I am Giovanni

Chapter 54: Mission Complete

Two days later.

In a forest dozens of kilometers from the Safari Zone, Giovanni and Archer, both looking somewhat disheveled, stood perched on separate large trees, overlooking a clearing below.

Following their gaze, a Marowak, its head covered by a white skull and a large bone club held in its hand, swayed leisurely. It was exactly what they were looking for: a powerful, advanced-level Pokémon, around level 33. It was a good target.

They had been searching for a long time before they found such a specimen. The other Pokémon in the area were either too strong or too weak. They had caught a few of the weaker ones; Archer had said they could be exchanged for mission points, which in turn could be exchanged for resources. Giovanni knew he wouldn't lack resources in the future, but he helped Archer catch a few anyway.

When the Marowak walked into the designated ambush zone, Giovanni and Archer exchanged a look, nodded, and instantly made their move.

"Arbok, use Glare!" Archer shouted.

His impatient Arbok burst out of the tall grass, its hood spreading wide as it stood upright, letting out a menacing hiss. The patterns on its hood seemed to come alive, and combined with its Intimidate ability, the Marowak was momentarily frozen in fear.

"Now!" Archer commanded his other Pokémon. "Golbat, Supersonic! Koffing, Poison Gas!"

The Golbat swooped down from above, unleashing silent, confusing sound waves. The Koffing flew out from the side, spraying a cloud of toxic gas towards the Marowak. Caught off guard by the continuous attacks, the Marowak clutched its head in pain. A hint of purple appeared on its face as it inhaled the poison.

However, the tenacity of wild Pokémon was formidable. It endured the assault and even managed to shake off the poisoned status. It swung the bone club in its hand, using Bone Rush to block the other incoming attacks.

It then let out a roar of anger and used Fling, throwing its bone club like a boomerang. The spinning club knocked the Koffing and Golbat from the air and sent several of Archer's other Pokémon flying.

At this, Giovanni finally made his move. "Nidoran, use Fury Attack! Machop, use Low Kick!"

The Nidoran leaped from the grass, charging headfirst towards the Marowak, its poison horn ready. The Marowak, however, was incredibly agile, constantly dodging the Nidoran's attacks. Realizing the Nidoran's strength was nothing special, it reared back and used Headbutt.

Bang!

The hard skull slammed violently into the Nidoran's head. The small Pokémon saw stars, its world spinning. The Marowak showed no mercy, raising its head again to smash the Nidoran to death. Its skull was too hard for Nidoran's Poison Point ability to have any effect.

Fortunately, at that critical moment, the Machop arrived, aiming a Low Kick directly at the Marowak. But the Marowak noticed it, leaped into the air, caught its returning bone club, and struck the Machop with a single, powerful blow—a devastating Retaliate. The Machop cried out in pain and was sent flying, a visible dent in its small body.

The Marowak looked disdainfully at the circle of fallen Pokémon. It spun the bone club in its hand, preparing to finish them all off.

"Arbok, use Poison Sting!" Archer shouted from above. His Arbok, which had recovered, immediately spat a volley of needles. The Marowak spun its bone club, using Bone Rush to form a white shield that deflected all the stingers.

Archer's shout, however, had given away his position. The Marowak's eyes filled with an intense killing intent as it spotted the human. It grabbed a handful of dirt and used Mud-Slap, flinging it directly into the Arbok's face.

While the Arbok was trying to clear its eyes, the Marowak attacked Archer, using Fling again. The bone club flew through the air, aimed directly at him. If it hit, he would surely be killed.

"Now!" Giovanni shouted. "Beedrill, intercept! Fury Attack! Then use String Shot to wrap up the bone club!"

Buzz!

Beedrill appeared in a flash, its massive stingers swinging in a blur of afterimages, knocking the spinning bone club aside. It then shot out streams of white silk, wrapping around the bone club and tying it to a nearby tree.

The Beedrill, which had been using Focus Energy to boost its stats, now radiated a powerful aura. Though only Level 20, its presence surpassed that of a much higher-level Pokémon. The power of the Bug King made the Marowak very wary. With its primary weapon now gone, it began to panic.

"Go!" Giovanni commanded. "Hone Claws, then Fury Cutter!"

Beedrill became a golden lightning bolt, flying directly towards the Marowak. The cornered Pokémon could only use Headbutt while retreating. Its hard skull and Beedrill's massive stingers constantly collided, sending sparks flying— but Beedrill had three stingers to its one head. Its tail stinger suddenly thrust out, piercing through the Marowak's tough hide.

The Marowak screamed, smashing its head even more wildly against Beedrill's stingers. The angry strike managed to temporarily repel the Beedril. The Marowak's condition was now critical. It desperately threw a glob of sludge at Beedrill, wanting to flee.

"Arbok, use Bind!" Archer shouted at that moment. His Arbok, having just cleaned the mud from its eyes, rushed out, wrapping its long body around the Marow-ak and constricting with all its might.

The Marowak let out one final, choked scream, then went limp, its ability to battle gone.

Archer and Giovanni jumped down from the trees. Archer casually threw a Poké Ball, hitting the unconscious Marowak. The ball shook continuously, then, with a satisfying click, fell silent.

Capture successful.