Suddenly, the man burst into loud laughter. To Tetsuya, it sounded extremely chilling.
"Yahahahaha! Good kill! You killed them, so you were able to survive. In this world, only the strong have the right to live!"
That words left Tetsuya confused. He had already lived most of his life. When it came to "psychological battles", he was still just a young man. However, people like this were unpredictable, so he could only remain silent and wait for an opportunity.
At this moment, the Shadow Team member sat down. He said, "I am Yamamoto, the leader of the Shadow Team in the Johto region. At such a young age, you actually managed to consecutively kill two elites of my Team. I cannot help but become interested in you!"
Tetsuya's heart had already calmed down. Escape was completely impossible. Yamamoto's level was not something he could contend with right now. Moreover, Haunter had also been hit by Hypnosis at the same time as him. Now Haunter was nowhere to be seen. The most likely possibility was that it was still in the forest from earlier, and his Poké Balls had also been taken away.
Right now, he was completely like a Mareep waiting to be slaughtered. As long as he could survive, he would follow all of Yamamoto's plans. Of course, this was also because he had no choice…
"Ohh~ To be able to remain so calm… are you not afraid?" Yamamoto said.
Tetsuya quietly said, "What can fear change?"
"How brave, yahaha! Do you know who hired our Shadow Team to kill you?"
At the beginning, Yamamoto had not taken Tetsuya seriously at all. After all, he was just an eight-year-old gaki. He thought it was just Ryosuke and the others making a fuss over nothing, so he only sent two elites to deal with him.
But it was precisely this "gaki" who was able to kill Shadow Team elites, which attracted his attention. This kind of ability might be worthy of Ryosuke and the others hiring the power of the Shadow Team. Of course, what he hoped even more was to take him under his command.
Yamamoto did not take Ryosuke and the others' "employment" seriously at all, and Tetsuya would indeed disappear from their sight.
"If I'm not mistaken, it should be Pryce's political opponents, Ryosuke and the others." Tetsuya had already thought of this. He just had not expected that they would act so quickly. He had planned to immediately cut ties with Pryce, thinking that he would not bring himself such trouble. Yet he still had not escaped it.
Earlier in the forest, if it had not been for his many years of experience surviving in the wilderness, he would have already died at the hands of those two Shadow Team members.
Killing them had also been an instinct for survival, and because of that, he had gained a sliver of life…
"Hmm, then you should be very clear about your own situation. And it was three Elite Four members who contacted me at the same time. Even if you leave the Shadow Team, it will still be a dead end. As long as those Elite Four have the chance, they will not hesitate to kill you!
But if you join the Shadow Team and become my subordinate, yahehe… you might still have a sliver of life!" Yamamoto let out a cold laugh.
Tetsuya took a deep breath. Was it only a "sliver of life"? It seemed that he still could not guarantee his survival completely. But if he went against Yamamoto's wishes, then he truly would not even have that "sliver of life".
"As long as I can survive, I am willing to do anything. I will definitely kill those three Elite Four to avenge myself!"
Tetsuya said "fiercely". In fact, if he had the chance, he would not hesitate to kill Yamamoto as well. But by showing such a "strong desire to survive", it would definitely make Yamamoto wary, because what these grunts of villainous organizations wanted were loyal Growlithe. With even a trace of disloyalty or if they sensed even the slightest unease, he would be doomed. So he could only state his purpose clearly to reassure Yamamoto.
"Yahaha! Good, it is this kind of ruthlessness. As long as you can pass the six-year trial of our Team, you can become my subordinate. If you cannot pass, then you still cannot escape the fate of death. So your destiny is now in your own hands!"
As soon as Yamamoto finished speaking, Tetsuya thought of Catherine. He was very clear about the Shadow Team's trials. If others were eliminated, if they were lucky, they might not die and would only be "trafficked" to underground forces in other regions. But if he were eliminated, then it would truly be a dead end for him.
'Sigh…'
At this moment, Tetsuya stood up and said, "Yamamoto-sana, in six years, I will definitely become your most capable subordinate!"
Seeing Tetsuya express "loyalty", Yamamoto nodded and said, "Good. As long as you serve me well, you will not lack benefits. It is much better than suffering humiliation in the League. When I become the leader of the whole Shadow Team, the League will sooner or later be trampled under my feet!"
Tetsuya had already roughly guessed Yamamoto's ambitions. He was certainly developing his own power in secret, wanting to control the full authority of the Shadow Team. Otherwise, he would not pay so much attention to him. More importantly, Tetsuya had killed two of his elites at the age of eight.
A knocking sound came from outside…
"Tch! Who is it?" Yamamoto said.
"Yamamoto-sama, it's me, Kurusaki Sō?"
"…Come in."
Another well-built man entered the room, but he still appeared very respectful toward Yamamoto.
"Yamamoto-sama, what are your orders?" Sō asked.
"Hand this person over to you. Send him to the island under your jurisdiction for initial training. After three years, if he can pass the trial, send him to the main island. Everything will be done according to the Shadow Team's rules," Yamamoto said.
"Yes!"
With a wave of Yamamoto's hand, Sō took Tetsuya out of the room.
---◓---
Two people escorted Tetsuya, one of them carrying his backpack. Kurusaki Sō walked at the front.
Just as they were about to leave this secret place, Tetsuya's eyes were covered, and then under the escort of the two people, he got into a vehicle.
He only felt the entire journey was bumpy and shaking, which was undoubtedly a mountain road.
When he got out of the vehicle, he was already dizzy from the shaking. When the black cloth was removed, Tetsuya was already in an enclosed room.
He saw many children around ten years old sitting on the ground. Their faces were haggard, some still had tear marks on their faces, but now all of them had empty gazes. These children had probably been here for two days already. It seemed they had already given up struggling and crying.
There was no need to ask. Tetsuya was very clear that these people had all been abducted from various places. From the moment they were brought here, their lives had entered another path, and they would probably never see their parents and relatives again in this lifetime.
Such trafficking organizations had never ceased to operate even on Earth!
'Let alone in a world like this…'
Tetsuya casually found a corner to sit down and looked around. Everyone was full of sorrow. No one would care about a stranger who had just walked in. These people would all become sacrifices for his survival.
"Y-You... are you Tetsuya…?"
'…!?'
A weak voice came from somewhere. Tetsuya was very surprised. Even in a place like this, there was someone who knew him?