Chapter 166: Giovanni: He Knows Rocket Better Than I Do
Chapter 166: Giovanni: He Knows Rocket Better Than I Do
Beating Giovanni?
That's got to be one of the highlights of my life, right?
But let's be honest, the "Shadow Ball" curving around like that was a bit of a cheat.
Otherwise, Gengar might have gotten away unscathed.
But it also shows that Giovanni's true command skills really shine in unrestricted battles.
Think about it.
If that curving "Shadow Ball" had hit me instead of Gengar...
Jing He shook his head.
He wasn't arrogant enough to gloat over a single win against Giovanni.
"Is one 'Energy Rock Fragment' enough? Want two more?" Jing He looked at the Gengar and Weavile beside him, smiling.
Gengar blinked.
"Gengar?"
So generous today?
"Ooh~"
Weavile's eyes lit up, and she chirped softly.
Give me ten!
Jing He's eyes widened.
A few bottles of healing spray should be enough for your injuries. Do you really need ten more?
But seeing the eager look in Weavile's eyes, Jing He could only sigh.
"Fine, we can always buy more."
We wouldn't want to leave any lingering effects on these two little ones.
Gengar's eyes darted around, a sly look flashing across his face. He sprang up from the ground and waddled over to Giovanni.
Opening his mouth, he reached into his pocket dimension and pulled out a "Wenyou Fruit," offering it to Giovanni.
Giovanni was taken aback.
"For me?"
"Gengar!" Gengar chuckled, scratching his head awkwardly.
Misunderstanding! It was a misunderstanding. He only realized this Nidoking wasn't the one bullying the Nidorans, so he went a bit too hard.
Nidoking: (PД`q。)·。'゜
Giovanni couldn't help but smile, patting Gengar's head.
"Then I'll thank you on Nidoking's behalf."
Gengar placed his hands on his hips.
"Gengar!"
No need to be so formal, old man!
Giovanni's smile widened. After a moment's thought, he pulled out about four or five small black stones from his pocket.
"Then this can be my return gift."
Are these fragments of a "Dark Stone"?
Gengar's eyes sparkled. Without hesitation, he stuck out his tongue and swallowed all the stones, then waddled back to Jing He.
Giovanni chuckled, shaking his head.
Jing He's eye twitched as he watched Gengar return, and he rubbed his forehead.
Oh no!
His Gengar had used one "Wenyou Fruit" to trick Giovanni into giving him several "Dark Stone" fragments.
The kicker is, Giovanni knew about Gengar's little schemes and still gave them.
Just then, Shizuru, who had gone to the gym to fetch something, approached Jing He.
"Teacher Jing He, here is the Viridian Gym Badge and the TM."
She handed over a green badge representing the Viridian Gym.
The TM contained the move "Earthquake"!
However, none of Jing He's Pokemon could learn it yet, so he might have to wait until Dratini evolves into Dragonair.
But the value of this TM was undeniable.
"Earthquake" wasn't cheap, and it came with Giovanni's insights on the move.
Just to utilize those insights, the required materials would likely cost a pretty penny.
Painful but rewarding.
Jing He took the items.
Shizuru's expression was complex, her eyes filled with admiration.
No wonder the boss holds him in such high regard. Not only is he an expert in Pokemon psychology, but his battle skills are also impressive.
Jing He played with the "Green Badge" for a moment before putting it in his pocket.
It was carved from jade, making it just as valuable as the "Golden Badge."
But...
'Somehow, I've collected two of the hardest-to-get badges in Kanto.'
A little while later, Giovanni stood up, recalling Nidoking and Rhydon.
"Teacher Jing He, shall we talk?"
Jing He's heart skipped a beat, realizing the serious talk was about to begin.
"Sure."
In a quiet office within the Viridian Gym, Shizuru brought in tea and snacks before leaving, leaving Jing He and Giovanni alone.
Jing He glanced at Giovanni, who was smiling but silent, and remained quiet himself.
He decided that if Giovanni tried to play the Rocket card, he would pretend to be clueless.
Giovanni took a sip of tea and popped a cute Jigglypuff-shaped cookie into his mouth.
It was quite amusing to see the leader of Team Rocket eating Jigglypuff cookies.
"This was made by Shizuru, it's quite good. Teacher Jing He, you should try some," Giovanni said.
Jing He didn't hesitate, grabbing a few.
