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Late at night, Eddie didn't set up camp to rest as usual. He found shelter under a small grove and sat down to relax.
Eevee and Gengar beside him also leaned against Eddie, preparing to rest.
As for his other Pokémon, Eddie didn't release them at all—only Eevee and Gengar, both of Peak-level strength.
Charizard and the others were all Gym Leader-level. Eddie didn't want to release them and alert Giovanni, while Venusaur and Blastoise were his hidden ace Pokémon, so naturally he wouldn't reveal them.
Of course, Giovanni had expressed curiosity about Eddie only releasing Eevee and Gengar, questioning Eddie about this.
"Because of the battle with Team Rocket a few days ago, their bodies are still... ahem, well, they were seriously injured after the battle. Although they're almost healed now, I still gave them a few days off to let them recover properly."
This was Eddie's response to Giovanni. Since almost all the Team Rocket members who had fought him were captured by Erika, Giovanni couldn't verify the condition of his Pokémon, so he could use this excuse. Giovanni couldn't force Eddie to release Charizard and the others.
"This kid's performance today wasn't bad. Although he's better than the average trainer, he's not far beyond normal levels. Did Sabrina and the others make a mistake, or was this guy just lucky to repel them before?"
Giovanni was also sitting on the other side of their small camp. He appeared to be resting, but his attention remained on Eddie as he silently evaluated the young trainer.
But what he didn't know was that Eevee and Gengar were exhausted—not from battle, but because...
"Eddie, why did you want us to fight at only half our strength today? And you deliberately gave so many wrong commands. It's tiring to act like this..."
Eevee and Gengar complained to Eddie in this manner. Of course, only Eddie could understand their complaints.
Eddie had to constantly comfort them and secretly told them that such days would probably end tomorrow.
In Giovanni's eyes, Eddie and his Pokémon were simply having normal communication. He didn't understand Pokémon language and didn't realize that the trainer in front of him was openly discussing him.
Yes, all day today, Eddie not only hadn't sent out his strongest combat force, but had also made Eevee and Gengar fight at half strength while frequently issuing incorrect commands to confuse Giovanni.
His performance throughout the day had Giovanni, who had been watching him battle, constantly shaking his head in disappointment.
Giovanni's current assessment was that the three Executives had been too careless. They thought they'd found a potential threat, but now he could see Eddie was just a lucky individual. Although his strength wasn't bad, that was all there was to it. He didn't even have the desire to eliminate him anymore.
Eddie took out the Pokémon food he'd purchased from his backpack. Pokémon really enjoyed such high-quality food. Although it was expensive, he wasn't short of money, so he naturally let his Pokémon enjoy the best meals every day.
He ate some simple provisions himself. It was normal to eat such food while traveling—certainly better than foraging for wild berries.
Eddie first distributed food to Eevee and Gengar, then very "kindly" offered some of the food he'd prepared as a trap—sprinkled with Sleep Powder and Stun Spore—to Giovanni, attempting to create an opportunity.
As for whether he could take the chance to eliminate Giovanni, Eddie figured he'd try if the opportunity arose. If Sleep Powder successfully made him fall asleep, well...
Of course, he was also testing Giovanni's vigilance at this moment, judging whether he could make a move against him later.
What if he was discovered? He'd just claim it was a mistake. He'd deliberately made so many command errors today—wasn't it normal to make another mistake?
This could also deepen Giovanni's evaluation of him as "not worth worrying about." How perfect would that be? He could continue playing tricks on him whenever he wanted.
However, Eddie underestimated Giovanni's vigilance, or perhaps the man was simply too suspicious.
People who constantly scheme always like to judge others by their own standards and speculate about others with the greatest malice, because they themselves fear being tricked by others.
So when Giovanni saw Eddie about to hand him some food, he didn't take it, instead producing a simple compressed nutrition tablet from his pocket.
"No need, Eddie. When trainers go out on adventures, food is a precious resource. You should keep it for yourself. I have compressed nutrition tablets here. Although they're not very filling, they can provide me with sufficient energy."
Giovanni spoke to Eddie very kindly, then consumed his own prepared food.
"Alright then, I'll put it away. By the way, Uncle Giovanni, don't you have any Pokémon with you? It's very dangerous to travel in the wild without Pokémon and not take the main roads. How about this—I'll escort you to the nearest town tomorrow?"
Eddie silently cursed that the man was truly an old fox, but still maintained his bright smile while appearing curious.
Although he had to pretend to be a lucky trainer who didn't know much, he couldn't appear too foolish.
If Giovanni didn't point out this obvious flaw, the latter might suspect he was acting.
"Hmm~~ He finally pointed out my flaw? I was still wondering if he was playing dumb. If he didn't even notice such an obvious inconsistency, then he must be pretending. But now it seems this guy was just too slow to notice it until now. It's a waste of my time coming here personally to test him."
Giovanni was also complaining about Eddie internally at this moment. He was very busy and had taken time specifically to observe Eddie, but the latter had disappointed him and made him feel it was a waste of time.
"Forget it, I'll just treat this as a spring outing to relax. I'll return tomorrow. Staying here is just wasting my time."
Giovanni, with several thoughts flashing through his mind, calmly took out a Poké Ball from his suit pocket with a gentle smile and explained to Eddie.
"Morning Sun, of course I brought Pokémon. Look, this is my Beedrill. It's not a particularly powerful Pokémon, but it's a good partner I've raised since childhood. If there's real life-threatening danger, it can at least help me escape."
"I was just too panicked this morning, so I forgot about it momentarily. But if you're willing to escort me away tomorrow, that would be fine. My research here is almost finished, and it's time to head back."
Giovanni held his Poké Ball and spoke to Eddie with apparent embarrassment, displaying an expression of "I'm getting old and confused."
Eddie looked at the Poké Ball in Giovanni's hand, and his alertness reached maximum levels. This 'ordinary' Beedrill and that other 'cute' Swinub were the two non-legendary Pokémon he feared most in this world.
But...
"Alright, Uncle Giovanni, I'll escort you to the nearest town tomorrow."
Eddie had said this casually. He'd thought Giovanni would test him for another day or two, but it seemed his acting today had been effective—he'd directly convinced Giovanni not to bother testing him further.
This way, after sending this dangerous person away tomorrow, he could let loose and continue training seriously.