Pokémon: Above the Top

One Cacturne, then another, then another… More and more Cacturne emerged from the desert sands, their bright yellow eyes hidden beneath green hats, their expressions dark as they encircled Sato.

This was not a friendly encounter!

Eevee, sensing danger, rushed back to Sato's side, leaping onto his shoulder in three quick steps, its gaze filled with unease as it scanned the surrounding Cacturne.

"Houndoom, Nasty Plot!"

"Awoo!"

Above Houndoom's head, phantom-like exclamation marks appeared, and in the next moment, its aura surged dramatically!

The surrounding Cacturne sensed this shift and could no longer hold back!

The closest Cacturne suddenly lunged forward, its thorn-covered arms glowing with an intense green light!

"Needle Arm!"

For years, Needle Arm had been considered an exclusive move of the Cacturne species, much like how Night Daze was unique to Zoroark. A move that perfectly matched their nature, possessing both high synergy and immense power!

Though years later, the League would discover that other Pokémon in Kalos and Alola were also capable of using this move, Cacturne remained the true master of Needle Arm!

"Houndoom, Feint Attack!"

The clash was immediate!

A red-and-black blur collided violently with the glowing green thorns!

"Boom!"

Both Houndoom and Cacturne were forced back, but neither wasted time. They immediately steadied themselves at full speed!

Dark Pulse!

Dark Pulse!

Both Pokémon, as if sharing the same instincts, fired the same move at once!

This time, Houndoom completely overwhelmed Cacturne's Dark Pulse, breaking through it effortlessly!

Of course!

With Sato's daily blood nourishment, his Dark-types' innate Dark-type potential had been growing continuously!

Even though the improvements were barely noticeable day by day, the long-term accumulation had created a significant difference!

With its close-range combat evenly matched and its Dark Pulse overpowered, the Cacturne took several steps back before suddenly calling for reinforcements!

One after another, more Cacturne charged forward, launching their attacks without hesitation!

Dark Pulse!

Energy Ball!

Pin Missile!

Seed Bomb!

Sato's expression shifted; these Cacturne were far stronger than expected, and none of their moves were weak!

"Houndoom, Overheat! Ariados, Sticky Web!"

With the boost from Nasty Plot, the blazing flames exploded outward, forcing back nearly half of the Cacturne!

At the same time, Ariados swiftly wove a web, creating a Sticky Web trap that cut off the remaining Cacturne's approach!

"Eevee-vee!"

Eevee, rather than feeling intimidated, was excited, as if itching to jump into battle!

Sato, however, held Eevee back. With its small size, it would only be a burden in this fight.

"Houndoom, Flamethrower! Sweep them away! Ariados, Toxic Spikes!"

The Cacturne weren't fast Pokémon, most of them had no choice but to defend themselves against Houndoom's sweeping flames!

Swoosh… Boom!

Suddenly, a perfectly round, glowing purple sphere appeared in the sky, then, lightly exploded! Countless poisonous droplets rained down, sinking into the desert sand!

One Cacturne suddenly screamed, its body flaring with a poisonous glow. When the glow faded, it collapsed, panting heavily, completely unable to battle!

One by one, more Cacturne let out cries of pain, their bodies trembling violently, succumbing to the effects of Ariados' Toxic Spikes!

In less than thirty seconds, every Cacturne within the poison field had fallen, their bodies tainted with a purple glow, shuddering as if on the verge of collapse.

Those outside the poison's range could only watch in horror, unable to save their comrades, completely helpless.

"This poison… is terrifying!" Sato couldn't help but exclaim.

Eevee, perched on his shoulder, didn't even dare to move, let alone jump into the fight!

"Ariados, help them detoxify."

"Ssisis~"

Ariados seemed just as surprised by the sheer potency of its own poison, scurrying clumsily toward the nearest Cacturne.

Under Cacturne's terrified, awaiting-death gaze, Ariados raised one of its sharp forelegs.

"Squelch!"

The sharp leg pierced through the Cacturne's skin with ease, and immediately, thin purple threads began to surge out from the Cacturne's body, rapidly being absorbed into Ariados's foreleg.

The poison was swiftly extracted, though the Cacturne remained weak and exhausted.

Ariados withdrew its leg, then proceeded to do the same to each fallen Cacturne, removing their toxins one by one.

The first Cacturne, unaware of what was happening, had looked horrified. But after seeing the results, the others obediently lay still.

Even after having their poison extracted, none of them dared to move.

Sato and Houndoom stood completely still as well, not even twitching, silently watching Ariados work.

Earlier, Ariados had expertly controlled its Toxic Spikes, ensuring that Sato and Houndoom were not affected, but their surroundings were completely covered in poison.

They couldn't afford to move. No one could.

Once all the Cacturne had been detoxified, Sato immediately instructed Ariados to clean up the Toxic Spikes. But in this desert environment, even Ariados struggled to remove them.

"Gengar, wait! Don't go into the ground!"

Sato quickly stopped Gengar, who had just emerged and was instinctively preparing to sink into the shadows.

Instead, Sato had Gengar use Psychic to lift both him and Houndoom out of the Toxic Spikes. Only then did he finally breathe a sigh of relief.

"Don't move. I'll have Gengar lift you all out one by one. Remember, you're Dark-types, if you resist even a little, you'll break free from Gengar's Psychic… and fall right back into the poison."

As soon as Sato finished speaking, he clearly saw all the Cacturne shudder.

"Gengar, begin."

Gengar nodded, lifting each Cacturne out of the poisoned area, and not a single one dared to struggle.

Half an hour later, all the Cacturne had been safely relocated, and the Toxic Spikes zone was carefully marked off.

Every now and then, the Cacturne would steal anxious glances at Ariados, who was still casually studying its own toxins within the poison field.

And every time they did, they shuddered again.

No need for further confirmation… This was a Pokémon they should never mess with!

As Sato gently comforted Eevee, who had actually been frightened this time, he reflected on Ariados's transformation.

That purple gel extracted from the shiny Arbok's brain!

After Rose Joy's examination, the gel was confirmed to be an extremely pure Poison-type energy crystal. Since it was safe for Ariados, Sato had casually given it the crystal.

At first, he had anticipated some changes, but due to the intensity of the Young Elite Tournament, he had completely forgotten about it.

And since Ariados never had a chance to battle, he hadn't realized anything until now, when a single Toxic Spikes had revealed its terrifying potential!

Now, Sato desperately wanted to know—exactly how poisonous had Ariados become? Could it be as toxic as that shiny Arbok from the Luminous Swamp?