Spinarak had only been born a few days ago. Although its toxicity was beyond words, it was simply too small to be suited for a melee like this. One careless moment and it could easily be crushed by the Grimer group.
If Spinarak encountered a particularly frenzied Grimer, it was not impossible that it would be swallowed whole…
Tetsuya stopped Spinarak with a shout. However, the little fellow was far too ferocious and battle-hungry to give up. The moment Tetsuya let his guard down, it would definitely charge into battle.
Of course, Tetsuya had already prepared for this. Of the seven Ariados he had obtained from Mr. Shellby, six still remained, and he released one of them.
Spinarak immediately pounced toward it. Although Ariados had grown up in the Pokémon Daycare without experiencing battle, it was not about to let Spinarak bully it for nothing, and it began to fight back.
More and more Grimer were knocked down, but Tetsuya's objective was not merely to defeat them. He had already given the command to kill them outright.
Drapion was every bit a close-range warrior. Both its pincers and tail were equipped with sharp hooked claws and lethal poison. After striking a Grimer, Drapion followed up with Cross Poison. Every Grimer that fell had already lost all signs of life.
The six Grimer surrounding Drapion were all killed on the spot!
Drapion did not stop there. Instead, it immediately searched for its next target.
As for the dead Grimer, Tetsuya had Golurk throw them directly back into the sludge lake. That was his true objective. As long as the Grimer corpses touched the water, its toxicity would continue to increase.
Beedrill's attack speed was second to none. Having already completed two Swords Dance boosts, it relied on [Twin Fury] to eliminate dozens of Grimer, with every strike aimed at a vital point.
As for Weezing, it did not dare use its "ultimate" move here. Otherwise, the entire factory would certainly be destroyed. It could only bombard the Grimer by combining Gyro Ball with Sludge Bomb.
…Meanwhile, Spinarak had also defeated the Ariados and was now devouring it.
The lone Muk had not made a move until now. It merely wandered around the edge of the battlefield, where it happened to notice the inconspicuous little spider~.
Muk opened its enormous mouth and approached Spinarak. In fact, it could swallow the entire Spinarak in a single bite!
"Hmm-? Spinarak, watch out!"
Tetsuya shouted. Spinarak crawled out from Ariados's abdomen, only to see Muk lunging toward it with its mouth wide open.
Having just finished eating, Spinarak was still immersed in the effects of the toxins. Faced with such a sudden situation, it had no idea what to do. For the first time, Spinarak felt helpless.
"Fire Poison Sting into its mouth!"
Tetsuya's command was like a beacon in the darkness. Spinarak found its direction, steadied itself, and fired one purple Poison Sting after another straight into Muk's open mouth.
Poison Sting was certainly not something pleasant to swallow. Left with no choice, Muk fired a Sludge Bomb to counter it.
Sludge Bomb was far more powerful than Poison Sting, breaking through the barrage and heading straight for Spinarak!
"Use String Shot on the pillar to your left and dodge."
At this point, Spinarak still had to rely on Tetsuya's guidance. Although this Muk was not particularly strong, it was still a formidable opponent for Spinarak. A head-on confrontation was something it simply could not win.
Spinarak turned around and fired String Shot, sticking it firmly to the steel pillar on its left. Its body was pulled along the silk thread and swung away, causing Muk's Sludge Bomb to miss its target.
Muk had no legs and could only move by wriggling its body, so it was naturally incapable of moving quickly. Using String Shot to fight with hit-and-run tactics was Spinarak's only possible way to win.
At that moment, Spinarak was clinging to the steel pillar on the left, while Muk refused to back down and fired three consecutive Sludge Bombs.
"The pillar behind Muk, hurry!"
Spinarak's reaction speed was still not fast enough, so it could only follow Tetsuya's command. It fired String Shot directly at the steel pillar behind Muk. Once the thread stuck to the pillar, Spinarak was instantly pulled behind Muk.
"Now! Use String Shot to wrap Muk up."
Tetsuya knew this move would only delay Muk for a short time, but buying even a little more time was worthwhile. Spinarak did not hesitate in the slightest, firing String Shot and binding Muk tightly.
"Scatter Toxic Spikes across the field in front of you."
As Toxic Spikes were scattered across the field, they became hidden on the battlefield. As soon as an opponent touched the field, the spikes would emerge, striking the target and poisoning it.
Although Muk was a Poison-type Pokémon, Spinarak's poison was anything but ordinary. Even Muk would not fare well against it. At the very least, it would slow Muk's advance.
Spinarak's silk could neither be torn nor broken, having exceptional toughness. Even many physically powerful Pokémon could not break free easily. However, Muk could use Minimize. Once it reacted, the silk would no longer be able to restrain it.
While Muk struggled, Spinarak relentlessly fired Poison Sting needles after needles into its body. The needles pierced Muk, allowing the poison to seep inside.
Muk had initially paid no attention to it, but gradually realized that its body was beginning to feel unwell, a sensation it had never experienced before…
At last, Muk used Minimize to free itself from Spinarak's silk. Now, when it looked at the Spinarak clinging to the steel pillar, it regarded it as a sworn enemy!
Without the slightest hesitation, Muk charged straight toward Spinarak.
The moment Muk stepped onto the Toxic Spikes, the poison surged and seeped into its body. The sudden discomfort forced Muk to come to a stop.
Muk could clearly feel its breathing becoming labored, while its… muscles(?), showed signs of shrinking. In short, the sensation was unbearable. It was as though the poison within its own body was being devoured by the one Spinarak had injected earlier.
It was completely powerless against such deadly poison…
'It was finally poisoned.'
Tetsuya thought to himself. That made things much easier.
Spinarak's Poison Sting never stopped, causing more and more toxins to accumulate inside Muk's body.
In truth, Poison Sting itself did not inflict much damage on Muk. What was truly deadly was the buildup of the poison. Muk was now on the verge of collapse, rolling(?) around on the ground in agony, which only accelerated the seepage of the poison from the Toxic Spikes.
Even so, the torment did not cause Spinarak to stop attacking. Poison Sting continued without pause. Seeing that it still could not bring Muk down, Spinarak wanted to attack with Megahorn, but Tetsuya immediately stopped it.
Muk's unique body greatly reduced the power of all physical Attacks passing through its sludge-like form. Moreover, Spinarak's offensive power was still far from sufficient. The only thing it truly excelled at was its deadly poison. Everything else still needed to be strengthened gradually.
By this point, Beedrill, Weezing, and Drapion had already eliminated all of the Grimer. Drapion and Golurk were transporting the Grimer corpses back into the sludge lake.