Hidden in the shadows, Su Bai's expression became strangely conflicted when he heard Rock's response.
His first reaction was simple:
Satisfying!
That bastard Amino had never regarded Rock—or himself—as someone worthy of standing on the same level as him.
From the very beginning, he had treated Rock like a cat playing with a mouse, toying with him at every turn.
And now, when Amino finally had a question he wanted answered, Rock had slapped him squarely in the face with that response.
As a spectator, Su Bai had to admit that it felt damn good.
But at the same time, he was conflicted for another reason.
Because…
He wanted to know too!
Rock's ability was simply too strange. It was completely different from every known profession in existence.
He could actually switch positions with his own shadow!
That had to be how he avoided the pillar's attack earlier.
And then there was that dagger…
Su Bai recognized it.
It was the ritual dagger that Rock had shown him before—the one that had belonged to the first-generation Rock.
"A ritual dagger… and it has an effect like that?"
Su Bai took a moment to calm himself.
As the battle progressed, more and more secrets were being revealed.
These things should belong to the most closely guarded secrets of humanity.
Under normal circumstances, even if Su Bai had brought Pokémon into this world, there was no way humans would willingly reveal such secrets to him.
.............
Rock's answer was clearly beyond Amino's expectations.
A trace of anger appeared on his face, but it was quickly concealed beneath that simple, honest-looking expression.
"How about this…"
He shook his hand and spoke with an almost painfully sincere expression.
"I'll trade one of my secrets for one of yours. How does that sound?"
"You wanted to know why I came here and what I intend to do to the Pokémon, didn't you?"
"As long as you tell me your secret… I'll answer all your questions."
"How about it?"
Amino's appearance was extraordinarily deceptive.
With his honest, almost rustic face, he looked like an ordinary middle-aged farmer who had spent his entire life working in the fields.
Even his words seemed to possess a strange persuasive quality that made people instinctively want to believe him.
Yet despite Amino's seemingly sincere request, Rock merely curled the corners of his mouth upward.
"Me?"
"I don't want to."
"Isn't it more fun to let an Apostle Sub-Beast die with questions still burning in his heart?"
There was no way Rock could trust this powerful yet devious Sub-Beast standing before him anymore.
Even if Amino really did tell him something…
How much of it could possibly be trusted?
When information was mixed with truth and lies, it was better to have none at all.
"Those words sound awfully familiar…"
Hearing Rock's answer, the unfathomably cunning Amino didn't seem particularly angry.
But in the very next instant, his figure vanished from where he stood.
His fist came crashing down toward Rock!
"But what makes you think…"
"…that you're qualified to say something like that to me?"
Rock's entire body was suddenly covered in shadow.
The next moment, he shifted to a distant location.
In his place stood the shadow once more, resurrected and cursing furiously under its breath.
"BOOM!"
The ritual dagger was raised high in the shadow's hand, blocking Amino's fist.
In the next instant, countless arms suddenly sprouted from the shadow's body.
The ritual dagger was passed from hand to hand like a piece of juggling equipment, countless hands sending it flying in rapid succession.
A rain of blades descended upon Amino!
"You piece of trash! Not a single word you say can be trusted!"
"Idiot!"
"Scum!"
"You bastard!"
"You fucking asshole!"
"Die! Just fucking die!"
Compared to the rain of dagger strikes, the torrent of profanity pouring from the shadow's mouth was no less overwhelming.
And against someone as duplicitous and sinister as Amino, those crude, vicious insults seemed to hit even harder.
"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!"
Amino's expression grew increasingly dark and impatient.
Fighting with only one arm had reduced his attack frequency by more than half, and for the first time, he actually felt as though he was being suppressed!
After being destroyed once, this shadow seemed to have become even faster.
Speed alone wasn't something he feared.
What truly made him wary was that dagger.
The strange power contained within it could genuinely injure him.
Combined with the shadow's endless stream of insults, it was actually beginning to irritate him.
He had never encountered anyone with such an infuriating mouth!
