Chapter 18: An Offer He Couldn't Refuse
For two days, Giovanni waited. He wasn't in a hurry. He had seen the state of the nutrient solution in Katsu's incubator; it would take the burly youth at least another week of constant running to hatch it on his own.
Katsu didn't have another week. If he didn't want to die, he had no choice but to ask for help. The closer the deadline, the more desperate he would become.
As for the possibility of Katsu trying to trick him, taking his help without fulfilling his end of the bargain, Giovanni had already planned for that. He couldn't afford to hide his abilities completely anymore, but he could control who saw them.
Over the past two days, a steady stream of recruits had been entering and leaving Giovanni's room. They would go in carrying an incubator and come out empty-handed.
The next day, they would be seen with their newly hatched Pokémon. Giovanni had carefully chosen these recruits, picking only those whose eggs were just a day or two from hatching on their own. This saved him energy and created a small, loyal faction. These children were his insurance, a network of pawns— but the only one he truly valued as a potential piece was Katsu.
It was a pity they were destined to be rivals, a pity only one of them would survive.
When Katsu saw this sudden new group of trainers subtly deferring to Giovanni, he knew something was wrong. He looked at the motionless egg on his back, then at the clock ticking down. He was wavering.
One night remained until the end of the second stage.
As usual, Giovanni was one of the last to leave the training ground. The other was Katsu, still drenched in sweat from his desperate, non-stop running.
"Come back, Weedle," Giovanni said calmly, pressing the button on his Poké Ball. In the past few days, Weedle had leveled up again, now a strong level 5. It was far ahead of everyone else.
After recalling his partner, Giovanni prepared to leave, not sparing Katsu another glance. He was not the one in need.
He walked towards the exit, step by deliberate step. Just as he was about to leave the training ground, Katsu finally broke.
"Wait!" he shouted, wiping the sweat from his brow.
Giovanni's foot paused, but he didn't turn around.
Katsu's heart sank. His resolute face turned ashen with regret. But then, Giovanni's voice echoed from the hallway.
"Find me."
Katsu was so relieved he could barely speak. He immediately bolted from the training ground.
A few minutes later, inside Giovanni's room, Katsu stood with his head bowed. The boy who could fight off ten others was now completely submissive. Giovanni sat on the tattered sofa, looking down on him.
"Give me the incubator," Giovanni said, his voice flat.
Katsu immediately complied, terrified that Giovanni might change his mind.
Giovanni glanced at the nutrient solution and was genuinely surprised. The fluid was almost depleted. In just four days of frantic running, Katsu had accomplished what had taken others ten.
If he'd had two more days, he might have succeeded on his own— but it was too late. His bad luck had delivered him to Giovanni's feet, destined to become a stepping stone.
"Lower your head," Giovanni commanded.
His life in Giovanni's hands, Katsu obeyed.
A faint smile touched Giovanni's lips. He placed his hand on the incubator and unleashed the power of Viridian. The green energy permeated the egg, and the last of the nutrient solution was rapidly absorbed.
Sweat beaded on Giovanni's forehead, and a sharp pain lanced through his skull from the exertion, but he didn't stop until the fluid was gone. It would slightly diminish the Pokémon's innate potential, but it was more than enough to save Katsu's life.
When the egg began to shake, Giovanni spoke. "Alright. Take it. It's about to hatch."
Katsu lifted his head, his eyes wide with disbelief. The egg in the incubator was trembling, and cracks were spreading across its surface. He took it from Giovanni's hands, so overwhelmed with emotion he was nearly in tears.
Crack... crack...
The small life inside broke free. As the incubator opened, a newborn Pokémon emerged. It was a gray, humanoid Fighting-type with a three-finned crest on its head and nascent muscles already visible on its small frame: a Machop.
The Machop looked from Giovanni to Katsu, bewildered. Then Katsu let out a joyous shout.
"Machop!"
The little Pokémon leaped into his arms. Katsu picked it up, spun it around in a circle of pure elation, and then captured it in the Poké Ball he had been given. After a long moment, he finally turned to Giovanni.
"Thank you," he said, his voice thick with gratitude. "I, Katsu, owe you my life. If you ever need anything, I am at your service."
Giovanni leaned back, crossing his legs as Weedle crawled over with a towel. He wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Good. My effort wasn't wasted. You're more trustworthy than the others. Be ready. You'll have a chance to prove it tomorrow."
"I will!" Katsu agreed immediately, not even asking what the task was.
"Go," Giovanni said, dismissing him. "Get your Pokémon's food and register its data."
Katsu nodded and walked out. As the door closed, a slight, cold smile played on Giovanni's lips, and a familiar killing intent glinted in his eyes.
Musashi. This time, let's see how you survive.
Weedle sensed its master's emotions and rubbed against his shin. Giovanni looked down at it, his mind already moving to the next problem.
Weedle was not far from evolving into Kakuna. If he didn't prepare the right resources before it evolved, he would miss a crucial opportunity to significantly boost its potential. The power of Viridian was a great help, but evolution was a critical moment.
But where could he, a mere recruit, find such rare resources? Raising a Pokémon to its absolute peak was an exhausting, expensive endeavor.
"Wee?" Weedle cried out, sensing its master's frustration.
"This isn't for you to worry about," Giovanni said, a confident smile returning to his face. "You just focus on getting stronger. As for everything else... leave it to me."