Chapter 127: The Reunion
It was only natural that Proton didn't stay. Giovanni remained in Vermilion City for a few more days, eventually recruiting two more children: a girl named Cassidy and a boy named Jeremy.
They were not familiar names, nor were they familiar people. Even with all his luck, Giovanni couldn't possibly gather all his future subordinates in one go.
However, this didn't mean that the children he newly recruited would necessarily be weak; perhaps they would grow into decent combatants.
After finding these two, Giovanni had no intention of staying in Vermilion City any longer. In fact, if he hadn't been afraid that Proton would be ganged up on, he wouldn't even have bothered finding the others.
After all, Proton wasn't him; there was no need to be a lone wolf at the beginning. If they could form a group, it would increase their chances.
Leaving Vermilion City, Giovanni officially reunited with Karl and the others. When they saw Mars's respectful demeanor behind Giovanni, they initially scoffed— but upon learning that Mars's strength had reached the senior-level, they all wished they could slap themselves.
If only they had followed Giovanni back then, perhaps it would be them with this strength today. They also noticed Mars's change; not only in strength, but also in temperament.
He no longer looked like a mere grunt. It was estimated that once he returned to the Viridian Base, it wouldn't be long before they'd have to call him "Squad Leader."
And Archer was even more astonishing. In just one month, how had he reached the senior level? Were senior-level Pokémon that easy to capture?
They still didn't know that Giovanni had single-handedly taken down a senior-level trainer and all his subordinates; otherwise, they would probably have swallowed their tongues.
To curry favor, Karl and the others immediately pushed the younger boys they had recruited forward. "Boss, these young men were all carefully selected by us. Which ones do you wish to keep?"
Under Giovanni's gaze, the young recruits nervously retreated a little. Though Giovanni looked only a few years older than them, his demeanor and Karl's address made it clear that he was the most important person here.
They had just barely escaped their suffering and didn't want to be abandoned. One by one, they looked at him pleadingly.
Giovanni merely pretended not to see them, but he didn't drive them away either. He simply pointed to Proton behind him and instructed them, "From today onwards, you will all obey his commands."
These young men exchanged glances. If they were to obey Giovanni, they would certainly be willing— but now, a scrawny, seemingly defenseless boy had stepped forward, making it hard for them to obey.
Even Karl and the others felt that Giovanni's actions were a bit unfair. After all, the children they had selected looked much stronger than this boy.
"They seem to look down on you," Giovanni said, patting Proton's shoulder. "Want to show them? You can even kill them."
Proton had learned some simple combat techniques from Archer during his two days with Giovanni, and he had already killed people before. Even if his physical fitness wasn't high, he was still not someone these children could compare to.
He raised his hand, flipping a shiny small knife. His eyes fixed on them, and a faint killing intent slowly emanated from him. Combined with his wolf-like gaze, it made them even more terrified. They immediately lowered their heads, not daring to meet his eyes.
"Who wants to try me?" Proton's eyes were incredibly cold. "We'll decide victory and defeat... with life and death."
Not a single one of them dared to answer.
"This kid is even more interesting than Surge," Mars quietly said to Archer beside him.
"Surge is like an undeveloped tiger," Archer replied, "while he is more like a wolf."
"If you don't dare," Proton said coldly, "then lower your heads!"
With youthful spirit, there would always be someone unwilling to give up. A seemingly robust young man stepped out. "I refuse! If you have the guts, put down the knife—"
He hadn't finished speaking when Proton, holding the knife, charged forward. He had been bullied for so long, and he had learned to be ruthless from Giovanni. Who cared about ethics? He just needed to cut this one's throat and intimidate the rest.
The young man clearly hadn't expected him to be so decisive. In a panic, he quickly retreated while simultaneously reaching out to block— but Proton's speed was very fast, and the young man's movements appeared clumsy and slow.
A flash of the blade, accompanied by a short, sharp cry, and a thin line of blood appeared on the young man's neck. He stared wide-eyed, disbelievingly at Proton, instinctively reaching out to grasp something, but only grasping air.
Blood immediately gushed out, staining his collar and terrifying the other children.
"Ah—!" a few of them shrieked. They had never seen such a bloody scene, nor had they expected Proton to be so cruel.
He retracted his knife and stood still, his gaze cold as he scanned the crowd, as if to say: Is there anyone else who dares to defy me?
"Remember," Giovanni's voice was icy as he looked at the children, "this world is cruel. You either learn to obey, or you learn to become stronger. Otherwise, only death awaits you."
The young men trembled with fear, no longer daring to voice any dissent. They all lowered their heads, indicating their willingness to obey Proton's commands.
"Boss," Archer walked over. "What should we do next? Should we continue forward, or rest here for a while?"
"Deal with the body," Giovanni waved his hand. "We're going to Saffron City."