Piles of White Bones

The first round of battles in the third stage ended just like that.

Of the hundred-odd youths, only half remained. The other half had become corpses, part of that stairway built from piles of white bones.

That day was a rest day.

Yet not a single youth was happy. Some spent the entire day in the bathroom, trying to scrub the blood off their bodies.

But even after scrubbing their skin red, swollen, and puffy, they still felt unclean.

Things had not improved by the next day.

Even during class, these youths could not ease their tightly wound nerves.

They watched the youths nearby with extreme vigilance, a faint killing intent about them, ready to strike at any moment.

Some youths indeed could not bear the pressure. When someone came just a little too close, they attacked outright and nearly killed the other person.

A few more days passed.

Doctor Liangmu finally had everything ready. With these rounds of selection over, the deaths of those youths had happened to leave several dozen extra Bug-type Pokémon.

That meant they only needed to gather a few more Bug-type Pokémon.

Although Team Rocket was not yet as powerful as it would be in the future, obtaining Bug-type Pokémon, the most numerous Pokémon in the Pokémon world, was still no problem.

To improve the chances of success, Doctor Liangmu also eliminated some Bug-type Pokémon that were too powerful.

Basically, all the Bug-type Pokémon were at roughly the same level of strength.

Having already performed a preliminary analysis of Giovanni's blood and discovered powerful genes within it, Doctor Liangmu valued Giovanni highly, so he said:

"Are you certain? It's fine if you've changed your mind. You can keep your Weedle. Once I've bred a true Bug King, I can give it to you."

"If your Weedle dies, the later selections will be troublesome."

Giovanni patted his Poké Ball. "It's fine. I believe in it."

Doctor Liangmu gently patted Giovanni's shoulder. "All right, it's fine. Even if something really does go wrong, I'll just ask the Boss to spare you."

Giovanni's expression did not change. He and Doctor Liangmu were merely two parties in a transaction. Once the other party lost their value, either would choose to go their separate way.

It was the most natural principle of all.

Doctor Liangmu called to his student and assistant:

"Get ready to begin, Xiao Chuan!"

Xiao Chuan extended a hand toward Giovanni. "Please follow me this way."

Giovanni and Doctor Liangmu followed him over.

Soon, they arrived outside a transparent glass door.

Beyond it was a completely sealed room containing a hundred red-and-white Poké Balls.

Inside those Poké Balls were Bug-type Pokémon.

Doctor Liangmu explained to Giovanni, "Put your Poké Ball in there too. We'll open all the Poké Balls at once and release all the Bug-type Pokémon together."

Giovanni took out his Poké Ball and spoke to the Weedle inside:

"Do your best."

The Poké Ball rocked once, seemingly responding to Giovanni.

Giovanni placed the Poké Ball inside the room and shut the door.

Once everything was ready, Doctor Liangmu gave the order. "Begin!"

Beep!

There was special equipment inside the room that interfered with the Poké Balls' switches once activated.

Pop, pop, pop...

The sounds of Poké Balls opening rang out one after another.

One bewildered Bug-type Pokémon after another was released from within.

Although they were all in their initial forms, a hundred bugs still made for a striking sight.

Most were Caterpie and Weedle, followed by Venonat and Paras. There were also some Kakuna and Metapod, and even a few relatively low-level Butterfree.

Doctor Liangmu waved his hand and issued the next order:

"Release the stimulation agent directly!"

Beside him, Xiao Chuan immediately pressed a button on the remote control in his hand.

A pink mist of the agent suddenly sprayed into the sealed room. It spread, enveloping the Bug-type Pokémon, and was absorbed by them.

The previously bewildered Bug-type Pokémon immediately grew restless. Their eyes glowed red, taking on vicious looks.

Giovanni's Weedle was no different. Moreover, it had always refused to admit defeat, and the instant it inhaled the stimulation agent, it began attacking the Bug-type Pokémon nearby.

"It's started." Giovanni's heart was in his throat now. His gaze stayed fixed on Weedle, unwilling to shift away for even a moment. "Come on, Weedle!"

With Weedle taking the lead, all the Bug-type Pokémon began slaughtering one another!

A fierce battle instantly erupted inside the room. Every Bug-type Pokémon had its wild nature roused by the stimulation agent. They screeched or beat their wings, each fighting in its own way for the right to survive!

The smell of blood filled the room.

Giovanni's Weedle stood out. After all, under Giovanni's training, its combat skills and strength far surpassed those of the Bug-type Pokémon nearby.

Poisonous needles shot from its mouth one after another, piercing straight through the bodies of some slightly weaker Bug-type Pokémon.

Emerald-green bug fluids splattered, staining even the walls green and giving off a foul, bloody stench.

Weedle opened its mouth and bit straight into a scrawny Weedle that kept struggling.

As it tore forcefully, the Weedle's flesh ripped open. The venom sac hidden inside was gouged out and swallowed outright.

The red glow in Weedle's eyes intensified. Green bug fluids stained its body and mouth, making it look even more savage!

This was only the beginning.

It quickly changed direction and charged at a nearby Caterpie, opening its mouth to use Bug Bite and biting the Caterpie until it screamed repeatedly!

It also drove the sharp spike on its tail hard into one of the Caterpie's big, mascara-ad eyes.

With a squelch, it burst open-a literal burst of juice!

For its next target, it used String Shot to tie up a Paras.

It greedily gnawed away the mushrooms on Paras's back, then drove the longer horn on its forehead through Paras's eye and into its head.

Paras's body shuddered before finally collapsing limply!

Weedle slaughtered everything in its path like a god of war.

One, two...

Its aura kept growing stronger, and it became even more brutal and frenzied!

By now, Weedle was completely drenched in green bug fluids. Its yellowish-brown body had turned green, making it look like a Shiny Pokémon.

Even Doctor Liangmu could not help praising it. "Looks like I misjudged it before. This Weedle of yours seems pretty good."

Unlike Doctor Liangmu, however, Giovanni's brow was tightly furrowed.

First, through his Viridian Force, Giovanni could sense that Weedle had already lost control. It was now completely ruled by brutality and killing intent.

At this rate, even once it was over, it might not be able to regain its sense of self.

Moreover, Weedle was not the only powerful Pokémon in there.

One Kakuna seemed to be rocking constantly, as though it was about to shed its shell and evolve!