Pokémon: Rebron as Red, The Strongest Champion

"Damn it! Dragonite, quickly dodge!" Lance immediately commanded. He knew Giovanni's strength; this wasn't an opponent he could defeat alone, especially not against his strongest Pokémon—Beedrill.

Though its movements were hampered by Giovanni's Earth Power, Dragonite still relied on its high speed to evade Beedrill's initial attack. But before Lance could react, a barrage of lethal Pin Missiles struck instantly, giving neither him nor Dragonite a chance to respond.

"Dragonite, use Dragon Claw!" Lance commanded. The Dragonite beneath him opened its claws, which were now covered in emerald energy, and flapped its wings, flying toward Giovanni's Beedrill.

Giovanni's Beedrill, boosted by his Earth Power, seemed to possess endless strength, even actively rushing forward to match Dragonite's power. The scene was bewildering; how could a mere Beedrill fight so evenly, or even suppress, the Dragon Master's prized Dragonite?

"Dragonite, use Flamethrower!" Lance commanded.

Raging flames spewed from Dragonite's mouth. Seeing this, Giovanni's Beedrill didn't choose to use Double Team to evade but instead charged directly forward, using Drill Run to disintegrate the flames.

(Damn it, not only was my arrival delayed, but the Pokémon the League sent with me aren't even my main force! What is going on with the higher-ups?) Lance thought, looking anxiously as Giovanni prepared to leave. He wanted to rush up and expose the man's identity, but Beedrill's relentless attacks kept him and Dragonite pinned down.

To protect the Pokémon League from invasion by evil organizations, most high-ranking trainers like Lance would entrust their main Pokémon to the League for safekeeping, which indirectly weakened their personal strength in the field.

Taking advantage of this gap, Giovanni and his assistant jumped onto the helicopter. The assistant also threw out a Poké Ball, sending out a Weezing that continuously used Smokescreen to obscure everyone's vision. A thick fog quickly covered the sky. Although it was quickly dispersed by the airflow, it provided more than enough time for Giovanni's departure.

"President of Silph Co., I trust you won't be foolish enough to reveal my true identity," Giovanni threatened softly, also giving a pointed look to Red. The implication was clear: he didn't want to completely fall out with Red yet and was warning him to think carefully.

"One day, I will catch up to you and defeat you with my own hands!" Red shouted, his voice a clear challenge.

"Is that so?" Giovanni's lips curled slightly into a faint smile. Under his assistant's puzzled gaze, he tossed a gem-like item to Red.

"This is… a Mega Stone?!"

Red reached out and caught the item. As the leader of Team Rocket, Giovanni wouldn't use underhanded tricks to ambush an enemy, so Red wasn't overly cautious. He opened his hand, and from the yellow and black patterns, Red was certain that this was a Beedrillite—the stone that would allow his Beedrill to Mega Evolve.

"It seems you already know about Mega Evolution. No wonder… After all, you are an honorary research doctor for the Pokémon League; this information couldn't be hidden from you."

"I just happened to acquire an extra one," Giovanni said indifferently, seeing Red's puzzled gaze. He glanced away, avoiding eye contact, and slowly said, "I look forward to the day when you can truly fight me. I also hope that the relationship between us is just that of rivals, not enemies."

"Goodbye, boy from Pallet Town."

A piercing sound rang out as the helicopter ascended, leaving only Red, the President of Silph Co., and a regretful Lance on the rooftop.

(Giovanni… to you, are Pokémon tools for business, or are they companions? What exactly did you experience in your past…)

Red looked toward the direction the helicopter had disappeared and remained silent for a long time.

After seeing its master successfully retreat, Giovanni's Beedrill pushed Dragonite away with a final, fierce X-Scissor and quickly left the scene.

"Are you alright, Red?" Lance asked with concern, finally reaching him.

"I'm fine, but if you had arrived in time, things might have been better," Red frowned unhappily. It was inevitable that he would feel displeased that someone like Lance would drop the ball at such a crucial moment.

"I apologize. It was my dereliction of duty," Lance said guiltily, without offering excuses. Blindly complaining about the League's internal politics would only disappoint a young and aspiring trainer like Red, potentially causing him to deviate from his path.

"I had my faults too, I'm sorry. Fortunately, the Master Ball didn't fall into Team Rocket's hands." Red, having calmed down, also apologized. He vaguely understood the reason for Lance's late arrival, telling him not to regret it too much.

"Red, did you see the true identity of Team Rocket's leader?" Lance asked tentatively. Seeing Red slowly shake his head, he sighed in frustration. How could the leader of an organization so deeply rooted in two regions be easily exposed?

The smoke had prevented Lance from clearly seeing the conversation between Red and Giovanni. He mistakenly thought Red was condemning Giovanni's cruelty, unaware that Red had just received a Beedrillite from him. Because of this, he didn't doubt the truth of Red's words.

"Thank you, young man. If it weren't for you, Silph Co. would not have been rescued from Team Rocket!" the President of Silph Co. said gratefully, looking at Red with tears in his eyes. He, too, had failed to see the moment Giovanni gifted the stone, a result of Giovanni's deliberate arrangement.

At this moment, the defeated Beedrill returned to Red's side, a dejected look on its face. Although it had exchanged several blows with Giovanni's Beedrill, it hadn't resulted in the all-out battle it craved.

Meanwhile, on Giovanni's side…

"Mr. Giovanni, why did you give the Mega Stone you worked so hard to obtain to that boy? That stone is a recent development from Dr. Namba!" the assistant asked, puzzled. Seeing Giovanni's increasingly displeased gaze, he immediately shut his mouth in fright.

Giovanni admired the beauty of the night through the window and said slowly, "From the very beginning, I have been eager to meet a true opponent. That boy's talent surpasses even my own. To reach such strength at such a young age… compared to him, even a Dragon Master like Lance is just a clown."

"Mr. Giovanni, since you admire that boy so much, why not recruit him into our Team Rocket?" the assistant asked.

"Do you think that's possible? An opponent like him, who can constantly stimulate my nerves, would never willingly become my subordinate. He will surely become a Pokémon Master standing at the very top," Giovanni murmured, his eyes gradually revealing excitement, already anticipating his next duel with Red.

(End of Chapter)

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