I am Giovanni

Chapter 45: The Wild Boars

Because of Beedrill's presence, Giovanni no longer had to fear his Nidoran's rebellious nature. He began to use the power of Viridian to improve both the Nidoran's and Machop's aptitude. His main focus was on them because Beedrill's own potential had already reached a level where Giovanni's power was insufficient to push it further.

It would likely take a long time, until his own power underwent another transformation, before he could continue to improve his partner's aptitude. His son (Beedrill), however, was still cherished; the extra Berries he had acquired were all saved as special treats for when it emerged from its cocoon.

A few days later, Giovanni, who had been seemingly forgotten by the higher-ups, was finally remembered.

The doorbell rang— a prim and proper Team Rocket grunt stood outside. Upon seeing Giovanni, a hint of envy flashed in his eyes.

"Lord Giovanni," he said, "per the Boss's instructions, you are to follow a squad on a mission in one week's time."

Giovanni frowned. "Understood."

The grunt then took out a heavy, lead-lined box and handed it to Giovanni. "This is the Poison-type resource you requested. It is the stinger from a Gym-level Tentacruel." Finally, he added, "In one week, someone will come to notify you.

After completing this mission, you will be granted the resource access of a squadron leader. The other two candidates have been assigned similar missions."

"I understand," Giovanni nodded.

After the grunt left, Giovanni closed the door and slowly opened the box. Inside, a poison barb, about the size of his palm, glowed with a faint, sickly light and carried a pungent, chemical smell. The energy contained within it was considerable.

He immediately released his Nidoran. The moment it smelled the poison barb, its eyes widened. It was an intoxicating, powerful attraction. Drool began to pool at its feet, but having been disciplined by Giovanni recently, it didn't dare to move without permission. It could only look up at its master, its eyes pleading.

It wasn't just the Nidoran. Beedrill, standing guard, also looked at the barb with greedy eyes. Even the Machop, which was doing squats in the corner, was drawn to the powerful resource.

Giovanni looked at his Nidoran's restrained behavior with satisfaction. "Go on," he said. "It was prepared for you."

The Nidoran lunged forward and swallowed the barb whole. Powerful Poison-type energy filled its body. It let out a comfortable growl as the poison barbs on its own back became darker and shinier. Its body flashed with a white light; it had leveled up again. It then closed its eyes, looking fatigued.

"Can you handle that much energy at once?" Giovanni asked, leaning over.

The Nidoran shook its head, as if to say it was just right. Giovanni used the power of Viridian to help it absorb the energy more quickly. In the following days, the Nidoran was lethargic, but its power increased significantly.

It leveled up again in just a few days and learned the move Fury Attack. Its innate potential also improved. Beedrill, benefiting from the new high-quality food, also broke through to the next level of strength, and with its power, it was now invincible among its peers. Machop, too, grew stronger with Giovanni's help.

A week passed in the blink of an eye— an unfamiliar squad leader appeared outside Giovanni's room.

"Lord Giovanni," he introduced himself with a slight bow. "My name is Mondo. My squad is the Wild Boars. You can call me Mondo."

"Alright, Mondo," Giovanni said casually.

While leading the way, Mondo explained the mission. "Our goal is to capture one hundred Tauros. It's a bit troublesome, but don't worry. My team members are all elites. You can just watch from the side. No problems."

"One hundred Tauros," Giovanni repeated, stroking his chin. "Understood."

Although Team Rocket had not yet become a full-fledged criminal empire, poaching and selling Pokémon was a lucrative business. It was also risky. It was easy to be discovered and pursued by Alliance rangers.

Mondo led him to a briefing room where he met the five other members of the squad. Interestingly, Archer was among them. He did not show any excitement, however. Like the others, he just looked at Giovanni with a cool, indifferent expression.

They didn't underestimate Giovanni—after all, he had climbed out of a pile of corpses—but they were worried he would be too arrogant and not listen to commands. They were also envious that he had a chance to become the future leader.

"Let me introduce you," Mondo said. "This is Lord Giovanni, who will be acting with us. Besides completing the mission, we must ensure his safety."

"Yes, sir," a few of them replied, their voices sparse and perfunctory.

Behind Mondo, a cold glint flashed in Giovanni's eyes, but it quickly disappeared.

Mondo distributed black masks. "Let's go." Team Rocket was not yet so arrogant as to operate in the open. Concealment was still necessary.

Giovanni took a mask and put it on. With the uniform, no one could see his true appearance— but before he left, he glanced in a certain direction, his eyes flickering with thought.