I am Giovanni

Chapter 52: A Father's Disgrace

BOOM!

A scorching Hyper Beam shot forth, its powerful energy carrying an intense heat that thinned the air. However, the Golbat was only level 24; its actual power wasn't that strong, the move just looked intimidating.

BZZZZ!

Beedrill's body transformed into a golden afterimage under the moonlight, continuously flying to dodge the Hyper Beam. It closed the distance to the Golbat with increasing speed, its own stingers gleaming with a cold light, its crimson eyes filled with intense killing intent.

Aki, seeing the situation, panicked. "Golbat!" As if he couldn't bear the thought of losing, he screamed at the Venomoth hovering above. "Venomoth, attack! Disable that Beedrill for me!"

The Venomoth heard Aki's command and felt a wave of helplessness. If Aki weren't its master's son, it really wouldn't want to deal with this good-for-nothing. Still, its eyes widened, emitting a faint blue light as it prepared to use Disable to fix Beedrill in place.

Archer, standing beside Giovanni, acted quickly. "Koffing! Use Taunt on that Venomoth!"

One of his Koffing immediately flew up, making a series of irritating noises at the Venomoth with a highly punchable expression. Though the words were unintelligible to a human, the meaning was clearly vulgar.

A Gym Leader's Pokémon is very proud. After being insulted by a lowly Koffing, the Venomoth's eyes instantly turned red with fury. It flapped its wings, intending to use Air Slash to turn the annoying Koffing into dust.

"Return, Koffing!" Archer quickly recalled his Pokémon.

The Venomoth's red eyes turned blue again— but by the time it remembered what it was supposed to be doing, it was too late. Beedrill had already brushed past the Golbat.

Pfft!

The energy in the Golbat's mouth diminished, gradually dissipating. A painful expression appeared on its face as a hideous, penetrating wound opened on its chest. Beedrill's attacks were always sharp, always fatal. This time was no exception; its attack had pierced straight through the Golbat's chest, shattering its heart. The Pokémon spewed a large amount of blood, its body swaying precariously before it plummeted from the sky.

Aki was flustered; he didn't expect to suffer such a huge setback. "Golbat... this is impossible, impossible." He looked at Giovanni venomously. "You harmed my Golbat! I'm going to kill you!"

Giovanni curled his lips in disdain. "So what you said before was just bullshit, then?"

Archer looked at Giovanni with some confusion. There was still a Gym-level Pokémon watching; how could he be so arrogant? Ryū, the child, had the same thought.

"If I kill you all, no one will know," Aki seethed, his eyes full of rage.

Ryū's face was filled with great confusion. What about me? 

"So this is a Trainer from the League," Giovanni's words were full of sarcasm. "They seem pretty much the same as us."

"Venomoth, kill them!" Aki roared. He shouted for a long time, however, the Venomoth didn't move. It wasn't until he turned his head and saw his father, Aye, and the ranger, Baoba, that he suddenly realized his mistake— a hint of fear appeared in his eyes.

"Master," Ryū said, running over and bowing respectfully.

"Father," Aki lowered his head in fear.

Looking at the mess—the unharmed Giovanni and Archer, and the tragically dead Golbat on the ground—Aye's face was incredibly dark. He looked up at the Venomoth. "Didn't I tell you to kill them?"

The Venomoth flapped its wings twice, then looked at Aki and whimpered— a Pokémon's thoughts are not as complex as a human's. It simply conveyed what had just happened truthfully. As its trainer, Aye understood its meaning perfectly.

He looked coldly at his son and Ryū. "Didn't I tell you two to stay in the Gym?"

"Father," Aki began, his words a cascade of lies, "it's all Ryū's fault. He insisted on coming here. I was afraid he'd be in danger, so I followed to protect him. Then we ran into these two poachers. I originally wanted to help Venomoth deal with them, but... but Golbat was just too useless."

Ryū, with no one to defend him, could only kneel on the ground, begging his master for forgiveness.

Aye knew his son was lying— but Aki was still his child. And with Baoba right there, the Gym's reputation could not be tarnished. He couldn't help but show favoritism. He turned to the kneeling boy. "Is that so, Ryū?"

Young Ryū had no one to rely on. He closed his eyes, sweat drenching his forehead, and pressed his head to the ground, his small fists clenched. He was on the verge of nodding in agreement.

At that moment, Giovanni interjected with a cold laugh.

"Heh, is this all a League Gym Leader amounts to? That boy has no strength at all; he would be seeking death to come here on his own. And this useless son of yours, clearly inferior in skill, wasted that Golbat's good potential, and then pushed all the blame onto it."

He then clapped his hands disdainfully. "If the future successors of the League are all this kind of trash, then that's really a great omen."

The terrified Ryū suddenly opened his eyes, a hint of disbelief in them.

"You criminal poacher!" Aki roared, his bluff exposed. "You're on the verge of death, and you still talk so much!"

"Shut up," Aye reprimanded him. Aki quickly covered his mouth, afraid of his father's punishment. Aye didn't waste any more words on Giovanni. He just glanced at his Beedrill. "Did this Beedrill kill the Golbat?"

"Yes! It was that Beedrill," Aki replied immediately.

"Its potential is quite good," Aye nodded. "It can replace the Golbat's position."

Aki was delighted. His father still loved him. Ryū, meanwhile, looked at Giovanni, feeling a bit sad for the boy who had spoken up for him— but seeing Giovanni still looking so confident, he was more confused than ever.

"Do you really think you have us cornered today?" Giovanni said with a cold smile.

Aye narrowed his eyes, his killing intent flaring. "Do you think that someone can save you? I am the Fuchsia City Gym Leader!" He waved his hand at his Crobat. "Kill them!"

The Crobat let out a sharp cry, its body turning into an afterimage as it flew towards Giovanni and Archer.

Giovanni didn't flinch. He just opened his mouth and spoke to the empty air. "Aren't you going to make a move yet?"