I am Giovanni

Chapter 112: Rhyhorn

Fortunately, after Giovanni's reminder, the Machoke dodged the attack in time. However, the power of the move was considerable; the fissures continued to spread, shaking and tilting the nearby trees. It was an Earthquake.

Rumble!

The sound of a giant creature running echoed through the clearing— a large tree was snapped in two, and from behind it, a Pokémon resembling a rhinoceros charged out. It was about one and a half meters long, entirely gray, with steel-like armor that shimmered in the dappled light. It had a small horn on its head, short limbs, and a very large head.

It was a Rhyhorn.

It looked at Machoke with great anger, and after seeing Giovanni, its eyes were filled with killing intent. This Rhyhorn was not low-level; it had almost reached the senior level and might evolve into a Rhydon soon. And it seemed there was more than just one.

Giovanni scanned the surroundings; there were three other Rhyhorn of similar levels nearby, hiding behind the trees, secretly peeking at him and his Pokémon.

The only surprising thing was that, logically, there shouldn't be Ground and Rock-type Pokémon like Rhyhorn on this small island. There wasn't even enough space for them to move around. The only possibility was that they had been abandoned here by a trainer, which explained their increased aggression and resentment towards humans.

"Hoo!" The first Rhyhorn furiously roared at Giovanni. Then, the other three charged out from different directions, surrounding him and his team. Two of them appeared older, their armor looking less tough and somewhat aged—likely the parents of the first one. The other was in its prime, its sibling.

When the dense Ground-type energy began to gather around them, Giovanni already guessed what they were going to do. "Climb the trees!" he shouted.

It was another Earthquake. The four Rhyhorn raised their upper bodies high, then stomped down forcefully.

Boom!

They continuously infused Ground-type energy into the ground. The solid earth instantly cracked, and the ground shook wildly. Fortunately, with Giovanni's warning, the Persian and the Machoke had already jumped into the trees. Giovanni promptly recalled his Nidorino, preventing it from being swallowed by the move.

Standing on a slightly tilted tree, Giovanni looked at the four Rhyhorn below, his earlier thought becoming even more certain. This method of organizing and directing companions to use coordinated moves must have been learned from humans. This Rhyhorn was quite intelligent.

At this moment, the Poké Ball at his waist vibrated slightly. Giovanni gently patted it. "Rest well," he said. "You're not needed yet."

The four Rhyhorn saw them climb into the trees, yet they stubbornly continued to use Earthquake, trying to swallow them along with the trees. Giovanni lightly waved his hand, releasing the two Kingler he had just caught.

"Full power Water Gun!" he commanded in a cold voice. "Attack those four Rhyhorn!"

Startled by his aura, the two Kingler quickly moved. Two streams of Water Gun shot out fiercely. The Rhyhorn were not fools; the moment the Kingler moved, they quickly dodged, even breaking trees to avoid the super-effective attack. Upon seeing the detestable Water-types, their hatred immediately shifted. They used Horn Attack and charged.

The two Kingler watched them approach, shaking violently. They quickly raised their large pincers and slammed them forward, using Crabhammer. With a bang, they actually knocked down the smaller Rhyhorn— but the remaining three attacked them from three different directions. Flames, lightning, and ice elements appeared from their mouths—Thunder Fang, Fire Fang, and Ice Fang.

The two Kingler hastily raised their pincers, a faint light glowing as they used Protect.

Boom, boom...

Though they used the move, they were still defeated by the coordinated assault. They had just woken up, and now they had fainted again.

The three Rhyhorn looked at the defeated Water-types, very excited. However, behind two of them, a shadow suddenly appeared. It was the Machoke and the Persian.

 Persian roared at one of the older Rhyhorn, continuously swinging its claws and using Fury Swipes. The sharp claws made the Rhyhorn scream repeatedly; its aged armor was not as hard and was easily torn open, its body covered in blood.

Persian pressed its advantage, slamming its claws onto the Rhyhorn's head and using Fake Out, keeping it controlled. It then used Pay Day, and a series of gold coins rained down, worsening its already severe injuries. Finally, it swung its tail, using Swift, and the shining, five-pointed stars completely defeated it. From beginning to end, the Rhyhorn didn't even have a chance to resist.

On the other side, Machoke immediately embraced the other Rhyhorn. After fully using Bulk Up, its muscles swelled all over its body. Under the continuous immense pressure, this Rhyhorn screamed, its armor even deforming from the squeeze.

It began to struggle wildly, wrestling with Machoke. However, Machoke wasn't just strong; it also had excellent techniques. As the Rhyhorn struggled, it instantly exerted its force, using Seismic Toss, and with a back throw, it slammed the Rhyhorn onto the ground, rendering it unable to battle.

Giovanni was not polite, continuously throwing Poké Balls and collecting them all. The speed at which they were dealt with was a bit fast, leaving the strongest Rhyhorn momentarily unable to react. It looked at Giovanni with resentment and, along with the other recovered Rhyhorn, directly used Sandstorm.

A violent sandstorm whipped up in the chaotic scene, the grit like tiny blades, capable of cutting wounds.

"It can even use Sandstorm?" Giovanni smiled with great satisfaction. "Interesting."