On the outskirts of Saffron City, Archer made a final plea. "Boss, are you certain you don't need an escort? Mars could accompany you."
Mars imdiately stepped forward, his expression resolute. Not just him, but Karle and the other recruits looked at Giovanni with expectant eyes, hoping for a chance to prove themselves.
Giovanni dismissed their hopeful gazes with a cold indifference.
"Unnecessary," he stated flatly. "A large group draws unwanted attention. When you get to the station, split up. Be discreet."
Seeing the finality in his tone, Archer had no choice but to concede. "Yes. We will."
Giovanni added a final instruction. "There is still a month, but variables are always in play. Once you return to base, drill them relentlessly. I will be back before you know it."
"Leave it to us, Boss," Archer assured him.
Giovanni raised his hand, releasing Rhyhorn. He swung himself onto its armored back and spurred it toward the city without another word.
Left in his dust, Archer turned to the others. "Karle, you and Ono are one group; take these three. Mars, you and Nick are another..." He divided them into three waves before they began their own infiltration of the city.
anwhile, Giovanni rode Rhyhorn into Saffron's streets. The ride was jarring without a saddle, but with the Pokémon's evolution imminent, commissioning one felt like a waste of resources.
A Trainer riding a Pokémon was a common enough sight that no one accosted him. Instead, he drew looks of surprise and envy; it was rare to see soone so young in command of such a powerful beast.
Giovanni ignored them. He swung off Rhyhorn's back in one fluid motion and recalled it to its Poké Ball without a second glance. The efficiency of the action gave him the air of a local, albeit one whose Pokémon wasn't a Fighting-type.
So of the more insightful onlookers recognized him as an outsider, and an opportunity. They imdiately sward him.
"You! You've got the build," one barked, his do-gi stained with sweat. "You're a natural. Co to my dojo! We'll make you a champion, a real supernova in the fighting world!"
His call was like a lit match. In seconds, Giovanni was surrounded by recruiters from various dojos, all shouting over one another, all making aggressive pitches. Saffron was a city of fighters, infested with gyms all scrambling for talent.
Giovanni's brow furrowed, his patience wearing thin.
Suddenly, a new voice cut through the din from behind. "A pack of loudmouthed brutes. All you do is bellow. One day, I will replace all of you."
Giovanni turned, intrigued.
Not far away stood a dark-skinned boy in a baseball cap, perhaps a year or two older than him.
The martial artists' faces twisted in rage. "It's that pest!" one of them roared. "We're going to teach you a lesson today!"
The boy remained utterly unfazed by their fury, his calm gaze fixed solely on Giovanni.
Their eyes t. For a split second, a flicker of blue light danced in both their gazes—a silent, psychic acknowledgnt.
The boy gave a slight nod. Instantly, a Kadabra materialized at his side. The martial artists, familiar with this tactic, surged forward. "He's going to run!"
But their physical speed was no match for psychic power. Kadabra placed a hand on the boy's shoulder, and with a ripple of distorted air, they both vanished.
The fighters lunged at empty space. By the ti they rembered their original target, Giovanni was also gone, having used the diversion to slip away. Cursing their luck, they dispersed, their interest lost.
Walking through the inner city, Giovanni found that the aggressive recruiting ceased. He moved through the bustling streets for so ti before stopping. Opposite him, across the crowded thoroughfare, the boy reappeared.
Whoosh.
The boy's form blurred and vanished again.
Giovanni imdiately turned his head, his eyes locking onto a spot fifty feet to his left. Sure enough, the boy was there. After several more of these tests, the boy seed satisfied and walked out of the crowd, a confident smirk on his face.
"Greetings, fellow," he said, extending a hand. "I am Naru— a Psychic of Saffron City."
Giovanni remained impassive. He had just been considering how to acquire psychic training thods. It seed opportunity had co knocking. He gave a curt nod, not denying the boy's assumption.
Naru's smirk widened into a grin. "It's been too long since I t a Psychic from out of town. I finally have so company. Interested in coming to my place?"
The boy's baseball cap was pulled low, shadowing his face in a way that seed deliberately furtive. It was clear that Psychics had a difficult ti in the current era of Saffron City.
Giovanni vaguely recalled hearing that the future Gym Leader, Sabrina, had only taken power after her father. This city's undercurrents ran deep. If he weren't on a schedule, it would be worth a deeper look.
To get his hands on training, accepting the invitation was the most logical step. Pretending to be a fellow Psychic would be impossible without a baseline of knowledge.
Under Naru's expectant gaze, Giovanni nodded. "Interesting."
Overjoyed, Naru reached for him, intending to have his Kadabra teleport them both.
Giovanni's hand shot up, deflecting the grasp. He had no intention of placing his safety in the hands of a stranger's Pokémon. A teleport into a trap was a risk he would not take.
Naru looked at him, confused.
"We walk," Giovanni stated. "I don't allow others to teleport ."
The boy shrugged, seeming to accept the explanation. "Peculiar habits are normal for our kind. The stronger the mind, the stranger the person." He pulled his cap down even lower and led Giovanni through the dense crowds toward a dilapidated building on the city's edge.
As they approached, several martial artists who had been lying in wait erged from the shadows, moving to ambush them.
Naru didn't break his stride. A blue glow flared in his eyes. The fighters took two steps before their own eyes glazed over and they collapsed, dropping to the cobblestones like puppets with their strings cut.
"Normally, I'd just tolerate them," Naru said, not bothering to look back. "But with a guest present, I felt compelled to act."
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