I am Giovanni

Chapter 55: Nidorino

"It's done!" Archer said happily, walking over to pick up the Poké Ball.

Giovanni smiled; the mission was finally complete. He looked around at the dark forest. "Let's go. The commotion we made was not small. It would be troublesome if it attracted other powerful Pokémon."

"Alright," Archer nodded. They recalled their injured Pokémon. Escorted by Archer's Arbok and Giovanni's Beedrill, they quickly exited the forest.

They returned to the spot where Captain Matt had dropped them off. He was still waiting there. "The mission is complete, Captain Matt," they reported.

Matt merely glanced at them indifferently. "Hm."

"Shouldn't we head back?" Giovanni asked.

"Yes, let's go," Matt said, looking into the distance. "Our ride should be here by now." A cloud of dust rose as an off-road vehicle sped towards them. It would be strenuous to fly all the way back to the Viridian Base; taking a car would be more convenient. The men who came to pick them up were Matt's own subordinates, so there was no need to fear another betrayal.

It had only been a week, but Giovanni's first mission had been a significant trial. He had faced internal dangers and a ruthless Gym Leader. Although he had lost the Poison Barb, at least he had kept his life.

Just as Giovanni was thinking this, Matt reached out and handed him the item, still wrapped in cloth. "This was given to you by the Boss, wasn't it? Since it's from the Boss, cherish it. Guard it with your life."

Giovanni was stunned. He hadn't expected Matt to actually go back and retrieve it. This was truly unexpected. He could only nod in thanks. "Thank you."

— — —

Upon returning to the base, Archer handled the mission report. Giovanni went straight back to his room. He and Archer hadn't even had a chance to properly thank Matt before the stoic captain had already left with his men.

Back in his room, Giovanni took out a Poké Ball and released his Nidoran. It looked at him with some confusion, but when it saw the retrieved Poison Barb in his hand, tears immediately welled up in its eyes. It cried out urgently. "Nido! Nido!"

"I know it's yours," Giovanni said with a helpless shake of his head. "Here. I'm giving it back to you."

He fed the Poison Barb back to the Nidoran. This time, however, something special happened. As soon as it swallowed the barb, its body began to glow with a faint white light. Its level shot up to 16.

It's evolving? Giovanni hadn't expected it to be so soon, but calculating the time, it made sense.

If not for the mission, it would have evolved much earlier.

Within the white light, the Nidoran's body grew larger and elongated. When the light dissipated, the evolved Nidorino made a dazzling appearance. Its original height of 0.5m surged to 1.4m, and its weight increased by dozens of kilograms.

It had transformed from a rabbit-like creature into a formidable, boar-like beast. Its poison barb was more ferocious, its horns larger, and its small buck teeth had become sharp tusks with its own toxicity had greatly increased.

It was still a pure Poison-type; it would only gain the Ground-typing when it evolved into a Nidoking.

Feeling the abundant power within its body, the Nidorino was clearly a bit carried away. It bared its teeth and smiled, remembering its original intention. It looked at Giovanni. Although you've been good to me lately, I'm sorry. Nidorino will never be a slave! Even Beedrill is no match for me now!

Giovanni could practically read its thoughts. He coldly pulled out two more Poké Balls, releasing his Beedrill and Machop.

Beedrill hovered in mid-air, its red eyes glaring at the Nidorino, its massive stingers glinting with a cold, sharp light. The Machop clenched its fists, its knuckles cracking, its own expression unfriendly.

The Nidorino looked from Giovanni to Beedrill to Machop and couldn't help but shiver. It forced a smile, as if to ask if it was too late to regret its rebellious thoughts.

Giovanni yawned and walked towards the bedroom. "Teach him a lesson. Let him learn from it. I'm going to get some sleep. I'm exhausted."

After Giovanni closed the door, a commotion immediately erupted outside, punctuated by the Nidorino's pig-like squeals. "NIDO!"

— — —

After sleeping for ten hours, Giovanni finally felt rested. The next morning, his new life began. The doorbell rang. Standing outside was the same young grunt who used to deliver his meals, but this time he was accompanied by a sleek Persian. Both the man and the Pokémon looked at Giovanni with a new level of respect.

"Lord Giovanni," the grunt said, taking some containers from the Persian. "This is the higher-quality Pokémon food you now receive with your new rank. The energy it contains is far beyond that of ordinary food."

"Good," Giovanni nodded.

The grunt then took out another box. "This contains the equipment you are now entitled to. A standard-issue uniform that can withstand Fire-type attacks from Pokémon below the senior level, newly developed capture devices, and so on."

Giovanni accepted them without hesitation.

"Also," the young man continued, "you will receive one senior-level item resource every two months. Do you have a request? I will help you apply to Lady Hera."

Giovanni pondered for a moment, then opened his mouth. "Poison-type... never mind. I'll go with you."

— — —

Nidorino

Poison-type

Male

Aptitude: Dark Green

Ability: Poison Point (When a Pokémon with this Ability is hit by a move that makes contact, there is a 1/3 chance that the attacking Pokémon will become poisoned.)

Level: 16

Height: 1.4m

Weight: 48kg

Moves: Glare, Poison Sting, Peck, Focus Energy, Fury Attack

Egg Moves: None