Vainglorious | Giovanni & Green
@toptrainer
Everywhere he went for the past several days, Giovanni had been unable to shake the feeling of eyes following his every move.
It had gotten to the point where every corner he turned he was checking over his shoulder, and on more than one occasion he thought he’d seen a dark shape dart just out of his line of sight. There was almost no doubt in his mind that he was being followed. By whom he didn’t know, but if it was the International Police he was doing himself no favors by lingering in Alola.
He had arranged to board a ship in Konikoni City bound for Hau’oli, and from there he’d be on the next flight out of the region. Time and subtlety were of the essence. Unfortunately the only way to the city was through an underground passage by the name of Diglett’s Tunnel. Apparently the Diglett in Alola were just as industrious as those in Kanto, to have two such similar locations in each region. Giovanni was used to traversing such winding paths and hoped to progress through the cave without too much delay. He had Rhyperior by his side to assist if the situation demanded it, but thus far he’d had no troubles.
Good. The sooner he was away, the better.
Keeping a brisk pace that his Rhyperior seemed to be struggling to match, Giovanni passed through the well-lit tunnels. That was a welcome change from the dark paths of Kanto’s equivalent, though he would never admit it out loud.
The tunnel opened up into a much larger cavern. Giovanni had passed by trainers and construction workers already, and while there were a fair few in this area, he didn’t spare them much attention. A bored-looking worker lifted his head as Giovanni passed, and a moment later Giovanni heard him call out.
“Hey, Mister! Let’s battle!” The man jogged to catch up with him, then fell in step at his side.
Giovanni looked at him without stopping. “No, thank you.”
“But you’re a trainer! Come on, I’m dyin’ down here,” he said, gesturing behind him toward whatever tunnel-clearing project he was supposed to be working on.
“No, thank you. I am late for a meeting as it is.” From his other side Rhyperior let out a menacing growl that visibly startled the man.
He came to an abrupt halt and called out, “Fine! No need to be rude about it!”
Giovanni rolled his eyes and continued on his way. As he made his way out of the open area, however, he found himself looking directly at a brown-haired young man several feet further down the tunnel. Giovanni would’ve dismissed him as another trainer, if he hadn’t recognized him immediately. Green. It was Green.
And just like that, all of Giovanni’s paranoia felt justified. It was all to easy for him to imagine that this brat was the one who had been following him the entire week. Had the Kanto League put him up to it? A dozen explanations supplied themselves, but Giovanni quieted them all. Questions could come later—now, his first priority was addressing the situation.
“Now, isn’t this an unexpected surprise.” A low rumble from Rhyperior struck a discordant note with the otherwise light tone in Giovanni’s voice.
