Magical Leaf wasn't particularly powerful, but it dealt quadruple damage to Rhydon; more painful than even getting hit by Hyper Beam!
And with Gardevoir's strength, the group of Rhydon didn't last long before they were all taken down.
Only then did Sato calmly release Rhyperior again.
Rhyperior reappeared to find that his once-beautiful waifus~ had all become battered and bruised. The sight instantly ignited his rage…
"RIOOOOR!!"
"…Gardevoir, Magical Leaf."
"Gar~de~"
Whoosh~☽ Whoosh~☾ Whoosh…
"..."
Rhyperior fell flat on its back, staring hopelessly up at the crack in the cave's dome.
'I… I'm freaking broken inside ㅜ﹏ㅜ'
Just then, Sato's devilish voice rang out again. Rhyperior thought he was about to be beaten while down; but instead a warm energy suddenly flowed into his body!
In that instant, it felt as if hundreds of tiny Rhydon-himes hands were gently soothing his entire body, sweeping away all his physical and emotional exhaustion.
'This was nothing like Cradily's bland and boring Pain Split!'
Meanwhile, Gardevoir stopped channeling Heal Pulse and frowned at the Rhyperior lying on the ground with a foolish grin.
'So ugly…'
The joy of Heal Pulse vanished instantly, and no matter how much Rhyperior wanted to sink into it again, it was no use.
Dejected, Rhyperior slowly got up; just in time to see Gardevoir casting a pink glow toward one of the nearby Rhydon.
'An… ATTACK!?'
Seeing one of his waifus being targeted, Rhyperior snapped to attention and rushed forward without hesitation to block Gardevoir's "attack."
'Ahhhh~ That's the feeling!'
Rhyperior's expression shifted from fury to confusion to delight, finally closing his eyes in bliss~
With his burly rock-covered body, no wonder Gardevoir thought it was hideous; it was genuinely hard to look at…
"Voir!"
Gardevoir immediately stopped using Heal Pulse, her face cold as she stared at the perverted Rhyperior, clearly ready to knock him out again if he made one more move.
Finally, Rhyperior snapped out of it. Even he wasn't dumb enough to miss that Gardevoir had been healing his wife. Embarrassed, he quietly stepped aside.
Maybe it was the emotional rollercoaster he had just been through… or maybe that one Magical Leaf had truly broken his spirit! Either way, Rhyperior was now unusually obedient.
Seeing this, Gardevoir simply gave him a glance, then resumed using Heal Pulse at a calm pace.
Wave after wave of pink light lit up and faded away, and with each pulse, a Rhydon slowly stood back up, eyes filled with reverence for the queenly Gardevoir.
'No…' That wasn't right. She had effortlessly defeated them, then just as easily raised them back up with a flick of her hand…
…If she wasn't a queen, then who was?
Finally, no more Pokémon were lying on the ground. Only then did Sato leisurely send Gengar over to negotiate.
The stick had been swung, the sweet fruit had been offered, and now the composed Gengar worked its charm with calm persuasion. The twitchy Rhyperior finally began to realize the situation and what it would take to turn his fate around…
Redemption!
When Rhyperior's face showed clear hesitation, Sato knew right away: this deal was going through!
Sure enough, Gengar started its heartfelt appeals, "gently" laying out the logic, and the look on Rhyperior's face grew more and more conflicted.
At last, Rhyperior gave a solemn nod. He snuck a glance at Gardevoir and, seeing that she wasn't paying attention to him, shot Sato a fierce glare!
Sato: Mmh… ( 'ω')?
In Rhyperior's eyes, the true mastermind behind everything was this innocent-faced human, Sato…
SO EVIL!
Next, Rhyperior began grumbling as he explained the situation to his main wife, coaxing her to go retrieve the treasure Sato wanted.
Clearly, the treasure wasn't cheap. The group of Rhydon all shook their heads, unwilling to fetch it.
In the end, only after Rhyperior roared several times did one slightly plump Rhydon reluctantly head toward the den.
Watching all this unfold, Sato couldn't help but rub his nose. 'Why does this make me look like the bad guy?'
Well… he wasn't exactly a good guy either.
Finally, the Rhydon came out holding a small stone in her arms, her cautious posture confirming the treasure's value.
Rhyperior took the item, gave it one last lingering look full of reluctance, then finally steeled himself and handed it over to Gengar…
Gengar brought the treasure back to Sato, who could finally see what it was…
Geo-Blood Crystal!
The Geo-Blood Crystal looked like a small, light-brown stone that emitted a soft white glow. There was even a fascinating legend surrounding its origin.
Groudon is the creator of the earth. It's said that wherever Groudon walks, after centuries or millennia, it will eventually form an earth vein, and within that earth vein, a Geo-Blood Crystal will condense.
This item contained a massive amount of gentle Ground-type Origin energy, making it one of the rare treasures that could directly enhance a Pokémon's potential upon absorption.
Its value: limitless!
Sato carefully took out a soft case, stored the Crystal inside, and put it in his backpack. Then, right in front of Rhyperior, he switched the Dusk Ball to release mode and crushed it underfoot.
For a moment, Rhyperior felt a shackle vanish from his soul; but he also felt an odd sense of emptiness.…
The Dusk Ball's environment… really was comfortable~
Just as Rhyperior thought everything was over, Sato released Armaldo right in front of him.
Armaldo: (＾＿)?
Rhyperior: (＿＾)?
---◓---
After another round of chaos, plus Rhyperior's active persuasion, Armaldo finally realized his situation too.
Time to buy your freedom!
Armaldo was still confused, but seeing Rhyperior trying to help, he figured his old friend wouldn't betray him.
With that thought, Armaldo absentmindedly returned to his own territory, absentmindedly fetched his own treasure, and absentmindedly handed it to Sato.
Then… Armaldo was free too.
Sato, satisfied, stored the second treasure in his backpack. His gaze toward Rhyperior grew more and more approving.
Strike while the iron's hot!
This time, Sato released Cradily without a word!
And had Gardevoir start with a Heal Pulse right away…
Cradily had long since overdrawn its vitality, still looking sick and feeble. A sweet treat was the perfect first step.
This time, Gengar didn't even need to step in. Rhyperior had already pulled Armaldo along to do Cradily's "mental work," patiently explaining the current situation point by point.
Cradily wasn't dumb, but in the end, it didn't resist.
Only because Gardevoir had been staring at it the entire time…
'Better lose the treasure than lose everything…'
Cradily sighed internally, then softly called over one of its underlings and told it to deliver the treasure.
And with that… all three treasures were in Sato's hands!