Hoshino Ryosaki saw Natsuhiko's smile and felt a sudden unease, his peripheral vision catching sight of the Hippowdon lying in the sand pit, completely devoid of combat ability, deepening that sensation.
Yet, at the thought of the massive treasure possibly hidden within the ruins, he immediately discarded those inexplicable notions from his mind.
Looking over Natsuhiko's Beedrill, Yujira, Doublade, and Togetic beside him, he said coldly, "Natsuhiko, you really are lucky."
Natsuhiko's smile remained unchanged as he replied, "Indeed, I've always thought my luck was quite good."
Listening to his carefree words, Hoshino Ryosaki felt the urge to grit his teeth.
He finally figured it out.
The reason Natsuhiko managed to get here, without losing direction in the tunnel maze, was entirely because he "led the way."
That Doublade, which he hadn't seen before, was highly likely hidden in Natsuhiko's shadow.
And in the dim places of the tunnel maze, subtle changes in shadows are hardly noticeable.
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became.
He used others only to end up being used himself.
Hoshino Ryosaki slowly hung his head, taking a deep breath, and when he lifted it again, his face had already returned to that previous gentle smile.
For his quick change of expression and ability to feign, Natsuhiko couldn't help but admire.
"Alright, since Natsuhiko is here too, why don't we explore this ruin together? I think there should be plenty of good stuff in that tower and we can split it evenly."
However, after he spoke, Natsuhiko didn't respond and just looked at him with a teasing gaze.
No need to pretend at this point.
Sure enough, seeing that Natsuhiko wasn't falling for it, Hoshino Ryosaki's smile gradually faded.
"What do you want to do?" His tone was very calm.
Natsuhiko flipped his palm, revealing the Mid-Level Fire Stone from before in his hand.
Glancing at the Mid-Level Fire Stone, Hoshino Ryosaki's eye twitched, but he still said, "That's right, I coated it with the Rogue Crocodile Pokémon Egg fluid."
Sure enough.
Natsuhiko nodded, putting it away.
Having secured it, there was no way he'd give it back up.
Seeing his natural actions, Hoshino Ryosaki's chest heaved; he hadn't expected that after paying the price of a Mid-Level Fire Stone, the other party wouldn't fall for it and instead used him to get to the ruins, losing both the prize and the pawn.
"I'm curious, how many people did you find to be your bait on your way here?" Natsuhiko suddenly asked.
Upon hearing, Hoshino Ryosaki fell silent.
After a moment, he slowly said, "Counting you, four."
Natsuhiko raised a brow, "So, the previous three are dead?"
Hoshino Ryosaki did not answer, but the answer was evident.
"Why did they die? Logically, even if they encountered danger, couldn't they call for help from the Elite Four?" Natsuhiko asked his biggest question, as the answer would determine his next choices.
Three people were already dead, killed at the hands of the person in front of him.
The means and the resolve were indeed ruthless; if he truly was the grandson of Hoshino Ryuzi, the Rock-type Elite, it would mean he had well inherited the legacy of the old Elites.
Hoshino Ryosaki didn't speak immediately but took out the same distress signal device that Natsuhiko had from his pocket.
Click—
He pressed it directly.
Hoshino Ryosaki grinned widely, "Haha—rescue? It's nothing but a joke."
Even though Natsuhiko had already suspected this, he couldn't help but feel a bit surprised when the truth was revealed.
What was the deal with Genji, Agatha, and Kikuno?
While he was surprised, the sand beneath his feet suddenly started to move.
On the other side, with a cunning smile, Hoshino Ryosaki, seemingly honestly answering Natsuhiko's queries, yelled, "Die!"
Bzz bzz bzz—
A spiral-shaped object drilled out from beneath Natsuhiko's feet—it was an Excadrill ambushing from beneath the sand!
Hoshino Ryosaki's reason for being so "compliant" in answering Natsuhiko's questions was entirely to attract his attention and give Excadrill an opportunity.
Upon spotting Natsuhiko, he wasn't completely unprepared.
Clang clang clang clang—
However, to Hoshino Ryosaki's surprise, just as Excadrill only emerged halfway, Doublade, as if anticipating this, confronted its head akin to a steel drill with its sharp blade.
The clash of metal erupted into a shower of sparks.
In terms of ambush, Hoshino Ryosaki couldn't compare at all.
Did Natsuhiko not anticipate his petty schemes?
Yujira's psychic power had long covered the entire area, not even leaving the sand beneath his feet unchecked; every slight change in the sand didn't escape its detection.
After Doublade thwarted the sudden ambush by Excadrill, it did not relent but immediately launched a counterattack.
Having maintained its battle-ready state from earlier when dealing with Hippowdon, it now put it to use.
Continuous Slash combined with Holy Sword, still in the Third Sword stance.
Bang—
Excadrill, having just shown up, didn't even have a chance to display its prowess before being KO'd by Doublade.
Hoshino Ryosaki stared in disbelief at this Doublade.
Earlier, when dealing with Hippowdon, he couldn't clearly see how the Hippopotas lost due to the concealment of Quicksand Purgatory, but now, witnessing Excadrill's defeat firsthand, he vaguely understood and realized.
'So, Beedrill and Yujira were actually fronts; this Doublade is his trump card and backbone?'
Watching Doublade sweep away the incapacitated Excadrill as if it were trash, Natsuhiko stepped forward with a smiling expression:
"At first, I had some hesitation, but luckily you provided me with the information."
Being used as bait without retaliation made Natsuhiko feel uneasy.
When someone is uneasy, they tend to act impulsively.
Fortunately, his strength was decent, with plenty of wits, otherwise, someone else might have already perished.
The fact is, three have already died.
This was now a life-or-death grudge.
Despite being wary of the potentially imminent arrival of the Elite Four, Hoshino Ryosaki confirmed that the Elite's rescue wouldn't appear.
This dissipated all of Natsuhiko's concerns.
He got a "gift" of an Excadrill as a "welcoming present."
It would be unjust not to respond, given his self-proclaimed title as the "villain."
"Sizz!"
"Yongji!"
"Tch!"
Beedrill, Yujira, and Doublade stood by his side, staring at Hoshino Ryosaki.
"Toga-cho!"
Togetic rushed forward, arms akimbo and glaring angrily, having long stated that this guy wasn't good, which was indeed the case.
"Toga-cho?"
'What to do?' Togetic asked furiously.
Natsuhiko grinned, softly saying:
"Bury him."
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The promised ten updates have arrived! This is the first one, asking for monthly votes!