Pokémon: Above the Top

In Ariados's trap, as long as it was a living creature, there was no escaping death.

That's why was called [Toxic Hell].

Though [Toxic Hell] had major usage limitations, slow activation, and was considered an unnatural combo, so it wasn't advisable to use it often.

Still, no one could deny just how terrifying its power was!

Zoroark and the others had only been focused on stopping the poachers from escaping; they hadn't spent much time in direct combat.

It was also the first time they had witnessed Ariados's [Toxic Hell] from start to finish, and it clearly left them all deeply shaken.

Usually chirpy, ugly, and clingy, Ariados had now gone full berserker, mercilessly poisoning the entire ship's worth of poachers into death.

Not a single one spared!

The key was that Ariados still had a remarkably good mindset. Since it was little, it had never been troubled by the idea of taking lives. All it felt was the joy of victory, again and again.

Or perhaps, it was the natural instinct of Poison-type predators that allowed it to so easily become desensitized to life.

Fortunately, Ariados had been raised by Sato from the moment it was an egg. Their bond was undeniable.

Even if it ignored life in general, Ariados still had people and things it treasured. And that was enough.

"Zoroark, Gengar, keep the sailboat from sinking and move it toward the shore."

Zoroark and Gengar responded in unison. They simultaneously used Psychic and Extrasensory on the sailboat.

The toxins were still corroding the ship. It wouldn't take long for it to dissolve into the sea.

And while any poison -no matter how strong- became harmless after being diluted millions of times, Sato still didn't dare risk it.

If the ship were to sink on its own, the life in the nearby sea would suffer enormous damage.

A white silhouette flew straight toward Sato. No need to guess: it was Mark on his Togekiss to offer support.

…But when he saw Sato standing casually on the mast, clearly in an "I already finished the fight" pose, Mark was furious.

He gently patted Togekiss… and turned around to fly back.

'Huh, guess he's mad now, heh'

Sato twitched the corner of his mouth and couldn't be bothered to react.

When it came to poachers, you had to strike fast and hard. Hit them so hard at the start they couldn't even think, then, clean up swiftly.

Once they regained their wits and launched their no-holds-barred counterattack, someone like Mark -a young Trainer just starting out- would never be able to hold his own.

Sato flying out alone without hesitation wasn't about stealing credit. More than anything, he didn't want Mark or Joseph to stain their hands with too much blood.

As for himself… he stopped caring long ago.

---

As the sailboat slowly neared the coast, Sato looked out and saw that many Lapras, under Joseph's guidance, had temporarily come ashore for healing.

But as the sailboat drew closer, the Lapras began to panic again, trying desperately to return to the sea.

Joseph waved toward Sato, and Sato got the message. He instructed Gengar and Zoroark to turn the ship and land elsewhere.

"Ariados, collect as much of the poison as you can. For the rest, gather it all into one spot."

"Dos~"

It took over half an hour, but Sato and the others circled wide and landed at a part of the shore out of sight from the Lapras.

The ship, under control, was directed straight onto land.

After confirming there were no living creatures left on the sailboat, Sato had his Pokémon all use Fire-type moves to burn it down completely.

The raging flames devoured the entire ship. For poachers who lived by their trade, their poacher ship was their greatest lifeline at sea.

They probably never imagined that one day, they would vanish from this world along with it.

The ship continued to burn violently. Once he confirmed the area was empty and there was no risk of a wildfire, Sato turned and left.

When he returned to the original beach to assist Joseph in healing the Lapras, he found the area already surrounded by a large crowd.

These were the same people who had fled faster than anyone earlier. Now that everything seemed safe, they had come rushing back to join the "show".

But as Sato got closer, he realized this wasn't over yet… trouble was rising again.

"I said… didn't you hear me tell you to release that Lapras!" Mark's angry shout came from the center of the crowd. Just hearing that was enough for Sato to know what had happened.

"These Lapras are all wild Pokémon. Since they're wild, I have the right to catch them. Who do you think you are? Don't block me. Get out of the way~"

Sato pushed through to the center and saw the person confronting Mark.

A young Trainer who looked "good" on the outside but whose actions were utterly disgraceful… truly revolting.

Worse yet, Sato could clearly sense that more than one person around had the same idea.

If it weren't for the public setting, this crowd would've already rushed in to capture the weakened Lapras group.

At that moment, Mark stood firmly in front of the Lapras group. All five of his Pokémon were out, forming a solid line of defense against anyone trying to harm and catch them.

Meanwhile, Joseph and his medical team tended to the Lapras in the back, acting as if they hadn't noticed anything.

Thanks to Joseph's selfless help, and the seamless communication granted by Viridian Power -and with Mark's full protection, his own Lapras constantly comforting its companions- even though one member of the group had been captured, the Lapras still chose to believe in these two humans, believing they truly wanted to help.

That pure trust only made the greed of humans look even more ridiculous.

Mark was still arguing with the guy. The man knew he had no moral ground and clearly wanted to get away, but Mark wouldn't let him.

"You people just want to catch all the Lapras in one go, right? Otherwise, why be so kind and heal them? I already caught mine, why should I release it? I mean, you guys can't take care of this many Lapras anyway. Why not let everyone take one each? That way, they'll all get proper care."

These outrageously shameless words quickly spread through the crowd. And because it involved personal gain, the crowd actually stopped complaining. Some even cheered quietly from within.

After all, Lapras were incredibly valuable… whether for trade or training.

But Sato suddenly felt bitterly disappointed. As "evil" as poachers were, in this moment, perhaps nothing was more vile than the human heart!

"…Gengar, Hypnosis," Sato said quietly.

He had watched long enough to know that if things got out of control, this greedy crowd really might break through Mark's defenses and snatch the Lapras away.

If that happened, the Lapras who had escaped the poachers and trusted Joseph and Mark would end up captured anyway.

The two of them might regret it for the rest of their lives. It could become an obsession; and honestly, there was no way just the two of them could hold off an entire crowd.

Clap~ Clap~ Clap~