Just as the larger Venomoth was about to crash into Skorupi, Skorupi leaped up in midair with its tail stinger extended forward, driving it straight into Venomoth's abdomen.
Seeing this, the other Venomoth immediately rushed over to rescue its "partner". However, Skorupi had already prepared Pin Missile, preventing the other Venomoth from getting anywhere near.
Skorupi's poison had already seeped into Venomoth's body. Even though Venomoth was also a Poison-type, it was still unable to resist Skorupi's toxins. Gradually, it could no longer endure it and finally collapsed.
The other Venomoth sensed that its partner's life was hanging by a thread and entered a Rampaging status.
Venomoth's wings began to tremble as Silver Wind swept forward violently. Skorupi did not think much of the power of a single Venomoth's move and fired Pin Missile directly. The powerful barrage completely overpowered Silver Wind, and every single silver needle struck Venomoth without exception, causing it to plummet toward the ground.
"Iron Tail," Tetsuya commanded.
Skorupi lunged forward at full speed, avoiding the frontal assault of Silver Wind. As Venomoth fell after being struck by Pin Missile, it charged straight in, leaped into the air, flipped over, and brought Iron Tail crashing down, slamming Venomoth to the ground!
In an instant, Skorupi switched moves, changing Iron Tail into Poison Tail. Its tail stinger pierced Venomoth's body once again. As the poison entered its body, there was no way Venomoth could withstand it. It struggled on the ground a few times before collapsing completely.
Tetsuya nodded. During the latter half of the battle, Skorupi had actually made its follow-up move without needing any command from him. Using Iron Tail after dodging Silver Wind had given it complete control of the battle, but the truly lethal attack had been the poison "delivered" through Poison Tail.
Now both Venomoth lay unconscious on the ground. Without prompt treatment, they would certainly die. Since Venomoth was Skorupi's favorite food, there was no need for Tetsuya to say anything.
Skorupi immediately pounced on them and devoured all the "meat" around the location of their poison sacs. However, this Skorupi was quite picky, eating only the parts that suited its taste the most.
Of course, what Tetsuya wanted was for Skorupi to eat the poison sacs so it could gradually intensify its toxicity over time.
---◓---
For the sake of Skorupi's food supply, Tetsuya stayed in the forest for another two days before preparing to head to Acapulco.
Acapulco was one of Kanto's famous seaside resort cities. Since it was the peak vacation season, the beaches were packed with people, and many surfing enthusiasts came here to show off their skills.
Tetsuya had no intention of staying here for long. Hotel prices here were double, and since there was no Gym, the people who came here were all on vacation. Pokémon battles were practically nonexistent, so there was naturally no Pokémon Center either. He had no interest in sightseeing or taking a vacation.
As soon as Tetsuya arrived in Acapulco, he checked the S.S. Ticket schedule for Vermilion City. Unfortunately, the earliest remaining ticket was for the following afternoon. Without hesitation, he bought one. It seemed he had no choice but to stay here for a night…
Finding a hotel now would probably be quite difficult. The crowded beach alone was proof enough, as many people vacationing here had already booked their hotels well in advance.
For someone like Tetsuya who was only passing through on short notice, he had no choice but to search everywhere for a place to stay.
Feeling rather helpless, he released all of his Pokémon in an open area away from the beach and took out the prepared Pokéfood. At that moment, Tetsuya suddenly remembered something.
Cacturne had been inside its Poké Ball for several days already!
If Cacturne did not eat soon, it would probably become weak and listless. If that happened, it would be even harder to sell it for a good price.
Tetsuya released Cacturne. Ever since receiving healing from Nurse Joy at the Pokémon Center, it had remained inside its Poké Ball. Now, its original Trainer was nowhere to be seen, and the one standing before it was Tetsuya, its former opponent.
Cacturne was still intimidated by Tetsuya's powe. Although it did not know why Tetsuya had appeared before it, it still maintained its basic sense of caution.
Tetsuya placed some Pokéfood in front of Cacturne and said, "Your Trainer… met with an accident. Before he died, he entrusted me with all of you, so I could find suitable Trainers for you. Your other companions have already found new Trainers."
Tetsuya spoke with a completely serious expression. Naturally, it was also so this Cacturne could better adapt to its new Trainer. That way, he could sell it directly. Unfortunately, it was still very difficult to find someone who could truly appreciate its value. More importantly, Cacturne's fierce appearance made it difficult for most people to like it, and its body covered in sharp spikes only made people keep their distance.
'Uff, it was lucky that this fellow was knocked unconscious first.'
Cacturne was saddened for a while at first, but it still finished all of the Pokéfood. Someone like Kenny really was not worth a Pokémon missing that much.
After finishing the meal, Tetsuya was just about to pack up and look for a place to stay.
"…eeelp! Heeeelp!"
Hearing the desperate cries for help, Tetsuya found it rather strange. In such a crowded place, someone actually dared to commit a crime in broad daylight?
Looking over, he saw a boy about the same age as himself, dressed in the refined formal attire of high society. With his neatly parted blue hair, he was so distinctive that Tetsuya recognized him at a glance…
Even more distinctive was the girl chasing after him. She appeared to be about the same age as the boy, yet she radiated an overbearing presence. A Vileplume followed behind her as she continuously shouted, "James-sama! James-sama! Don't run! Come play with me!"
"G-Go away! I don't want to play with you!" The boy in front shouted in obvious terror.
"Ho~oh…" Tetsuya smiled faintly. The boy in front was none other than James, the second "male protagonist" of the Pokémon world. In the anime, his number of appearances was second only to Ash Ketchum. Of course, that was Tetsuya's impression of James from Earth.
Tetsuya had crossed paths with James once before. Although James was a Rocket, his love for Pokémon was in no way inferior to Ash's.
Despite shouting the slogans of a villain, James was actually a person with a strong sense of justice at heart. That was why he had never accomplished anything remarkable within Team Rocket.
It could be said that James joining Team Rocket had been a form of escape, not only from his fiancée… Jessebelle, but also from the rigid etiquette and conventions of the aristocracy .
In truth, both James and Jessie, as well as Meowth, were simple-hearted people. After joining Team Rocket, they devoted themselves wholeheartedly to Giovanni without ever complaining. Although they had never made any outstanding contributions directly within Team Rocket, the downfall of many underground villainous organizations in other regions had been due in no small part to their efforts.
They could be considered Team Rocket's, umm… "unsung heroes"?
In short, once these three accepted you as a like-minded friend, they would never betray you.