I am Giovanni

Chapter 22: The Third Stage

The ninja was not the only one to make a move against Giovanni. After his decisive victory, he had become the target of every other major player.

A group of more than twenty girls, led by a confident young woman, surrounded his flank with one of the prized starter Pokémon: a Grass-type Bulbasaur.

From another direction, a different group approached: a thin, calculating boy followed by a dozen others. His Pokémon was the final starter, a Water-type Squirtle.

The three who had claimed the starter Pokémon had now appeared, though one was already dead by Giovanni's hand. If there wasn't another threat more deeply hidden than the ninja boy, then these were the last opponents who could pose a real danger. The fourth, Katsu, was already standing by his side.

The recruits who had flocked to Giovanni for protection now looked terrified as they realized they had become the center of a new, even more dangerous conflict. They were beginning to regret their decision.

But a smirk touched Giovanni's lips, and his eyes glinted with excitement. "Good," he murmured. "This is what makes it interesting. A blade needs a good whetstone to be sharpened."

Weedle let out a low, excited growl in agreement.

To anyone else, Giovanni's confidence might have seemed like arrogance— but to the twenty-odd recruits huddled around him, it was the sound of salvation. They had witnessed his methods firsthand. The more confident he acted, the safer they felt.

Katsu, standing beside him, quietly asked, "What's the plan? There are three major players here. I can hold one of them back. What about the rest?"

The other recruits leaned in, waiting for Giovanni's strategy.

Under everyone's expectant gazes, Giovanni chuckled. "The plan? We do nothing."

Katsu and the others looked at him as if he were insane.

The girl with the Bulbasaur, the one closest to them, shouted, her voice sweet but laced with venom, "What's wrong? Are you scared? Too bad. I, Arina, won't let you off that easily!"

Unlike the girl, the ninja boy who had attacked first had already melted back into the crowd, disappearing from sight.

The thin boy with the Squirtle gave Giovanni a long, appraising look, then declared, "Giovanni. My name is Arui. Remember it. I will be the sole victor." With that, he and his group turned and left the area.

Just as Arina was feeling uncertain, a platform began to descend from the ceiling. On it stood Miyamoto and Madame Boss.

"Stop," Miyamoto commanded, her voice cutting through the tension.

Thump!

The Team Rocket grunts lining the walls all took a single, synchronized step forward. A terrifying wave of pressure washed over the recruits, who immediately froze, their fear of the organization overriding their desire to fight.

Miyamoto did not blame them for the infighting. She simply said to the grunts, "Remove the eliminated."

The grunts moved forward and began dragging away the children who had been defeated in the latest round of brawls. Those with severe, debilitating injuries were also taken.

"Wait! I can still fight!" one of them pleaded. "Please, spare me!"

The grunt in charge of him, the same one who had guided Giovanni before, coldly replied, "Team Rocket does not waste medical resources on failures. You have been eliminated." He then snapped the boy's neck, took his Poké Ball, and moved on.

The sounds of crying, begging, and finally, vicious curses filled the air.

"It's your fault!" a boy screamed as he was dragged away. "I curse you all to die just like us! May your souls rot in hell!"

Their hoarse cries made the remaining survivors' skin crawl. Those with only minor injuries felt a secret, guilty wave of relief. After the latest culling, the original group of over four hundred had been reduced to just over one hundred. The second stage was well and truly over.

Madame Boss slowly walked to the edge of the platform and spoke to the children below, her voice carrying across the now-silent room. "First, congratulations, my children. You have successfully passed the second stage of the selection. You are one step closer to success."

No one seemed particularly happy.

Giovanni stroked the Weedle in his arms, his expression calm. To him, Madame Boss was neither good nor evil— she was a force of nature; a calamity.

Without her, he would have died in the forest, never having met Weedle, never having been given this chance to seize his own destiny. She had built Team Rocket to its current strength through her own efforts, laying the foundation for his future empire.

What he felt for her was not love nor fear, but respect.

At a signal from his mother, Miyamoto stepped forward.

"Next, you will have one month," she announced. "One month to learn, to train, and to grow stronger."

A collective sigh of relief went through the recruits. At least the killing would stop for now.

But Miyamoto's next words shattered that hope.

"Do not get comfortable. At the end of the month, the duels will begin. This is the third stage of the selection. The format may change, but the outcome will not: the loser of each duel will die. This stage will continue until only three of you remain."

"So, do your best."

The room erupted into chaos. This wasn't a competition; it was a death sentence. The announcement was designed to shatter any alliances that had formed, to foster paranoia and hostility, and to push them all to become stronger out of pure, animal terror.

Miyamoto ignored their reactions. She gave Giovanni a pointed look and added, "And unlike before, there are no loopholes. From this day forward, any infighting among you is forbidden. Your lives will be decided by the duels, and by them alone."

"Violators will die."

Giovanni just rubbed his nose, remaining calm. They had tacitly allowed the previous fight to happen. It had served their purpose— but now the rules had changed.

The other recruits looked at him with schadenfreude, thinking he had been singled out. They didn't understand, yet Giovanni was relieved.

He was not a serial killer; he took no pleasure in slaughter. Now, he didn't have to worry about being targeted. He could focus completely on getting stronger.

And as for those who had already attacked him... he would make sure he was the one to personally eliminate them in the duels. Thinking of this, he scanned the crowd, his eyes searching for the damned ninja boy, for Arina, and for Arui.