Jian felt he still had a chance to turn things around.
Because Honchkrow still had not sent back any news, he remained hopeful despite being unable to move his hands and feet. He kept imagining how he would cut Baimu's flesh into slices afterward.
That hope lasted until Vibrava returned and threw the unconscious Honchkrow onto the ground.
Despair left him utterly disheartened.
Honchkrow had failed because he panicked after hearing his Trainer cry for help and was accidentally struck by Vibrava's Dragon Breath.
The Pokémon he had placed his hopes in had been defeated because of him.
How laughable.
Baimu softly thanked Vibrava, then returned it to its Poké Ball to rest.
Chansey had passed out after giving Lairon one final Heal Pulse, but from what he could tell, it had merely overexerted itself mentally and would recover after sleeping.
Lairon had recovered a little stamina after evolving. With the Heal Pulse and some food to replenish its energy, all it needed was a short nap somewhere shaded.
Baimu returned Mightyena and the other Pokémon, briefly bandaged the wound on his arm, and drank some water.
He sat on a stone in the shade of a high rock, looking down at Jian, whose face was twisted with pain. The arrogant face that had once looked down on everyone was now filled with fear and agony.
The eyes that had always held others in contempt were now filled with pleading.
But they failed to stir even the slightest sympathy in Baimu.
"Beep!"
The Rotom Drone above him let out a soft sound and slowly descended to his side. "You have received a total of 5.38 million in tips."
"Hm?"
Baimu and Jian respectively showed surprise and disbelief.
Five million in tips? Who was that rich?
Even if he only received thirty percent, five million came to 1.5 million for him. That would not only pay off his debt to Otsuka, but leave some money over.
Still.
That money had been earned with his life. Thinking of it that way, five million did not seem like much at all.
Baimu composed himself and calmly looked at Jian's dazed expression.
"I'll ask, and you'll answer. If you say one useless word, I'll cut you once. Understand?"
"..."
"Do you understand?"
He darted forward, plunged his knife into Jian's shoulder, and yanked it out in one swift motion.
Jian let out a bloodcurdling scream. "I understand! I understand!"
"Good."
Baimu began questioning him.
First was the matter of the mole. Although he already had a suspect in mind, he could not act recklessly without solid evidence.
Of course, it was unrealistic to expect Jian to reveal the mole directly. The important thing was to get some useful information out of him.
He would have the Quicksand Team members watching from outside search for the mole.
No organization could tolerate a traitor colluding with an enemy faction.
Next.
He asked about the medicine that had just been fed to Mightyena and Bewear.
There was no doubt about it: the stuff was some kind of mental stimulant, similar to a special performance-enhancing drug. It obtained a physical boost by massively consuming the energy inside a Pokémon's body, while the mental dulling made them tougher and gave them greater resistance to various effects.
It even occasionally had the side effect of "accelerating maturation."
In other words, it could make a Pokémon evolve under circumstances that defied common sense, much like Team Rocket's evolution broadcasts and evolution injections.
Its many beneficial effects made it extremely expensive, but this power was not without a price—
Taking too much would turn them into idiots.
No.
Just taking it would lower their intelligence until they became idiots.
The drug caused pathological changes in a Pokémon's mind and was also somewhat addictive. Thus, even in Pyrite Town in the Orre region, it was classified as a prohibited substance.
Baimu fell silent after hearing this.
What had Mightyena and Bewear done in their past lives to end up with a Trainer like this?
He searched Jian's pockets and found the remaining pills. Without hesitation, he smashed them to powder with a rock and let the wind carry them away.
Next was the whereabouts and condition of Otsuka and the others.
He was definitely going to rescue them.
Baimu still hoped Otsuka could turn over a new leaf in the future and become someone with principles and a positive outlook.
That child should not die in a place like this.
Fortunately, Jian had not killed Otsuka. It was not because he had discovered his conscience, but because he had realized Otsuka's mouth was tough and that the boy seemed ready to sacrifice himself for righteousness. So he had deliberately staged a scene of heroes appreciating one another and "magnanimously" spared him, merely breaking his hands and feet.
Although Pyrite Town was filled with all kinds of betrayal, everyone liked that sort of brotherly loyalty.
The less people had of something, the more they yearned for it.
