#gio's team is higher level that's my justification for everything )

[stealexploitprofit]

“fight me, you attractive stranger.”

With his Nidoking at his side, Giovanni was clearly marked as a trainer. Aboard the S.S. Anne that fact drew a lot of attention from bored passengers looking for a bit of excitement, so it wasn’t surprising to receive a challenge from one of them. The compliment didn’t hurt either, and Giovanni smiled unabashedly when he turned and saw his challenger.

Her long red hair was drawn up in a ponytail, bangs brushing against the top of her reflective shades. The Dewgong beside her suggested either experience or wealth—either way, its presence cemented her appeal.

“It would be my pleasure,” he said, withdrawing a Poké Ball. “Three on three?”

She tapped her chin with a Kalosian tipped nail, an appraising look on her face. “Sure… if that’s all you’re up for.”

She clearly didn’t know who he was, a feeling Giovanni had grown unaccustomed to. Most people in Kanto had heard of the hotshot Viridian Leader and his unstoppable team of ground-types, and were sufficiently awed upon meeting him. He’d given out several autographs on this cruise alone.

“If you want to fight my full team, you should come by my gym instead.”

She tilted her head slightly at the mention. “A gym leader, hm? Maybe I will, then.” She smirked, placing a hand on her hip. “Consider this a warmup.”

Her confidence was amusing—and, admittedly, alluring. Giovanni found himself hoping she would be able to back it up as he stepped back to make space for his Nidoking. A well-trained Dewgong was a not-inconsiderable threat to his team—best to take it out as soon as possible.

“Whenever you’re ready,” he said, bracing for an Aurora Beam. Nidoking would attack in the opening after the Dewgong made its move, and hopefully finish it in one blow. His Pokémon stood at the ready, aware of exactly what Giovanni had in mind.

“Ice Beam!” she called, catching Giovanni off guard. The Pokémon was much stronger than he’d been expecting, and as a blast of frigid blue energy shot out from the Dewgong’s horn he found himself rapidly reconsidering his strategy. There was no way they were going to take Dewgong down in one hit, not if it was experienced enough to know a move like Ice Beam, and Nidoking wasn’t going be able to withstand a second attack.

The ice hit Nidoking hard, leaving it dangerously close to a knockout. The Pokémon staggered but refused to fall, righting itself to go on the offensive. “Focus Blast!” Giovanni commanded. A ball of energy formed between Nidoking’s claws and it took aim at the ice-type, throwing the ball with all its might.

Giovanni stared intently as the attack zeroed in on its target, but the Dewgong was faster than the blast. It slid out of the way in time to narrowly miss being hit, and its trainer called out for another Ice Beam. Damn.

“Focus Blast, again!” He had to at least try to damage their opponent; unchecked, the Dewgong would shred through Giovanni’s two other Pokémon, regardless of which ones he chose.

Both Pokémon readied their attacks, firing them at the same time. This time Nidoking’s aim stayed true, connecting with the Dewgong even as Nidoking took the second Ice Beam hard on the chest. It stumbled again, but Giovanni had already withdrawn its Poké Ball. A disappointing performance, but it had managed to do something, at least. He called it back just as Nidoking hit the ground, fainted.

With the Dewgong sufficiently weakened, Giovanni was certain Nidoking’s counterpart could finish it off. He called out Nidoqueen, and the blue ground-type let out a roar that turned heads around them. Giovanni grinned, and across from him his opponent did the same.

“Thunderbolt!” 

“Dewgong, Rest!”

Nidoqueen roared again, thrusting its head forward. A blast of electricity shot forth from its horn, fast as lightning and just as deadly. And rather than shutting its eyes and regaining its strength, the Dewgong stared wide-eyed at the oncoming attack, wailing as the electricity hit it.

Its trainer clenched her fist, but called the Dewgong back after it fainted on the deck. “Nice moves,” she said. “See how you like this!” She released her next Pokémon, and a Kingdra appeared to hover between them.

