Serves me right?
Even if these words are true, they feel like charity and make me extremely uncomfortable.
But with myself and Aron, Baimu suddenly had a delusion that holding on for three minutes wasn't a dream.
What a pity.
"Not even a moment to discuss!"
Baimu tried his best to dodge Machamp's fists and threw Aron to a distance.
Although the opponent didn't give him a chance to negotiate, there were obvious signs of holding back, like only using the lower two of the four fists and reducing the intensity of the attack, not using moves, etc.
Defending Aron?
Perhaps it could be more attributed to Machamp's mercy.
What was the point of all this? Just to get him here for a beating? Impossible! A top executive wouldn't have this much free time!
"Find an opportunity to hit its legs!"
Baimu shouted, narrowly twisting his body to avoid the swinging left punch, but couldn't evade its lightning-fast right hook, so quick that it flashed with a glimmer.
Boom!
"Ha!"
After an indescribable dullness, intense pain surged from his lower abdomen to his mind, and Baimu's back slammed hard against the iron net of the octagonal cage, his body bending suddenly like a cooked shrimp, teeth almost biting his tongue.
A fast combo punch!
This guy's level is definitely not low!
Quick, protect your chin!
He hurriedly raised his arms, and then his right arm felt a warm sensation and a powerful push, the former quickly transforming into sharp pain, a burning feeling like muscles tearing, causing him to fall over.
Slap.
His body trembled slightly.
The thoughts in his mind were beautiful, like a comeback with a sliver of health, perfect coordination with Aron, or even using Brute Force to defeat Machamp.
But when it came to reality, he couldn't even last half a minute, not even a chance to signal.
Not far away, Aron saw Baimu being knocked down and hurriedly attacked Machamp, yet the opponent seemed to have eyes on the back of his head, easily dodging and grabbing its head with one hand.
"Heh~"
Machamp casually used another hand to block the mud Aron spat.
Mud Shot to the face? You've got to hit to make it work.
"Cough cough... put it down... I surrender."
Baimu struggled to support himself, pain and his throbbing right arm robbing him of words.
But he still managed to tear off the glove with his teeth and quickly recalled Aron back to the Pokeball with his last bit of strength in Machamp's puzzled gaze.
After doing this, he shrunk the Pokeball and cradled it in his arms, curling up to protect his vital parts, his right hand firmly slapping the ring.
This signifies surrender.
He chose to give up after seeing the gap between them, continuing would only mean a pointless beating, though he had some confidence in his constitution, a spleen rupture would mean dying on the spot.
Silence filled the air.
After a long while without a response, Baimu heard the voice of the big man.
"Get up."
He slowly straightened up, seeing the big man squatting in front of him, placing a water bottle and a towel before him, the two items less than a meter apart, with Machamp leaving the octagonal cage silently.
The big man asked, "Do you have anything to say?"
Baimu didn't drink water, just wiped the sweat of pain off his face with the towel, "...No."
"The weak have no right to speak, what do you think of this statement?"
"Truth."
"You embarrassed Chester, hurt his subordinates, and disrupted his plans. The Crystal Team will surely come after you. What do you plan to do?"
"...Resist."
"Ha, resist like you did today?"
"..."
"You're safe now because someone up top has a good impression of you."
The big man sat down carelessly, as if he hadn't just been setting him up, and said calmly, "But that attention is limited, when he forgets you, that's your death day."
"...Please give me some guidance."
Baimu gritted against his abdominal pain, struggling to be sincere.
"Next week, we have a Pokémon match against the Evil Dog Team. Win and you'll become the Squad Leader of the Sand Group, and I'll back you up in the future. Lose, and you're on your own, any questions?"
The big man's tone was very calm, but when his gaze swept over Baimu's body, it felt like being locked by Ursaring, exuding a terrifying pressure.
Extreme danger!
The risk of being attacked at any moment, run away quickly!
Feeling the pounding of his heart, Baimu took a deep breath, "No, Master Cang Zhilang."
"Hmm?"
"...Boss."
"Alright, go then."
With Cang Zhilang's casual dismissal, Baimu left the boxing ring, clutching his abdomen.
As Machamp replenished with water and watched him leave, it glanced at Cang Zhilang still in the cage, sighed helplessly.
Using this routine for so many years and not bored yet.
That young guy could really dodge, couldn't help but add some Bullet Fist to hit him.
A talent.
Just what we lack most, talent.
Outside.
Baimu didn't walk far before seeing the guide.
"Yo, got beaten up?"
The guide didn't seem surprised at his sorry state, smiling, "Who hit you? How many punches?"
"...Machamp, two punches."