"That bastard Scorpion…"
"He never told me this thing would have such a fucking foul mouth!"
"ROAR!"
The veins on Amino's forehead bulged as he suddenly let out a thunderous roar.
A violent shockwave erupted from his body and swept across the entire area!
Loose stones from the crater were lifted into the air by the gale.
Even the shadow, which had been aggressively attacking while cursing nonstop, was forced several yards backward.
It continued hopping furiously around the perimeter, screaming and swearing at Amino.
..........
Amid the swirling dust and smoke, Su Bai sat on a tree branch.
One hand covered his mouth and nose while the other rested against the massive tree beneath him.
The creaking of the trunk forced him to channel a little of his Grass-type power into the tree, helping reinforce its structure.
Staring toward the center of the dust cloud, Su Bai muttered unhappily,
"Why the hell did you have to roar that loudly…"
"Did you get so pissed off that you went stupid?"
"Wait…"
"This feeling…"
Su Bai's brows suddenly furrowed.
At the center of the dust cloud, a strange energy was rapidly spreading outward.
It carried an aura of destruction and savagery—an unfamiliar attribute that nevertheless felt strangely familiar.
"I remember…"
"When Malene revealed her true form, it felt like this too."
"This guy…"
"Is he finally getting serious?"
.........
Outside the dust cloud, the shadow that had been forced back continued waving its dagger and cursing at the top of its lungs.
The ritual dagger flashed through its hands like a butterfly darting through flowers, its movements so fast they were almost impossible to follow.
"You piece of shit! What are you yelling for?!"
"Does shouting louder actually make you stronger?!"
"You useless bastard! You fucking asshole!"
"I'm going to chop you into pieces and feed you to the dogs!"
"Get your ass out here already—ugh…"
A thin, pitch-black arm suddenly extended from within the dust cloud.
It grabbed the shadow's mouth and clamped it shut!
The arm looked unnaturally thin and withered, yet it constantly radiated a terrifying aura of death.
Amino's furious voice came from within the dust.
"I've had enough!"
"Shut your fucking mouth!"
The shadow struggled to maintain its humanoid shape as Amino's hand covered its mouth.
Naturally, it could no longer curse.
For a brief moment, even Su Bai thought his ears might finally get some peace.
Then—
A mouth suddenly opened on the shadow's stomach.
"Shut your fucking—!"
"—you bastard!"
............
"WHAT?! That works too?!"
Su Bai stared at the stubborn mouth.
His own mouth opened and closed several times, yet he couldn't think of a single word that could adequately describe what he was feeling.
This shadow…
Was it really that fucking angry?
Was it seriously this obsessed with trading insults?
Within the dust cloud, the increasingly bizarre giant figure paused.
Clearly, even Amino hadn't expected the shadow to be this ridiculously persistent when it came to cursing.
The next moment, another long, slender arm shot rapidly out of the dust cloud and grabbed the shadow around its stomach.
The instant its mouth was covered, another mouth slowly opened on top of the shadow's head.
Clearly, it was getting ready to start cursing again.
But then—
A third arm.
A fourth.
A fifth.
And then—
A sixth.
A seventh!
Seven long, slender arms emerged from the dust cloud, grabbing the shadow tightly from every direction.
"Have you fucking cursed enough yet?!"
"It's not like you can win just because you have more hands!"
With Amino's furious roar, all seven arms pulled at once.
The entire shadow was violently torn apart!
"GRAAAH!"
Not far away, Rock was struck as though by a thunderbolt.
He spat out a large mouthful of blood.
Su Bai's eyes narrowed slightly.
The development of the battle…
Had not come as a surprise to him.
The dust finally began to settle.
Amino, who had originally looked like a simple, honest farmer, had now become something that could no longer be considered human.
His bloated body had changed drastically.
Aside from his original arms, six additional long, withered arms had grown from his back.
His left arm, however, remained completely encased in frost.
"There it is…"
Su Bai's gaze sharpened.
"Amino…"
"The Apostle's Sub-Beast form!"