"How did your Magma Team get in here?" Natsuhiko asked the question he most wanted to know right now.
"The spatial device on a nameless island," the Magma Team member replied in a monotonous voice.
Hearing this, Natsuhiko furrowed his brows.
So, they entered from the same place as us?
"And what about the three Elite Four?" Natsuhiko asked again.
"The leader paid a great price to invite two helpers to keep the three Elite Four occupied."
This explanation was barely convincing.
"How many of you came in this time? Who's leading the team?"
Since Flarepine is responsible for keeping the three Elite Four busy, he certainly didn't come in.
As long as Flarepine didn't come in, Natsuhiko's pressure was instantly reduced a lot.
At worst, Dragapult could ensure his safety.
This time, the person's answer slowed down a lot, seemingly hesitating and pondering. After a moment, he slowly said, "Not sure specifically, a hundred people had already entered before I came in."
A hundred were there before him, how many after?
It was impossible to guess.
The only certainty was that this already dangerous Alternate Space had become even more perilous.
They not only had to be cautious of attacks from wild Pokémon but also from the members of the underground forces of Magma Team.
"The leader... is Campfire, sir."
Campfire, one of the highest-ranking officers in the Magma Team, second only to Leader Flarepine.
If she was leading the team, Natsuhiko estimated he'd have to summon Dragapult if encountered.
Perhaps Snorlax could buy some time.
One last question.
Natsuhiko's eyes flickered as he leaned closer to the man, speaking softly, "What's your purpose this time?"
The Magma Team member's face twisted in a struggle, showing moments of fanatical frenzy and distorted worship. After a near struggle, he finally managed to utter a word.
"Earth God."
Just as expected.
If it weren't for Groudon, the Magma Team wouldn't need to go through such lengths, even having Flarepine pay a significant price to call for two entities capable of holding off the Elite Four.
That cost, even for such a large underground force like the Magma Team, was likely a significant sacrifice.
Having finished asking, this person was no longer of any use.
With a flick of Yujira's psychic power, and after a crisp "snap," he lost his vitality and slumped to the ground.
At this moment, Natsuhiko turned around to look at Kona, who was still standing there blankly.
The first time killing a person was quite a shock for "a good kid" like Kona.
Unlike Natsuhiko, who climbed up from the bottom, his childhood memories were filled with images of fatal fights in slums, and he had frequently seen corpses while scavenging food from trash bins.
So Natsuhiko quickly accepted his first kill, but for Kona, it might be a bit hard to accept for a while.
Natsuhiko walked up to her.
Now wasn't the time to zone out—these three Magma Team members might just be a small team, and there could be many more teams nearby. Being surrounded would undoubtedly be troublesome.
"Take a deep breath," Natsuhiko said.
His voice reached the bewildered Kona, who instinctively followed, taking a deep breath.
"Exhale slowly."
Natsuhiko's voice came again.
Kona pouted and released all the accumulated air in her chest, including the pent-up stale air.
Repeating several times,
Kona's eyes finally regained their sparkle, looking at Natsuhiko with gratitude and some indescribable emotions.
"Thank you," she said in a slightly hoarse voice.
Natsuhiko nodded.
Then he turned to deal with the three corpses on the ground.
Originally, it would be best to give them to the Death God Coffin, but with Kona here, Natsuhiko opted to be more restrained.
He had Yujira use psychic power to dig a hole.
But before burying them, there was one more thing to do.
He raised his foot and stomped hard on the hood corner of one of the Magma Team members.
Snap!
With a crisp sound, a flame burst forth, though it didn't scorch Natsuhiko's shoes; instead, it briefly displayed some fleeting picture fragments.
After a flash, the flame vanished.
"What's that?" Kona, having recovered, couldn't help but ask, seeing this scene.
"Memory Flame, a special technology developed by Magma Team, capable of storing certain memory images through a medium. When needed, you can remove the horn on its head and use a special memory reading device to reproduce some images," Natsuhiko explained.
This was originally an ability of the Magma Team in a special chapter; he just wanted to try it and didn't expect the real-world Magma Team to have this technology too.
If he hadn't disposed of this "Memory Flame," and the Magma Team found the three corpses and deciphered it, they would know it was Natsuhiko and Kona who took them out.
After hearing Natsuhiko's explanation, Kona blinked blankly.
She certainly knew what the consequences would be if they hadn't dealt with it—they might face endless pursuit from the Magma Team.
Suddenly, the admiration in her eyes for Natsuhiko became more profound.
Compared to Natsuhiko, who was at ease in the wild and decisive against enemies, Kona truly felt like a schoolchild.
Weak and inexperienced.
Nonetheless, she instinctively asked, "How did you know?"