Pokémon: Above the Top-Chapter 265: Negotiator Joseph

"I'm sorry... I didn't expect this..." Mark's face turned pale. At that moment, he couldn't think of anything else to do except apologize.

"It was bound to happen eventually. I'm used to it," Sato said, though his gaze remained locked on the Pokémon that were continuously trying to approach.

Mark pursed his lips.

He felt like there was more to Sato's words... but that didn't matter now. What mattered was figuring out how to deal with the swarm of Pokémon rushing toward them.

One careless action from Mark had been like kicking a Beedrill's hive.

In the sky, Flygon, Altaria, Tropius, Swellow, and other Pokémon circled at high altitudes. Most of them possessed at least Elite-level strength.

On the ground, Zangoose, Seviper, Shiftry, and Crawdaunt had gradually surrounded Sato and the others.

Un-evolved Pokémon seemed unworthy of standing in the front lines. As for the Lotad that had triggered this situation, it had already vanished into the crowd.

If it weren't for Metagross's overwhelmingly strong presence, many Pokémon might've already attacked.

"SLAAAAHRRR!"

This chapt𝓮r is updat𝒆d by ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom.

Suddenly, a thunderous roar came from deep within the forest, instantly drawing the attention of everyone, humans and Pokémon alike.

Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump...

As the source of the roar approached, everyone could feel it. Though it had yet to appear, its pressure already bore down on them.

Crash!

The dense forest was pushed aside, and what emerged first was a massive, fan-like hand. That hand alone looked powerful enough to swat a Rhydon into the ground.

Then, a towering monster over three meters tall slowly stepped into view.

Its limbs were thick and brown, with an earthy-colored belly. A ring of white fur encircled its neck, and at the center of its face was an enormous pink pig-like nose... very hard to miss.

"KING!"

The giant Pokémon seemed satisfied that all the others had paused in its presence. It let out another deafening roar and then excitedly pounded its chest with a massive fist.

At that moment, Sato and the others finally recognized the monster.

A Pokémon with power rivaling that of a Legendary: Slaking!

Normally, Slaking were known for their extreme laziness. Though their strength could "match" a Legendary's, they were often too lazy to fight continuously.

But this one, with its aggressive aura and alert eyes... even Sato wasn't sure if it really had the Truant Ability.

The Slaking walked forward slowly, heading straight toward Sato's group. The surrounding Pokémon instinctively cleared a path for it.

"Look, there's a Ralts on Slaking's shoulder!" Joseph suddenly whispered, drawing everyone's attention.

At over three meters tall, it was hard to spot the tiny little kid-like Ralts sitting on its shoulder without looking closely.

"And also... this Slaking's level is really high," Steven said in a heavy tone as the Slaking drew closer. Its aura was far more intense than his Metagross's.

"Get ready," Sato said plainly, but those two words made the air turn heavy.

If it were only a single Slaking, they wouldn't be afraid. But with so many Pokémon gathered, the sheer numbers could easily overwhelm them.

And this was the Seafloor Cavern. Escaping would be extremely difficult.

Being far from the submarine wasn't the biggest issue. The real problem was that it needed time to start up. If it were attacked during escape...

The consequences would be unimaginable.

"Let's not make any sudden moves yet. Let me try to talk to them first," said Joseph just as Slaking drew closer step by step and everyone began to feel their hearts sink.

"Are you confident?" Sato turned and asked seriously, while Steven looked like he wanted to speak but held back.

"It couldn't get worse anyway. Let me give it a shot," Joseph said with a bitter smile, then sent out his Kirlia.

"Kir~?"

As soon as the princess-like Kirlia appeared, it immediately sensed Joseph's anxiety. it gently placed a hand on him, visibly concerned.

"Kirlia, I'll need your help soon," Josephsoftly, gently patting it as his tone turned serious.

Though it didn't know what was going on, Kirlia still nodded without hesitation.

Joseph stood up straight, walking forward slowly with Kirlia by his side. He waved his hand to signal Sato and the others to stay back.

"Gengar, follow him," Sato said quietly.

To Steven's surprise, a shadow suddenly emerged from Sato's owns, and slid swiftly across the ground into Joseph's shadow.

Kirlia sensed Gengar's presence but had seen him before. Knowing he was an ally, it even turned it head and nodded gratefully at Sato.

By now, Slaking had reached the front of the Pokémon group. With an imposing, commanding presence, it looked down its nose at Sato and the others.

Seeing Joseph walk out alone, Slaking initially considered swatting him away with a slap. But upon sensing the aura around Joseph, it suddenly changed its mind.

Indeed, Joseph had already quietly activated his Viridian Power, allowing its energy to flow around his body. That was the real reason he had stepped forward.

"Ral~?"

At that moment, the Ralts on Slaking's shoulder also sensed a familiar presence and peeked her head out curiously.

Ralts and Kirlia locked eyes for a moment. Then Ralts shyly withdrew again.

Just as Joseph was starting to feel a little disappointed, Slaking suddenly raised its massive hand and reached up toward its shoulder.

Seeing Slaking swing its massive hand so close, Sato and the others tensed up, fearing that if it got annoyed, it might strike Joseph at any second.

However, Slaking only brought Ralts down from its shoulder -though it didn't let her touch the ground-. It simply held her in its palm.

Kirlia, seeing this, didn't hesitate. It gently stepped forward toward Ralts and extended it green hand to touch Ralts's.

A soft pink glow appeared on both Pokémon, as if something was being silently communicated between them.

Soon, Kirlia stepped back to Joseph's side, while Slaking placed Ralts back on its shoulder.

Joseph glanced at Kirlia. It gave a slight nod in response, but didn't say anything.

On the other side, Ralts began saying something to Slaking. Slaking nodded at times, shook its head furiously at others, and even jumped twice in place as if throwing a tantrum.

In the end, Slaking reluctantly gave a nod, then roared unhappily at Joseph before backing up two steps and pounding its chest.

"Kirlia, what Slaking meant was... Got it," Joseph said, returning quickly to the group. "They're demanding a battle. If we win, they'll let us go. If we lose..."

"What if we lose?" Mark asked anxiously.

"They want to take you..."

"Me?" Mark froze. Then his face went completely pale.