At this moment, deep within the forest, a colossal Haunter used its massive claws to pin a Gym Leader Level Pinsir to the ground.
Surrounding them were numb wildmen and Pokémon.
After several Ghost-type Pokémon materialized and reported on the situation in the safe zone, the Haunter let out an enraged roar!
Its crimson eyes glared in the direction of the safe zone, letting out roars. "Fuyi!!" (Damned humans! And that traitorous Gastly, I'll devour them!)
Its gigantic claw tore forcefully into the struggling Pinsir below, splattering blood and instantly disemboweling it!
It then drank its blood in large gulps and devoured its soul!
...
Five days later, although Pokémon occasionally fled here and were captured by the Team Rocket members guarding the area, they were never large groups.
However, Giovanni could clearly sense that the energy within the forest was diminishing, and an ominous chill was emanating from it.
A storm was brewing!
These past few days, due to daily battles and previous accumulations, Nidorino and Machoke each leveled up once.
Nidorino was Level 34, and Machoke was Level 36, and Machoke consequently learned the Double Chop move.
Another point was that after such a long time, Rhyhorn finally broke through to Senior Level, its chaotic aptitudes were thoroughly sorted out by Giovanni, and its level also reached Level 40.
It learned the Take Down move.
Beedrill and Persian had not yet broken through because their leveling speed had begun to slow down in the later stages.
To achieve a significant breakthrough in a short period, one would need to obtain top-tier resources or receive a gift from a Legendary Pokémon.
And this support finally arrived on the morning of the fifth day; it wasn't Miyamoto or anyone else who came, only a Poké Ball accompanied the delivery.
Everything seemed ready.
Meanwhile, in the wildmen's tribe on the opposite side of the forest, on an altar where piles of Pokémon corpses had almost formed a small mountain.
The Haunter's body continuously swelled, and its giant claws devoured one soul after another.
The aura and energy on its body contracted and expanded, seemingly on the verge of a breakthrough, but unfortunately, its aura suddenly plummeted.
It roared repeatedly, filled with unwillingness!
Giant claws made of shadows extended from its body, reaching out in all directions.
The surrounding Ghost-type Pokémon, already trembling in fear, scattered frantically, but facing the Haunter's immense power, they ultimately could not escape the fate of becoming food.
Devouring these Ghost-type Pokémon did not restore the Haunter to its peak.
Because of its vigilance, none of the Ghost-type Pokémon under its command, even those like Lampent, were Gym Leader Level; at most, they were Senior Level.
This meant that even when it needed energy, it still had insufficient supply.
It roared venomously, finally turning its gaze towards the safe zone.
That was its last chance!
With a roar, it transformed into a gigantic shadow and moved forward, followed numbly by the wildmen and Pokémon behind it.
A vast procession!
The forest, which already had few Pokémon left, now echoed with an eerie wind, as if the forest itself was wailing!
Pidgeot, soaring above, keenly observed this scene. It let out a cry and swooped down towards the safe zone!
However, the Haunter of a thousand years also noticed this. As a millennial old ghost with Quasi-Elite Four Level and Elite Four Level strength,
it already possessed the power to destroy a town or a small city.
Its full-power Hypnosis could essentially completely hypnotize the entire safe zone's already sleeping humans and drag them into a nightmare.
Killing people in their sleep, devouring them bit by bit.
However, using this move was extremely stamina-consuming and carried significant risks, so the Haunter dared not use it casually.
This time, it was pushed to its limits to act this way, and coincidentally, Giovanni was sound asleep at that moment.
Pitch black!
Giovanni awoke within a nightmare; his consciousness was pulled into an utterly dark domain.
In reality, Giovanni's body twitched uncontrollably, drenched in sweat, and he had fallen into a predicament.
At this time, inside the Poké Ball, Beedrill and the others were still unaware of the situation.
Thump! Thump!
In the pitch-black space, every step Giovanni took created faint ripples.
As the ripples spread, a pair of crimson, evil, gigantic eyes appeared below, staring greedily at Giovanni, releasing intense malice.
Nightmares, everyone has them, and Giovanni was no exception.
He walked aimlessly in the darkness until he saw a faint light and a slender figure standing in the distance, staring intently at him.
Giovanni inexplicably felt fear and involuntarily stopped his steps.
He had already guessed who was on the other side, but he dared not face it, because ultimately, he was a thief now.
The slender figure on the opposite side slowly took a step, and a tender voice, filled with resentment and anger, spoke.
"Are you afraid? You thief who occupied my body, you bandit!"
Giovanni involuntarily stepped back, but the familiar figure on the opposite side was continuously approaching. His appearance was exactly as he looked when his previous body died, still very thin.
However, there was something different: his body seemed to have long since rotted, revealing pale white bones and foul-smelling internal organs.
His face was incredibly distorted, and his eyes were filled with venomous resentment.
"I am Giovanni, I am the leader of Team Rocket! You are just a thief, you are unworthy!"
As he spoke, his appearance began to magnify, transforming from the emaciated youth to a young adult, and from a young adult, finally into the middle-aged leader of Team Rocket.
"I am Giovanni! Give me back everything that is mine!"
His hands directly gripped Giovanni's neck, with such immense strength that Giovanni couldn't break free.
His face turned crimson from being choked, his eyes were bloodshot, and his body was forcibly pressed downwards; the originally firm ground suddenly caved in, and then he seemed to fall into a swampy lake.
As Giovanni fell, the entire space seemed to echo with eerie laughter.
Giovanni's body completely sank in! His gaze, unfocused, looked up at the middle-aged Giovanni who was coldly observing him.
Looking at that mocking gaze, and the huge shadow slowly appearing behind him, Giovanni raised his hand, struggling to grab him, but his body, which could originally contend with Pokémon, was now so powerless, and his hand felt soft.
In the outside world, Giovanni's body, which had been wildly struggling, suddenly paused, but the eerie smile on his face was somewhat chilling.
And his slowly decelerating heart, and his gradually cooling body, all indicated that Giovanni's condition was not good at all.
This was Giovanni's tribulation; only he himself could overcome it.
If he couldn't overcome it, then what awaited Giovanni might only be death!