He recognized this Pokémon and knew all too well how terrifying its unpredictable Hypnosis could be!
"Malamar's Hypnosis is superb."
"I think it would be more than happy to help me extract what I want to know from your brain."
Ariel patted Malamar's tentacles, his eyes filled with undisguised satisfaction.
It had to be said that for someone like him who frequently dealt with special problems, owning a Malamar proficient in mind control was incredibly convenient.
It saved time, effort, and ensured authenticity.
"You... you demon!"
Soro finally understood Ariel's plan. A chill rushed from his tailbone straight to the crown of his head, turning his blood cold.
He scrambled backward, his voice turning shrill and piercing due to extreme terror.
"You can't do this! Forcibly reading memories will turn a person into an idiot! You'll ruin me!"
"Oh? Really?"
Ariel squatted down and looked at him with interest, his expression like someone explaining an interesting bit of popular science.
"That's just a rumor."
"In reality, the probability of becoming an idiot isn't as high as you'd imagine. It mainly depends on the intensity of the Hypnosis and the caster's control."
He paused and added solemnly:
"Don't worry, I'll have Malamar control its strength. I'll try to... ensure your brain can still function normally afterward."
Try to?
Ensure?
Hearing these words from Ariel's mouth made Soro feel more horrified than if he had been directly sentenced to death.
This guy wasn't joking at all!
He really intended to use Soro's brain for an experiment!
"Aaaaah—!"
Soro completely broke down, the string of his sanity snapping entirely at this moment.
He let out a beast-like roar, pointed at Ariel, and screamed with all his might:
"Farfetch'd! Kill him! Kill him!"
A crisp duck cry rang out.
Farfetch'd, who had been staying by Soro's side and was also shivering from Malamar's aura, heard its master's desperate command.
Although it instinctively feared the natural predator before it, years of companionship and loyalty drove it to raise the leek in its wings.
A flash of white light appeared as Farfetch'd brandished its weapon and charged toward Ariel with an indomitable spirit!
"Quack!"
However, Ariel didn't even bat an eyelid.
"Deal with it."
He didn't even specify the target, but Malamar already understood.
Facing the charging Farfetch'd, Malamar's massive body remained motionless. Only the luminous organs on its head suddenly lit up, and an invisible barrier of Confusion instantly expanded in front of it.
Bang!
Farfetch'd, along with its hard leek, felt as if it had hit an invisible wall and was violently bounced back, rolling several times on the ground.
Before it could struggle to its feet, Malamar's eyes glowed with an eerie blue light.
A powerful Psychic energy instantly locked onto Farfetch'd!
"Quack?!"
Farfetch'd discovered in terror that its body was floating uncontrollably, lifted slowly into mid-air by an invisible force. Its limbs struggled wildly, but it couldn't break free from the restraint.
Soro watched helplessly as his last hope was toyed with by the enemy. For the first time, true despair appeared on his face, which was distorted by fear.
Ariel watched this scene coldly and gave the final command.
With a wave of Malamar's tentacle, a sphere of dark energy condensed from pure malice quickly took shape in front of it, emitting heart-palpitating pulses.
Dark Pulse!
"No—!"
Soro's roar was completely drowned out by the muffled explosion of dark energy.
Malamar showed no mercy. The Dark Pulse turned into a pitch-black beam, accurately striking the Farfetch'd that was imprisoned in the air by Psychic energy.
"Quack..."
After a short, weak cry of sorrow, Farfetch'd's eyes rolled back, and it fell straight from the air, hitting the ground and completely losing its ability to fight.
An instant kill.
From beginning to end, Malamar hadn't even moved an inch.
Only Soro's heavy, desperate panting remained.
He kept backing away, moving on the dirty ground with both hands and feet, wanting to get away from the youth who, in his eyes, was no different from a demon.
"Don't... don't come over here..."
His voice shook uncontrollably, tearful and full of pleading.
Ariel stood up and walked toward him slowly, step by step.
The sound of shoes on the ground felt like they were stepping on Soro's heart with every pace.
He was finished.
Everything of his was finished.
Soro's legs gave out, and he collapsed to the ground, his body shaking like a leaf.
He looked at the fallen Farfetch'd, then at the expressionless Ariel and the Malamar hovering beside him. A chill rose from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head.
Fear, an unprecedented fear, was like countless cold hands grasping his heart and squeezing hard.
He finally saw it clearly.
The emotionless eyes of the youth looking down at him were actually somewhat similar to those Team Rockets members who had hunted him down and driven him into a corner not long ago!
The same coldness, the same indifference, the same disregard for human life.
An absurd yet incredibly logical thought suddenly exploded in his mind.
"You... you all..."
Soro's voice was dry and hoarse, like it had been sanded down.
"You... you're all together."
Soro's voice was dry and hoarse, every word seemingly forced out of his throat.
Ariel didn't speak, just quietly looked at him. This silence was more oppressive than any answer.
Soro gave a miserable laugh. The strength supporting his body seemed to be drained in an instant, and he slumped back, his back hitting the rough tree trunk heavily.
He gasped for air, but his thoughts became exceptionally clear in his despair.
"Yes, it must be so."
"Ariel, you aren't some League Trainer at all! You're with Team Rockets!"
"You made such a big scene in the Battle Tent just to attract my attention, to make me, the head of the Underground Casino, take the initiative to find you!"
"Then you could get information on my casino."
"Otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence? As soon as you appeared, my casino fell! And now, I've fallen into your hands!"
"Now, I've fallen into your hands again..."
Soro's speech became faster and faster, and by the end, it had almost turned into a hysterical roar.
He pieced all the fragments together and reached a conclusion that made even him shudder.
"Ariel, what deep schemes you have!"
After shouting this sentence, he completely lost his strength and slumped on the ground like a pile of mud, yet his face wore a miserable laugh of someone who had seen through everything.
He felt he understood. Although he had lost, at least he lost with full understanding.
However, Ariel neither responded to nor denied Soro's brilliant deduction.
He just gave Malamar a look, then reached out and gently patted the slimy tentacles on top of its head.
"Don't hold back."