Chapter 118: A Trainer's First Step
"Meow!" The Persian, who had been gone for a long time, finally returned. It saw the mess on the ground and angrily threw a fainted, yellow-skinned Pokémon from its mouth onto the ground.
"Alright," Giovanni said, seeing that it was angry and pulling out a shiny, roasted duck leg from behind him. "I saved this for you."
The Persian then ran to his side, took the leg, and rubbed against his palm.
"Good boy," Giovanni said, stroking it with his clean hand. He then looked at the yellow-skinned rat on the ground and chuckled. "You still love to hunt rats so much." The Persian narrowed its eyes and scurried away.
It was an unexpected discovery. This Pichu might be the most suitable Pokémon for Surge. And Giovanni just so happened to have a Magnet.
He placed his dagger in Surge's hand and gave him a Poké Ball. "Go," he said. "Capture your Pokémon. And then, successfully tame it."
Surge tightened his grip on the Poké Ball and the dagger and tentatively walked towards the fainted Pichu.
"Be careful," Giovanni reminded him, sitting on a nearby stone. "Mice are the best at playing dead."
Surge was already fully alert, and with Giovanni's reminder, he became even more vigilant. And the yellow-skinned rat on the ground, just as Giovanni had said, was indeed playing dead. As Surge gradually approached, it suddenly sprang up and tried to escape.
"Stop it," Giovanni whispered to his Pokémon nearby. "Don't hurt it."
As Pichu ran forward, it crashed into a sturdy leg, bouncing back and falling to the ground. It raised its head in a daze, and its small eyes met Machoke's ferocious face. It was startled and frantically tried to run in another direction.
But to its left was Nidorino, covered in poison barbs, with narrowed eyes and a mischievous smile. And to its right was Beedrill, gently waving its twin stingers, exuding an incredibly terrifying aura. The small rat was so scared it nearly fainted again.
It wasn't until it heard Surge's voice from behind that it snapped out of it. "Hello. My name is Surge, and I'm going to capture you."
"Oh, this kid is quite polite," Mars marveled, sitting nearby.
Archer also had a few black lines on his forehead, but he didn't mock him. "After all, it's his first time. It's understandable."
"The process and method are not important," Giovanni said, having his own views on the matter. "The most important thing is the result. Even if the means are despicable or not, as long as they succeed, they are good enough."
"Yes, your subordinate understands," Archer and Mars both nodded.
Though it was his first time, Surge still had a dagger and a Poké Ball. And Pichu was a relatively docile Pokémon, only level one or two. These conditions were much better than when Giovanni had fought to the death with that Rattata. Surge also had talent; otherwise, he wouldn't have become a Gym Leader later on.
So, without surprise, he successfully captured Pichu. He had the honor of becoming an unofficial trainer. Later, Giovanni only needed to spend a little money to legitimize his identity.
Surge, his hair shocked into an afro and his face blackened from a stray spark, walked towards Giovanni, happily raising the Poké Ball in his hand. "Boss, I succeeded!"
Giovanni shook his head helplessly. Though Pichu was low-level, Surge's ability to withstand the electric current gave him a bit of a "superhuman" feeling. He knew the boy's physique would become quite strong later on.
"Not bad," he said, offering the necessary praise. "Congratulations on completing the first step."
"Hmm, is there a second step?" Surge asked, bursting with confidence.
"The second step is simple," Giovanni said lightly. "I'll give you three days to bond with this Pichu. And then, you will kill a Pokémon."
"Huh?" Surge suddenly hesitated.
"What? Can't you do it?" Giovanni frowned. He needed to temper the boy a bit. He had already planned out his future path. Surge absolutely had to go to the army; that way, his identity would be cleaner, and he would have a chance to compete for a Gym Leader position later.
The conditions in the army were not easy; he needed to adapt in advance.
"Don't 'huh' me," Giovanni said, not retracting his words. "Time waits for no one."
"Yes," the previously overjoyed Surge said, quickly walking to the side.
As for Archer and Mars, Giovanni did not let them idle either. He glanced outside the jungle. Though the main force of the Sea Overlords would certainly not come here, those scattered by the waves or the trainers from the S.S. Anne might still come over.
He needed to eliminate all comers. At the same time, he also needed to find a way to leave. If all else failed, he could only travel by raft. The best way was to catch more Water-type Pokémon.
As for Giovanni himself, besides killing anyone that Archer and Mars couldn't handle, he also planned to completely conquer Rhyhorn during his time on the island. The only troublesome problem was its food.
A Pokémon like Rhyhorn needed to eat minerals to exert its full Rock- and Ground-type power— but it was clear that there were no good stones on this island for it to eat. In fact, this Rhyhorn was still in a state of malnutrition.
If it reached its peak, it would likely make a great leap, just like he had. And the prerequisite for this was that he must first find minerals.
Another day of envying Steven.