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Cang stumbled forward. He hadn't told the truth to either Boss Sakaki or Instructor Frostwolf.
That Poison-type Elite Four member was very cunning, only appearing in the late stages of the battle. By the time Cang discovered him, it was already too late. Both he and his Pokémon were afflicted by a potent poison, one that could cause neurological degeneration. Although Cang and his Pokémon took antidotes, it was too late; the poison had already penetrated deep into their vital organs.
Cang, like his Pokémon, had only a few days left to live. So Cang came to Trial Island, to the place where he first joined Team Rocket. Once upon a time, Cang and his twin brother, Qiong, also rose from this Trial Island, discovered by Sakaki, and eventually became Team Rocket's Elite Four trainers.
Cang had another purpose for coming to Trial Island: to find someone who could replace him for Boss Sakaki and ensure the continuation of Team Rocket's covert operations. That silver token was actually the token that commanded Team Rocket's covert division. The person who obtained this token would effectively become the next leader of the covert division.
Cang hadn't even mentioned the poisoning incident to his twin brother Qiong. However, Cang had set up an automatic email. Three months later, Cang would send the full story of his death to Sakaki, Qiong, and Instructor Frostwolf. Instructor Frostwolf would then hand the silver token to the person Cang had chosen.
Cang felt his body was on the verge of collapse. He fell to the ground and began to cough violently. Black blood oozed from his emaciated fingertips, dripping onto the ground. Just coughing made Cang feel his stamina continuously draining. Cang weakly leaned against a large tree. He had exhausted all his physical strength, breathing heavily. His hand couldn't even hold his Poké Balls anymore. He chose the large tree as his final resting place.
"Originally, I wanted to bury my Pokémon behind Ghost Mountain, and then directly jump into the volcano, letting the fire of Team Rocket's revolution spread throughout the Pokémon world. Unfortunately, I can't move anymore." At this moment, Cang was caught in a rapid succession of memories, his breathing growing weaker and weaker.
Cang last heard footsteps, then a sharp pain in his wrist. A cold, icy object was forced into his mouth, and Cang fell into darkness.
Qingwu, high in the sky, saw the black-robed figure fall to the ground, struggling to stand up. He quickly signaled Zubat to descend. Hiding in a bush, he secretly observed Cang's actions.
"Isn't that Team Rocket's Elite Four? Why does he look like he's about to die from poison?" Qingwu thought to himself. "In my previous life, I never saw him. Did he die here?" Qingwu suddenly remembered that in his previous life, Sakaki had suddenly come to Trial Island, then left with a sorrowful expression. But Qingwu, being just a small fry at the time, didn't know the specifics of what happened.
At this moment, the black-robed figure began to cough violently. Black blood oozed from the fingers of the black-robed man. Qingwu, however, smelled a faint floral fragrance from the black blood.
"A floral fragrance, black poison. Could it be?" Qingwu remembered a very powerful Poison-type Elite Four member from the League in his previous life, who concocted a potent poison called "Floral Binding" that caused immense harm to both humans and Pokémon. Humans or Pokémon afflicted by this "Floral Binding" poison would have all their vital essence absorbed by the poison. In the end, whether human or Pokémon, they would turn into a mummified corpse upon death. Their skin would be covered in floral patterns, and if their corpse was dissected, a fragmented Life Orb could be extracted from their heart.
This was a very malicious poison, but in his previous life, Qingwu had researched this poison through illicit means. Qingwu discovered that this poison was actually one of the main raw materials for a very good advanced potion that enhanced the aptitude of Poison-type Pokémon. Qingwu had also coincidentally researched an antidote for this poison. Originally, Qingwu had intended to leave Trial Island to find this poison, but he didn't expect it to appear right before him.
Seeing that Cang was no longer breathing, Qingwu quickly walked to Cang's front, put his hand near his nose, and only felt faint breathing. Qingwu observed Cang's expression; his face was pale, and his heart was still faintly beating.
"To save or not to save?" Qingwu was now conflicted.
It was Team Rocket's nature to stand by and watch others die. However, since Qingwu had started over, he didn't want to be a cold-blooded person. Plus, this person clearly seemed to be a high-ranking member of Team Rocket. Saving him could establish a good connection.
"How about this: after saving him, I'll release his Pokémon and then secretly leave. I'll take some Floral Binding as compensation." This thought emerged, and Qingwu felt it was a good idea. This way, he could achieve his goal of saving someone without drawing too much attention from Team Rocket's higher-ups.
Having decided, Qingwu directly removed Cang's black robe, revealing his emaciated arms. Indeed, a pattern of a Datura flower appeared on Cang's skin. The heart of the Datura flower was on Cang's heart. Qingwu knew that after Cang died, if his heart was dissected, a small Life Orb could be extracted. The League's Poison-type Elite Four member, through this "Floral Binding" poison, had harmed countless Pokémon and humans to supply the League with treasures like the Life Orb. Qingwu could say that Team Rocket was openly evil, while the League was evil to its core, hidden under a guise of justice.
Qingwu cut the radial artery on Cang's wrist. A foul-smelling black blood flowed out, trickling into a small white bottle Qingwu held. This potent poison only needed a small amount and could self-replicate.
Qingwu forced an advanced antidote Pokéblock into Cang's mouth. The Pokéblock melted instantly upon entry. Qingwu watched Cang swallow it. Soon, his weak breathing returned to normal.
"Floral Binding" primarily damaged the human nervous system. According to Qingwu's research, if combined with certain medicinal herbs, "Floral Binding" would neutralize and form a tonic. This was Qingwu's accidental discovery, but he hadn't had time to verify this research before he was sent to infiltrate Team Aqua.
"This advanced Pokéblock isn't an effective antidote for the 'Floral Binding' poison, but it can suppress its recurrence for three months," Qingwu murmured.
At this moment, Qingwu saw Cang's scattered Poké Balls. Qingwu thought about the advanced paralysis medicine he still had. So he gritted his teeth, activated the Poké Ball switch, and released the Pokémon inside.
A giant, oddly colored Arbok appeared. The white Arbok also had weak breathing and an emaciated body, looking like skin and bones. Arbok's entire body emitted the floral fragrance. Countless floral patterns bloomed on its white skin. Arbok still had a sliver of self-awareness. It struggled to crawl up, opened its cloudy eyes, and its tongue flicked, catching the scent of its trainer.