"Your endurance isn't up to par, it needs improvement. Whether as a subordinate or a Trainer, you can't get by without taking a hit."
The guide walked to a vending machine by the roadside, bought two bottles of energy drinks, and tossed him one, "On me."
"Thanks."
Baimu reached out to catch it, thought for a moment, and started drinking.
The cold drink slid down his esophagus, and the refreshing feeling made the pain in his abdomen lessen considerably.
"It might not be suitable for me to say this." The guide suddenly spoke, "But since the boss is willing to see you, it means he actually appreciates you."
"Mm."
"Getting physical is also for your own good, to make you more patient so you don't let him down."
"I know."
"As long as you know... just take a walk around, the Underground City has a lot of interesting places. I have to go now." The guide threw the empty drink bottle on the ground and left in a hurry.
Hold on—
Baimu still remembered the intel issue, but the other party left quickly, disappearing around a corner.
He could only stay in place, staring blankly at the rough concrete ground.
A few hundred meters away.
The guide opened a door and slipped inside.
"How did it go?"
Someone approached and asked.
The guide shook his head, "I don't really know how to put it, but this kid might be different from those we knew before."
"I just hope he doesn't resent the boss too much. The boss always uses these tricks on people he appreciates, like he's pushing them away."
The person sighed deeply.
"Resentment, probably not, I think that kid is quite smart." The guide sighed along.
Faced with such a tricky boss, they had no choice.
But as subordinates, isn't their existence meant to solve problems and worries for the boss?
The world is tough, really.
——
Pow.
The Pokeball opened.
Aron landed on the ground, anxiously rushing to Baimu's feet.
"Goo! Goo!"
"It's okay, it's okay, we're all fine, don't panic."
He squatted down, continuously stroking its head and back, helping the little one relax.
Humans in the Pokémon World indeed have unusual physiques.
When punched, it felt like death was near, and though there were bruises under the clothing, now everything felt fine, no arm pain or tummy discomfort.
See, Aron's peace of mind was finally restored, lifting its head to timidly call out.
"Goo?"
"Hmm… you're asking why I got beaten up? It's simple, this is a manipulation tactic in the workplace, known as workplace PUA. They shatter your self-esteem with words or violence, then slightly treat you better, saying it's all for your good..."
Baimu helplessly tapped its head.
Getting beaten out of appreciation, being battered and then given an opportunity, was like a slap followed by a sugary date.
Aron was upset hearing this.
"Goo!"
"You think he's bad? Hmm, judging by now, he does seem bad. But people aren't that easy to pin down."
Baimu shook his head, "Sure, he uses such tactics on us, but for someone of his status to spend time using tactics on nobodies like us is actually a form of straightforward appreciation.
"Not to mention, he might actually fulfill his promise to protect us. Hence, this workplace PUA was quite successful, we indeed got a beating, yet still have to remember the favor."
Aron showed a perplexed expression.
It truly didn't understand.
"No need to fully understand. In this place, you and I are the only ones who can absolutely trust each other; everyone else has their own motives." Baimu explained no further, holding it in his arms.
Aron gently nuzzled back.
Cang Zhilang's methods were unmistakably blatant strategies.
Even if Baimu saw through his tactics, he had to admit the other party's status as the boss.
But the displeasure was real.
Who likes taking punches for nothing?
Alas, his position was like a top boss of a faction, like Hong Kong movie gangsters fighting from Tsim Sha Tsui to Causeway Bay. How can gentler methods command respect?
A balance of praise and reprimand is the hard truth.
As for what Cang Zhilang told him, Baimu admitted he often judged noble intentions with less generous thoughts, hence he remained skeptical about its genuineness.
It might not be false, but not entirely true either.
Sometimes a mix of truth and lies can equally make one lose judgment.
Pyrite Town wasn't the kind of place to nurture good people, unlike Pallet Town or Littleroot Town, so constant vigilance was key for personal safety.
Would Chester, one of the top officials, really want to kill him? Were those troublemakers on the surface arranged by the Crystal Team?
What plan was he hindering anyway? Was someone like Chaitian also given an important role?
Someone above held a good impression of him, and who could be referred to as "above" by Cang Zhilang? The "big crocodiles" behind the Quicksand Team perhaps.
Stone Wall's flip-flopping attitude was just because of that person?
Then there's next week's competition.
Quicksand Team and Evil Dog Team have always been adversaries, and their feud began over mining rights, escalating with various incidents into an irreconcilable conflict.
He had just gotten a Pokémon, so the odds weren't in his favor.
"Crisis upon crisis."
Baimu held Aron's chin, "Didn't expect that becoming an official member would bring more troubles than when I was just a lackey."
At least as a lackey, Chaitian was the only enemy.