Time flew by, and another five months passed.
The base was basically set up, though the interior wasn't fully decorated yet.
Although the base wasn't fully decorated, its general layout and plan were already discernible.
Spacious training areas, well-equipped laboratories, and rest areas prepared for members—everything was orderly.
In the training ground, Giovanni and Matt were constantly sparring with wooden knives.
Their movements were swift and powerful, the wooden knives carving sharp trajectories in the air, each clash accompanied by gusts of wind.
Despite it being only training, the seriousness and focus in their eyes were not to be underestimated.
"Boss Giovanni, your skills are becoming increasingly refined," Matt praised between breaths, fine beads of sweat already seeping from his forehead, clearly indicating that sparring with Giovanni had left him somewhat tired.
Giovanni smiled slightly, then his face returned to calm. "It's thanks to your sparring these past few months that I've grown much stronger."
As he spoke, he suddenly took a step forward, the wooden sword in his hand spinning, drawing a graceful arc in the air, heading straight for Matt's face with astonishing speed.
Seeing this, Matt's eyes narrowed, and he quickly leaned back, narrowly dodging the blow.
"Boss Giovanni, you're really becoming more and more merciless," Matt said with a wry smile, then also quickened his offensive, his wooden sword like a nimble snake emerging from its hole, striking directly at Giovanni's vital points.
Seeing this, Giovanni's eyes narrowed, his body quickly retreated, and at the same time, he swung his sword back to parry, the two wooden knives colliding in the air with a "bang" sound.
"Not bad, Captain Matt, quick enough reaction!" Giovanni praised, a hint of a smile in his tone.
Matt chuckled, wiping the sweat from his face. "Boss Giovanni flatters me. I was forced into it. If I don't move more, I'm afraid I won't be able to keep up with your pace."
The two battled again until the wooden knives in their hands were torn into two pieces, then they stopped.
The two rested briefly, and Matt picked up two towels from nearby, handing one to Giovanni.
They sat on the edge of the training ground, wiping sweat from their faces, gazing out at the entire base.
Giovanni, with a faint sense of oppression about him, casually remarked, "I didn't expect the base to be established so quickly. It seems it won't be long until we return."
Matt replied, "It will still take some time, probably another half a year."
Giovanni narrowed his eyes, the corners of his mouth turning up, "Half a year? It'll pass in the blink of an eye. I'm truly a bit impatient to go back."
Matt looked at Giovanni and said to him, "Although it's only half a year, Boss Giovanni, I've seen your progress with my own eyes. Even if that one in the base gets stronger, he won't be your opponent."
Giovanni chuckled twice, "Captain Matt, are you taking sides?"
Matt shook his head at Giovanni, "Taking sides is not necessary, after all, it's an open secret. I'm just following the Boss's orders and doing my best to help you."
Giovanni narrowed his eyes, lightly tapping his leg with his finger, "You really don't care about power at all. If it were anyone else, they would probably have bowed down before me long ago."
"Unlike you, you've helped me cultivate a group of subordinates and even taught me."
Matt replied, "It's all what I should do. It's best if I can contribute one last effort to the organization before I retire."
Giovanni made no secret of his ambition. "What if I don't let you retire then?"
Matt looked at Giovanni, who didn't seem to be joking, and was slightly stunned, then he said:
"Then I can only drag this old body of mine to contribute more to the organization. As long as I'm not dead, I'll keep working."
Giovanni stood up, smiling, "You said it, I'll remember that."
Matt also stood up, "I guess I have no room to go back on my word now, do I?"
"Of course." Giovanni took a Poké Ball from his waist, pressing his fingertip lightly.
And Matt, opposite him, also pulled out a Poké Ball and pressed it.
Bang, bang! Two flashes of white light, followed by two earth-shattering roars!
One was a Charizard, its body fiery red, with a pair of wings flapping as it flew in mid-air, a Gym Leader Level Mid-stage Pokémon!
The other was gray, somewhat resembling a Nidoking, standing upright with a drill-like horn on its head.
Its body was covered in tough hide armor, with some barbs, and it also had a thick tail.
A Senior Level Early-stage Pokémon, Rhydon!
That's right, Giovanni's Rhyhorn successfully broke through to Senior Level four months ago, and after leveling up two more times, it finally evolved.
Now, it is Level 43 and has learned the Arm Thrust move.
As for its lack of resources, there's no need to worry about that.
After all, with Giovanni having Madame Boss acquire Evolution Stones, Team Rocket had claimed many mountain ranges, filled with countless ores.
Giovanni asked Madame Boss for them; how could she refuse?
All sorts of stones were sent here, along with some high-density ores that contained considerable power.
Before it evolved, the Rhyhorn even ate a few rocks left behind by a deceased Gym Leader Level Onix.
So its breakthrough was a sure thing.
Not only that, its aptitude also improved, directly from green to light blue.
The most outrageous thing, however, was its height; it was already several sizes larger than an ordinary Rhyhorn.
Now, it was even more astonishing, having surged to 2.3 meters, a living monster. If Nidoking wasn't wider than it, it probably wouldn't have as much of a sense of oppression.
Just imagine if it were to evolve into a Rhyperior, it would probably reach over three meters—that would be truly terrifying!
Matt looked at Rhydon and couldn't help but praise, "Boss Giovanni, your Rhydon is truly becoming more and more excellent. I'm even afraid Charizard won't be able to handle it."
If it were an ordinary Gym Leader Level Pokémon, Giovanni would still be confident, but since the opponent was Matt's starter Charizard, Giovanni wasn't as sure.
So he wouldn't fall for Matt's taunt and directly said, "Stop wasting words, this time it's still 2V1."
As he spoke, he also raised his hand and released Nidoking, who roared, "Nido!"
Two Ground-type Pokémon against a Charizard actually didn't have a significant advantage.
But precisely because of this, it was called training. If everything went smoothly, what would be the use?
Matt instantly got into the zone, "Alright, since you're the Boss, but I still won't go easy."
Rhydon
Ground-type and Rock-type
Male
Aptitude: Light Blue
Ability: Solid Rock (Reduces damage from super effective attacks.)
Level: 43
Height: 2.32 m
Weight: 300kg
Moves: Tail Whip, Tackle, Knock Down, Stomp, Horn Attack, Scary Face, Stomp, Rock Blast, Drill Run, Sandstorm, Thunder Fang, Fire Fang, Ice Fang, Take Down, Arm Thrust
Egg Moves: None