help their own rivals.

What they felt instead was the deepest malice. Every person who failed to hatch a Pokémon meant one less rival.

Giovanni had considered that possibility, and it turned out he had guessed right.

In the blink of an eye, fourteen days passed.

That day, just as Giovanni finished breakfast with Weedle as usual, the doorbell, which had rung once before, rang again.

Giovanni straightened his clothes, recalled Weedle into the Poké Ball, and opened the door.

Outside stood a Team Rocket member responsible for notifying the youths to assemble. As it happened, he was someone Giovanni knew: Axin.

Giovanni gave him a faint smile. "Mr. Axin, what a coincidence."

Axin shook his head. "No, I specifically traded assignments with someone so I could come tell you to assemble."

Giovanni looked at Axin thoughtfully and said:

"We aren't that close, are we, Mr. Axin? There was no need for you to come notify me personally."

Axin did not answer Giovanni's question. He simply asked him:

"How are you going to deal with that gang of boys? You probably can't manage it alone, can you?"

Giovanni locked the door and headed outside. "Naturally, I have a way. What? Don't you have faith in me, Mr. Axin?"

Watching Giovanni's retreating figure, Axin followed him. From Giovanni's words, he already felt as though the end had come for Mu Sen's Gang.

"I believe in you. I'm just curious about how you'll do it."

His words surprised Giovanni a little. After giving Axin a long look, Giovanni said calmly:

"Just wait and see."

Along the way, Axin called out more youths one after another. They had all hatched their Pokémon, so their expressions were quite relaxed.

As for those who had failed to hatch their Pokémon, fear had taken hold of them. They locked themselves in their rooms and refused to come out, no matter what.

They knew that once they went over, they would be killed.

Some boys whose nerves had been stretched taut for over ten days finally broke that day.

Overcome with emotion, they smashed their Incubators in a frenzy. "Why? Why won't you hatch?!"

But however they raged, however they fled from reality, death would not spare them.

Beep!

A squad of Team Rocket members who seemed specifically responsible for such matters easily opened the doors and charged inside with their eager Pokémon.

A series of piercing screams rang out.

The Team Rocket members who had gone inside emerged carrying bloodstained Incubators. There was no need to give much thought to what would happen to the boys inside.

Giovanni did not know how the bodies were disposed of. Perhaps they were cremated together? Or perhaps they were fed to Pokémon.

Using Pokémon to destroy bodies and erase evidence was a common method among criminal organizations.

Although Pokémon might become uncontrollable after eating enough people, that was no problem as long as some restraint was exercised, or a Pokémon with little fighting ability was specifically raised to do this dirty work.

Usually, Muk were made to handle such things. Because they spent years devouring all kinds of garbage and corpses, they had relatively high resistance, and one could be used for quite a while.

Once one was no longer useful, the trash could go back to the garbage heap.

The youths who, like Giovanni, had successfully passed the Second-Stage Selection felt lucky at the sight, but even more than that, they felt fear.

After all, they might be joining those people next time.

Some timid girls were already sobbing.

Yet Giovanni remained as unruffled as ever, making Axin ask in curiosity:

"They're all afraid. Why aren't you?"

Giovanni did not even turn around. He simply answered confidently:

"Because they're destined to die, while I'm not. I'll become the sole victor."

For some reason, although Giovanni had said it casually, Axin felt that he really could do it.

Although they did not encounter Mu Sen along the way, they did see his followers, as well as Max and the others.

They did not speak, but all of them felt a sense of urgency, having already guessed that a fight was coming.

But would Giovanni dare? Would Mu Sen?

Hadn't they been told they could not kill one another within those fourteen days?

Mu Sen, who was good at exploiting loopholes, and Giovanni, who understood the rules, would have answered.

Yes, they could not do it within fourteen days, but hadn't those fourteen days passed now?

Moreover, as though they were deliberately being given time to act, neither Miyamoto nor Giovanni Rika had arrived, while the Team Rocket members who had brought them stood obediently at the very edges.

Axin did the same, but he kept watching Giovanni, wanting to see how he would perform.

Of the original four hundred-odd youths, more than half had been lost again by the end of the Second-Stage Selection.

Now there were only a hundred-odd youths in the entire space, making it seem very empty.

Giovanni still stood at the very back, but soon, gazes brimming with malice turned toward him.

Giovanni knew who they were without having to guess.

A slight commotion stirred through the crowd. Mu Sen's Gang was already heading over, and they had released all their Pokémon.

Like a gang of thugs, they frightened the youths into clearing a path.

Their numbers had dropped a little, though. Apparently, some had failed to hatch their Pokémon and had been eliminated.

Giovanni lightly pressed the button on his Poké Ball. White light flashed, and Weedle appeared at his feet, staring straight at Mu Sen and their Pokémon with tiny eyes full of fighting spirit.

The nearby youths began clearing a space on their own, though they found it hard to believe. Would these fellows really dare to fight?

But before they had finished moving aside, Giovanni shouted directly to Weedle:

"Go! Use Poison Sting!"

Weedle acted decisively as well, aiming straight at Mu Sen and the others and unleashing Poison Sting.

Poison needles shot through the air, their purplish-black color clearly indicating deadly poison.

"I was waiting for that move, you sneaky bastard!" Even before approaching, Mu Sen had been fully on guard against Giovanni and Weedle.

The instant Weedle attacked, he shouted, "Attack! Charmander, use Ember!"

The followers beside him shouted as well.

"Spearow, Peck! Caterpie, String Shot! Ekans, counter with Poison Sting! Rattata..."

Over a dozen Pokémon attacked at once. Having prepared in advance, they did indeed block every poison needle.

Giovanni had anticipated that long ago. The differences between Pokémon were not very pronounced in the early stages. Their moves were too limited and lacked power.

That was why Giovanni had prepared a backup plan.

"Out of options now, aren't you? Let's see how you survive this time!" Mu Sen clamored venomously.

Looking at his expression, Giovanni merely said in disdain:

"Heh. Trash."

Mu Sen was so furious that his scalp tingled. Who had given him that courage, when things had already reached this point?

"Everyone, attack! Let's see how long he can keep up that act!"

"Competing over numbers?" Giovanni gave a cold smile, then waved his hand.

"Stop standing around. Come out. Take them down, and we're even. Otherwise, I hold a very long grudge!"

As Giovanni's threatening words fell, the sounds of Poké Balls opening rang out one after another.

Under everyone's shocked gazes, Max and the other youths stepped out. More than twenty youths surrounded Mu Sen's Gang.

P.S. I said five updates, and five updates it is.

The contract will take another two days. It's still under review, so there's more waiting to do. Within three days, probably.