I am Giovanni

Chapter 84: A Trial of Strength

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"This... this is impossible," the two Squad Leaders said, their faces stiff.

Giovanni clapped his hands and Beedrill immediately returned to his side. "Well done."

"BZZZT!" Beedrill's eyes narrowed into slits as it smiled.

After the two Squad Leaders recalled their main Pokémon, Giovanni's tone softened slightly. "Well? Do you need me to give you another chance?"

They exchanged glances, conviction now clear in their eyes. This Beedrill could easily defeat both of their main Pokémon. Even if they sent out their other Pokémon, they would just be easy targets— and Giovanni's other Pokémon hadn't even come out yet.

They lowered their proud heads. "We surrender, Lord Giovanni."

"Only the wise submit to the times," Giovanni said, a slight curl to his lips.

They dared not disobey him in the slightest. "Everything you say is right."

"Codename, name," Giovanni finally asked them.

The green-haired boy stepped forward. "Codename: Solid Rock. Name: Rocco. My team is the Rock Squad."

Giovanni nodded, then turned to the brown-haired, pineapple-headed boy. He had felt this boy looked familiar, but he couldn't recall who he was.

"Codename: Cancer," the boy said, stepping forward. "Name: Marauder. My team is the Crab Squad."

"Marauder?" Giovanni muttered— a figure flashed through his mind: an unlucky Team Rocket executive from the future, wearing a mask and using a Dusk Ball to try and capture a Celebi. He looked at the boy again.

If he were a bit older, with quite the stubble... wouldn't it be him? The one who wanted to conquer the world with Celebi?

Under Giovanni's intense gaze, the boy's forehead began to sweat. He didn't know why, but his heart was pounding. "Lord Giovanni?" he asked carefully.

Giovanni stroked his chin. He didn't feel any killing intent, but his own aura slowly rose, pressing down on the boy. The boy's legs went weak, and he uncontrollably knelt on the ground.

It was normal for his subordinates to have ambition. If people had no ambition, how could they become stronger? But one thing was certain: as long as Giovanni was present, they had to be controlled by him. They had to hide their ambitions.

Under the control of absolute power, all delusions were fleeting. And he was Giovanni. The Dark Hand behind the curtains. The forerunner of Team Rainbow Rocket. This was his confidence.

The boy's sweat dripped onto the ground, his eyes filled with fear. The faint aura Giovanni released made it difficult for him to breathe. Archer was already used to it, but Rocco felt as if he were facing Captain Ank in a rage and almost knelt down as well.

They had always thought their talent was excellent, that they would one day become Captains, or even executives— but in front of this boy, they were incompetent.

"Get up," Giovanni said, waving his hand as his aura receded.

"Yes, my lord." Marauder said, hurriedly wiping the cold sweat from his forehead as he got up. The pride in his eyes had completely vanished, replaced entirely by fear.

Giovanni stood up and stretched, his body making crackling sounds like popping beans. "From today on, you will be my sparring partners. And your Pokémon will be my Pokémon's sparring partners."

"Yes, my lord," they both nodded hurriedly.

"Archer, you too," Giovanni said, taking off his shirt to reveal a sharply defined upper body.

They had thought they would take on Giovanni one by one, but then they saw Archer standing beside them. They were confused. Even if his Pokémon were strong, Giovanni himself couldn't be that strong, could he?

But they quickly realized they were wrong.

Giovanni took an attacking stance and threw a few casual punches, each one letting out a loud woosh. Thanks to the continuous enhancement of the power of Viridian, his physical strength had already caught up to that of a Machop.

"Come at me," he said, extending a hand towards them. "All of you."

The three Squad Leaders reached a consensus and charged at him together. Rocco, the smallest and most agile, was the first to close in, his fist whistling through the air— a faint smile played on Giovanni's lips.

He subtly shifted his body, easily dodging the strike, and at the same time, his left hand formed a claw, precisely gripping Rocco's wrist. With a twist, Rocco stumbled uncontrollably, his face instantly turning pale.

The Iron-Masked Marauder clenched his fists, his muscles tensed, and charged fiercely. A cold smile curled on Giovanni's lips. Instead of retreating, he advanced, meeting the attack with his own fist. When their fists met, the boy immediately let out a wail, feeling as if he had struck a rock. He retreated, shaking his hand in pain.

Archer, with his fighting experience, saw an opening and circled around to attack from behind— but Giovanni seemed to have eyes in the back of his head.

With a slight shift, he easily avoided the attack and, with a follow-up side kick, struck Archer's waist, sending him stumbling backward.

Seeing this, Archer knew he was no match alone. He exchanged glances with the other two. They formed a triangular formation, attempting to attack simultaneously from three directions.

However, it was far from enough. Giovanni moved agilely among them, sometimes dodging, sometimes counterattacking. Every move was precise and powerful, yet also sharp, making it difficult for them to get close.

As time passed, the three gradually felt overwhelmed. Their attacks became chaotic, while Giovanni grew stronger with each passing moment, eyes brighter and excited.

The battle quickly ended. Giovanni seized a perfect opportunity, leaping up suddenly and simultaneously kicking Rocco and Marauder in the chest, sending both of them flying.

He then turned and threw a punch, hitting Archer directly in the face and knocking him to the ground.