"Bang!" A sudden explosion rang out from the other side.
"Haha~ Haven't studied science, have you?" Icarus glanced over and chuckled.
It turned out the Ordinary-level Koffing had released Poison Gas to block Houndour's Ember.
In truth, it was just instinct. In battle, poison gas was its most commonly used move—practically second nature.
Unfortunately for it, that instinct backfired.
The already weak flames instantly ignited the gas—triggering a small explosion.
"Noh-nah-ss~" The Koffing was blasted black and blue, its purple body covered in burn marks.
"Houndour, keep up the pressure! Another Ember—finish it!"
"Woof! Hoo-hoo~" Houndour barked excitedly, firing two more Embers.
"Noh-nah! Noh pat-pat" Terrified, the Koffing quickly spat out Sludge to block.
"Bang~" It stopped the first—but the second hit directly.
"Noh-nah-ss (? _? )? Thud" Already heavily injured, the Koffing collapsed, unable to continue.
"Well done, Houndour! Now team up with Airi to handle the other Koffing—"
Icarus suddenly turned.
"Pidgeotto, Double Team! Dodge—then Quick Attack, go behind it!"
A Grimer had launched Sludge Bomb into the air, foul sludge splattering everywhere.
"Swish, swish, swish—" Four Pidgeotto appeared midair.
"Bleh-doh?" The Grimer hesitated, confused—then started firing Sludge Bombs wildly.
Doesn't matter how many—just hit them all!
"Heh… Pidgeotto, finish it. Twister!"
The real Pidgeotto had already slipped behind it.
"Hoo-hoo-hoo~"
"Beep-beep~" Goodbye, dummy.
The Twister engulfed Grimer again.
"Bleh-doh!" It cried out desperately.
"Bang~" When the wind died down, it dropped—defeated.
On the other side, the remaining Koffing had already fallen as well.
It never stood a chance—outnumbered, then suppressed by Houndour, which prevented it from using gas effectively. The fight ended in under two minutes.
"Houndour, come burn these Grimer. Airi, Stone—you handle the Koffing. Wear your gas masks."
With the battle over, Icarus calmly assigned tasks.
Grimer were walking biohazards—handling them directly was risky.
Fire was the safest option.
Without it, collecting materials from their sludge-covered bodies would be a nightmare.
Burning them also purified some toxins, reducing infection risk.
More importantly, any sludge that survived the fire would be highly toxic—exactly what Icarus needed.
"Okay… Brother Icarus, be careful too." Airi nodded quickly. She clearly had no desire to touch that sludge.
"Mm." Stone didn't mind, but followed orders without complaint.
"Woof woof~ Hoo—!" Houndour rushed over, unleashing continuous Embers onto the four Grimer—even adding extra to the stronger one.
"Sizzle—crackle—!"
"Bleh-doh! Bleh~!"
The flames burned directly into their bodies.
Unlike earlier clean knockouts, this was slow.
Painful.
The Grimer writhed and wailed as the fire consumed them.
For other Pokémon, Icarus usually ensured a quick end.
But Grimer were different.
This was the fastest, most practical method.
"Don't blame me… blame this world."
His gaze was cold as gray smoke filled the air.
Fire—or ice—were the only efficient options.
And he didn't have an Ice-type.
After a while, he had Houndour withdraw the flames.
"So this is core toxic sludge…"
Wearing protective gloves, Icarus picked up a dense purple mass. It was soft… still warm.
"The rest isn't waste either."
If it survived fire, it still held potent toxicity—valuable material.
He stored the core sludge in a special container, then collected the rest separately.
After repeating this four times, he switched gloves and walked over.
"Sigh… Koffing really aren't worth much."
Airi and Stone had just finished processing them.
On the ground lay broken, gray-purple shell fragments—barely resembling their original form.
"Nothing to be done," Icarus said.
"Besides the poison sac and a few organs, they're basically hollow. Otherwise, how would they float?"