I am Giovanni

Chapter 23: The New Rules

Miyamoto's eyes narrowed, a cruel smile playing on her lips. "One last thing," she announced. "If anyone is found to have secretly hidden a second Pokémon, they will be eliminated immediately."

Her words, though spoken with a smile, were chilling— a few recruits, who had been holding onto a sliver of hope, quickly handed over the extra Poké Balls they had managed to acquire during the chaos. They certainly didn't want to die.

The Pokémon were confiscated. Rather than letting them be "wasted" on recruits who couldn't even afford to raise one, they would be given to full-fledged Team Rocket members or sold for profit.

With that, the third stage officially began.

The recruits' new schedule was divided into two parts. The first was "cultural studies," where they learned not only basic literacy but also the history, astronomy, and geography of the Pokémon world.

The second was "battle class," which taught the fundamentals of Pokémon battling. Most of these children didn't even know the names of the moves their Pokémon could use. The classes would be taught by various high-ranking Team Rocket members on a rotating basis, exposing the recruits to a wide variety of Pokémon and training styles.

During the first battle class, the recruits were introduced to a device capable of determining a Pokémon's level. Giovanni, however, had little need for it. He could sense the strength of the power of Viridian within his Weedle, which gave him a much more intuitive understanding of its level.

Besides, he had seen the device in the infirmary; it was large and cumbersome— a trainer could also tell when their Pokémon leveled up by the faint white light its body would emit.

The hundred-odd survivors were shuffled and reorganized into three classes. Coincidentally, Katsu was assigned to the same class as Giovanni. This was not a good thing. If Giovanni's theory was correct, the so-called "reorganization" was anything but random.

Miyamoto and Madame Boss could adjust the rosters with a flick of a finger. These three classes would likely produce the three final winners. He knew he was right when he saw that Arui and Arina had each been assigned to a different class.

They were being kept apart, groomed as the top contenders.

Interestingly, the ninja boy had been assigned to Arina's class. If Giovanni wanted to eliminate them personally, he would have to wait.

To give the recruits time to train, only one class was held per day. Today was cultural studies. The original owner of his body had learned to read at the orphanage, so Giovanni had no trouble with the material.

The lecturer, a junior researcher, was quite diligent. While the other recruits, more accustomed to fighting for scraps than sitting in a classroom, were dozing off, Giovanni listened with rapt attention, absorbing every piece of information.

When the class ended, the other recruits quickly filed out. Only Giovanni, slowly gathering his things, and Katsu, stretching and yawning, remained.

"Giovanni, where are you headed?" Katsu asked, his demeanor surprisingly friendly. "Want to train together?"

Giovanni stopped and gave him a cold look. "Our transaction is complete. We are even. We are now competitors."

Katsu just smiled, a stark contrast to the silent, intimidating boy from the training grounds. "I know. But the final duels are a long way off. Maybe we won't even have to fight. Maybe we'll be the last three standing."

"Childish," Giovanni snorted, turning to leave.

Katsu didn't seem to mind his attitude and quickly followed, his tall frame like a bodyguard behind Giovanni. "You saved my life," he said simply. "If I lose to you in a duel, I'm just returning the favor."

Giovanni's temple throbbed with annoyance. He knew what the ultimate outcome would be. Too much interaction with these people would only lead to unnecessary trouble. "Stay away from me," he said harshly, trying to dissuade him. "If we meet in a duel, I will not hesitate to kill you."

His coldness seemed to finally get through. Katsu stopped, watching as Giovanni's back receded down the hallway.

The usual training continued, but a new problem had emerged. Weedle was approaching level 7, the point at which it might evolve. Giovanni didn't want it to evolve too early.

With a full month to train, he didn't need the immediate power boost of a Beedrill. He had other reasons, too.

First, he still hadn't found the special item he needed to maximize Weedle's potential during evolution. Missing that opportunity would be a major setback.

Second, a Kakuna cannot eat. He would need to stockpile double the resources before it evolved. It was a headache. The entire selection process was based on raw talent and luck, with no rewards for progress.

Raising a Pokémon to be the best was exhausting.

In the training ground, Giovanni was mulling over this problem when he sensed someone approach from behind. Thanks to the power of Viridian, his senses were constantly sharpening. He thought it was Katsu again.

"Didn't I tell you to leave me alone?" he said without turning around.

"Did you?" a different voice replied.

Giovanni turned his head slightly. He wasn't surprised to see the newcomer. "Sir. Is there something you need?"

It was the grunt who had guided him on his first day.

"There are some matters," the grunt said, "but it's not convenient to speak here."

Giovanni studied him. He didn't sense any hostility, but rather... an offer. "After the training ground closes, come to my room."

The grunt nodded vigorously. "Okay. I'll see you then." He turned and left.

Giovanni watched him go, stroking his chin. Interesting. What does a full-fledged member want with me? Placing an early bet? He had likely already guessed the truth.

"Wee?" Weedle, who had been training on its own, chirped at him.

Giovanni was about to go over when Katsu approached with his Machop. "I understand," the burly youth said, his expression serious. "When we meet in the duel, I won't hold back either."

"Good," Giovanni replied perfunctorily.

Katsu seemed to have been thinking for a long time. "You want to get stronger quickly, right? So do I. Our Pokémon need sparring partners to gain real experience. How about... another deal?"

Giovanni looked at Katsu, then turned his body and gave a casual, one-word reply.

"Fine."