I am Giovanni

Chapter 41: The Promise

[Beedrill

Bug/Poison type

Male

Aptitude: Blue

Ability: Swarm (When a Pokémon with Swarm uses a Bug-type move, the move's power will be increased by 50% if the user has less than or equal to ⅓ of its maximum HP remaining.)

Level: 17

Height: 1.49m

Weight: 50kg

Moves: Poison Sting, String Shot, Bug Bite, Harden, Fury Attack, Fury Cutter, Sharpen

Egg Moves: None]1

Beedrill's slaughter continued. Its transparent, patterned wings were like sharp blades, each flap cutting through the air with a silver trail and a sharp whoosh. Its speed was terrifying.

"Mankey, use Fury Swipes!" Ren screamed at his Pokémon, which was Beedrill's next target.

The Mankey let out a roar, its arm just beginning to swing.

"Fury Attack," Giovanni's voice rang out.

Beedrill's two stingers became a blur, a storm of afterimages and cold steel.

Thud, thud, thud...

A series of rapid-fire impacts, and a spray of blood. The Mankey, riddled with holes like a honeycomb, collapsed, its body sieved with flowing blood. Ren slumped to the ground in despair as his poisoned Meowth also succumbed beside him.

The remaining Pokémon launched a frantic, desperate assault.

"Beedrill, use String Shot! Harden!" Giovanni commanded.

His partner shot out strands of silk, intercepting the weaker attacks. Then it raised its twin stingers, which now gleamed with a hard, metallic luster, and either deflected the stronger moves or dodged them with its incredible speed.

Some of the more short-sighted recruits decided to target Giovanni himself. But when they turned, Beedrill was already there, its blood-stained spears swinging. They were pierced as they collapsed, clutching their throats as blood flowed from between their fingers, their last moments filled with despair.

Giovanni's voice was the whisper of death. Each time he spoke, another Pokémon and another child died. "String Shot. Poison Sting. Fury Attack. Fury Cutter."

The survivors were terrified. They fled in disarray, pounding on the sealed door, their cries for help and wails of terror echoing in the chamber. Mutilated corpses and rivers of blood dyed the training ground red.

Beedrill hovered in the center of the carnage, its wings vibrating. Its golden body and massive stingers were now stained crimson, with chunks of shredded flesh clinging to them. Its eyes, already red, seemed to burn with an even more intense fire.

With a final, shrill scream, the Butterfree that had been cowering on the ground was cut in half. Its pleas for mercy did not soften Beedrill in the slightest, just as the recruits' pleas had not swayed Giovanni.

Even Butterfree's energy organ1 was not spared as Beedrill snatched it from the air and swallowed it whole— a hint of savagery glinted in its eyes as it turned to face the only other survivors on the field: Katsu and his Machop.

It radiated pure killing intent.

"Return, Beedrill," Giovanni suddenly commanded. "There's no rush."

The killing intent in Beedrill's eyes dissipated, and it returned to its master's side.

The disheveled Katsu and Giovanni, whose clothes were unstained by a single drop of blood, stood in opposition. The scarred and bleeding Machop and the blood-soaked, demonic Beedrill faced each other.

"Beedrill is indeed strong," Katsu said, a bitter smile on his face. "My Machop isn't its match yet. Were you waiting for today all along?"

Giovanni shook his head. "No. It could have been stronger, but it came out of its cocoon early."

"You're still just as special," Katsu chuckled, a hint of relief in his eyes. "From the moment you hatched that Weedle first, I knew you were amazing." He fell silent for a moment, then spoke, his voice trembling slightly. "I'm not your opponent. But I really don't want to die."

Giovanni nodded. "I know— but you also understand that none of this is something you or I can choose. Blame us for not having the power to choose for ourselves."

Tears glistened in the corners of Katsu's eyes. "Yes." His sturdy body relaxed slightly, and he sat down on the blood-stained floor. He picked up his own dagger, twirling it in his hand.

"I didn't finish my story earlier. I thought if I could just get into the Saffron Gym, I could give my little brother a good life and be a Pokémon Trainer... you know, he always looked up to me... but I don't even have the face to go home."

"He's more talented than me, you know. He's just a little kid, but... I always told him not to get too proud." A rare look of embarrassment appeared on his face, but it quickly faded, replaced by a simple, honest smile.

"Later, I met Madame Boss on the street. She said she wanted me to be her son. I thought she was crazy— but she sent a hundred thousand Pokédollars home for me. That should be enough for my family... enough for my brother to become an apprentice at the Saffron Gym."

"So I don't hate her," he said, looking up at Giovanni. "I've talked a bit too much. Don't be annoyed."

"It's okay," Giovanni said, his voice quiet. "You're a good brother."

Katsu smiled at him, a joking tone entering his voice. "If you ever get the chance, go and give him a hard time for me. Don't let him get too proud. Tell him you're my brother, and that I told you to teach him a lesson." His smile widened.

"Be sure to say, 'I'm even stronger than you!' That way, he'll work even harder. If he asks where I am... just tell him he's not strong enough to know yet."

Giovanni saw that Katsu's mind was made up. He nodded. "If I have the chance, I will."

"Originally," Katsu continued, "I wanted to fight you again. To have you kill me with your own hands. I thought it would make you more wary of this world... more like the future leader of a dark organization."

He looked at Giovanni's unchanging eyes, his cold, composed face, and spoke with a touch of envy and sadness. "But you don't need it. You are much stronger than any of us. More like it than any of us."

He gently stroked the heavily scarred Machop beside him, his eyes full of love and reluctance. "And then Machop will fight you to the death— but I want it to live."

He suddenly recalled Machop into its Poké Ball. It didn't even have time to react. The ball shook violently in his hand; Machop understood what he was about to do and it was struggling to break free from the confines of the Poké Ball.

Katsu locked the Poké Ball and threw it to Giovanni. It was the only way to ensure its life would be spared.

Katsu raised the dagger to his own chest. The intense pain distorted his face, but his expression was one of relief— a person like him was not suited for Team Rocket. Even if he didn't die today, he would die later.

Clang.

His body slumped to the ground, a smile on his lips.

Giovanni didn't waste time with emotional theatrics. He simply looked at the fallen boy and spoke quietly to the empty room.

"From today on, I will carry your will with me."

His gaze hardened, his voice ringing with absolute, unshakable conviction.

"I, Giovanni, shall be invincible."