I am Giovanni

Chapter 58: The Assassination

It was a dark and windy night, perfect for murder.

The villa on the outskirts of Viridian City was still brightly lit, with well-built bodyguards patrolling the perimeter. The truly powerful trainers, however, were inside.

After the businessman, Akira Matsumoto, refused Team Rocket's acquisition offer, he vaguely realized he had offended someone he shouldn't have. He had fled to this secret property, hoping to escape a disaster— but he still couldn't sleep at night, constantly on edge, fearing he would open his eyes and find an assassin standing over him.

Trouble always comes, doesn't it?

In the shadows not far from the villa, Archer was giving orders to his subordinates. "The ones outside are just ordinary men. Karl and Ono, you take care of them. Nick, Mars, Matsuzawa, the three of you will fly in with me to deal with the trainers inside."

"Yes, Captain," the five of them agreed.

Archer then turned to Giovanni. "Can I leave Akira Matsumoto to you?"

"Yes," Giovanni nodded. "Leave him to me."

"Captain," Karl asked, a hint of confusion in his voice. "Can he do it?"

Archer glared at him. "Less nonsense. If he can't, then you definitely can't." Karl shrank back. If he angered his new captain, he would be in for a tough time, and might even be "eliminated" himself.

"Remember," Archer said, his voice laced with murderous intent, "there is only one goal this time: leave no one alive."

"Yes, sir!"

With a series of clicks, Poké Balls opened. A Raticate, a Grimer, an Arbok—one Pokémon after another was released. Giovanni raised his hand and released his Beedrill.

Led by Archer, Nick, Mars, and Matsuzawa were carried into the air by their flying Pokémon. Giovanni was also lifted by his Beedrill, soaring above the compound. Karl and Ono, meanwhile, rushed the villa with a dozen Pokémon.

The bodyguards at the entrance were yawning, their spirits low. One of them, who looked a bit older, clapped his hands. "Stay alert! The boss said we need to be at two hundred percent! After this period, he'll give us ten times our salary, and then we can go home to our families. If you don't want to be fired, then open your eyes."

"Yes, Brother Kishimoto!" the others responded, straightening their backs.

As soon as they refocused, however, one of them's eyes widened. "Brother Kishimoto... what's that?"

Kishimoto turned. In the pitch blackness, pairs of green eyes glowed, constantly approaching.

"Are those... Pokémon?!" his pupils contracted.

Whoosh!

A Raticate darted from the darkness. Before Kishimoto could react, it pounced, its large mouth open, revealing sharp, gleaming incisors. They closed around his throat, and with a forceful tear, nearly bit his head clean off. He fell to the ground with a thud, struggled only a few times, and then stopped moving. Scarlet blood stained the ground.

"Ah!" the remaining bodyguards screamed, pulling out their weapons.

"Everyone, be careful! Back to back!" one of them shouted, his voice trembling. They quickly formed a circle. "Quickly, notify the boss! We need backup!" another fumbled in his pocket for a walkie-talkie, his fingers trembling so much he could barely press the button.

But as the Raticate moved, a horde of other Pokémon surged forward, their green, murderous eyes striking fear into everyone.

"Don't panic! Maintain formation!" the deputy captain, Moro, shouted, though sweat had already soaked his back. Ordinary humans were no match for Pokémon, but they still had weapons. With Akira Matsumoto's financial resources, buying a few firearms was certainly possible.

"Fire!" At Moro's command, they began to shoot.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Firearms were useless against high-level Pokémon. Their actions only infuriated the surrounding creatures. The sound of bullets striking something hard rang out as a massive Graveler emerged from the darkness.

It slammed its fist into the ground, then charged, breaking through their defensive line. With one punch, it sent two bodyguards flying. They screamed as the sound of snapping bones echoed, and they crashed to the ground, coughing up blood.

The others, seeing this, were even more terrified. Their defensive line instantly collapsed.

"Run!" someone shouted, and the others followed suit, scattering and fleeing— but under the pursuit of the Pokémon, their speed was pathetic. Sharp claws and fangs were unleashed, and they were cruelly slaughtered. Soon, the ground was littered with bodies and dismembered limbs. A Grimer sprawled on a corpse, continuously devouring it.

Karl and Ono emerged from the darkness, watching the scene with cold smiles. "Just ordinary people. Mere ants. Did they really think they could fight Pokémon with a couple of guns? They were courting death."

— — —

On the first floor of the villa, five trainers were lazily sprawled on the sofa, chatting idly.

"Do you think this boss of ours has gone crazy? It's been days, and no one has come."

"Yeah, and he ran to this godforsaken place. There isn't even a chef. If he didn't pay so much, I would have left long ago."

"It's all for raising our Pokémon. Otherwise, why would we lower ourselves to this?"

"I heard the Alliance is going to make a big move soon. It seems the top few in the next League Tournament will have a chance to become Gym Leaders..."

Bang! Bang! Bang!

A series of gunshots rang out, accompanied by screams. They jumped up from the sofa, looking outside in a panic.

"What's going on?!"

"Pokémon! Someone really came!"

"Damn it! I thought this was going to be easy money, but I didn't expect to actually have to take risks!"