The Gengar, deprived of external toxin augmentation, wasn't very strong to begin with. Coupled with the stimulus from this unconventional method, its condition had already plummeted to an extreme level.
Thus.
Under another psychic attack from Yujira's Strong Mental Will, Gengar was defeated, collapsing to the ground and losing its ability to fight.
Meanwhile, Beedrill and Doublade also effortlessly defeated the irrational Zangoose.
"Yongji!"
Suddenly, Yujira, holding a spoon, spun around sharply.
Bang—
The Spirit Blade it slashed out at Atuo, who attempted a last-ditch surprise attack on Natsuhiko. Atuo's face was contorted, with blood dripping from his nose, as he crashed heavily to the ground, filled with reluctance, losing his vitality.
At this point, this disciple of the future Poison-type Elite, Aju, was completely defeated by Natsuhiko.
He took out a flashlight.
Bringing a hint of light back to the dim cave.
Natsuhiko walked up to Atuo's corpse, extending his psychically enveloped hand, and gently searched his body.
Soon, he retrieved all the items Atuo carried.
"So many materials carrying various toxins."
As a Breeder, Natsuhiko was familiar with these materials, as one of the assessments for breeders is the creation of antidotes.
However, breeders don't specialize in poisoning and antidote, so the understanding isn't deep enough.
To Natsuhiko's disappointment, he couldn't find the small spheres Atuo had fed Gengar and Zangoose before, presumably as they were the only two Aju had given him.
However, Natsuhiko did find some unexpected gains.
For instance, a manual on nurturing the toxins of Poison-type Pokémon, recorded with numerous concoctions for poison and antidotes, and even in-depth analysis and principles of most toxin-carrying materials.
Flipping through a few pages, Natsuhiko's eyes slowly brightened.
What a treasure!
With this manual, he could not only attempt to bring changes to the Beedrill, whose toxin hasn't been strengthened or its Poison Energy enhanced in a long time, but he could also create more antidotes specifically targeting various toxins.
Moreover, Natsuhiko could prepare some poisons himself for backup.
According to the book, with the correct production method and suitable ingredient ratios, it wasn't impossible to poison an Elite Trainer Level Pokémon.
It's just extremely difficult.
The female Noivern, which Atuo knocked down with his own concoctions, would otherwise have been made fragile by ordinary Pokémon poisons, but not entirely defenseless.
Aside from these.
Natsuhiko found an item that made him avoid it at all costs.
A small badge, hidden in the lining of Atuo's waist pouch, that he wouldn't have found if not for a thorough psychic inspection.
The reason it made him avoid it was because engraved on this badge was a fiery red "R".
Rocket Team!
Aju is one of the three main leaders of Rocket Team, along with Masashi from Withered Leaf City and Nancy of Goldenrod City.
But Nancy is still young, perhaps not yet at that level. However, given Giovanni's attention to Nancy and her own excellent talents, it's only a matter of time.
What was unexpected was that not only Aju, but even his apprentice turned out to be a member of the Rocket Team.
More importantly, such a member of Rocket Team participated in this trial.
Doesn't that also mean Rocket Team is aware of the Alternate Space and the island where its entrance is located?
This is not good news.
"Perhaps it's not just Atuo alone, but some others might also be undercover from various underground factions within the alliance..."
The situation inside the space isn't optimistic.
This makes Natsuhiko even more cautious, as a seemingly friendly person could be an undercover planted by some faction in the alliance.
He tossed Atuo's corpse and his entire team of Pokémon to the Death God Coffin.
The value of his Pokémon wasn't as high as Hoshino Ryosaki's, and they had undergone special toxin cultivation, making them unsuitable for normal Trainers, not to mention selling them might attract Aju's attention, so he simply fed them to the Death God Coffin, sparing the trouble.
"Woo~~"
At this time.
The mournful voice of Noivern came from not far away.
Only to see the male Noivern lying beside its mate, its eyes regaining clarity but full of sorrow, gently nudging the head of the female Noivern.
But the female Noivern's condition was dire, lying on the ground, completely losing the ability to move, its eyes drowsily half-closed, on the brink of death.
Beside it were three glistening Pokémon Eggs, lying quietly in its embrace, savoring the last maternal warmth.
Having just given birth, it was already frail, then poisoned by Atuo's toxins without timely treatment, plus it was a premature birth, severely depleting its strength. Now, it was estimated to last no more than half an hour.
"Togetic..."
Togetic flew to Natsuhiko's shoulder, drooping its little head, looking equally mournful.
It could clearly feel the sorrow belonging to the two Noivern.
Seeing them, Natsuhiko's gaze softened significantly.
He gently patted Togetic's head, then walked towards the two Noivern.
"Roar—"
Sensing Natsuhiko's approach, the male Noivern immediately issued a low growl as a warning.
In its view, Natsuhiko and Atuo were the same, both after their children.
Natsuhiko stood still, not angered by Noivern's hostility.
There was indeed nothing to hide – his goal was those three Pokémon Eggs.
However.
Now he had a change of heart.
Dragon-type Pokémon Eggs were indeed invaluable, but the two Noivern were no less valuable either.
Musing for a moment, looking at the weary female Noivern, its eyes already drooping, Natsuhiko softly said, "If you want it to survive, you'd better not show me too much hostility."
"Roar!!"
But the male Noivern didn't trust Natsuhiko, remaining postured to launch an attack if Natsuhiko dared to get closer.
"Tsk." Natsuhiko clicked his tongue, reaching out to tap the space beside him, "You don't trust me, but I think you can trust it."
As Natsuhiko's hand fell, Dragapult, which had been invisible as an observer lately, slowly revealed itself.
Seeing Dragapult, astonishment and irrepressible awe appeared in Noivern's eyes.
As a Dragon-type Pokémon, it could clearly sense the immense pressure from Dragapult's lineage.
Dragapult glanced irritably at Natsuhiko.
Using it as a tool again without counting it as a helping instance.
But seeing the near-dead female Noivern and the Pokémon egg in its embrace, Dragapult tightened its grip on its incubator, its gaze softening.
It lowered its eyes towards Noivern.
Noivern glanced at Dragapult, then back at Natsuhiko, hesitated, and nodded.
Only then did Natsuhiko manage to approach the female Noivern.
He thought it over carefully – actually, the three Noivern Pokémon Eggs were just the icing on the cake for him. Whether to sell them or not wouldn't make much difference.
But if he could take the pair of mature Noivern with him, the security personnel for the breeding area he planned out would be assured.
Noivern's Ultrasound Ability was a typical living radar, and their strength allowed them to cover vast areas.
Just three Pokémon eggs?
The scope was too limited.
Packing them up entirely is the way to maximize benefits.