The Challenge (3/3)

After seeing Aoki's smile, Guga was stunned. In a situation like this, he was smiling?

Others in the square also noticed Aoki's smile and immediately became agitated. No one had expected that Aoki, who had been gradually pushed into a corner, would suddenly smile like this.

Was this a sign of contempt for Guga?

They saw Aoki touch his hand in front of his Team Rocket belt, and a small remote control and a pale yellow pill appeared in his hand.

Everyone's gaze shifted from the remote control to the pill in his hand.

It was just an ordinary antidote, available for direct redemption on Team Rocket's redemption list, worth only 10 points.

While the antidote was effective, it was clearly not enough to neutralize the powerful toxins affecting Murkrow.

"Hahaha! Aoki, are you serious? You think this cheap antidote will detoxify Ekans?" Guga laughed out loud. He thought Aoki had a hidden trump card, but he never expected it to be just an ordinary antidote.

Although the antidote would provide some relief, it couldn't fully counteract the toxin in Murkrow's system.

Aoki, however, smiled even more broadly.

"Are you excited? Murkrow?" Aoki asked with a grin, ignoring Guga.

"Caw!!!!" Murkrow, noticing the remote control in Aoki's hand, let out an excited cry.

Since their last battle, Aoki had never removed the weight on Murkrow's body. Now, Murkrow felt more confident for the upcoming fight.

Skye, watching from the sidelines, furrowed his brow, disturbed by Aoki's sudden shift in fortune.

If Aoki lost this battle, Skye would be affected too. He didn't fully understand Aoki's actions but couldn't ignore the tension in the air.

"Look at the remote control in his hand! That's the key! It looks like the remote for the custom weights from Team Rocket!"

With an exclamation, someone finally figured out what Aoki was holding. It became clear that they weren't familiar with Team Rocket's redemption list.

Suddenly, everyone's attention was fixed on the remote control in Aoki's other hand, their faces showing surprise.

The Murkrow, who had just been so fast, was still carrying weight?! Even during such a tense battle, Murkrow was still carrying weight?

At this critical moment, Aoki had been saving his strength all along?

Everyone was filled with confusion and astonishment.

Ignoring the shocked gazes, Aoki gently pressed the remote control, and with his other hand, he tossed the antidote to Murkrow.

"Caw!!!!"

Murkrow immediately felt a sense of lightness in its body and let out an excited cry.

Just before the antidote could fall to the ground, it flashed and was swiftly consumed by Murkrow.

Although the toxins weren't fully eliminated, the antidote did help suppress them slightly.

"Do you think you can beat me? In your dreams! Ekans, use Poison Sting again! Let him feel your poison!" Guga shouted, anger clear in his voice as he issued a command to Ekans.

"Murkrow, dodge! Then use Wing Attack!" Aoki commanded confidently.

Murkrow flew sideways, narrowly avoiding the Poison Stings fired at it, and accelerated toward Ekans again.

With Murkrow's speed greatly increased, the long-range Poison Stings were no longer a threat.

"You doomed! Ekans, use Scary Face and Poison Fang!" Guga barked, unfazed by Murkrow's swift movements.

Even after Murkrow dodged the Poison Fang, Guga didn't falter. He quickly gave another order, hoping that Ekans' Scary Face attack would slow Murkrow down.

Aoki, however, wasn't worried. Was all that weight training really for nothing?

As Ekans' Scary Face hit Murkrow, Murkrow slightly slowed down and Poison Fang collided with Murkrow head-on.

The pain from Ekans' Poison Fang was greatly reduced, thanks to the antidote's effect, and although Murkrow's attack was strong, it didn't have the same painful impact as the first time.

"Boom!"

But this time, it was destined to fail. Just as Ekans' fangs were about to clamp down on Murkrow, Murkrow sped up once more, narrowly avoiding the attack.

"Keep moving, Murkrow! Use Wing Attack continuously!" Aoki urged, pushing the offensive.

"Ekans, hold on! Use Scary Face and Poison Fang!" Guga shouted desperately.

But with Murkrow's speed increase, Ekans was helpless. Guga could only rely on Scary Face to try to slow Murkrow down.

By luck, Scary Face's effect triggered once more, reducing Murkrow's speed temporarily.

"Murkrow, Protect!" Aoki called out, but just as Ekans' fangs were about to strike, Aoki's cold voice cut through the tension.

A dark green shield suddenly appeared around Murkrow, protecting it from Ekans' Poison Fang.

It had worked! Murkrow had learned a vital life-saving skill from Aoki!

At the most critical moment, it paid off!

Murkrow flapped its wings again, like a sharpened blade, and slammed into Ekans with all its might, sending Ekans flying into a corner of the battlefield. Ekans had completely lost its ability to fight.

Even with the pill, it wasn't enough to save Ekans from Murkrow's assault.

Guga was stunned.

The audience was stunned.

No one had expected the battle to turn out like this, and the situation had completely shifted.

"Murkrow, finish it!" Aoki's cold voice rang out once more, giving the final order.

Guga's eyes narrowed sharply, realizing the danger of the situation. He rushed to Ekans, shouting in desperation, "Stop!"

The Team Rocket Examiner quickly responded, "Stop it!"

Everyone knew the importance of the moment, and even though they were reluctant to speak, they couldn't ignore the seriousness of the situation.

But Aoki didn't seem interested in stopping.

"Stop it, kid! He can't die yet..."

To everyone's surprise, the Viper Instructor—the most authoritative figure on the island—stepped in with a tone of helplessness.

The Viper Instructor tried to stop Aoki, but Aoki showed no sign of relenting.

"Stop, Murkrow!" Aoki finally called out, but only because the Viper had intervened.

The crowd, and even the Viper Instructor, understood that Murkrow's attack could have easily been fatal.

Since Viper didn't want Guga to die, Aoki reluctantly showed mercy.