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"Alright, Beautifly, you can stop Gust now."
Sato noticed the peculiarity of that black lump of mud within the white whirlwind. His eyes lit up suddenly, as if remembering something. Without hesitation, he spoke to the shiny Beautifly beside him, who was still focused on maintaining the swirling white wind.
Beautifly nodded in response. The green light glowing on her wings quickly dimmed, and the white whirlwind, losing the wind-type energy that sustained it, gradually dissipated into the air.
With a soft "pa~" sound, the moment the white whirlwind disappeared, the black lump of mud, which was faintly glowing with a purple sheen, immediately dropped to the ground.
Almost instantly, a "sizzling~~" sound began to emerge. The black lump of mud had landed on some weeds, and all the grass that came into contact with it started to wither rapidly, then corrode into wisps of white smoke.
It was clear that this strange black lump of mud was not only extremely tough but also had a terrifyingly strong corrosive property.
Meanwhile, the scattered chunks of Muk's body—shredded apart earlier by the white whirlwind—seemed to sense something like a supreme delicacy and began rapidly moving toward the black lump.
"The Muk species really are stubborn survivors... Even cut into this many pieces, they're still not completely dead."
Watching the countless tiny clumps of sludge crawl toward the black lump, Sato couldn't help but feel a bit of admiration. At the same time, his interest in the mysterious black lump grew even stronger.
If he wasn't mistaken, that black lump of mud was none other than Black Sludge, a poison-type treasure. If Muk were allowed to reclaim it, given a little time, it would recover completely.
(Note: Black Sludge — a treasure for poison-type Pokémon. When held by a poison-type Pokémon, it restores 1/16 of the holder's HP each turn. If held by a non-poison-type Pokémon, it deals 1/8 max HP damage each turn.)
Yes, for poison-types, Black Sludge was a recovery item specifically crafted for them—basically, an upgraded version of Leftovers.
But in reality, the effects of Black Sludge went far beyond simple healing. It contained an exceptionally pure and rich reserve of poison-type energy.
If a poison-type Pokémon wore it continuously, their body would not only develop faster, but their internal toxins would be gradually refined and enhanced. Over time, they'd virtually have an inexhaustible supply of poison energy. Their move-casting speed would increase, and the power of poison-type moves would also see a considerable boost.
In short, for any trainer who specialized in poison-types, Black Sludge was a treasure worth trading everything for.
Since Muk was now a stray dog without a master, Sato wasn't about to let it regenerate and come back for revenge. He immediately instructed Beautifly to clear away the scattered bits of Muk's body.
Afterward, Sato walked over to the black lump of mud. He took out a glass bottle from his bag and used an iron rod to nudge the strange mud into the bottle.
Although it looked like a chunk of dirt, it was more like a kind of flesh-and-blood mud. Cutting it would require something extremely sharp; ordinary blades wouldn't do it.
Its corrosiveness was indisputable—within a minute, the iron rod in Sato's hand was already severely corroded.
However, glass, fortunately, could resist the corrosive substance inside the black mud. Its corrosive nature was somewhat similar to sulfuric acid, and couldn't damage glass.
Yet, when Sato carefully examined the lump through the glass bottle, he realized he had been wrong. The black lump wasn't the legendary Black Sludge itself.
Even so, it was closely related to it—it was, in fact, one of the main raw materials for making Black Sludge.
....
Item Details:
Pokémon Item: Toxic Essence (Primary material for Black Sludge)
Net Weight: Approx. 25g
Effect: Slowly restores HP for poison-type Pokémon, healing 1/32 of max HP each turn.
Restriction: Can only be used by Grimer or Muk.
Description: A highly toxic essence accidentally formed within an elite-level Muk after devouring countless tons of garbage. Though potent, it can become a priceless treasure for all poison-types if processed with sufficient quantity and technique.
....
That's right. Black Sludge was actually crafted by humans, who collected toxic essence formed inside members of the Grimer family, then refined it with specialized techniques into this precious item.
However, the probability of a toxic essence forming within a Muk was ridiculously low. Usually, only champion-level Muk could produce it after over fifty years of accumulation.
Moreover, it required at least 100g of toxic essence to produce a full piece of Black Sludge.
That Sato could obtain a piece weighing 25g from an elite-level Muk... well, his luck could be compared to winning the lottery jackpot.