He ate one, tossed a few into the shadows, and slipped one into the mouth of the sleepy Weavile in his arms.
"Indeed, it tastes great," Jing He remarked, still chewing.
Under his guidance, Zenn and Nana had learned to make dishes and pastries, but they were worlds apart in their skills.
Getting to the point.
"Teacher Jing He, would you be interested in staying at the Vermilion City Gym to help me out?"
Sakura took another sip of tea, swallowed a cookie, and continued, "I have a lot on my plate. You could start as the acting Gym Leader, and if you adapt well, I could transfer the Gym to you after some time. It’s not out of the question."
Sigh—
Jing He couldn’t help but draw in a sharp breath.
What a grand offer!
This was a Gym!
While running a Gym required a significant amount of capital, the rewards were even more substantial.
Even though Vermilion City wasn’t a particularly large city, the income from the Gym was still highly enviable.
If it were any other place, Jing He might have agreed.
But the Vermilion City Gym...
He truly didn’t dare to take it on right now.
Jing He said with difficulty, "While it’s very tempting, I’m sorry, Gym Leader Sakura, but I prefer teaching and nurturing students."
Sakura was somewhat taken aback by Jing He’s quick refusal.
From Jing He’s attitude and words, Sakura could sense that Jing He didn’t know his true identity.
At the same time, Sakura was aware that Jing He was in need of money.
To refuse the allure of a Gym under such circumstances...
Even Sakura couldn’t help but respect Jing He, saying, "Teacher Jing He, you truly never tire of teaching. I admire you."
Jing He felt a bit embarrassed and waved his hands in protest.
If only someone knew how much it pained him to turn it down.
After a brief silence, Sakura changed the subject.
"Teacher Jing He, have you heard of Team Rocket?"
Here it comes!
Jing He’s grip on his teacup tightened involuntarily, but he quickly relaxed and said slowly, "Gym Leader Sakura, you know I’m from Hoenn."
"But I remember you attended the Silver Academy, didn’t you, Teacher Jing He?"
There it is.
Seemed like he couldn’t avoid it.
"However, I have heard of Team Rocket."
"Really? What do you think of Team Rocket?" Sakura asked with a smile.
Jing He sighed inwardly, lightly rubbing the edge of his teacup. After a moment’s thought, he said, "An evil organization."
Sakura’s eyes narrowed slightly, but his smile remained unchanged. "Oh?"
"A highly ambitious and very united organization."
"How so?"
Jing He took a deep breath.
"While Team Rocket often engages in destructive and plundering activities, a closer look at their history reveals that they have their own set of rules."
"Moreover, it’s said that Team Rocket offers good benefits to its members, even bonuses."
Meowth had mentioned that Team Rocket not only had a comprehensive welfare system but also offered signing bonuses and entry fees, as well as annual bonuses, year-end meetings, tea parties, and motivational sessions.
In many ways, their system was on par with the League.
In some aspects, they even outdid the League.
Otherwise, how could so many people be so loyal to Team Rocket?
Sakura’s charisma played a significant role, no doubt.
But many were also driven by profit.
"A united, rule-bound organization with benefits, aside from the things they do that are hard for the average person to accept, one can almost see a bit of the League in Team Rocket."
Jing He continued, "Team Rocket is trying to match the League, which is why I say this organization is very ambitious."
"Hmm?"
Sakura’s smile faded, and he looked at Jing He, who was toying with his teacup, with a mix of surprise and suspicion.
He hadn’t expected Jing He to see through Team Rocket so clearly!
"Then, Teacher Jing He, what do you think of Team Rocket’s future?" Sakura asked again.
Future?
Jing He shook his head.
"There is no future."
Sakura’s voice grew colder, "Is that so?"
With everything said, Jing He had nothing more to hide.
He had already reported to the Vermilion City Police Department before coming, and this fact would not escape Sakura’s notice. If anything happened to him here, Sakura would likely be exposed!
This was definitely not what Sakura wanted.
Besides,
Jing He believed Sakura wouldn’t make a move.
He still needed him to help soothe Mewtwo and find his son.
So, pretending not to notice Sakura’s change in demeanor, Jing He said, "No matter how rule-bound Team Rocket is, their poaching crimes can’t be erased. At its core, it’s still an underground organization, one that can’t be exposed to the light. How can they guarantee that a bright light won’t pierce through everything one day?"
"Then Team Rocket will never have a future," Sakura said coolly.
