Thud!
The Spearow struck by Poison Sting went completely rigid and fell straight out of the air onto the ground.
The boy who had wanted to prove himself burst into tears. "Spearow!"
Fortunately, full members of Team Rocket all carried Antidotes, so Spearow's life was saved, and he would not have to take responsibility.
Still, the situation was a little awkward.
By all rights, Spearow should have been a perfect counter to Weedle at this stage.
He glanced at the utterly composed Giovanni and the Weedle that showed no pride whatsoever after winning, and felt certain the issue lay with this boy and his Pokémon.
These brats really knew who to pick.
Clap, clap!
Applause rang out as Max shouted excitedly to Giovanni from below, "That's Giovanni for you! You can even win with a type disadvantage!"
Giovanni scratched his head. Why did that not sound like a compliment?
"Ahem." Under Spearow's trainer's resentful gaze, the Team Rocket member cleared his throat twice and offered a somewhat strained explanation:
"This was mainly a matter of levels. This Weedle is a few levels higher than that Spearow, which is why this happened."
First, he told Giovanni:
"Well, Giovanni, you can go back to your seat."
Giovanni did not particularly care. After returning Weedle to its Poké Ball, he sat back down.
The Team Rocket member still refused to give up. "All right, who else has a Bug Pokémon or a Bird Pokémon? Let's try again."
After he called on people and left them no choice, two more boys were finally picked.
There were no surprises this time. The Caterpie trembled in terror.
The boys below gradually accepted that Weedle's level might have been too high.
Their fear of Giovanni faded once again.
Even the Team Rocket member had fooled himself.
If these fools truly imagined they could suppress Giovanni with Bird Pokémon, they would only waste their efforts and suffer an even greater blow.
The little incident gradually passed.
Time flew by once more, and twenty days passed just like that.
During those twenty days, Giovanni was like a sponge freshly dropped into water, constantly enriching himself.
His once-scrawny body gradually grew sturdier, and he began growing taller too.
With daily training, Weedle's level kept rising as well. It had now reached level 8.
Once it passed level 10, this little early-stage perk would probably end, and its leveling speed would slow down.
Its potential was not far from reaching pale green.
Giovanni should still have been the strongest of the boys in his cohort.
Recently, however, one boy's Pokémon after another had made breakthroughs, gaining substantial levels.
Some had even evolved.
These unusual changes naturally drew Giovanni's attention.
If his guess was correct, Team Rocket's higher-ups had begun getting involved.
Unlike Axin, who had thrown his lot in with Giovanni, they were taking control of suitable candidates in advance, waiting for their chosen candidate to reach that position.
Then they would become the masters behind Team Rocket.
But they seemed to be acting as though Giovanni Rika did not exist. Did they really think she knew nothing?
As a standout among the hundred-odd boys remaining, Giovanni naturally caught the attention of some higher-ups.
One day, just after Giovanni had seen Axin out of his room, an uninvited guest arrived.
He was a Squad Leader, and Axin had no choice but to salute and greet him when he saw him.
Only when he saw the Squad Leader walk straight to Giovanni's door did he realize something was wrong.
But as a mere full member, facing a Squad Leader whose strength was at the Advanced level or even higher would mean throwing his life away.
Still, the Squad Leader's appearance brought someone else to mind.
He pondered for a good while, then thought of Giovanni's unyielding personality and hurriedly ran off in a certain direction.
Meanwhile, when Giovanni heard the doorbell, he assumed Axin had something else to discuss. But when he saw the unfamiliar face outside, his brows furrowed.
"Who are you?"
The Squad Leader looked at Giovanni disdainfully. "My name is Taro, a Team Rocket Squad Leader. You're Giovanni, right?"
Giovanni was not afraid of him just because he was a Squad Leader. Even a Group Leader would not dare lay hands on them at will.
He said very calmly:
"This is my room. Do you think someone else here is called Giovanni?"
Taro's eyes widened, and the imposing presence he had honed over many years bore down on Giovanni. "Quite cocky, aren't you, brat!"
That powerful presence did briefly suppress Giovanni, forcing his head down slightly. But he was Giovanni. How could he let someone walk all over him?
Gritting his teeth, Giovanni faintly released his own presence and forced his head back up. "Does bullying a child make you such an impressive Squad Leader?"
Taro abruptly clamped a hand around Giovanni's neck and lifted him off the ground. "Brat, the rules are the only thing protecting you right now. If we were outside, you'd have died at my hands long ago!"
The Poké Ball at Giovanni's waist kept shaking. Weedle wanted to come out, but Giovanni pressed his hand over it and did not let it out.
He stared coldly at Taro. Even as his face turned red from suffocation, there was not a trace of fear in his eyes.
"Hmph." Seemingly realizing Giovanni was a tough nut to crack, Taro snorted, casually threw him to the floor, and told him:
"You're lucky. Someone important wants to see you! If you don't want to die, you'd better keep that head of yours properly bowed when you meet him!"
Giovanni rose from the floor and looked at Taro with a chilling gaze.
As far as he was concerned, Taro was certain to die in the future. Giovanni simply was not strong enough yet.
Taro dragged Giovanni out the door. "Be sensible and come along. Don't make me use force again."
Giovanni did not resist again. Anyone who sent a Squad Leader to deliver a message had to be at least a Group Leader.
Of course, the most likely person was Aidos, one of Giovanni Rika's two most trusted aides.
As for Miyamoto, given her personality, she would probably have come herself if she wanted to see Giovanni.
So it could only be Aidos, a man who remained rather mysterious for now.
If it were just this Squad Leader, Giovanni could still refuse.
But if Aidos was behind him, Giovanni was not yet in a position to refuse.
So he followed obediently behind Taro.
Judging by the boys' recent performance, Aidos had sought Giovanni out because he saw his potential.
Yet what Giovanni had learned from Axin was that Aidos opposed this selection, and that he was the one who most wanted the Leader's position.
Was he settling for second best now too?
Did he want to be the big shot behind the scenes? Did he want to turn Giovanni into a puppet on strings?
Giovanni gave a cold smile. Even a puppet's broken arm could become a weapon!
Giovanni had never been someone who let others manipulate him. When an opportunity presented itself, he would turn on them without hesitation!
P.S. Four updates today. As long as I have time, I'll try to post more. I can see the stats and comments now. Thank you so much for your support, dear readers.
I'll try my best to work on my social anxiety and read and reply to more comments.
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