I am Giovanni

Chapter 61: A Return to the Forest

Time not spent on missions was always uneventful. Giovanni resumed his month of training and classes. During this period, people gradually began to try and curry favor with him, hoping to back the winning horse early. Unfortunately for them, before they could even get close, they were driven away by Miyamoto's men.

Even if they tried, they would never enter Giovanni's inner circle. His future subordinates would be those like Archer, who had pledged their loyalty when he was at his lowest.

They would be young, with no established connections, so that he could mold them and command their absolute loyalty. It wasn't that Giovanni lacked the charisma to make others submit; it was simply that most of the current members were unnecessary.

In his view, their potential was low, and they would only be replaced in the future.

By design or by chance, Giovanni hadn't seen Arui or Koga for the past two months. He wondered about their current strength.

This month, thanks to the high-quality food, the growth of his own team had been explosive. Beedrill leveled up twice, as did Nidorino. Machop, however, gained one level.

Its aptitude was lower, and the resources it received were not as specialized as Nidorino's. As for Beedrill, its growth was entirely supported by the standard high-quality food. Its incredible potential had been forged in the life-or-death struggle of the Gu.

It had never received any truly high-grade resources, a fact that Giovanni felt he owed it. He was conflicted about what to request for his next two-month resource allotment.

But before that, there was another mission.

"Boss, there's a new assignment," Archer said, standing outside Giovanni's door. "A D-rank mission. We need to capture one hundred Pokémon over level ten in Viridian Forest. I heard several other teams have already gone, and even some other Captains."

Having been a trainer for some time now, Giovanni could generally gauge the level of low-level Pokémon without any instruments. Archer and his team could do the same.

"Why so many?" Giovanni frowned. "Is there a big operation coming up?"

Archer pondered for a moment. "I'm not sure, Boss. The last time the organization gathered so many Pokémon, it was for... your selection."

Giovanni understood— but he doubted Madame Boss would go to such lengths again just to find one or two more recruits. It was more likely they were for training new grunts.

"It doesn't matter," Giovanni said indifferently. "That has nothing to do with us. Our only concern is our mission."

"Yes, Boss. Understood."

Giovanni put on his Meowth mask and stepped out of the room. "Let's go. We have Pokémon to catch." Archer hastily followed.

At the assembly point, Karl and the other four members of the Viper Squad had been waiting. When they saw Giovanni and Archer arrive, their chatting and laughing immediately fell silent.

Seeing their Captain walking respectfully behind the masked boy, they all nodded knowingly, their eyes filled with envy. They finally understood how Archer had become a Captain at such a young age; he had latched onto a powerful figure early on.

Archer's attitude towards them was vastly different from his attitude towards Giovanni. "We've been through this once before," he said, his voice serious and commanding. "Is everyone clear on this mission?"

"Understood, Captain!" the five of them replied quickly.

Archer distributed the Poké Balls he had received. "Then let's go. Each of you will catch ten Pokémon. The rest are for the Boss and me."

"Yes, sir! We guarantee to complete the mission!" they replied spiritedly.

The Viridian Base was not far from the forest; it didn't take them long to get there. The dense, vast forest stretched endlessly, home to countless Pokémon. The rules of this forest were simple: the deeper one went, the higher the Pokémon's levels.

The outer areas were just home to small fry. In the deepest parts, there were even rumors of pseudo-Elite Four level Pokémon.

Previously, Giovanni, with his frail body, could only wander the outermost edges, hoping to find a single berry. Then, he had unluckily encountered a Rattata.

Unlucky as it was, that encounter had been the turning point of his life. If not for that incident, he never would have joined Team Rocket, never would have gained his current strength, and never would have met his partners.

He stepped into the forest, his Team Rocket uniform rustling. He was followed by six others. A Pidgey, startled, flew up and darted into the depths of the trees. Several months ago, he had been a frail boy who couldn't even guarantee his next meal.

Now, he was Giovanni.

Archer took out several signal devices and handed them to Karl and the others. "Move out. Two or three per group. Gather back here in the evening. If you encounter trouble, use this to send a signal."

"Yes, Captain!" they responded, quickly dispersing.

Only Giovanni and Archer remained. "Boss, are you going to act alone?" Archer asked. "Or do you need me to accompany you?"

Giovanni looked at the dense forest and waved a hand casually. "Let's split up. Acting together will only waste time."

"Yes, Boss. Please be careful." Archer released his Arbok and his own Crobat, then strode into the forest.

Giovanni, on the other hand, took out his Poké Balls and lightly tossed them, releasing all three of his Pokémon. Beedrill, Nidorino, and Machop all had ties to Viridian Forest.

In a way, this was their home. Their original families had likely been killed or sold off by Team Rocket, just like Akira Matsumoto's Butterfree.

For Giovanni, this forest could've been his burial ground— but now, he could feel the power of Viridian within him pulsating, resonating with the ancient life force of the woods.

The entire forest felt familiar, like a part of himself.