I am Giovanni

Chapter 64: The Thief

"Go," Giovanni said to his Beedrill with a wave of his hand.

Beedrill's wings vibrated wildly. It rose to be level with the tree hole and swung one of its massive stingers. The blade-like appendage transformed into a weapon.

Whoosh.

With just one strike, the entire tree was split in two. It toppled over, and the items hidden inside fell out one by one. Most of them were Berries, along with some things that the Rattata had used to build its nest.

The Berries clattered as they fell. Machop frantically ran down and tried to catch them, but with only two hands, it was impossible. Seeing the Berries about to be ruined, it wished it had more hands.

Fortunately, Beedrill flew down and impaled the falling fruit one by one with its stingers. The one or two that were dropped were caught by the food-cherishing Rattata.

The Rattata, holding the Berries, gave Giovanni a fawning smile and was about to offer them to him— but at that moment, a light yellow figure suddenly appeared behind it. Its large head cast a shadow that perfectly covered the Rattata's body.

The Rattata turned its head in confusion. The sparkling gold coin on the figure's forehead almost blinded it— but upon seeing the figure, its eyes filled with terror, and all the fur on its body stood on end.

It shrieked, "Ta!"

Snap!

A mouthful of sharp teeth bit fiercely onto its neck. After a few vigorous shakes, it breathed its last— a Poké Ball at Giovanni's waist clicked open, its light fading as it reset.

Giovanni gently closed the now-empty Poké Ball, looked at the Pokémon holding the Rattata in its mouth, and rubbed his chin. "A Meowth?" he said, his eyes narrowing.

A light yellow-furred Meowth was on all fours, the dead Rattata clamped in its mouth. It looked at Giovanni with great disdain.

"On all fours?" Giovanni clicked his tongue. "Well, not all Meowth can talk." He scrutinized its fluffy fur. Despite living in the wild, it was immaculate. It looks like it would be nice to pet.

The Meowth felt completely uncomfortable under his gaze, as if he had ill intentions. It coiled its tail around two of the Berries, and holding the Rattata in its mouth, it quickly fled.

"Nidorino," Giovanni chuckled softly.

His Pokémon suddenly leaped out from the side, precisely blocking the Meowth's path. It then used Toxic Spikes, completely sealing off its escape route. The Meowth quickly retreated, then leaped onto a nearby tree and began to climb.

A series of Poison Stings flew from Nidorino's horn towards the Meowth— but the clever cat dealt with it quickly, using Pay Day. Coins materialized from energy, replicated from the one on its head, and blocked all the needles. It disdainfully rolled its eyes at the Nidorino and continued to flee.

"Beedrill," Giovanni called out again.

Whoosh!

Beedrill's golden figure appeared in front of the Meowth, its stinger swinging. The Meowth was startled, but its reaction was still incredibly fast. It swiftly leaped to another branch, dodging the attack. Beedrill continued its assault without pause.

The Meowth whimpered, but its eyes suddenly became sharp, revealing a different, cunning fighting spirit. It was about to act— Beedrill crossed its stingers, anticipating the attack.

"It's a Taunt!" Giovanni shouted, realizing the trick.

Beedrill knew it had been duped. It looked angrily at the Meowth, but only saw its back. The Meowth turned its head slightly, and the mockery in its eyes seemed to overflow.

"BZZZZT!" Beedrill was furious to the point of madness and continued to chase after it.

"Machop, use Karate Chop!" Giovanni called out.

In front of the fleeing Meowth was another obstacle: the Machop, who had put its Berries down. It clenched its fists and bent its legs, ready to strike— but at that moment, the Meowth suddenly cried out, and its large eyes glowed faintly.

The Machop froze, its eyes suddenly feeling as heavy as lead. It plopped to the ground and fell fast asleep.

"Hypnosis," Giovanni shook his head. Youth was truly a wonderful thing. In the dense forest, Beedrill's raw speed was less effective. An agile Pokémon like Meowth, familiar with the terrain, was far more adept.

With a few more leaps, the Meowth disappeared, letting out a final, disdainful meow that made Beedrill's eyes burn with rage.

It flew back to Giovanni's side, looking dejected. Nidorino also returned, carrying the sleeping Machop.

"Don't be angry," Giovanni said, patting his partner and handing it a Berry. "Our things aren't that easy to take. We'll make it pay the price."

Beedrill angrily swung its stinger, pointing at the trees, as if to say that if it weren't for them, it would never have let the Meowth escape.

"Haha," Giovanni chuckled, not at all angry. "There's nothing we can do about that. When we get back, we'll do some more training. We'll see if we can teach you U-turn." He then whispered softly,

"An interesting little fellow. Its level isn't low either. Hypnosis must be an Egg Move. Its parents must be quite the Pokémon, so its own potential shouldn't be bad."

Seeing Beedrill eating its Berry, the Nidorino hastily threw the Machop onto the ground and ran to Giovanni's side, demanding its own treat. The fall woke the Machop up. It felt very ashamed, remembering how it had just been put to sleep by the Meowth.

"Don't worry about it," Giovanni comforted it. "That Meowth is quite strong. I didn't expect it to know Hypnosis either."

He divided the rest of the Berries equally among the three of them. After they ate, their internal energy increased significantly. It wouldn't be long before they leveled up again.