For someone who didn’t know who he was, she certainly had a read on counters for his team. Thunderbolt was no longer the best play, and Giovanni didn’t have any dragons of his own to take hers down. Nidoqueen would have to do for now, and Giovanni would have to hope she was out of water-types. 

“Surf!” she called, spurring her Pokémon into action. The Kingdra conjured a giant wave of crystalline water, and Nidoqueen widened its stance to take the impact. Water surged over it; Giovanni lost sight of its blue scales as it took the brunt of the attack, but when the water faded down it was still standing, hurt but not incapacitated.

“Earthquake, now!” Giovanni called. A golden glow surrounded Nidoqueen before sharp rocks erupted from the ground beneath Kingdra with a booming crack. 

The Pokémon cried out, but its trainer was undeterred. “Finish it with Surf!” she commanded, pointing directly at Nidoqueen. Kingdra began to gather energy for another wave, and Giovanni pulled out Nidoqueen’s Poké Ball.

It would undoubtedly go down as Kingdra’s trainer had said if he left it in to take the hit. He didn’t have many options; most of his team had a double weakness to water, and those that didn’t were liable to go down instantly if luck wasn’t on their side.

With no time left to make the call, Giovanni withdrew Nidoqueen and sent out Marowak, just in time for the Surf to crash down upon it. Marowak was knocked to the ground, washed around by the residual current. “Get up!” Giovanni commanded.

Their opponent barked a short laugh. “You can’t seriously expect it to—” She stopped mid-sentence as Marowak staggered to its feet, supporting itself with its club. 

His gamble had paid off, and Giovanni wasted no time in taking advantage of it. “Use Bonemerang!” 

Marowak sent its club spinning at the Kingdra with all its focus, collapsing on the deck the moment the bone left its hand. It hit the Kingdra hard with an audible crack, and—as its trainer cried out, “No!”—came spinning back around it whack it across the back of its skull. The Pokémon fell from the air, collapsing on the deck, and Marowak reached a paw up to grab its club as it returned.

Their opponent wore an agitated look as she called the Kingdra back. In its place she released a Sneasel, and Giovanni had to hold back a victorious grin. Even with both his Pokémon weakened, he could win this. She must have been out of viable counters; how disappointing for her.

“Finish it off,” she said. “Icicle Crash.”

Marowak didn’t have a chance. A dozen pointed icicles appeared in the air above it and came crashing down, knocking the weakened ground-type out instantly.

Giovanni returned Nidoqueen to the field, and the dual-type glanced over its shoulder at him. He gave a nod, eyes narrowed, and Nidoqueen returned the gesture before facing its opponent once again.

“Icicle Crash!”

The attack repeated, driving Nidoqueen down to all fours. Its shoulders shuddered, but Giovanni didn’t need to speak a single word to encourage it to rise. It stood on its own, a low warning growl in the back of its throat.

“Earthquake.”

It was over in an instant. The quake knocked Sneasel to the ground, and the resulting stones crashed down upon it. When they vanished, the Pokémon was left sprawled out on the deck, unmoving. Its trainer recalled it brusquely, then closed the distance between herself and Giovanni. 

“Nice job,” he said, recalling his own Pokémon.

She shrugged. “Could’ve been better. You got lucky with that Marowak.”

“I did,” he agreed. He’d been unlucky with Focus Blast, but he didn’t feel the need to bring it up. “Still want that rematch?”

She pushed up her sunglasses so that they rested on top of her head and revealed a mischievous expression. “Eventually. Right now I’m wondering if you have any plans for tonight.”

Her eyes were sapphire blue, as vibrant as the ocean around them. Giovanni moved closer to her, shrugging and cocking his head to the side. “I believe do now,” he said. 

In return he received a quirk of the lips and huff of laughter. “I’m Victoria. Nice to meet you, Stranger.”

“Call me Giovanni.”

She hummed. “Nice to meet you, Gio.”