I am Giovanni

Chapter 62: The Hunter's Return

Beedrill and Machop were fine; they had only been eggs at the time, with no consciousness of their own— but when Nidorino set foot in Viridian Forest, it remembered.

It remembered the happy times it had spent here with its family. It wanted to rush in, but it stopped, not out of fear of Giovanni, but out of a sudden, deep sadness.

It remembered its family being captured.

"Nido..." it whimpered, its mood sinking.

Giovanni slowly walked over to its side. "Are you thinking about your family?" he asked gently.

The Nidorino let out a low, mournful growl.

"From now on," Giovanni said, his voice much gentler than usual, "we are your family."

Beedrill and Machop slowly approached, placing their arms on the Nidorino's back, whispering their own reassurances. "Bzzzzt..." "Cha..."

The Nidorino raised its head, a flicker of emotion in its eyes. It quickly hid its sadness, and a familiar, mischievous smile slowly bloomed on its face. Its body trembled, its poison stings shaking, which startled Machop and Beedrill. It then let out two triumphant cries, "Nido, Nido!" It was still the same defiant creature.

Giovanni smiled with satisfaction. "Let's go. We have a mission to complete. If you need to rest first, Nidorino, you can."

The Nidorino shook its head. "Nido!" It wouldn't just eat without working.

"In that case, let's go," Giovanni said. "We need to catch twenty-five Pokémon. The task is not light."

— — —

They moved through the dense forest. Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting dappled shadows that stretched their figures long and thin. Not long after, they encountered their first targets.

If you were to ask what the most common Pokémon in Viridian Forest were, the answer would be Bug-types. Just by wandering around, Giovanni found several Caterpie climbing on trees. He found it amusing, thinking back to how he used to flee from even a single one.

Just as he thought of this, a Caterpie spat a String Shot at him. He gently shook his head, too lazy to even speak. These Caterpie are truly blind.

Swish.

A golden-yellow figure appeared in front of him. Its sharp twin needles gently swung, easily cutting through the silk. Beedrill subtly released its presence. The Caterpie on the tree immediately stiffened, so scared they fell to the ground.

Machop charged over and, with a series of Low Kicks, knocked them out. One tried to crawl away, but Giovanni casually pulled out his capture device and fired. A white net flew out, ensnaring it.

A few quick throws of his Poké Balls, and the job was done. Four Caterpie. Their aptitude was low, but that didn't matter— all that mattered was completing the mission.

They continued on. Perhaps because other teams had already swept through the area, there were very few Pokémon around. Even the usually common Pidgey were absent. After searching for a while, they found new targets—the very Pokémon that had almost killed him before.

Rattata.

Things were different now. He was no longer the same inexperienced boy. Looking at the several Rattata gathered together, sharing berries, Giovanni simply waved his hand. "Go."

Beedrill immediately shot forward like an arrow, its twin needles gleaming, ready to catch the small Pokémon off guard.

"Don't rush," Giovanni called out, knowing his partner's ruthless nature. "Surround them so they don't run away. Just knock them out. Don't kill them."

Nidorino and Machop, who were about to follow, immediately adjusted their strategy, flanking the Rattata group and forming a perfect encirclement with Beedrill.

"Rattata?" One of them slowly raised its head and met Beedrill's scarlet eyes. It was so scared its legs trembled. The others sensed the danger and tried to flee, but it was too late.

Beedrill and Machop, with their superior speed and strength, quickly forced them back. Nidorino even used Toxic Spikes, scattering them around the perimeter and giving the Rattata no chance to escape.

"Do it," Giovanni commanded. The three Pokémon attacked as one.

Beedrill instantly vanished, its twin needles swinging in a series of precise Fury Cutter attacks, striking the Rattata's vital points and instantly incapacitating them. Machop used Knock Off, and with a gentle swing, knocked several more unconscious. Nidorino charged in, its head ramming into the remaining two with a powerful Fury Attack.

These low-level Rattata were no match for them. This was with them holding back. If they had used lethal force, Beedrill alone could have wiped them out.

Giovanni casually threw his Poké Balls, easily collecting the unconscious Rattata. Just as he collected the last one, he suddenly turned and fired his capture device several times in quick succession. White nets flew out, ensnaring a yellowish-brown figure that was pouncing at him from behind.

"RATICATE!"

An angry cry rang out— a frantically struggling Raticate was caught in the nets. It must have been the leader of the pack. Its large incisors gleamed, and its eyes had turned red with fury. It began to gnaw frantically at the nets, and with several powerful Crunches, it actually broke free.

Giovanni frowned. The technology of Team Rocket at this stage was really quite poor. This is the organization that will one day create devices to capture legendary Pokémon?

After escaping the net, the Raticate continued its charge. Its level was in the twenties, making it a tyrant in these outer regions.

Unfortunately for it, it had met the wrong person today.