Chapter 15: The Training Ground
Thwack... Thwack...
Drops of sweat spattered on the floor. A shirtless Giovanni, drenched in sweat, performed a grueling set of push-ups. Nearby, his Weedle zipped frantically around the messy room, a blur of yellow.
In just ten days, while his frail body hadn't undergone a drastic transformation, he had finally reached the level of a normal teenager. He was no longer a walking skeleton. With more time, he knew he could build real strength.
As for Weedle, it had grown significantly, now half a meter long and weighing a solid six kilograms. It had doubled in size, making it quite large for its species and its power had increased substantially. This rapid growth was typical for a low-level Bug-type Pokémon; he knew the progress result to diminishing returns eventually.
More importantly, with Giovanni's unremitting use of the power of Viridian, Weedle's innate potential was steadily recovering from its premature hatching. He could sense its core energy strengthening.
The eggs plundered from Viridian Forest weren't specially bred for their potential, but his Weedle had been one of the strongest of the batch. With his help, he was confident he could not only restore its original potential but push it beyond.
He had gotten up early today, before the grunt delivered their meals, to get in some cardio on an empty stomach. He glanced around the wrecked room—the wall pockmarked with poison needles, the broken furniture, the sofa wrapped in a cocoon of silk—and felt a headache coming on.
In ten days, they had destroyed nearly everything that could be used for training. With the confrontation against Musashi looming, he needed to get stronger, but he was running out of tools.
Ding-dong.
The doorbell rang. It was the food delivery.
Giovanni and Weedle hurried to the door. After taking the food, however, Giovanni stopped the grunt. "Excuse me, sir," he asked. "Do you know where we can train? Team Rocket must have a proper training ground, right?"
The grunt peered into the wrecked room and frowned. "You... you've been training in here for the past ten days?"
Giovanni nodded silently, a sinking feeling in his stomach.
The grunt covered his face with his hand. "You're unbelievable. Official members can rent private training grounds, and there are free ones for general use." He looked Giovanni up and down.
"You're one of the new recruits, aren't you? Nine days ago, Executive Miyamoto opened up five large training grounds specifically for your group. Didn't you know?"
Giovanni was stunned. No one had told him. Because his Weedle had hatched early, he had been processed separately from the others. He had missed the general announcement. For ten days, he had been training in isolation while everyone else had access to proper facilities.
With a final, mournful creak, the battered chair in the room collapsed, as if in protest.
Giovanni scratched his head, feeling foolish. "Do you know where those training grounds are?"
The grunt, taking pity on him, gave him the locations.
After a quick meal and a wash, Giovanni walked out of the room he had called home for the last ten days, offering a silent apology to the abused furniture. He headed for the training grounds, two floors down.
When he arrived, he saw them—the other survivors. He didn't recognize all their faces, but he saw the incubators strapped to their backs. It was clear he had missed a lot.
His sudden appearance drew a lot of attention.
"It's him."
"The one who hatched the first Pokémon!"
Giovanni was already famous, or perhaps infamous. As he entered, he saw one boy's eyes go wide with panic before the boy scurried into one of the training rooms. Giovanni paid him no mind. He simply picked a training ground that looked suitable and walked in.
As expected of Team Rocket, the facility was impressive. The spacious room contained a running track, a large area with various kinds of fitness and weight-training equipment, and a section with targets for practicing moves.
Most of the recruits were on the track, jogging with their incubators. The equipment area was less populated, but everyone there was accompanied by a Pokémon. A few official Team Rocket grunts stood guard, likely to prevent fights and ensure no one was seriously injured by a rogue Pokémon.
Finally, a proper training ground. Giovanni was filled with a new energy.
He took out his Poké Ball. "Weedle, let's go!"
His partner appeared at his feet, overjoyed by the wide-open space. It was a welcome change from their cramped room.
"Ready to run a few laps?" Giovanni asked.
Weedle nodded eagerly and took off, with Giovanni right behind it.
At this stage, there was no point in hiding their strength. Their training plan was simple and tailored to Weedle; there was nothing for others to learn by watching them. The only secret he had to keep was the power of Viridian.
Compared to the struggling recruits hauling their heavy incubators, their faces etched with anxiety, Giovanni and his energetic Weedle were a conspicuous sight.
There was one other eye-catching presence on the track: the burly youth from the first day, the one who had fought off ten people. He was running at an incredible pace, but he too was still carrying an incubator. Time was running out, and no one wanted to die.
As Giovanni ran, a new group of teenagers walked into the training ground. Their leader strode in with his head held high, radiating an arrogant confidence. His arrogance stemmed from the small, scarlet Pokémon trotting at his side, a flame burning brightly at the tip of its tail.
It was Musashi. And his Charmander.