Jian had received quite a few tips because of that.
Afterward, Baimu asked a few more trivial questions. Once he had said nearly everything, he looked at Jian, whose expression contained a faint trace of anticipation, as though he believed he would be spared. Then he glanced at the pit Lairon had created with Sand Tomb.
The ground had hardened...
No matter.
Baimu stood up and found the two captives in front. He had intended to wake them, only to discover that they were already awake and merely pretending to be unconscious.
He glanced at the ropes around them. They showed signs of wear.
"If you're awake, open your eyes. I'm giving you a task now. Finish it, and I'll let you go."
Silence.
Baimu said, "Fine. I only need one person now. I'll stab the other to death."
"Wait!"
"I'm awake! I'm awake!"
The two pretending to be unconscious abruptly opened their eyes and gave him anxious, ingratiating smiles. "What would you have us do?"
They had seemed full of backbone before, whether spraying Huo Wu for betraying the Hound Team or angrily accusing them of cheating. But under the pressure of survival, none of that lofty integrity remained.
This was within Baimu's expectations.
He lifted the two of them up and pushed them in front of Jian, pointing at the latter, who was writhing on the ground like a caterpillar.
"Dig a hole and bury him in it with only his head sticking out. Then I'll let you go."
Their pupils contracted sharply, and when they looked at Baimu again, their eyes were full of fear.
Jian wailed weakly. Having lost too much blood, he barely had the strength to speak. "No... Let me go. I can give you money. I have lots of money... Please, let me go... Help..."
Baimu ignored him completely.
He looked at the two men. "This job actually only needs one person..."
"I'll do it!"
"I'll do it too!"
The two Hound Team members immediately began competing with each other.
Thus.
Following Baimu's instructions, the two men used crude tools to dig a pit inside the hole Lairon had made. They occasionally glanced at Lairon and Jian, sweating profusely in fear.
Meanwhile.
Baimu turned Jian faceup and felt around his chest before beckoning to Lairon. "Come here. Step on this spot."
"Lair?"
"Yes, right there."
Bang! Crack.
As Lairon brought its foot down, Jian's faint voice disappeared, leaving only the thinnest threads of breath in his throat.
Baimu watched for several seconds. He could not be certain whether that step had caused a collapsed lung, but it had definitely shattered quite a few ribs.
The human body in the Pokémon World was too resilient. He was worried his judgment might be wrong.
Still.
Combined with the scorching heat of the sun beating down on the ground and his severe blood loss, Jian probably would not survive.
Digging the pit was a long process, and for Jian, it was an unbearably painful one.
The dust rose, the pit took shape, and death gradually drew near while he remained powerless to do anything.
It was sheer torture.
The more nervous he became, the faster he breathed. The faster he breathed, the harder it was to draw air in. The harder it was to breathe, the more he hurt. He wished he could die on the spot.
That gradual process was even more terrifying than killing him outright.
At last.
The two men finished digging a large pit, threw Jian inside, and then buried him, leaving only his face exposed.
The two Hound Team members felt chilled to the bone. They thought Baimu was simply a demon. He would not even let someone die quickly, but insisted on torturing him like this!
But in truth.
Baimu's thoughts were simple.
Stabbing Jian through the heart would certainly be quick, but dying too easily would be a form of release for him.
After all, setting this battle aside, Jian had directly caused the deaths of eight people from childhood to the present—and he had clearly held something back even while recounting it.
He should not die so quickly.
Good would be rewarded with good, and evil with evil. Since Jian had fallen into his hands, he ought to try everything he had done to others before he died.
Only then could those who had died at Jian's hands rest in peace.
Only then could Baimu feel at ease.
"That's enough. You're free. Remember to prepare the money to redeem your Pokémon."
Baimu looked at Jian, with only his face exposed, and nodded in satisfaction.
Jian stared blankly at the sky with empty eyes, as though he no longer held any hope of living.
The other two Hound Team members exchanged a glance and thanked Baimu profusely, terrified that if they displeased him, they too would be buried alive here.
Ten minutes later.
Two Delibirds came and took them away.
Baimu glanced at the radar and walked in the direction Jian had indicated, searching for the injured Otsuka.
Fifteen minutes later.
Jian, buried underground, finally breathed his last amid inhuman agony.