Machop

In Giovanni's room, Axin presented Machop's Poké Ball with both hands.

"Boss, this Machop is yours, right? Lady Miyamoto has already given me instructions."

Giovanni accepted Machop's Poké Ball without ceremony. He merely owed Miyamoto another favor.

He opened the Poké Ball. White light flashed, and a tear-streaked Machop emerged.

The moment he came out, he charged toward the door.

Giovanni waved a hand, and Beedrill emerged from his Poké Ball. In the blink of an eye, he reached Machop, crossing his two steel-hard stingers to pin him firmly down.

Machop struggled constantly, but his injuries made escape impossible. All he could do was roar in heart-wrenching anguish.

Giovanni rebuked him coldly:

"Enough. Max is dead. No matter how much you grieve, he won't come back."

Machop looked at Giovanni with bloodshot eyes, as though asking why Giovanni hadn't been the one to die.

Giovanni merely continued coldly:

"The reason I survived is that Beedrill was strong enough, and you weren't. If you don't want to let him down, then live on and become incredibly strong! Until no one else can dictate our fate."

Giovanni's every word and action drove into Machop's heart, as though translating for him.

"As you are now, you can't protect anything!"

Machop clenched his fists and repeatedly pounded the ground, leaving his fists covered in blood.

"Impotent rage. You heard his dream too. If you want, you can be the one to fight the duel against his younger brother."

"You can fulfill his last wish for him, and even help him look after his brother."

Machop fell silent for a long while before finally nodding hard. "Mach!"

Giovanni waved a hand. "Let him go, Beedrill."

Beedrill obediently released Machop and flew back behind Giovanni, now looking every bit the loyal guard.

Axin gazed at Beedrill behind Giovanni, his eyes filled with envy.

Although Axin's Arbok was many levels higher than Beedrill,

their aptitude and potential were worlds apart.

"Boss, if there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."

Giovanni waved a hand, adding one last remark. "Mm, go ahead. Before long, the resources I receive may increase substantially. If you need any resources, just ask."

"When the time comes, you'll have earned them."

Axin nodded firmly. "Yes!"

With Axin's departure, only Giovanni and the two Pokémon remained in the room.

For the time being, Giovanni was better off not using Machop.

Beedrill and Nidoran♂ were still fine to use.

Speaking of Nidoran♂, Giovanni promptly let him out.

Inside the Poké Ball, Nidoran♂ hadn't been able to get a very clear sense of things. He had only seen that Beedrill was strong.

Now that he was right in front of him, it was another matter entirely.

At the sight of Beedrill's scarlet eyes, he knew he was doomed. Giovanni really had tricked him.

His chances of ever escaping Giovanni's grasp were shrinking drastically.

Never mind Beedrill; he wasn't even a match for Machop.

Thanks to Max's training and that captain's funding, Machop was level 16 as well.

Beating up a Nidoran♂ would be no problem.

Under Beedrill and Machop's gazes, Nidoran♂ meekly lowered his head and took two steps back.

He tried to make himself as inconspicuous as possible so the two big brothers would stop looking at him.

That was what he had in mind, but Giovanni wasn't about to let him get away with it so easily. After all, he had been quite cocky a while ago.

A wicked grin played on Giovanni's lips. "Didn't you want to have a match with Beedrill before? You've got your chance today. Want to try?"

Back when he was a Kakuna, Beedrill had witnessed all of Nidoran♂'s antics.

Had moving around not been so difficult then, he would have taught him a harsh lesson long ago.

And now, wasn't this the perfect opportunity?

Clink!

Beedrill lightly tapped his iron-hard stingers together, his imposing aura surging.

Nidoran♂ shook his head frantically in fright, even going so far as to try to rub fawningly against Giovanni's calf.

Giovanni stepped aside and teased:

"If Beedrill won't do, how about Machop?"

Nidoran♂ turned to glance at Machop, whose gloomy face suggested he still had anger left to vent, and shook his head again.

To avoid this beating, he even shamelessly stuck out his tongue and gave Giovanni two thoroughly obedient cries:

"Woof, woof!"

Giovanni gently kicked him aside and teased, "Just look at you, practically begging for a beating."

Though Nidoran♂ acted fawning on the surface, inwardly he was shouting, Fortunes change! Don't look down on me just because I'm little!

Sensing that he was thinking something bad, Giovanni gave a quiet, questioning sound. "Hmm?"

Startled, Nidoran♂ hurriedly lay down and rolled over.

"Woof!"

That day, as usual, Giovanni didn't go train. Instead, he took a full day's rest.

Despite having killed so many people, he had no nightmares. He seemed to have grown used to it.

It wasn't that he wanted to kill people, but that he had no choice.

The next day.

Giovanni appeared outside the infirmary. Since he had made an appointment with Doctor Liangmu, there was no reason to break his word.

When Doctor Liangmu saw Beedrill, he couldn't stop praising him. His aptitude already surpassed that of ninety-eight percent of the Beedrill in the Pokémon world.

He truly deserved to be called the Bug King, looking for all the world like a work of art.

Since there was nothing to do lately, training still couldn't be neglected.

Two more days passed. At the training grounds.

A faint white light flashed, and Nidoran♂ rose to level 13. He held his head high, looking immensely pleased with himself.

Then he slammed into the target in front of him, knocking it over. This time, he sidestepped the target as it swung back.

Giovanni's voice rang out. "Not bad."

Nidoran♂ narrowed his eyes, even more pleased with himself, but felt something was off.

He promptly turned to look around.

He found Machop holding up a target and furiously doing squats, his muscles bulging and sweat pouring down his back.

Light flickered over his body. Clearly, he had leveled up, reaching level 17.

That wasn't all. Over to one side, Beedrill's wings vibrated, and he darted past a target.

Crack, crack!

Like shattered glass, cracks slowly spread across the target before it abruptly broke apart.

Immediately afterward, light flashed over Beedrill twice in succession, and his level rose to 19.

Nidoran♂ looked utterly despairing.

What is this? What is this? Are you kidding me?

How come every time I level up, those two just keep leveling up like crazy?

Can't we have fun together anymore?

He had been thinking that once he grew stronger, he would have a chance to reclaim his former glory.

Now, that didn't seem to be working out.

Giovanni's words dealt such a blow that he wanted to kick his legs out and drop dead on the spot. "Oh, you leveled up too. Not bad, not bad."

Nidoran♂ looked at Giovanni resentfully. So he hadn't been watching him at all just now.

Hateful human brat. Hateful Giovanni.

One day, I, Nidoran♂, will turn the tables and be the master!

Machop

Fighting-type

Male

Aptitude: green

Ability: Guts (If afflicted with a status condition, musters its guts and raises Attack)

Level: 17

Height: 1 m

Weight: 25 kg

Moves: Low Kick, Leer, Focus Energy, Payback, Low Sweep, Knock Off

Egg Moves: none