"I thought you weren't going to act."
Boom—
Torkoal was slyly invaded by Salandit's toxin, and didn't last long before falling to the ground, the flames in its shell waning weakly.
Meanwhile, Salandit slowly crawled to Natsuhiko's feet, looking at the two people and several Pokémon opposite him with disdain in its eyes.
Given enough time, not to mention these Pokémon, even twice as many would still fall.
The faint fragrance they smelled earlier was the Poison Gas released by Salandit, and under the scent's deception, the two who knew very little about this Pokémon were caught off guard.
As for why Golbat, a Poison-type Pokémon, was also poisoned?
Sorry, Salandit's trait is "Corrosion"; the immunity of Poison-type and Steel-type Pokémon to poisoning doesn't apply here.
Clearly, Pokémon like Salandit are perfect for backstabbing others, especially those unfamiliar with such Pokémon.
Originally, they were dominant underground, but they encountered Natsuhiko, who knew their abilities inside and out, rendering their best ambush tactics useless; frontal battles truly aren't Salandit's forte.
"When was it?"
Still on the ground, Ishino struggled to stand up; however, his muscular frame was incapable of resisting Salandit's toxin.
"Your acting is too poor; do you know how much effort I've put in just to cooperate with you?" Natsuhiko walked over to the two slowly, squatted down, and looked at them, letting out a heavy sound from his nose, "Hmm?"
There's no denying their acting was really bad.
To Natsuhiko, their intentions were almost as obvious as "Sima Zhao's Heart is known by all."
"What do you want?" Ishino asked in a deep voice.
"What do I want?"
Natsuhiko slowly stood up, looking down on them from above, his gaze becoming chillingly cold.
Without speaking, but the meaning was clear.
The moment Natsuhiko's gaze met Nanmu's and Ishino's, their bodies trembled.
That look, he's killed quite a few!
It's even possible that his previous two teammates were killed by such means.
Instantly, Natsuhiko was labeled "ruthless" in their hearts.
"No! Wait! We can be useful, we are useful!" Nanmu struggled and shouted.
They had no doubt that Natsuhiko would do away with them, even if they belonged to the same group.
In Magma Team, taking out a partner for personal gain is very common, as long as the higher-ups don't find out.
Didn't they just plan to take out Natsuhiko?
"Oh? Useful? Tell me." Natsuhiko folded his arms and asked calmly.
Dispose of them?
It's not impossible.
But doing so might attract attention, and without them to prove his identity, there'd be a risk of being investigated.
Keeping them isn't out of the question either; it would secure his identity more.
The key is how to keep them reasonably without worrying about being betrayed.
At least during the operation in Flame Valley, they need to be controlled.
Once out of Flame Valley, it won't matter anymore.
The only comfort now is that even after tearing apart and acting, they still think Natsuhiko is the so-called "Zhenwu."
Nanmu rolled her eyes, tears appearing in her eyes, putting on a pitiful look, a tactic that usually works wonders on men.
Unfortunately, it seemed to have no effect on Natsuhiko.
"If there's no other use, your only value is taking up some ground here." Natsuhiko continued.
Letting them off is possible, but Natsuhiko couldn't be the one to suggest it.
"No, no, we... we can help you deal with others. Yes! Help you deal with others!" Seeing her usual technique was ineffective, Nanmu quickly offered a new reason.
"Deal with others?" Natsuhiko mused, "But I can't trust you."
Trust is always inevitable.
"We, we, we absolutely won't..."
Before Nanmu could finish, Natsuhiko interrupted.
"Guarantees aren't very reliable, how about this."
Natsuhiko stepped closer, his hand brushing his waist, producing two small black pills.
He had previously gathered these from Atuo, Aju's disciple; according to the notes left behind, they're a slow-acting highly poisonous pill.
"This is a chronic poison developed by a certain 'friend'; once ingested, it activates within half an hour, then you'll need the antidote periodically to continue living."
Upon hearing this, their faces turned pale.
Poison...
"Hmm... I'm really afraid of dying. Sorry, it's not secure enough, need another safeguard."
Before they consumed the pills, Natsuhiko had another idea.
Fear of death makes him choose multiple safeguards in his actions.
He threw the Pokeball, summoning Salazzle.
"What is it..."
Seeing Salazzle, their pupils contracted.
Gym Leader Level Pokémon!
They looked at Natsuhiko incredulously.
He actually has a Gym Leader Level Pokémon?
No, what's the point of all this? Isn't it enough to aim for the Elite Captain position with Elite Level Salandit and Gym Leader Level Salazzle?
Although they often deal with team members, it doesn't mean they dare to take on an Elite Captain!
This is a crushing of power, and they aren't foolish.
However, Natsuhiko instructed Salazzle: "Poison them."
Salazzle immediately showed a creepy smile.
Pheromone Gas, anyone familiar?
Controlling these two is quite easy for Natsuhiko, especially as long as they're managed during the Flame Valley operation.
Once leaving Flame Valley, Natsuhiko won't require Magma Team's identity as a disguise anymore.
Their purpose, then, would be fulfilled.
——————
I wasn't sure how to break up this part of the story, so for continuity, I integrated it into one chapter. Including the previous 4800 words, it's 11400 words today, hoping for monthly votes~~
By the way, I think the book has been considered outstanding, thanks for the support~~(づ￣ 3￣)づ