Beaten into submission

Though this fellow was extremely wary of Kakuna, that did not mean it was afraid.

It simply did not know how strong Kakuna was and dared not attack recklessly.

Normally, Pokémon in the wild rarely had a chance to see Kakuna.

That was because Beedrill lived in colonies, and Kakuna were placed in the safest locations. To encounter a Kakuna, one first had to defeat the Beedrill guarding them.

An unevolved Pokémon like Nidoran♂ could not possibly have seen one.

Although Nidoran♂ was not a fully evolved Pokémon, Giovanni could tell this one was no weakling. This was no laughing matter!

Giovanni had an affinity with Ground-type Pokémon, but this Nidoran♂ was still a Poison-type, wasn't it?

Besides, even if they kept up this standoff, it could not last much longer.

"Woof, woof!"

It barked again, tentatively using Poison Sting on Kakuna.

That was something Giovanni did not need to worry about. Given how hard Kakuna was, this Nidoran♂ could not break through its defenses at all.

Kakuna's body glowed faintly as it used Harden.

Its already incredibly hard cocoon became even harder.

Clink, clink, clink!

The poisonous needles struck it one after another, accomplishing nothing beyond throwing up a few sparks.

Kakuna was fine, but Nidoran♂ was so startled that it backed away two steps.

Coupled with Giovanni's fearless expression, that made it even more wary.

Giovanni saw that too. Right now, all he could do was borrow Kakuna's intimidating presence. He told Nidoran♂ coldly:

"Nidoran♂, submit to me!"

An imposing aura rose from Giovanni, making him look almost convincing.

Staring at Giovanni, Nidoran♂ slowly lowered its body, looking as though it was about to submit.

But the defiance and cunning in its eyes betrayed its true thoughts.

And Giovanni saw it all.

He could tell that Nidoran♂'s aura and energy were steadily rising.

The crafty little fellow was using Focus Energy.

During its standoff with Giovanni and Kakuna, it had already sensed something was wrong.

Kakuna clearly looked strong, so why did it not come over, give it a beating, and fight it?

That might actually make it submit!

After Giovanni's empty talk, it became completely certain of its suspicions.

So, once it finished using Focus Energy, it charged straight at Giovanni.

A headlong charge! Full speed ahead!

Seeing this, Kakuna beside Giovanni grew a little excited.

But Giovanni told it:

"I don't need you yet. I can handle this myself. If I really can't, I'll put it in a Poké Ball."

The instant Nidoran♂ rushed at him, Giovanni leaped up, narrowly avoiding its charge.

Nidoran♂ crashed straight into the wall.

With a bang, it instead left itself dazed and dizzy.

Giovanni seized the opportunity to kick Nidoran♂ in the side!

Nidoran♂ did not weigh much yet, and Giovanni's kick did knock it over.

But a patch of Giovanni's shoe had turned black. Poison! If Giovanni's guess was right, this fellow's Ability should be Poison Point.

Its spines had come just a little short of piercing Giovanni's foot.

Though its poison did not seem as potent as Kakuna's, Giovanni's small body would not hold up if he actually got poisoned.

Nidoran♂ was rather tough and paid no mind at all to Giovanni's kick.

It rolled back onto its feet, leaped up, and lunged to bite Giovanni's chest.

The move Peck!

As for why Nidoran♂ knew a Flying-type move, I had no idea. You would have to ask whoever designed and created Nidoran♂.

With Nidoran♂ pressing him relentlessly, Giovanni hurriedly swung his dagger, blocking its attack!

Clang!

A tremendous force traveled from Giovanni's palm all the way up his arm. The aching sting was beyond words.

"Screw you." Gritting his teeth, Giovanni slashed hard and sent Nidoran♂ flying.

But Nidoran♂ seemed to have boundless energy and immediately charged at Giovanni again.

"Persistent little thing!"

That was the trouble with fighting Poison-types. One careless moment, and you would be poisoned.

Poisoned?

Giovanni thought for a moment.

He remembered that he still had half a bottle of Antidote, didn't he? At that thought, Giovanni began to relax!

If I don't have to fear your poison, handling a little bastard like you will be a piece of cake.

When it came to ruthlessness, Giovanni had never been afraid.

To take some of the pressure off Giovanni, Kakuna directed its intimidating aura at Nidoran♂ again.

By now, Nidoran♂ was no longer afraid of it. It turned and fired a quick series of Poison Stings at Kakuna.

Though it could not hurt Kakuna, all that mattered was that it felt good.

But with its attention diverted, Giovanni had his chance. He kicked Nidoran♂, knocking it over again.

Then he immediately pressed his hand against the side of Nidoran♂'s head! The short poisonous spines still punctured his hand, leaving it bleeding freely.

Potent poison spread through Giovanni's body from the wounds, and his palm had already begun to tingle and go numb.

A trace of cruelty flashed through Nidoran♂'s eyes. It knew how potent its poison was. This human child would never survive.

Before long, he would die from the poison and become a bloated corpse.

Just wait for death! Nidoran♂ will never be a slave!

Yet Giovanni merely kept his face cold, drew his dagger, and stabbed it straight into Nidoran♂'s body.

Squelch!

The intense pain made Nidoran♂'s eyes fly wide, and it began struggling wildly.

Its tremendous strength did almost let it break free.

But Giovanni's long training, coupled with the constant improvement of his Viridian Force, had not left him so weak.

Not to mention that his adrenaline was surging right now!

Veins bulged across his body, and his eyes were bloodshot. Ignoring the poison on Nidoran♂'s body, he pressed his entire weight onto it, letting himself be scraped and punctured, blood flowing freely.

He simply kept raising his dagger and stabbing Nidoran♂, though none of the wounds he inflicted were fatal.

But those were still dagger wounds.

Nidoran♂ let out agonized cries, blood streaming from its body.

It sensed a mortal danger and grew a little afraid. Looking again at Giovanni's cold face, fear appeared in its eyes.

At that moment, Giovanni reversed his grip and aimed the dagger's tip at its eye.

The sharp dagger gleamed coldly, making Nidoran♂ whimper incessantly in terror! The threat of death made even its soul tremble.

Whoosh!

The dagger plunged down, frightening Nidoran♂ into squeezing its eyes shut and letting out a scream like a pig being slaughtered.

But the terrible pain it imagined never came. Only the wounds on its body continued to hurt.

It opened its eyes hesitantly. The dagger's tip had stopped just a hair short of its eye.

Giovanni's icy voice rang beside its ear. "Submit to me, or die!"

If Nidoran♂ dared refuse, the dagger seemed ready to plunge down in an instant, splitting its head open. And Giovanni really would dare kill it!

"Woof."

Nidoran♂ nodded fearfully, submission appearing in its eyes.

It was truly afraid of Giovanni! This fellow was too terrifying!

P.S. The second Pokémon makes its dazzling debut: Nidoran♂, who yearned for freedom.