Just then, Machoke finally arrived at the battlefield.
Originally, under the cover of the Sandstorm, Dugtrio moved nimbly, trying to find an opportunity to attack.
But Machoke's arrival completely shattered its illusion.
"Machoke, use Double Chop to split the Sandstorm!" Giovanni commanded calmly.
Upon hearing this, Machoke immediately swung his huge arms, launching a fierce Double Chop attack at the Sandstorm-filled area.
The powerful force split the sand, revealing Dugtrio's whereabouts.
Seeing this, Dugtrio knew it could no longer hide, so it decided to take the initiative.
He directly used Mud-Slap on Machoke, turning the yellow sand into mud balls, trying to obstruct Machoke's vision.
However, Machoke seemed to have anticipated it; he suddenly turned sideways, easily dodging Dugtrio's attack.
Giovanni was also impolite, "Now, Mega Punch!"
Machoke snorted coldly, then used a Mega Punch attack.
The powerful force made the air tremble, and Dugtrio, unable to dodge in time, was hit hard by this punch.
Dugtrio was sent flying backward, his body plowing lines on the ground, and he crashed heavily against the cave wall.
But he did not give up; instead, he struggled to regain his fighting spirit, preparing to launch another attack.
"Rhydon, now, use Earthquake! Don't be too violent, lest the cave collapses," Giovanni shouted.
Upon hearing this, Rhydon immediately launched an Earthquake attack.
Powerful seismic waves spread out from Rhydon, shaking the yellow sand and gravel everywhere.
Under the impact of the seismic waves, Dugtrio finally lost its balance and was shaken out of the Sandstorm.
The surging energy within Dugtrio immediately dropped.
Giovanni seized the opportunity, "Good, Nidoking, Poison Jab!"
Upon hearing this, Nidoking immediately gathered all his strength and launched a Poison Jab attack at Dugtrio.
He rushed straight towards Dugtrio, his claws covered in potent poison, black turning purple, purple turning black!
Dugtrio, unable to dodge in time, was directly hit by Nidoking's Poison Jab attack.
The venom quickly spread over his body, causing him intense pain.
"Rock Blast." Just then, Rhydon, who rushed out of the Sandstorm, used the Rock Blast attack under Giovanni's command.
A huge rock flew out of Rhydon's mouth, heading straight for Dugtrio.
Dugtrio hastily tried to use Dig to escape underground.
However, by doing so, he fell into Giovanni's trap.
Giovanni smiled slightly, "Checkmate! Nidoking, give it the final blow with Earth Power!"
Nidoking received Giovanni's command, his feet sinking deep into the ground, his whole body tense, as if he had merged with the earth.
He gathered the surrounding energy, preparing to launch the move!
Just then, Dugtrio had only dug halfway when it sensed the potential danger and hastily tried to change direction to escape.
But it was too late; Nidoking's Earth Power was already poised, and a thick and majestic energy surged from the ground, accompanied by scorching heat.
Pillars of rock covered in lava rapidly formed and, as they rose, directly pushed out the Dugtrio that had burrowed underground.
Dugtrio let out a miserable cry, and the potent poison on his body happened to take effect at this moment, under the double blow.
It was completely incapacitated; it immediately lost its ability to fight and fainted.
The condensed Sandstorm dissipated, leaving behind a mess.
Giovanni walked with a smile to Dugtrio, looking at the unconscious Pokémon, and casually took out a bottle of Antidote to help it detoxify.
Then he took out a Poké Ball and placed it on its body; as Dugtrio was taken in as a red light, the Poké Ball shook continuously before making a 'ding' sound.
This Gym Leader Level Dugtrio was thus captured by Giovanni.
Giovanni looked at the Poké Ball in his hand, somewhat puzzled, "It seems a bit too simple? Is it because I've become too strong?"
However, since it had already been captured, Giovanni wouldn't dwell on it too much.
After capturing Dugtrio, Giovanni stroked his chin and scanned the surroundings, "According to the normal plot, in a Pokémon gathering place like this, where a special Pokémon was born, there should be a treasure."
Giovanni slowly closed his eyes, sensing with all his might using Power of Viridian.
Soon, his eyes lit up, and he pointed to a cave wall, shouting to Rhydon: "Go, break through here."
Rhydon was a bit puzzled, but still obeyed Giovanni's command.
He was also stubborn, directly crashing into the wall with all his might.
With a bang!
The wall instantly shattered, and a pile of rubble fell around.
Inside, it was indeed a different world; next to a small hole just big enough for Dugtrio, there was a pile of sand that looked like gold dust.
It contained a large amount of Ground-type energy.
Looking at Nidoking and Rhydon, they were already uncontrollably drooling.
"Soft Sand?" Giovanni stepped over the broken rocks and slowly walked over.
He gently scooped up a handful of Soft Sand, feeling the energy contained within, and came to a conclusion.
It was indeed Soft Sand, but not the top-tier kind, or perhaps the energy within had been absorbed, which should be the reason why Dugtrio became stronger and its potential was not wasted.
Speaking of not wasted, if it were cultivated under Giovanni, with Power of Viridian assisting absorption, and with this Soft Sand.
Giovanni could now cultivate him into a Quasi-Elite Four Level or Elite Four Level Pokémon.
The ordinary usage would still waste a lot of the Soft Sand's energy.
However, the remaining sand was enough for Nidoking and Rhydon; for their size, it was just barely enough.
Giovanni was never harsh on his Pokémon; he waved his hand, "Eat, it's all yours, I will help you absorb it."
Giovanni's words were equivalent to opening a feast; the two giant beasts immediately opened their mouths wide, frantically devouring the Soft Sand.
This energy-rich Soft Sand made expressions of comfort appear on their faces, and they were incredibly happy.
After completely devouring the Soft Sand, a large amount of energy gathered within their bodies.
Rhydon was larger and had a bigger appetite, so he ate a bit more.
However, Nidoking still had residual energy from the top-tier Moon Stone in his body, so he didn't care about this small amount.
The energy contained within them was enough to support them breaking through to Gym Leader Level, and then they could continue to charge towards the subsequent Quasi-Elite Four Level.
To be safe, Giovanni specifically looked around the vicinity again, confirming that there was only this Soft Sand, before turning to walk out of the cave.
How should I put it this time? It was quite a fruitful harvest.