Chapter-4

[Damn it, it's unreal! Even Hyper Beam didn't work!][How do you even fight this thing? It's like nothing can break through its defense!]

[What kind of Pokémon is this?!]

[Now I understand why they said Jess couldn't win. Who could possibly beat that?]

The onlookers and viewers in Jess's live stream were stunned. No one could believe what they were witnessing. Hyper Beam was known for its overwhelming power, and yet, it did nothing but tickle Giovanni's Rhyperior.

"I have to get this Pokémon," thoughtLucy, who was watching the battle from the audience. Her eyes burned with desire as she gazed at Rhyperior standing proudly in the battle arena.

[Ding! Giovanni's incredible strength has shocked everyone. Reputation value increased by 1. Current reputation: 1.]

[Ding! Giovanni's strength continues to impress. Reputation value increased by 1. Current reputation: 2.]

[Ding! Giovanni's strength has left everyone in awe. Reputation value increased by 1. Current reputation: 3.]

System prompts rang continuously in Cale's mind. In a matter of moments, his accumulated reputation value reached 80,000.

"80,000 reputation points, huh? This battle was worth it," Cale thought, nodding in satisfaction. With these points, he could perform 8 draws, which might bring some valuable rewards.

On the battlefield, Jess stood frozen. After seeing her Nidoqueen's Hyper Beam fail, the confidence she once had drained from her. Her strongest move had done nothing.

"Three moves are up. Now it's my turn to attack!" Giovanni declared.

"Rhyperior, use Mega Punch!"

Upon Giovanni's command, Rhyperior rushed toward Nidoqueen with incredible speed. Still recovering from the strain of Hyper Beam, Nidoqueen had no time to react.

Bang!

Rhyperior's powerful punch landed squarely on Nidoqueen's jaw, sending her flying. She crashed to the ground, eyes swirling as she fainted.

[Wow! This guy is so strong, how have we never heard of him?]

[The streamer got completely wiped out.]

[That power is insane! It only took one hit to knock out Nidoqueen.]

[What is this Pokémon?! It's like a tank that can both endure and destroy.]

As Nidoqueen fainted, another wave of reputation points flowed into Cale's system, thanks to the viewers in Jess's live stream.

"It looks like I won," Giovanni said calmly. He returned Rhyperior to its Poké Ball and walked toward Cale.

"So, how much reputation did we earn?" Giovanni asked, clearly curious.

"A total of 100,000, which is enough for 10 draws," Cale replied with a smile. Giovanni's battle had earned him exactly what he needed.

"Good enough," Giovanni nodded, pleased with the result. Winning an effortless battle and earning 100,000 reputation points brought him closer to his ultimate goal: surpassing his son.

"Alright, the warm-up is over. Let's get down to business," Cale said, preparing to take Giovanni to meet the person in charge.

"Wait a moment, gentlemen."

At that moment, a girl's voice sounded from behind them.

Turning to the source of the sound, they saw a woman about the same age as Cale, wearing a suit, approaching. She was accompanied by two strong men in suits, clearly acting as her bodyguards.

Seeing someone approaching him again, Cale frowned in displeasure.

"Hello, gentlemen, I am Lucy, the person in charge of Century City's PIAT Branch. Here's my card."

This woman was none other than Lucy, the head of thePIAT branch of Century City. After watching the match, she saw that Cale and Giovanni were preparing to leave and hurried forward to stop them.

Cale and Giovanni exchanged glances upon hearing this. They were surprised that the person they were going to meet had come directly to them instead.

"It turns out you're Miss Lucy. Hello, hello," Cale said, his expression softening immediately upon recognizing her. He accepted the business card, shook her hand, and greeted her politely.

"I wonder, Miss Lucy, what brings you to us?"

Cale took the initiative to ask, curious about her intentions.

"It's not the best place to talk here. Would you both be willing to join me in my office?" Lucy responded, gesturing to the bustling crowd around them, suggesting a more private setting for their conversation.

Soon, under Lucy's guidance, Cale and Giovanni were led to her office.

"To be direct, gentlemen—I watched the match earlier, and I was deeply impressed by your Pokémon," Lucy began once they were seated. "I'd like to make a generous offer to purchase it."

Lucy didn't mince words. She wanted to buy Giovanni's Rhyperior, the Pokémon that had caught her eye.

"Excuse me?!" Giovanni's eyes narrowed upon hearing this, and a dangerous glint flashed across them.

For a moment, the air seemed to grow cold, and Lucy shivered slightly, sensing the shift in tension.

After Cale heard this, he was also slightly stunned. He hadn't expected that someone would take an interest in Giovanni's Pokémon.

