The Scheming Johnny

Fuchsia City.

Compared to other cities, this city seemed a little older, the kind that had not been modernized.

The Fuchsia Gym had an even more traditional style.

Alongside raising Pokémon, they also studied ninjutsu.

Its Gym Leader, Aye, naturally possessed Gym-level strength.

But with his limited talent, he had no chance of reaching the Elite Four level.

So he had pinned everything on his son, Archie, and was extremely strict with him.

Normally, Gym Leader positions were passed down through a lineage, somewhat like hereditary clans. It was extremely difficult for a commoner to become a Gym Leader.

Unless the current Gym Leader recommended you, and you were strong enough.

Pidgeot flew down from above, flapping its wings as it slowly descended.

Outside the Fuchsia Gym, a small child with spiky black hair, dressed in ninja clothes, was still sweeping late at night.

This was what Aye grandly called training.

The child jumped when he saw Pidgeot, but after Pidgeot delivered a letter to him in its beak and gave an urgent, low cry,

he cleverly understood that something urgent had happened.

He quickly put down his broom and raced inside with the letter.

Soon, he reached the room where Aye and Archie were training.

After he slid the door open,

Aye frowned at the panting child.

Archie, who was meditating beside him, was extremely displeased and scolded the child:

"Koga, do you have a death wish? Is this somewhere you're allowed to enter?"

After Archie's scolding, Koga seemed terribly afraid of him. He ducked his head and could only say timidly:

"Please forgive me, senior brother. A Pidgeot delivered a letter bearing the Safari Zone's emblem."

At those words, Aye appeared before Koga in a flash! He took the letter from his hand, glanced over it, and his expression instantly darkened.

"A letter from Baoba. Pokémon Hunters have entered the Safari Zone."

He patted Koga's shoulder. "You did well, Koga. Watch the Gym with your senior brother. I'll be back soon."

Koga nodded. "Yes."

Aye released a Crobat, which carried him swiftly toward the Safari Zone.

But Archie, who remained behind, seemed very displeased with Koga. "You're quite good at this, aren't you? But no matter how much you suck up to him, I'll still be the one to inherit the Iga Lineage."

He shoved the frightened Koga aside and headed toward the Safari Zone.

Koga fell to the ground, but quickly scrambled up and chased after Archie. "Senior brother, Master told us to watch the Gym."

Archie shouted back from ahead, "If you're scared, you coward, stay there! Stop telling me what to do! I'll make Father see me in a new light!"

Helpless, Koga could only steel himself and follow.

There was nothing he could do. If anything happened to Archie,

Aye would definitely blame him, and then he and his little sister would be finished.

So he had no choice.

The scene returned to the Safari Zone.

Dust billowed everywhere, and the thunder of the charging Tauros was deafening.

Even Giovanni felt somewhat unnerved, his hand having unconsciously moved to the Poké Balls at his waist.

The Nidoran♂ beside his leg was so frightened that all four of his legs went weak.

Johnny spoke:

"Lord Giovanni, don't worry. I'm here! Just watch me scare them off."

He pointed ahead and shouted to the Pokémon, "Arbok, Screech! Gloom, Acid! Dugtrio, Mud-Slap! Poliwhirl, Bubble Beam! Beedrill, Poison Sting!"

At his command, the seven Pokémon unleashed their moves.

The three Arbok opened their mouths wide and let out piercing roars.

The sound made the Tauros at the very front grimace in pain.

Gloom spat out a large mouthful of Acid. The corrosive liquid rained down, dripping onto the Tauros and eating into their flesh.

Dugtrio's Mud-Slap was the same as Gloom's Acid.

The only moves that could inflict damage were Poliwhirl's Bubble Beam and Beedrill's Poison Sting.

But against the thick-skinned Tauros, they only managed to knock down two or three beside the Tauros leader.

Rather than frightening the Tauros away, this only completely enraged the already furious herd.

"Moo! Moo!!"

Johnny looked as though he had miscalculated. "Oh no, I didn't expect these Tauros to be so difficult!"

Then he added:

"Don't worry. Once they engage the Tauros on the perimeter and keep them occupied, they'll come over, and we'll be fine!"

But as he said this, he was edging away from Giovanni, seemingly casually, his eyes looking elsewhere.

To be honest, Giovanni might have believed him if he hadn't ordered his Pokémon to use only moves that dealt little damage.

Now? With him deliberately enraging these Tauros, there was no need to think hard about what he wanted.

As a squad leader, he definitely had the strength to escape the Tauros' charge.

Giovanni, however, could only hope for the best.

Besides, he had acted eager to please Giovanni from start to finish. Those others had probably been fooled by his act too, so how could they possibly come to Giovanni's rescue?

This man wanted to use these hundred and fifty Tauros to cut Giovanni's life short here.

Although Giovanni didn't know whose man he was, that malice did not lie.

Giovanni hadn't been sure before, but over the past two days, that feeling had grown increasingly strong.

As for why he didn't kill Giovanni himself, wouldn't that be simpler?

That was because Giovanni Rika's Elite Four-level Alakazam was no mere decoration.

No one could lie in front of it.

If it came out that he had killed Giovanni, he certainly wouldn't survive either, so killing with a borrowed knife was the best approach.

Giovanni's face was thunderous, his fingers clenched until they turned white. "Very good!"

Despite his anger, Giovanni actually still had a sliver of confidence.

Watching the Tauros herd draw closer and closer, Johnny smiled and placed his fingers on several Poké Balls.

He glanced at Giovanni, contempt and murderous intent flashing in his eyes. "Go die, brat."

The Beedrill beside him was already prepared to lift him up at any moment to dodge the attack.

He was calculating the distance, but wasn't Giovanni doing the same?

Pop!

A beam of white light flashed, and Giovanni's Beedrill was suddenly released.

Giovanni pointed at Johnny and shouted to Nidoran♂ beside him:

"Now, Nidoran♂! Spit your poison spikes toward that guy's side!"

Since Giovanni had instructed him beforehand, Nidoran♂ immediately spat his poison spikes toward Johnny.

"You figured it out? So what? You're still overestimating yourself."

Johnny laughed scornfully, and the Beedrill beside him swung its stingers, knocking the poison spikes aside.

At that moment, Giovanni suddenly shouted:

"Unleash your full aura on that Beedrill! Suppress it for even a second if you can!"

Beedrill's eyes glowed an even brighter red, and the aura of the Bug King swept toward Johnny's Beedrill.

Johnny's flying Pokémon being a Beedrill was indeed unexpected.

Originally, Giovanni hadn't thought he had much chance of getting one over on him.

After seeing that Beedrill, those odds had risen considerably.

Only then could Giovanni make his move.