"Pity... It's just a raw material, and only usable by the Grimer line. Kinda chicken-rib... Wait, maybe that cold one would be interested. I might be able to get something good from her."
Seeing the truth about the black lump inside the glass bottle, Sato's initial excitement shattered into tiny pieces. But as a certain person's face flashed through his mind, his disappointment quickly faded.
Naturally, the person he thought of was Janine.
Through some probing around Joe, he had quickly obtained the profiles of three new Rocket recruits who had performed outstandingly in the chaotic battle the previous night—Janine, Maya, and Marlos.
When he first received Janine's profile, Sato's immediate thought was simple: Never offend this terrifying girl ninja.
After all, she was the daughter of Koga, the future Poison-type Elite Four member. Offending her meant offending Koga.
If Sato had to list the people he considered most dangerous in the Pokémon world, Sabrina would be one, and Koga would definitely be another. Koga was the only person across all regional leagues who had reached Elite Four status with just poison-types.
In other words, there was only one Poison-type Elite Four member among all Pokémon Leagues—and that was Koga. It spoke volumes about his strength.
Keep in mind, among all known Pokémon species, no pure poison-type had a base stat total reaching 600 (excluding Mega Evolutions). This meant poison-types were naturally capped lower than many other types.
Furthermore, perhaps Arceus or the world itself didn't favor poison-types. Among all Pokémon types, poison was the only one without a corresponding type-matching legendary guardian. It was quite a pitiful situation.
That Koga could still reach Elite Four status specializing purely in poison-types showed just how terrifying his strength and understanding of poison Pokémon really were.
And because of Janine's bloodline connection to Koga, Sato believed that handing over this Toxic Essence to her would surely reap some serious benefits.
Currently, Sato had Crobat, Arbok, and Nidorino under his Rocket identity team. Among them, only Nidorino had solved the problem of customized Pokémon food, while Crobat and Arbok still had not.
Crobat, being Sato's starter, went without saying. No matter what, he would find ways to strengthen him. Having specialized Pokémon food was a reliable, long-term way to boost strength.
Even if Crobat's natural aptitude was slightly below average, through long-term nurturing, his strength could still surpass the vast majority of his kind.
As for Arbok, Sato had high hopes for him. This venomous snake, though rebellious, had undeniable top-tier combat talent.
Thanks to possessing three kinds of different pattern transformations, Arbok's potential ceiling far exceeded that of most poison-types.
In Sato's eyes, this Arbok, with his three pattern forms, was no less valuable than a pseudo-legendary Pokémon.
With such good potential and talent, it would be foolish not to invest heavily in his growth.
According to Sato's current plans, his Rocket lineup would include: Crobat, Nidorino, Meowth, and Arbok. As for the remaining two slots, one would likely be reserved for a future capture—probably a Gastly for its dual ghost and poison typing.
As for the last slot, ever since obtaining the TM discs for Water Pledge and Grass Pledge from Professor Oak, Sato had been leaning toward choosing a Bulbasaur for its grass/poison dual-typing.
Thus, Sato decided that for his Rocket Team identity, the advancement path he would arrange for himself would be to become a Poison-type Elite Four member. In the future, the number of high-level Poison-type Pokémon he would need would definitely not be limited to just his Nidorino that would eventually evolve into a Nidoking.
Currently, Sato possessed the Lilycove Compendium, a book that paved a knowledge-filled road for him toward becoming a Water-type Elite Four member.
In fact, he could also become a Ghost-type or Dark-type Elite Four member. After all, he still had the Grimoire of Dark Spirits, a Pokémon cultivation guide even more powerful than the Lilycove Compendium.
However, Sato had already read through the Grimoire of Dark Spirits, and though it was extremely tempting, both Ghost-type and Dark-type Pokémon were significantly harder to train compared to Water- and Poison-type Pokémon.
Naturally, the resources required would also be far greater than those for Water and Poison types. It wasn't that Sato lacked confidence in cultivating outstanding Dark- and Ghost-type Pokémon — it was just that he didn't have the time or resources necessary.
Building the most cost-effective Rain Team and quickly advancing to Water-type Elite Four status had been part of Sato's plan from the beginning, and currently, that plan was progressing very smoothly. His core Pokémon, Swampert, had already grown increasingly powerful.
Among all Pokémon types, Water-types undoubtedly had the greatest variety. With such a large number of Water-types available, it meant that team-building and acquiring suitable Pokémon was not difficult.
