Satoshi felt a flicker of satisfaction in his chest, his mood easing—just a little. Unfortunately for them, he still had zero intention of letting these guys off the hook.
Team Skull caused an absurd amount of trouble. On Ula'ula Island, for example, there was a town called Po Town that they'd basically taken over—a small settlement boxed in by high walls, where every building inside was a villa.
They probably stole it because the houses were nice—what is this, "zero-dollar shopping"?
Stealing houses was basically begging to get beaten up. And that was before you even got to the part where Team Skull constantly blocked people and tried to snatch Pokémon.
If he wanted to keep Rainbow Wing Academy students from getting hurt again, Satoshi really only had one option.
Make them understand pain, make it stick, and force Team Skull to disband.
[Which means Satocchi has to go bad-bad, huh~ But for the students' sake, Satocchi really is so yasashii, ne. That's exactly what I like about you.]
Furiko's voice echoed in his head, and Satoshi couldn't stop the faint smile tugging at his lips.
"Yeah," he murmured. "I've gotta be super bad."
At that moment, Guzma was panicking—but he still yanked out a Poké Ball and threw it.
"I'm gonna destroy you! Get in there, Golisopod!!"
Golisopod appeared again—only to immediately trigger its Ability, Emergency Exit
[Emergency Exit]: When its HP drops below half, it retreats from battle, switching out to avoid danger.
The unlucky Pokémon that got dragged out was Scizor.
Which meant there was now a Scizor collapsed on the ground right next to Guzma.
Scizor: Some coward just got me erased by a 4× super-effective Fire-type Z-Move!
Emergency Exit, in real life, was basically Golisopod sensing an overwhelming gap in power… and bolting on instinct.
It looked intimidating on the outside, sure. But the thing itself—and that Ability—were skittish to the core.
"Honestly, Golisopod's Ability fits you perfectly," Satoshi said flatly, eyes fixed on the trembling Guzma. "Terrified of being looked down on. Terrified of losing. Weak inside…"
He paused, like he was doing the math.
"No wonder you're always second place. No—wait."
"You're not even second."
"And that 'Emperor of Destruction' thing people call you?" Satoshi's voice turned even colder. "You only got it because all you do is bully the weak, right?"
If you wanted someone to disband, you had to crush their spirit first. He understood that much.
So if this was the route, then he'd crush it completely.
Satoshi wasn't going to hold back. Not after Team Skull used Air Slash on Uika and hurt her—he wasn't holding back anymore.
Uika was an important friend. You hurt his friend—and his classmates too?
Also, for the record, all the "bad-bad" lines were Furiko's fault. It had nothing to do with Satoshi!
Furiko bore full responsibility!
[Satocchi… you said that yourself… how is that my fault? I didn't teach you anything~ Waaah~]
"Aah… stop… stop talking already!!"
Guzma stumbled back a few steps, clutching his head. The swagger from earlier was gone.
He'd lost the will to fight so completely that even Team Skull was starting to feel sorry for him.
So this is our "big boss," huh?
But they were all Trainers who hadn't completed the Island Challenge, so none of them really had the face to say anything out loud.
Still… the thought of quitting Team Skull had already started creeping into their heads.
For an "evil organization," Guzma had nothing on Giovanni's charisma. All he could do was get in people's way.
And Team Skull hadn't expected to go "hunting" with their boss and run into a monster.
Not just power, either—his trash talk was lethal. Two or three sentences and Guzma was already mentally shattered.
Satoshi himself didn't think much of it. You've done this much evil—bullying people, stealing Pokémon—so what's wrong with me teaching you a lesson?
You're an adult, beating up minors without restraint. You don't feel ashamed?
Satoshi advanced on Team Skull, and the four veterans at his side moved with him.
Raichu, Frogadier, Rillaboom, and Blaziken—every one of them hated the way these people operated. They were more than ready to help their Trainer give these punks the beating they'd earned.
"D-Don't come any closer!! Golisopod, use [MUD SHOT]!! You guys—get in there already!"
Guzma barked orders at Golisopod and his crew, but this time, discordant voices rose from the mob.
"Go! Gumshoos!"
"Get 'em, Mudbray!"
"I surrender!"
"Me too, I surrender!"
It was about fifty-fifty—until Satoshi made it ten-to-zero.
"Rillaboom—[GRASSY SLIDE]. Bat every shot away!"
"Rilla!"
Golisopod's Mud Shot sprayed out, but Rillaboom was already there in an instant, riding the grass like it was a runway. It swung both drumsticks down with a shriek of air, knocking the mud clean aside.
"Did you know?" Satoshi said, almost casually. "A Z-Move is what happens when a Trainer draws out Z-Power and forces a move into a special technique. It's a massive burden on both Trainer and Pokémon—so you usually only get one per battle."
He popped the Firium Z off his Z-Ring and snapped in the Buginium Z he'd just picked up.
All he could say was—thanks for the Buginium Z, Team Skull.
This fight wasn't for nothing. Your sacrifice meant something.
"Huh? Everyone knows that!" Guzma snapped back at last, clinging to Satoshi's "common knowledge lecture" like it was something he could finally argue about.
Too bad Satoshi was already lining up with Rillaboom in the exact same stance.
"But if someone's body can handle that burden," Satoshi continued, "then a Z-Move can be used more than once."
Satoshi could tell his physical conditioning was simply better than most people's. And since his anger was running hotter than usual today…
He'd crush Team Skull completely and vent it all out.
"What are you talking ab—? …Don't tell me you're doing it again—"
Guzma's suspicion spiked, but the boy in front of him didn't look like someone who even understood the concept of failure. And that made Guzma feel something real for the first time.
Fear.
That absolute confidence—nothing like Guzma's hollow swagger, patched together with a fake shell.
"Show me the real thing, Rillaboom!"
"RILLAA!!"
Satoshi and Rillaboom struck the pose together—this was the Z-Move for U-turn.
And it was Buginium Z's Z-Move.
"[SAVAGE SPIN-OUT]!"
Rillaboom swung its powerful arms, a fierce current of air surging into existence as it locked onto its targets—Golisopod and the other Pokémon.
In the next instant, countless fine strands of webbing rained down from above—wrapping Golisopod and the rest tight, sealing them in completely.
"RILLA!!" Rillaboom followed with a thunderous roar as slashing energy gathered into its blade-like claws—then tore into the bundle of webbed-up targets with a violent, sweeping cut.
"Goli—!"
"Gumshoos—!"
"Muuud—!"
After the slash, everything fell silent.
Golisopod and the other Pokémon lay on the ground, no longer struggling.