Evil begets evil

Jian felt that he still had a chance to turn things around.

Since there was still no news from Honchkrow, even though he could barely move his limbs, he still held onto hope and kept imagining how he would slice Baimu's flesh piece by piece afterward.

That expectation lasted until Vibrava returned and threw the unconscious Honchkrow onto the ground.

Despair left him utterly dejected.

Honchkrow had failed because it panicked upon hearing its trainer's cries for help and was carelessly struck by Vibrava's Dragon Breath.

The Pokémon he had pinned his hopes on had been defeated because of him.

How laughable.

Baimu softly thanked Vibrava and recalled it into its Poké Ball to rest.

Chansey fainted after giving Lairon one final Heal Pulse, but from what he could tell, it had merely overexerted itself mentally and would recover after some sleep.

After evolving, Lairon had regained a little stamina. With Heal Pulse and some food to replenish its energy, it would be fine after resting in the shade for a while.

Baimu recalled Mightyena and the other Pokémon, briefly bandaged the wound on his arm, and drank some water.

He sat on a rock shaded by a high cliff, looking down at Jian, whose body was twisted in agony. That once-arrogant face was now filled with fear and pain.

Those eyes that had always looked down on others now held a pleading look.

But they could not stir even the slightest sympathy in Baimu.

"Beep!"

The Rotom Drone above let out a soft sound and slowly descended beside him. "You have received a total of 5.38 million in tips."

"Hm?"

Baimu and Jian respectively showed expressions of surprise and disbelief.

Five million in tips? Who was that rich?

Even if he only received thirty percent, five million still meant 1.5 million for him. Not only could he repay the debt he owed Otsuka, there would even be some left over.

However.

This money had been earned with his life. Thinking of it that way, five million did not seem like much.

Baimu steadied himself and calmly looked at the stunned Jian.

"I ask, you answer. Say one word of nonsense, and I'll stab you once. Understand?"

"..."

"Do you understand?"

He rushed forward and swiftly drove a blade into Jian's shoulder, then pulled it out just as quickly.

Jian let out a pig-like shriek. "I understand! I understand!"

"Good."

Baimu began questioning him.

First was the matter of the mole. Although he already had someone in mind, he could not act recklessly without solid proof.

Of course, it was unrealistic to expect Jian to tell him who the mole was. The important thing was to get some useful information from him.

He would have the Quicksand Team members watching from outside search for the mole.

No organization could tolerate a traitor colluding with hostile forces.

Then.

There was the medicine Mightyena and Bewear had taken earlier.

Without question, that stuff was some kind of illegal psychoactive drug, similar to a special stimulant. It greatly depleted a Pokémon's internal energy in exchange for physical enhancement, while mental dulling made them tougher and more resistant to all kinds of damage.

It even occasionally had the side effect of "ripening" them prematurely.

In other words, it could make Pokémon evolve under abnormal circumstances, much like the evolution broadcasts and evolution injections created by Team Rocket.

Its many beneficial effects made it quite expensive, but that power did not come without a price—

Take too much, and they would become idiots.

No.

As long as they took it, their intelligence would decline until they became idiots.

The drug caused mental degeneration in Pokémon and was somewhat addictive. Even in Pyrite Town of the Orre region, it was classified as a banned substance.

Baimu fell silent after hearing everything.

How many lifetimes of sins had Mightyena and Bewear committed to meet a trainer like this?

He found the remaining pills in Jian's pocket and decisively crushed them into powder with a rock, letting them scatter away on the wind.

Next came the whereabouts and condition of Otsuka and the others.

He definitely had to save them.

Baimu still hoped that Otsuka would turn over a new leaf in the future and become someone with principles and a positive outlook.

That kid should not die in a place like this.

Fortunately, Jian had not killed Otsuka. But it was not because his conscience had awakened. Rather, he had found that Otsuka was stubbornly unyielding and seemed ready to die for his beliefs, so he deliberately put on a performance of heroes appreciating heroes. He "generously" spared him and merely broke his arms and legs.