The Rain Team was founded precisely on the richness of Water-types. Since there were so many kinds, many Water-types with relatively easy acquisition methods could be incorporated into it.
For example, Poliwag with the Swift Swim ability, Lotad with Swift Swim or Rain Dish, and Wingull with Drizzle.
These Water-types existed in massive populations, countless in number. Even Pokémon with hidden abilities weren't particularly rare given the large population size.
Thus, as long as Sato had enough patience, he would definitely be able to find one with excellent potential.
The Rain Team was Sato's shortcut to advancing as a Water-type Elite Four member. He already had Swampert and a shiny Pelipper, both cores of the Rain Team. Now, adding Pichu, a strong defensive asset under rainy conditions, boosted the team's potential even further.
As for the remaining three Water-type Pokémon, he had already mentioned them before: he was aiming for a Poliwrath with Swift Swim and a Ludicolo with Swift Swim as well.
Since Sato possessed a top-tier Water Stone and another Water Stone of unknown quality, it wouldn't be too difficult for him to obtain these two Water-types of outstanding caliber.
As for why Sato chose to become a Poison-type Elite Four member, the reason was simple: achieving even just the Water-type title would nearly exhaust all the resources he had painstakingly accumulated. He simply wouldn't have the strength or resources left to nurture the even more demanding Dark- and Ghost-types.
Everyone knew that aside from Grass-types, Poison-type Pokémon had the lowest resource consumption for cultivation. Their main diet consisted of items containing toxins.
And because such poisonous materials had little practical use, their prices were generally very low, and they weren't difficult to obtain.
In fact, for Pokémon like Grimer, Koffing, and Ekans, the acquisition of food was almost absurdly easy.
Grimer fed on household garbage; Koffing fed on all kinds of waste gases; Ekans, slightly more expensive, fed primarily on various kinds of meat.
However, despite these three species requiring minimal resources, their strength and utility were by no means low.
Grimer's evolution, Muk, had a base stat total of 500 and, thanks to its unique physiology and access to moves like Minimize, could become extremely adept at stealth if one could suppress its odor.
Moreover, Muk's stench wasn't exactly a disadvantage — any opponent facing it would constantly have to pass willpower checks against the foul smell.
If the opponent couldn't endure it, defeat was almost inevitable. Being entangled by a Muk was a horrifying outcome.
Koffing's final evolution, Weezing, although not reaching a base stat total of 500, had excellent tactical value. It was a master of escape and ambush tactics, and in desperate situations, it could even become a terrifying deterrent.
Unless the enemy had a Pokémon with the Damp ability, facing Weezing's Explosion would force them to think twice.
As for Arbok, there was no need for further explanation. Sato's rebellious Arbok was already nearly undefeated among peers of the same level. Once he could fully develop Arbok's innate ability Pattern Shift, its strength would surge even further.
Thus, Poison-type Pokémon were low-investment but high-yield. Though their late-stage potential was somewhat inferior to Pokémon of other types — Poison had neither pseudo-legendaries nor legendary Pokémon to support it — the early and mid-game advantages were undeniable.
Additionally, Sato already had a solid Poison-type foundation with Nidorino, Crobat, and Arbok. In the future, he also intended to raise Gengar, which was both a Ghost- and Poison-type.
He felt that advancing his Rocket Team identity through the Poison-type Elite Four path suited him perfectly.
Since he aimed to become a Poison-type Elite Four member, he naturally needed a role model. The Poison-type Elite Four member Koga was the best example in Sato's mind.
In truth, Sato very much wanted to become Koga's apprentice and learn expert Poison-type Pokémon cultivation techniques from him.
Of course, he knew that was just wishful thinking. The cold and aloof Koga would never accept him as a student, so Sato could only find other ways to acquire Poison-type knowledge.
Currently, this Toxic Essence he held was one such opportunity. Sato firmly believed that Janine, who specialized in Poison-types and was highly competitive, would not refuse a piece of Toxic Essence that could create Poison-type treasures.
He also strongly believed that, as Koga's daughter, Janine had undoubtedly received her father's full teachings.
Given Koga's status as a Poison-type Elite Four member, the chances that he held exclusive food formulas for the Zubat and Ekans evolutionary lines were practically 100%.
The only thing that made Sato a little worried was whether the Toxic Essence he had was enough to exchange for those exclusive food formulas for the Zubat and Ekans lineages.