Team Rocket was usually the one trying to take other people's Pokémon. When did it become someone else's turn to covet theirs? And even more shockingly, they had their eyes on Giovanni's Pokémon.

"Miss Lucy, let me be blunt—you can't afford this Pokémon!" Cale's tone grew colder.

Giovanni's Rhyperior was a master-level Pokémon. Even if Century City liquidated all its assets, it still wouldn't be enough to buy such a Pokémon. Besides, a Pokémon is a trainer's partner, not something to be sold casually. Even Giovanni wouldn't sell his own Pokémon.

"Who are you to say we can't afford it!" one of Lucy's bodyguards barked before she could reply, unable to hold back.

Lucy was the head of a branch. The idea that she couldn't afford a Pokémon was insulting to him.

Giovanni's eyes flickered with a hint of menace as he glanced at the bodyguard. He was the leader of Team Rocket, a master trainer. To be shouted at like this was rare, and if it weren't for the low stakes, that bodyguard would already be in serious trouble.

"Three hundred million!" Lucy spoke up, raising her hand to silence the bodyguard. Her tone was cold. "Three hundred million Alliance coins, and I'll buy your Pokémon."

Cale snorted in response. "Giovanni, let's go."

They had originally come to Century City with the intention of cooperating, but with this kind of attitude, Cale felt there was no point in continuing. There were plenty of ways to make money in the world, and he didn't need to waste time on this.

"Five hundred million!" Lucy shouted again as Cale and Giovanni turned to leave. "Five hundred million Alliance coins!"

With that much, one could buy almost any Pokémon on the market. But Cale and Giovanni remained unmoved, continuing to head toward the office door without hesitation.

"What are you standing there for?!" Lucy shouted angrily at her bodyguards as Cale and Giovanni walked out.

In Lucy's entire life, she had always been the center of attention. Even the elites of the Region treated her with respect. Yet these two men had not only ignored her but humiliated her as well.

An unprecedented sense of frustration welled up in Lucy's heart.

"Yes, boss!" Her bodyguards quickly responded to her angry command and began to chase after Cale and Giovanni.

"Wait for them to reach a place with no people," Lucy added. She had regained some sense and didn't want to cause a public scene in Century City. That would reflect poorly on her and damage her chances in the family inheritance race.

"It looks like trouble's coming," Cale said to Giovanni as they heard footsteps behind them.

Originally, they just wanted to use some of their knowledge to make money with Century City. He hadn't expected the other party to covet Giovanni's Rhyperior and even resort to strong-arm tactics.

But now they had no choice but to deal with it. Cale didn't start trouble, but he wasn't afraid of it either.

"Heh, looks like I need to stretch my muscles again," Giovanni replied, cracking his neck and adjusting the collar of his suit with a playful grin.

Soon, Cale and Giovanni walked out of Century City and into a deserted alley. They could hear the footsteps of the two bodyguards following closely behind.

"I assume this is how you do business at Century City?" Cale said, turning to the bodyguards as they closed in.

"It seems like you've already figured us out and led us here on purpose," the smarter of the two bodyguards said, eyeing the alley.

"Don't think just because you've got some strength, you're untouchable. Hand over that Pokémon and save yourselves some pain!" the other, less intelligent bodyguard demanded, releasing a Machamp and threatening Cale and Giovanni to hand over the Rhyperior.

"A level 63 Machamp, not bad," Cale observed. He could see the opponent's strength through his system, noting that the Machamp had reached Elite level. But it was no match for Giovanni.

"Giovanni, take care of them," Cale said, losing patience.

"Go, Rhyperior!" Giovanni released his Pokémon.

"You two come at me together," Giovanni said confidently, gesturing for both bodyguards to attack at once.

"Don't look down on us! I'm not some amateur!" the brash bodyguard yelled, ordering his Machamp to use Dynamic Punch.

"Machamp!" The Pokémon's four fists began to glow with a white light as it charged toward Rhyperior.

The bodyguard believed this attack would seriously injure the Rhyperior, but what happened next left him stunned.

"Rhyperior, Mega Punch!" Giovanni commanded calmly.

Before Machamp's attack could land, Rhyperior punched it square in the chest with such force that the sound of bones breaking echoed through the alley.

Machamp was sent flying, crashing through a wall. It lay motionless on the ground, blood trickling from the corner of its mouth, its eyes rolling back. The fight was over in an instant.

[Ding! Your teacher Giovanni is feared for his strength. Reputation increased by 1. Current reputation: 100,001.]

[Ding! Your teacher Giovanni is feared for his strength. Reputation increased by 1. Current reputation: 100,002.]

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