Pokemon: With Title System

Chapter 95: A Battle of Acting Skills with Giovanni

So this is that Shiny Gardevoir?

Giovanni studied Asahi and his Pokémon.

His presence here in Mt. Moon was no coincidence.

As a member of the League's governing council, he was among the first to be informed about the upcoming Gym Leader assessments. He also knew that Asahi had been assigned as an examiner.

And he hadn't forgotten—this same ranger from hell had taken down the Team Rocket squads he had sent to pursue Mew.

Now, Asahi had suddenly become an official League examiner, which piqued Giovanni's curiosity.

That was why he had orchestrated this encounter.

As the stampeding Golem and Graveler approached, Giovanni's eyes flickered with interest.

Let's see how strong you really are.

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Asahi didn't know Giovanni's exact thoughts, but he could guess that this was a test.

So…

(Gardevoir, don't use the Psychic Plate.)

He mentally instructed Gardevoir.

Revealing Gardevoir's strength was fine, but exposing the Psychic Plate was out of the question.

Gardevoir acknowledged the command through telepathy.

As the rampaging Golem and Graveler charged toward them, its eyes glowed blue, and an overwhelming wave of psychic energy swept forward.

Psychic!

Instantly, the entire group of Rock-types was engulfed by the telekinetic force.

In an instant, many of them let out cries of pain, and the weaker Graveler were knocked out on the spot.

(This level of psychic power… No wonder he wiped out two of my divisions last time.)

Giovanni, observing from the sidelines, made his assessment.

He had personally selected these Graveler. He knew exactly how strong they were. For Gardevoir to eliminate so many with one attack meant its power had already reached the Elite Four level.

That matches the intel I have…

But let's see how you handle this next part.

The remaining Graveler, instead of retreating, became even more aggressive.

They tucked their arms in and began rolling toward Gardevoir at high speed.

Some, though barely standing, glowed brightly—activating Explosion!

"Watch out, they're going to self-destruct!"

Giovanni placed a hand on his Poké Ball, as if ready to intervene.

(I know it's Explosion, so why don't you actually do something…?)

Asahi mentally rolled his eyes but outwardly smiled at Giovanni. "Mr. Giovanni, I'll handle this!"

(Gardevoir.)

Without needing further instruction, Gardevoir raised an arm and fired a rainbow-colored beam into the approaching Graveler.

Psybeam!

The affected Graveler immediately fell into confusion, turning to collide with their own allies.

A chain reaction ensued—disrupting their charge.

The ones preparing to explode were lifted off the ground by Gardevoir's telekinesis, rendering their attacks useless. They detonated midair, their shockwaves scattering the remaining Graveler below.

The tunnel was left in ruins.

Only the lead Golem remained standing.

Seeing its minions fall, it roared and charged at Asahi and Gardevoir.

Asahi was about to deliver the finishing blow when suddenly—

Crack!

The ground beneath Golem caved in.

Losing its footing, the massive Pokémon stumbled.

And as if triggering a hidden mechanism, the surrounding area collapsed, sending all remaining Graveler and Golem into a massive pit.

(When did this happen…?)

Asahi narrowed his eyes and instinctively glanced at Giovanni.

Giovanni's friendly expression never wavered. "You were already handling things, but I couldn't just stand by and watch."

As he spoke, the ground trembled again.

The pit collapsed further, burying the rampaging Pokémon completely.

With that, the battle was over.

At that moment, Asahi spotted the Pokémon Giovanni had used—

A Dugtrio emerged from the ground before being recalled into its Poké Ball.

(To set such a large-scale trap without me noticing… Not only is Giovanni extremely discreet, but this Dugtrio is at least Elite Four-level, maybe even Champion-level…)

As the dust settled, the trainers who had fled earlier returned, thanking Asahi profusely.

While exchanging pleasantries, Asahi considered Giovanni's true motive.

(Destroying evidence? Preventing me from noticing something? This was probably Giovanni's doing all along…)

There had to be traces of how Giovanni had incited the Graveler's rampage.

If he had managed to capture one, he might have found evidence to report to Lance, proving his suspicions about Giovanni.

But Giovanni was too cautious.

After the trainers left, Asahi praised Giovanni, "Was that Earthquake? No wonder you're the author of Secrets of the Earth, Mr. Giovanni. No one controls Ground-type moves better than you."

For once, Asahi wasn't acting—this was genuine admiration.

Using Earthquake in a cave without causing a full collapse? That required absolute control.

(Going up against someone like this… What a headache.)

Even Mega Gardevoir with the Psychic Plate and Lugia with the Flying Plate might struggle against Giovanni.

In response to Asahi's compliment, Giovanni chuckled. "If you hadn't thrown the Graveler into confusion, I wouldn't have had the chance to set my trap."

Then, as if casually brushing the whole incident aside, he added, "Mt. Moon suddenly having so many rampaging Pokémon is odd. I should investigate. I guess we won't be traveling together after all. See you at the assessments!"

***

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