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When the smoke cleared, Rhydon lay motionless on the ground. Solar Beam had been powerful enough to deal massive damage to it.
Looking at the fallen Rhydon, Giovanni's expression remained unchanged, as calm as ever. He calmly took out the Poké Ball and recalled Rhydon.
Giovanni hadn't expected that Ash's Venusaur would also know weather-based moves, which had caught him somewhat off guard.
Seeing Ash defeat two of Giovanni's Pokémon, Misty and the others felt somewhat relieved, but they didn't let their guard down—their opponent was no ordinary trainer.
"Next up, it's this one!"
Giovanni finally took out one of the two Ultra Balls he'd been holding. Looking at the black and yellow Poké Ball in his hand, Giovanni's face showed a slight smile.
As soon as he finished speaking, Giovanni threw the Poké Ball directly. Light flashed, and Giovanni's third Pokémon finally appeared before everyone.
"Roar!"
The moment it appeared, it let out a powerful roar. The Pokémon before them was covered in rough purple skin. Although it didn't look as hard as Rhydon's armor, it was covered in taut, powerful muscle that appeared incredibly strong. Its chest and abdomen were white, and it had a pair of enormous ears. The outer edges of the ears had a row of spikes, while the insides were green.
A row of teeth lined its lower jaw, with the last tooth extending outside its mouth. Its arms were as thick as its legs, and a long tail extended behind it.
Most striking was the sharp horn on top of its head, while the back of its head was covered with sharp barbs.
"Nidoking!"
Gary looked at the Pokémon before him and spoke unconsciously. Nidoking was the final evolved form of Nidoran♂, and he was very familiar with this Pokémon.
He owned a Nidoking himself. Nidoking was exclusively male, while Nidoqueen, its counterpart, was exclusively female.
Normally, Nidoking was paired with Nidoqueen, and they were considered a model couple in the Pokémon world.
Before evolving, they were typically found in pairs. At the same time, both Nidoking and Nidoqueen were social creatures.
They held the titles of Poison King and Poison Queen respectively. Nidoking's main role in their groups was to protect weaker companions, while Nidoqueen focused more on finding food and caring for others.
The division of labor was clear, but Nidoqueen's power was in no way inferior to Nidoking's. Besides caring for younger Pokémon, Nidoqueen's main responsibility was also to keep Nidoking's temper in check, so in reality, Nidoqueen's strength was not weaker than Nidoking's.
Both Nidoking and Nidoqueen were primarily Poison-type Pokémon, but during their evolution, they also gained Ground-type characteristics, making them dual-typed.
"Come on, kid! Nidoking, use Poison Sting!"
This time, Giovanni took the initiative and attacked first. Upon hearing the command, Nidoking opened its mouth and fired countless slender purple poison needles, like a heavy rain.
"Razor Leaf!"
Seeing the barrage of Poison Sting approaching, Ash launched a counterattack. Venusaur roared and released large, sharp leaves from the flower on its back.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The two attacks clashed in the air. Poison Sting had superior numbers, while Razor Leaf had larger projectiles. Neither side gained an advantage as the moves collided, creating bursts of explosions in the air.
"Use Vine Whip!" As smoke filled the air, Ash continued pressing forward, sending out six Vine Whips in succession.
Even when visibility was poor, Vine Whip's wide-range attack could still capture Nidoking.
Giovanni also knew that Sunny Day was still active, and Nidoking had no weather-changing moves. Once caught, it would end up like Rhydon—exposed to the devastating power of Solar Beam.
"The same move won't work twice! Nidoking, use Earthquake!"
Watching Venusaur's Vine Whip extend outward, Giovanni knew exactly how to counter it. Upon hearing the command, Nidoking roared, raised its foot, and stomped down heavily.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The ground instantly produced violent tremors, and even everyone standing outside the battlefield could feel it. The battlefield floor began cracking continuously.
Under the intense shaking, Venusaur squinted slightly. The next moment, there was a sudden crack beneath its feet. Because of its heavy body, one of Venusaur's legs fell into the crack created by Earthquake, causing its body to tilt. The angle of its Vine Whip attack changed due to the shift in position.
Nidoking took advantage of the situation to avoid the attack, and Giovanni snapped his fingers again.
"Megahorn!"
"Nidoking!"
Nidoking roared, and a strange vibration emanated from its sharp horn, which then flashed with dazzling blue light. The horn seemed to be charged with energy as Nidoking rushed directly toward Venusaur.
"Venusaur, Leech Seed!"
Ash spoke quickly upon seeing this. Although Venusaur's feet were still stuck in the ground, the flower on its back was unaffected. A seed emerged from the center of the flower and launched directly toward Nidoking.
The seed flew toward Nidoking, struck its chest, and rapidly sprouted. The vines of Leech Seed instantly covered Nidoking's body.
However, Nidoking seemed completely unfazed and continued charging toward Venusaur.
Boom!
Forcibly enduring the Leech Seed, Megahorn struck Venusaur directly.
Venusaur let out a pained grunt, and its massive body was pushed backward uncontrollably. Its stuck foot was pulled free by the force.
"It's Megahorn! This is trouble!" Gary, watching the battle, frowned unconsciously.
Although Nidoking was a Poison and Ground-type Pokémon, Megahorn was a Bug-type move, and a very powerful one at that.
Venusaur was a Grass and Poison-type Pokémon. While it had some resistance to Bug-type attacks due to its Poison typing, a direct hit would still cause considerable damage.
Venusaur was forced back, and Nidoking stopped at that moment. The vines on its body suddenly glowed with a red light, and Nidoking merely narrowed its eyes slightly.
Physical energy was being absorbed by the vines and converted into stamina for Venusaur. However, the energy absorbed by Leech Seed wasn't substantial—it would only gradually drain and hinder Nidoking's actions over time.
Meanwhile, Venusaur had already expended considerable energy and was breathing slightly heavily.