Giovanni's forehead creased with black lines. "A Trainer? How can someone with a Pokémon fall to such a state?"
A moment later.
The man sat before Giovanni, well-behaved, and made no further out-of-line movements.
Giovanni learned from his mouth why he had fallen to this state.
The man spoke candidly, "Because I ran away from an arranged marriage. This is actually my first time traveling, and I left in a hurry, so I didn't bring anything. No Poké dollars, no food, nothing."
Giovanni didn't expect to encounter such a melodramatic plot in real life, and the man didn't seem much older than Giovanni himself.
So Giovanni was very puzzled. "Ran away from an arranged marriage? That still happens now?"
The man was indignant. "Yes, my parents never cared about my feelings. They insisted I marry a woman I've never met."
Giovanni stroked his chin. "I feel like your situation sounds somewhat familiar."
Hearing Giovanni say this, the man instantly perked up. He excitedly tried to crawl closer to Giovanni.
If not for Persian's unfriendly gaze, he probably would have clung to Giovanni's leg again, but he still asked excitedly:
"Familiar? Do you know someone like that too? How did he handle it? Did he successfully escape the marriage? How did he do it?"
Giovanni pinched his chin, thinking of the future James. Logically speaking, James truly succeeded, as he was never caught and forced into marriage.
"It's simple. He seems to have joined a dark organization, thereby escaping his Family's control."
"Dark organization..." The man mumbled a few words, then his eyes lit up. "What a great idea! If I climb high in status within it, I won't have to fear my unreasonable parents anymore, and I can prove myself!"
He asked Giovanni, "What organization did your friend join? Can you introduce me to it too?"
Giovanni frowned. Was this guy faking it, or was this really happening?
"Why should I tell you? I don't even know who you are. Besides, I'm a League Trainer; how could I tell you such a thing?"
The man then remembered this, but he spoke with a stutter, clearly making up a lie. "My apologies, benefactor, my name is Sasaki Ichiro. Um... I'm from a small town near Fuchsia City, just an ordinary... ordinary Trainer."
How could such a clumsy lie fool Giovanni, especially when the man's eyes were shifty and he dared not look Giovanni directly in the eye?
However, Giovanni wasn't thinking about his lie at this moment, but his name: Sasaki Ichiro!
The Sasaki Family, a financial conglomerate in the Kanto Region. Currently, all high-end Pokémon food in Kanto comes from their Family.
And coincidentally, their main Family residence is indeed near Fuchsia City.
Although they are a Family hidden behind the scenes, how could they hide from Team Rocket?
This wasn't even the most important thing. The most important thing was that the Sasaki Family was James's Family.
This guy in front of him? It couldn't be such a coincidence, could it? Is he James's father???
Impossible, impossible.
And there was another thing: this guy brought nothing and ran all the way from Fuchsia City to Cerulean City. Was his luck too great?
Sasaki saw Giovanni lost in thought and called out to him twice, somewhat puzzled, "Benefactor? Benefactor? Are you alright?"
In fact, he regretted it a little after just saying his name, as his identity was indeed somewhat special.
Now he just hoped Giovanni knew nothing.
Giovanni snapped out of it and subconsciously blurted out, "I'm fine, I don't eat sour plums... Bah!"
He stared intently at Sasaki's mud-covered face, but couldn't discern anything.
If Sasaki was truly James's father, could running away from arranged marriages be hereditary?
However, thinking that James wasn't dragged back by the Sasaki Family, it might be because his father had once suffered, which made him more lenient towards James.
Sasaki, sitting opposite Giovanni, asked him somewhat confusedly:
"What's a sour plum? A new type of Berry? Do you have any extra? I'd like to study it, maybe I can make better quality Pokémon food."
Giovanni felt more and more that something was off. This guy... whether it was his name or his abnormal physical endurance, it seemed to really match up.
No wonder... no wonder his sixth sense told him to save him.
The Sasaki Family's wealth ranked among the top three in the entire Kanto Region.
If Team Rocket could gain the Sasaki Family's support, their development would indeed accelerate.
However, that was the previous Team Rocket and the previous Giovanni.
The current Giovanni possessed countless riches just in his mind; even without the Sasaki Family, he could still lead Team Rocket to the strongest, to the highest.
So Giovanni quickly calmed down. "I just said it casually. It's not a Berry. Don't overthink it."
Sasaki asked Giovanni, "Is that so? Alright. I haven't asked for your name, benefactor."
Giovanni looked at Sasaki, who couldn't even lie well, and slowly opened his mouth. "Giovanni."
Sasaki mumbled the name a few times. "Giovanni... Giovanni, I've noted it down. I will definitely repay your life-saving kindness in the future."
He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Giovanni's expression and demeanor were normal.
Although he could tell that Giovanni was very powerful, having raised a Gym Leader Level Pokémon at such a young age.
But after all, the Sasaki Family was very special, so it was possible Giovanni wouldn't know.
For now, it should be like this.
Giovanni nodded casually. "Mm, suit yourself."
Seeing Giovanni's attitude, Sasaki finally relaxed.
Within his Family, he had seen too much flattery. Even peers would curry favor with him, elevating him high.
But that always made him feel very fake.
Only after truly escaping did he feel that the world was slightly more real. Giovanni's aloof and indifferent attitude towards him made him very happy; it felt very real.
Moreover, having been out for so long, enduring such harsh, wind-and-rain-beaten days, he was finally seeing a living person, and he cherished Giovanni in front of him immensely.
"Giovanni, are you traveling?"
Giovanni rubbed Persian's head. "Yes, traveling, challenging Gyms, participating in the Indigo Plateau Conference."
"Indeed, a traveling Trainer! The Indigo Plateau Conference? The highest stage for Kanto Trainers, how amazing!" Sasaki's eyes widened instantly upon hearing this, filled with surprise and longing.
Without thinking, without even processing it, he said to Giovanni:
"Can I travel with you?!"