Moves like Self-Destruct and Explosion were practically made for battling stronger opponents. When used effectively, they could allow a pseudo-Elite trainer to take down an Elite, or a pseudo-champion to blow away a champion.
These kinds of moves were designed specifically for fighting above one's weight class.
Although using them left the Pokémon in a terrible state, the sheer power they unleashed made them worth it.
Most terrorist organizations or wanted criminals were guaranteed to carry at least one or two Pokémon capable of using Self-Destruct or similar moves.
Some trainers even specifically raised Pokémon just to master such destructive attacks.
You might never need them, but you can't afford not to have them. When the situation calls for it, they might just turn the tide in your favor.
Even Julian had his Steelix and Gengar learn Self-Destruct as a precaution, just in case.
As a massive explosion roared in the distance, a black mushroom cloud shot into the sky.
Even though Julian was far away, with countless trees blocking the path, the shockwave from Forretress's Self-Destruct still reached him.
At this point, Blackstar had already been subdued by Lucario.
His last resort had been Forretress's Self-Destruct, but unfortunately for him, Julian had already survived four of these blasts, and had been always on guard.
Alakazam had been hiding nearby the whole time.
Julian hadn't noticed the Forretress concealed in the treetops, but Alakazam had spotted it early on. It simply chose not to warn Julian—after all, as long as it was around, Julian was in no real danger.
The moment Self-Destruct finished, Alakazam used Teleport and left. When it returned, it had the half-dead Forretress in tow.
Pokémon that use Self-Destruct are guaranteed to be severely injured, though they can be saved with timely treatment.
However, sometimes there was no such guarantee. Whether they survive depends entirely on their luck. Even if they are saved, their strength will never be the same again.
That's the price of using such moves—they sacrifice their own lives.
Pokémon know full well that using these moves might kill them, yet they still choose to do it for their trainers.
Many times, a Pokémon's love for its trainer runs deeper than a human's love for their Pokémon.
"Please… save it."
Blackstar looked at Julian pleadingly, and with a heavy thud, he dropped to his knees.
Julian was slightly surprised by the display. With a nod, he said, "Don't worry, it's not going to die."
Despite being a ruthless poacher who had killed many Pokémon with cruel methods, Blackstar genuinely cared for his own Pokémon.
That was why Forretress was willing to sacrifice itself for him.
Julian fed Forretress a healing potion.
It was a product from the system's shop, so its effectiveness was guaranteed.
After taking it, Forretress's condition finally stabilized. Its life was saved, but its strength had plummeted—from pseudo-Elite level down to mere Advanced tier.
If nothing unexpected happened, Forretress's strength would remain at this level for the rest of its life. Moreover, its lifespan would be significantly shortened.
"Thank you."
Seeing that Forretress's condition had stabilized, Blackstar couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.
Julian walked over to Blackstar, took out his Poké Balls, and recalled Forretress, Ninjask, and Shedinja.
"How did you find me?"
Watching Julian collect the Poké Balls from his subordinates, Blackstar couldn't help but ask in confusion.
He had used all sorts of anti-tracking methods along the way, yet Julian still managed to find him.
Blackstar couldn't figure out whether Julian had found him through skill or just got lucky.
"How do you think Venonat found Togekiss?" Julian replied calmly.
"You found Togekiss ahead of time and worked with it to lure me here."
Blackstar wasn't an idiot. Hearing what Julian said, he immediately pieced it together.
Julian didn't respond further—it was indeed as Blackstar suspected.
Initially, Julian had only asked Celebi to check with the nearby Pokémon to see if they had spotted Togekiss. Unexpectedly, Celebi ended up leading the male Togekiss straight to him.
Julian had been stunned by the stroke of luck.
Once he found Togekiss, locating Blackstar's poaching group was only a matter of time.
After discussing the situation with Togekiss, it had no hesitation in agreeing to help. Upon learning that someone was targeting its family, Togekiss was furious and immediately supported Julian's plan.
The male Togekiss deliberately wandered around the wilds, acting as bait. Eventually, Blackstar's group took notice.
Blackstar sent Scizor to trail Togekiss, but Togekiss had already detected it. However, it intentionally led Scizor toward Julian's ambush point.
"If you let me go, I can give you three Cyan-grade Pokémon and 30 billion in cash," Blackstar offered.
He knew what fate awaited him if he was captured. With no other options, he tried to buy his way out, hoping to convince Julian to let him go.
Julian remained silent, quietly staring at him.
However, beneath his calm expression, his mind was racing.
He hadn't expected Blackstar to be so wealthy, 30 billion in cash and three Cyan-grade Pokémon—quite the tempting offer.
Unless they were pseudo-legendary hatchlings, or Pokémon that were extremely rare like Togekiss, the combined value of the three Cyan-grade Pokémon would not exceed 30 billion.
But the two offers combined were enough to make most people's hearts move, and Julian was no exception-his heart was moved.
Noticing the flicker in Julian's eyes, Blackstar secretly heaved a sigh of relief.
'He's interested.'
That meant he still had a chance to survive.
"As long as you let me go, no one will know. I'll take care of all my subordinates myself," Blackstar continued.
"You're really ruthless," Julian said.
"As long as I survive, it doesn't matter if they die, I am the core of the Blackstar Poaching Group," Blackstar replied coldly.
There was a reason why Blackstar was at the mid-Elite stage while his three vice-leaders were only at the peak pseudo-Elite level.
It wasn't because the vice-leaders were weak. With the group's resources, they could have easily pushed at least one of the vice-leaders to the early stage Elite.
However, Blackstar feared that if they grew stronger, they might threaten his position.
So, he deliberately suppressed the growth of his three vice-leaders.
The vice-leaders were well aware of this. Though they resented Blackstar for holding them back, they dared not voice their discontent.
If any of them dared to break through to the Elite level without Blackstar's consent, they might not be able to see the sun the next day.
"The offer really moved my heart, but I refuse," Julian shook his head.
Neither the three Cyan-grade Pokémon nor the 30 billion interested him that much. While they were valuable, they weren't things he lacked. He was only moved because they were high-quality assets—after all, you could never have too many good things.
"Unless all three of your Cyan-grade Pokémon are pseudo-legendaries."
Blackstar's face twisted at the audacity of the demand, three Cyan-grade pseudo-legendaries? If he could get his hands on three of those, would he still need to run a poaching group?
"Give me time. Within three years, I'll get them for you," Blackstar said solemnly.
Julian was a bit surprised, from the way Blackstar spoke, he didn't seem to be lying.
"I was just messing with you," Julian said with a smirk.
Blackstar: (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻
*****
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