"Go!"
Seeing that the Elite Level Salandit had arrived, Natsuhiko didn't want to battle it out with them under these conditions.
Beedrill slashed a Cross Cut, while Doublade struck with two Holy Swords. Togetic held off the charging Salandit to create time for Yujira.
Instant Movement!
The next second, Natsuhiko and his team vanished from the Salandit's view.
The Salandit's offensive came to an abrupt halt.
Salazzle moved to the front, furious at the disappearance of Natsuhiko and the Pokémon, and the scattered Salandit. In anger, it grabbed a nearby Salandit and slammed it hard into the ground.
Despite witnessing this, the Salandit remained silent, none dared to resist.
The status and abilities of Salazzle within the Salandit tribe were clear to see.
"Hiss!!"
Salazzle growled, prompting the Salandit to lift their fallen companions off the ground and start retreating.
In its mind, it resolved to find and eliminate Natsuhiko and his team after regrouping throughout the entire tunnel!
As one of the few large tribes within this underground tunnel, Salazzle was quite confident.
However.
Not even three minutes passed before Salazzle, accompanied by a few prized Salandit, departed, only for Natsuhiko to return with Yujira's Instant Movement!
A surprise comeback!
The Salandit were genuinely caught off guard.
As cunning Pokémon, they couldn't have anticipated Natsuhiko being even more devious.
Match trickery with trickery; to deal with cunning Salandit, reasoning won't work.
"Continue," Natsuhiko calmly instructed.
The sudden reappearance of Natsuhiko and the Pokémon really startled them.
Preparing to retreat, they hurriedly engaged in battle.
But the outcome was evident.
Without the initial formation and the backing of Elite Level Salandit, these Salandit tasked with clearing couldn't stand against Yujira and the others.
A single Spirit Blade swept through them like cutting grain, toppling them in droves.
No need to aim.
The numbers were too concentrated.
Their Poison Gas and even Pheromone Gas, under Natsuhiko's conscious defense, posed no threat, all isolated by psychic barriers from Natsuhiko and his team.
"Ying Treasure——"
To accelerate efficiency, Cherrim was summoned, immediately casting "Sunny Day" against the cave wall.
In an instant, the originally dark cave was illuminated by dazzling firelight, and Cherrim's form changed to a sunny appearance, triggering Flower Ceremony traits.
Countless cherry blossoms fell and adhered to Beedrill and the others, significantly boosting attack power and improving harvest efficiency.
The Salandit were unlucky to encounter Natsuhiko, the "god of misfortune." If the battle were in an open field, even Natsuhiko wouldn't dare act this way; hundreds of Salandit could unleash enough fire breath to overwhelm them.
But in this confined space, the advantage in numbers was meaningless.
Plus, Natsuhiko's Pokémon.
Beedrill was the ultimate harvester, its original duty fulfilled, and the effects of the Deadly Needle Stab were fully stacked. Swinging the Long Needle, Salandit fell in droves.
Doublade also served an offensive role, its Holy Sword Techniques as the "Sword of Universal Equality," unaffected by attacks, the large shadows produced during usage surpassing Beedrill in harvest efficiency.
No need to discuss Yujira, the only Pokémon present with Attribute Suppression, aided by the Curved Spoon and Life Treasure Pearl's might, the Spirit Blade acted like a meat grinder, leaving almost no Salandit standing in its narrow path.
As for Togetic, things seemed relatively relaxed.
Targeting those Salandit with stronger individual strength, if a cycle of Yujira's Spirit Blade left them standing, Togetic would deliver Divine Power as backup, and if not, Beedrill or Doublade would complete the harvest.
"Don't waste the opportunity, Doublade, train," Natsuhiko reminded.
Upon hearing, Doublade immediately used Continuous Slash combined with Holy Sword, wreaking havoc upon the Salandit.
Occasionally successful, mostly failing, but if even one succeeded, the destructive power was the highest in the team; the third strike of Continuous Slash combined with the power and effect of Holy Sword was deadly against Senior Level and Excellence Level alike.
If Elite Level Salandit were present, the result would be the same.
Once again, Salandit fell in droves.
Hundreds of Salandit were swiftly cut down by more than half under Natsuhiko's almost "shameless" method.
Rumble——
Salazzle, sensing abnormalities from the rear tunnel after leaving, rushed back leading several Elite Level Salandit.
But as they entered Natsuhiko's Super Sensing range, he didn't waste words, leveraging Yujira's Instant Movement to leave the tunnel again.
Salazzle couldn't stand it anymore.
Ignoring Natsuhiko's departure, it led all remaining Salandit in pursuit from their direction.
Determined to deal with Natsuhiko and his team today.
However!
As soon as they left, Natsuhiko returned.
This time, they appeared at the rear of the large Salandit group.
"Cunning Natsuhiko!"
Then.
More Salandit fell in droves.
Those incapable of fighting lay densely on the tunnel floor, layer upon layer.
Roughly seven to eight hundred Salandit were thoroughly swept clean by Natsuhiko's nearly "shameless" tactics.
Only Salazzle remained, a few Elite Level Salandit, and several Senior Level Salandit, leaving just over thirty from the once large tribe.
Salazzle transitioned from initial disdain to anger, then anxiety, and finally fear.
In mere hours, experiencing multiple mindset shifts and changes.
Now.
It stood vigil over the location of Yujira's psychic "anchor" point, refusing to leave.
But despite its wait, Natsuhiko didn't appear.
What were they doing now?
At this moment, gathered around the previously chosen spring... eating.
Resting and recovering.
After all, they're not machines, even cutting grain for so long is tiring.
Rest up, adjust, and prepare for the key battle, as Salazzle might possess Elite Level pinnacle or Gym Leader Level strength, aided by several Elite Level Salandit, making them formidable opponents.
With the last bite of bread swallowed and a mouthful of water, Natsuhiko dusted off his hands and stood up.
"Almost time to reap the rewards of victory."
"Zap!"
"Yongji!"
"Chak yi!"
"Hurrah!"
Four Pokémon expressed readiness.
Let's get started!
"Go."
Yujira swiftly utilized psychic power for instant movement, seamlessly reappearing in the tunnel.
The four refreshed Pokémon faced the weary Salazzle and trembling Salandit.
In terms of status and momentum, they had a significant advantage.
Clearly, Natsuhiko wasn't done with his preparations.
Somehow holding a colorful stone, he commanded in a low voice:
"Beedrill, Mega evolve!"