Upon hearing the command, although it had not come from its own Trainer, Arbok recognized the familiar voice as though it were a lifeline!
Arbok immediately rolled across the ground, narrowly avoiding the direct damage from Pin Missile. Although several needles still pierced its body, they only carried the power of Skorupi's attack alone and had not hit any vital areas.
At least it had not been crippled…
Arbok had already lost all will to continue fighting. Skorupi's follow-up X-Scissor finished it off.
With the last Pokémon defeated, Tetsuya naturally withdrew his psychic powers. The two Trainers immediately recalled their Arbok, while all five stood there in silence, waiting for Tetsuya to decide their fate.
"Did you really think I didn't know you were following me? With your ability, you'd be better off going back to Fuchsia Gym instead of making fools of yourselves out here. As for Asea… Heh~ She's a Gym Leader, yet she's too timid to get anything done. She will never be anything more than a Gym Leader in this life.
Oh, that's not quite right!
She'll probably be replaced before long. Once Agatha dies, she'll have no choice but to give up her position tehaha!" Every word Tetsuya spoke struck like a knife. His true purpose was to have them relay those words back to Asea.
From the moment Asea had sent people to follow him, Tetsuya had already figured out what kind of person she was. She had the ambition of a thief but lacked the courage to act. She was overly cautious, constantly worrying about every possible consequence.
Which certainly does not align with her ambition, given that she decided to target him anyway.
More importantly, as Agatha's student, she had to maintain the appearance of being humble and magnanimous. Yet because her level had reached a limit, she could already feel pressure closing in on her from every direction.
She wanted to resort to underhanded methods, yet feared being discovered and having evidence used against her. Not only would her reputation be ruined and her position lost, but Agatha's reputation would also suffer.
Without absolute certainty, Asea simply did not dare make a move. At the same time, she feared letting such a "once-in-a-lifetime" opportunity slip away, so all she could do was send these few people to follow Tetsuya.
"Now get lost. And you'd better stay as far away from me as possible! If I see you again… things won't end so easily," Tetsuya said.
Everything was now prepared. All he had to do was wait for those five to relay his words to Asea and for Asea to come deal with him. When that happened, he would wipe them all out in one go.
If Skorupi could consume the poison sac of Asea's Arbok, it would be extremely beneficial to its growth. However, killing a Gym Leader just for that sounded almost absurd. Even Tetsuya could not help questioning whether he currently had the strength to accomplish such a thing.
The disappearance of a Gym Leader would undoubtedly attract the League's full attention. They would certainly dispatch a large number of people to search for clues and would have to provide an explanation to all Pokémon Trainers. Of course, if they discovered even the slightest trace leading back to him, he would be in grave danger.
Fortunately, Asea would certainly keep something like this absolutely secret, even from her own people and the staff of Fuchsia Gym. If Tetsuya had not revealed her intentions to these five, they would probably still be completely in the dark.
Now that Tetsuya knew everything, if he were to spread the truth, it would undoubtedly damage the reputations of both Asea and Agatha. Because of that, once those five reported everything back to Asea, it would certainly awaken her intent to kill. That way, she could both protect her secret and obtain the four-headed Weezing and Skorupi she had coveted for so long.
When the time came, he would simply have to strike first.
It might sound like an exaggeration, but once a person reaches such a level and position, once they start something, they have to see it through; it wasn't an innate "nature", but one forged while climbing the ladder of power!
---◓---
After watching the five Trainers disappear from his sight, Tetsuya continued on his way, though he deliberately slowed his pace. By noon, after Tetsuya and his Pokémon had finished lunch, he had no intention of continuing. He found an open area in the forest beside the road, pitched his tent, and settled down for an afternoon nap.
He certainly could not deal with Asea too close to Pallet Town. If too much commotion attracted Professor Oak's attention, then with that old man's capacities, he might actually uncover some clues. If that happened, Tetsuya would have to live every day in constant worry.
Not because of what Professor Oak would do, but because he would definitely report it, leading to all the higher-ups finding out, especially Agatha.
---◓---
Lying inside his tent, Tetsuya could still sense a large number of people heading toward Pallet Town. By evening, however, the road had once again become deserted, as the main group had already passed through.
At his current pace, he could reach Pallet Town in a single day's travel tomorrow. For now, he would simply wait here at his leisure for Asea to arrive.
After dinner, Tetsuya repeatedly trained his body on the road. About an hour later, the lead Trainer from that morning came looking for Tetsuya.
"Tch… didn't you understand what I told you this morning? Don't appear in my line of sight! Since I'm still in a good mood, get the fuck out while you can!" Tetsuya rebuked him directly.
The Trainer remained composed despite being cursed at by Tetsuya. He merely forced a smile and said, "The Gym Leader of Fuchsia Gym has arrived and would like to meet you. She's waiting in the forest not far from here."
Tetsuya thought to himself that Asea also seemed wary of Professor Oak and did not dare make any extreme moves within the old Professor's sphere of influence. Moreover, she had arrived here in only a single day, meaning she must have been in a nearby city all along.
Since she had appeared this time, she had clearly made her final decision. If Asea intended to take his life for the sake of his two Pokémon and her own reputation, then these five pupils would most likely not survive either.
"…Lead the way."
Tetsuya was already mentally prepared. Since Asea had dared to come, she had undoubtedly made thorough preparations. Although he had already gained a general understanding of the strength of the Pokémon she had on hand, it was perfectly normal for a Gym Leader to have ten or even twenty Pokémon. Choosing to fight her in a standard Pokémon battle would definitely be unwise.
They wound their way through the forest with countless twists and turns, as though deliberately heading for the most secluded place imaginable, almost as if they wanted Tetsuya to lose his way. From the route alone, Tetsuya had already realized that Asea's intent to kill had fully awakened.
Sure enough, they eventually arrived at a gloomy corner of the forest, surrounded by towering trees. Asea and another four Trainers were already waiting there.
Seeing Tetsuya arrive, Asea walked forward and said, "Tetsuya, it's been a long time."
"If you've got something to say, say it!" Tetsuya replied. He had no interest in exchanging pleasantries with them.
Asea smiled awkwardly, then took out a locked briefcase and opened it. Inside was cash along with a bank card. She said, "Since you already know, I'll be direct. As long as you're willing to give me your Weezing and Skorupi, all of this cash and the card are yours. It's a total of three million. What do you think?"
The four Trainers behind her were seeing that much money for the first time, and all revealed envious expressions.
Tetsuya smiled to himself. He knew the money was nothing more than a smokescreen. Without even looking at it, he said, "So, I suppose I should be really grateful to you, Leader Asea."
Asea was somewhat caught off guard. Tetsuya had always given the impression of being calm and steady, so she had never expected him to give up his Pokémon for money.
In the darkness of the night, the corners of Tetsuya's mouth slowly curved…