Jing He’s insights were clear to Sakura.
No matter how strong Team Rocket was, they couldn’t openly challenge the League, which was vast and controlled multiple regions.
"Not exactly." Jing He popped another cookie into his mouth.
"Hmm?"
Giovanni was taken aback.
Was there a way out?
"Actually, the leader of Team Rocket could consider bringing the organization out into the open."
Giovanni laughed.
He thought Jing He was oversimplifying things.
But Jing He continued, "It’s undeniable that without Team Rocket, the Kanto and Johto regions would be even more chaotic."
Giovanni nodded.
Without Team Rocket, other forces would inevitably rise, that much was certain.
"That’s one of the reasons why the League can neither fully eliminate nor ignore Team Rocket."
After Giovanni's disappearance, Team Rocket splintered into factions, even releasing Arceus and the three dragons, nearly causing the end of the world. This incident highlighted the organization's significant influence.
"Given that, why doesn’t Team Rocket simply come out into the open and take charge of the dark side of order? It can continue to maintain control while discarding the more detestable aspects, such as reckless poaching."
Giovanni was silent for a long time.
"Come out into the open?"
"Team Rocket already has legitimate sources of income, combined with some more gray-area earnings. If it transforms into a large corporation, offering better benefits and higher salaries with lower entry barriers, I believe many people would be eager and aspire to work for it."
But Giovanni countered, "Such profits wouldn’t be enough to maintain Team Rocket’s original welfare, right?"
Jing He shook his head, "No, it would be enough."
"There are things the League can’t or won’t do, like poaching and smuggling. Let Team Rocket handle these. The profits from eliminating these activities would be sufficient to cover Team Rocket’s losses and improve its reputation."
Taking a grassroots approach might even allow Team Rocket to encircle the League from below.
"Black eats black?"
"Don’t make it sound so harsh. It’s about using evil to fight evil."
Jing He waved his hand dismissively.
"As long as the intentions and outcomes are right, few people will care about the process."
"An interesting take on ‘using evil to fight evil.’”
Giovanni smiled.
"Touching core interests, there would likely be significant opposition within Team Rocket."
Jing He shrugged and, for the first time, looked directly at Giovanni, speaking earnestly, "Gym Leader Giovanni, there’s an ancient saying from my hometown: ‘No destruction, no creation.’”
"If you can’t break it yourself, you can ‘create’ someone to help you break it."
"‘Create’ someone to help you break it."
Giovanni repeated the phrase, his eyes gleaming.
It was a promising direction.
Wait a minute.
Jing He suddenly thought.
Could that person be Red?
The two fell silent again.
After a while, Giovanni smiled and said, "We’ve strayed a bit."
"Today, I invited you here, Jing He, to ask for your help with something."
"Help?"
Jing He had a pretty good idea what Giovanni wanted.
"You know, I have a child, but he’s been missing for many years. I’ve searched tirelessly but to no avail. I thought, since you interact with many students and children, perhaps you could help me... find him."
Of course.
"This is a father’s request," Giovanni said solemnly.
Jing He’s expression grew serious, and he nodded earnestly.
"I can’t refuse a father’s plea to find his child. Even if the chances are low, I will do my utmost."
Giovanni looked at him deeply.
"No, you can do it."
Jing He was taken aback for a moment before smiling, "You’re right. As an excellent and upright Gym Leader, your child will be found, and he will be very willing to recognize you."
Whether intentional or not, Giovanni sensed an emphasis on the words "recognize" in Jing He’s statement.
This made Giovanni consider something he had never thought about before.
Yes.
If he found Silver, would his son be willing to recognize a father who is the leader of Team Rocket?
Giovanni and Koga stood at the entrance of the Vermilion Gym, watching the car drive away.
"Boss,"
Koga slowly spoke, "Does Teacher Jing He... know about Team Rocket?"
Giovanni smiled.
"Koga, sometimes it doesn’t matter whether someone knows or not."
Koga didn’t understand.
"Jing He said something that made sense: ‘Sometimes, an outsider sees things more clearly.’ Perhaps Team Rocket needs an ‘outsider.’”
"An outsider sees things more clearly," Koga muttered softly.
He didn’t fully grasp the meaning, but it sounded profound.
Giovanni’s smile widened.
"Sometimes, I think he might understand Team Rocket better than I do."
"Eh?!"
(End of Chapter)
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