Moxie.
Since the attack power boost provided by this ability could be triggered by killing people, then the three Pirates before him were the best materials for that boost!
Leon's breathing slowed, but his heartbeat accelerated slightly. It wasn't nervousness, but the excitement of a hunter discovering the perfect prey.
Before making a move, he had to maximize the gains.
Leon led Sandile back a few steps, ensuring they were in a spot where the people in the room couldn't hear them.
"Sandile, Hone Claws."
He quickly issued the command.
Crouched at his feet, Sandile let out a low growl. Its short front claws lightly scraped against the cold steel deck, making a soft "skritch, skritch" sound.
An imperceptible light flashed at the tips of its claws and vanished. The latent ferocity and power within its body were raised another notch.
Unfortunately, this type of strengthening move couldn't be stacked continuously in a short period.
Otherwise, Leon would definitely have Sandile use it six times to max out its attack power. At that point, wouldn't it just one-shot any pokémon of the same level?
"Damn, after we split the loot this time, I've got to find me a couple of spicy babes back home..."
"Heh, with that little bit of money? You wish!"
The foul language continued inside the lounge. The three Pirates were completely oblivious to their impending deaths.
Now!
A cold light flashed in Leon's eyes, and Sandile understood immediately.
Sandile moved!
Without making any unnecessary roars, its entire body lunged forward close to the ground like a bolt of black lightning, instantly pouncing behind the Pirate closest to the door who had his back turned.
Pfft!
The sound of sharp teeth tearing through flesh and windpipes was so clear in the narrow cabin that it made one's scalp tingle.
The Pirate's laughter and cursing came to an abrupt halt, sounding like a duck being strangled by the neck.
He didn't even have time to turn around and see what it was before his life turned into a pool of hot blood, spraying across his startled companions' faces.
"What..."
Another Pirate instinctively wiped his face. The warm, viscous feeling on his hands left him momentarily stunned.
At that very moment, a visible surge of fierce aura erupted from Sandile's body!
Moxie activated!
Target killed. Attack power increased by one stage!
At this moment, Sandile's attack power had already increased by three stages!
Sandile's eyes, already full of wildness, were now stained with a faint blood-red tint. It didn't even bother to chew the flesh in its mouth; its gaze was already locked onto the remaining two living humans.
"Enemy attack!!"
"It's a pokémon!"
The remaining two Pirates finally reacted, retreating in terror.
"Rattata! Bite it to death!"
"Corphish! Hurry!"
The Rattata dozing at their feet was startled awake. It propped itself up with sleepy eyes, but immediately felt the tyrannical aura coming from Sandile. Its fur stood on end as it blocked the way in front of its master.
Meanwhile, the Corphish that had been eating the corpse also turned its thick, hard neck, its pair of pincers clicking loudly.
In Leon's plan, he absolutely could not let this Water-type Corphish interfere with Sandile's rhythm.
The moment Corphish prepared to rush toward Sandile, Leon moved! He stepped out from the shadows, his dagger carving an arc through the air as he slashed hard at Corphish's side.
Clang!
A crisp sound, like metal hitting metal.
Leon felt a violent shock in the webbing of his thumb, and his entire arm went numb.
The dagger's edge only left a shallow white mark on the orange-red shell; it couldn't even break through its defense!
The sneak attack failed to cause damage, but it successfully enraged the creature.
Corphish abandoned Sandile and locked its eyes on Leon. Its massive pincers swung violently, bringing with them a foul wind.
Leon's heart tightened. He pushed off with his feet, retreating backward in a frantic scramble.
He knew very well that if his body took a hit from that, a bone fracture would be the best-case scenario.
He didn't dare to fight head-on. He could only use the clutter and corpses in the narrow space to constantly dodge, keeping Corphish's aggro firmly on himself.
On the other side, the battle was progressing exactly as he had expected.
Scree!!
Rattata summoned its courage and used its signature incisors to launch a Tackle at Sandile.
However, at this moment, Sandile only had eyes for the two Pirates who could make it stronger.
It didn't dodge or avoid Rattata's attack, letting the body slam into its thick skin with a muffled thud.
Though it felt the pain, it wasn't enough to slow it down even slightly!
Sandile didn't even look down at the little mouse. Its large body simply knocked it aside, its blood-red eyes fixed firmly on the next target.
"No, don't come over here!"
The second Pirate was scared out of his wits by this demonic aura, stumbling backward in a panic.
But it was too late.
Sandile leaped high, its gaping bloody maw looking like the entrance to hell under the dim yellow lights.
Crunch!
This time, it was the sound of a skull shattering.
The second Pirate's body slumped down. Half of his head was gone.
Another surge of even more powerful energy flowed into Sandile's body.
Moxie activated again!
Attack power increased by another stage!
Roar!!!
Sandile let out an irrepressible roar toward the ceiling. Its size seemed to swell by a fraction, and the murderous aura on its body almost became tangible, making the air in the entire lounge thick and oppressive.
Now, only the last Pirate remained.
His legs shook like sieves, and his crotch quickly became wet, emitting a foul stench of urine.
He looked at the pokémon that had just brutally killed his two companions, looked at its eyes which had turned completely crimson, and his mind went blank.
What kind of monster is this?
Why doesn't it attack the pokémon? Why is it only focused on killing people?
Is this pokémon... insane?
The Rattata that had been knocked aside was also shivering now, no longer daring to step forward.
On the other end, Leon narrowly dodged a Water Gun blast from Corphish. The icy stream grazed his cheek and hit the wall behind him, leaving a small dent.
He glanced at Sandile's situation, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly.
It was done.
With two sacrifices consumed, Sandile's attack power had stacked to a terrifying level.
Next, it was harvest time!
As Sandile bit down once more, the last Pirate's life came to an end.
The Rattata nearby, seeing Sandile's overflowing murderous intent, had completely lost its will to fight. It turned to flee.
But Sandile was already seeing red. It quickly caught up to the Rattata, its bloody maw opening wide! Bite!
Pfft!
A level five attack boost!
With this one Bite, Rattata instantly lost its ability to fight!
It followed up with another Bite!
The near-death Rattata was completely killed!
Looking at the dead Rattata, Leon started to say something but stopped.
It wasn't that Leon's heart had softened and he wanted to leave this pokémon a way out.
It was that a Rattata could still be sold for some money on the black market!
But it didn't matter now. Dead was dead; it had already happened.
Leon looked at the Corphish in front of him. As long as this one didn't get bitten to death, it would be fine.
.....
If you want read 30 chapters before release go to my patron: [email protected]/fulcrum_f
if I get 50 stones till tomorrow, I am going to upload 2 bonus chapter's