Although Pyrite Town was full of all sorts of betrayals, everyone loved this kind of brotherhood.

The less people had something, the more they longed for it.

Jian had received quite a few tips because of that.

Afterward, Baimu asked a few more miscellaneous questions. Once Jian had said about as much as he could, Baimu looked at the faint expectation in his expression—the expectation that he would be spared—then turned to glance at the pit Lairon had made with Sand Tomb.

The ground had already hardened...

No matter.

Baimu stood and found the two captives from earlier. 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 and saw signs of wear.

"If you're awake, open your eyes. I'm giving you a task. Finish it, and I'll let you go."

Silence.

Baimu said, "Fine. I only need one person now. I'll stab the other one to death."

"Wait!"

"I'm awake! I'm awake!"

The two men pretending to be unconscious abruptly opened their eyes and laughed nervously. "What are your orders?"

Do not be fooled by how righteous they had seemed earlier, exposing Huo Wu's betrayal of the Hound Team and angrily condemning them for cheating. Faced with the desire to survive, all lofty principles had vanished.

That was within Baimu's expectations.

He hauled the two men up, pushed them in front of Jian, and pointed at the man twisting on the ground like a caterpillar.

"Dig a pit. Bury him in it with only his head exposed, and I'll let you go."

The two men's pupils suddenly shrank. When they looked at Baimu again, their eyes were filled with fear.

Jian weakly wailed. Having lost too much blood, he barely had the strength to speak. "Don't... spare me. I can give you money. I have a lot of money... please spare me... save me..."

Baimu ignored him completely.

He looked at the two men. "Actually, this job only needs one person..."

"I'll do it!"

"I'll do it too!"

The two Hound Team members immediately began competing for the task.

Thus.

Under Baimu's instructions, they used crude tools to dig a pit inside the hole Lairon had made earlier. Every now and then, they glanced at Lairon and Jian, sweating profusely with fear.

Meanwhile.

Baimu laid Jian face-up, felt around his chest, then waved Lairon over. "Come, step here."

"Lairon?"

"Yes, right there."

Bang! Crack.

As Lairon stepped down, Jian's weak voice disappeared, leaving only faint wheezing sounds in his throat.

Baimu observed him for several seconds. He could not be certain whether that stomp had caused a pneumothorax, but it had definitely shattered quite a few ribs.

People in the Pokémon world were too resilient. He was worried that his judgment might be wrong.

However.

Combined with the blazing heat from the sun overhead and the severe blood loss, Jian probably would not survive.

Digging the pit took a long time, and it was an excruciating process for Jian.

The feeling of watching dust rise, the pit take shape, and death gradually draw nearer while he could do nothing about it.

It was far too torturous.

The more anxious he became, the faster he breathed. The faster he breathed, the harder it became to draw air. The harder it became to breathe, the more it hurt. He wished he could die on the spot.

That slow, inch-by-inch process was even more terrifying than simply killing him.

Finally.

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 chills run through them. To them, Baimu was simply a demon. Not only would he not let someone die quickly, he had to torment him like this!

But in truth.

Baimu's thoughts were simple.

Stabbing Jian through the heart would indeed be quick, but dying too easily would instead be a kind of release for him.

After all, setting this match aside, Jian had directly caused the deaths of eight people since childhood. Even while confessing, he had clearly held some things back.

He should not die too quickly.

Good is rewarded with good, and evil with evil. Since Jian had fallen into his hands, he should bravely experience some of the things he had done 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 now. Remember to prepare the money to redeem your Pokémon."

Baimu looked at Jian, who had only his face exposed, and nodded in satisfaction.

Jian stared blankly at the sky, as though he no longer held any hope for life.

The other two Hound Team members exchanged glances, then repeatedly thanked Baimu with immense gratitude. They were terrified of upsetting him and being buried alive here as well.

Ten minutes later.

Two Delibird came to pick them up.

Baimu checked the radar and headed in the direction Jian had mentioned, searching for the injured Otsuka.

Fifteen minutes later.

Jian, buried underground, finally breathed his last amid inhuman agony.