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When the three major poaching groups and the two lone operators each used their trump-card survival techniques to reach the opposite side of the lake, the Gale Poaching Group—the instigators of the whole mess—had already long fled. Just as the others were fuming with nowhere to vent their rage, a line of writing on the ground caught their attention.
Naturally, those words were not written by the Gale Poaching Group. They were left by Sato, who had witnessed everything from the sidelines. The message recorded which tunnel the Gale Poaching Group had chosen.
The Crag Poaching Group were clearly a straightforward bunch. The moment they saw Sato's message, they stormed off along the same tunnel, intent on settling accounts with the Gale Poaching Group.
As for the Black Cloud Poaching Group, the Malevolent Ghost Poaching Group, and the two lone operators—they were just as furious, but in the end they restrained their impulse to immediately chase down the Gale Poaching Group. Instead, they each chose different tunnels and continued forward.
"Finally, they're all gone. Now it's just me here."
Once all the poachers had disappeared into the tunnels carved into the rock wall, Sato slowly walked out from behind an inconspicuous boulder by the lakeshore, muttering to himself.
Then he shifted his gaze to the tunnel Hook had chosen earlier, his eyes flashing with expectation.
To be honest, Sato hadn't expected Hook to possess something as rare as an Abra.
Among all Psychic-type Pokémon, Abra, Ralts, and others capable of Teleport are notoriously difficult to catch. Trainers often lose sight of them the moment they appear.
Moreover, the Abra evolutionary line is infamous for having extremely low reproductive rates.
Their bodies are frail—almost all their nutrition is consumed by supporting their oversized brains. Pair that with their weak reproductive instincts and high standards for choosing mates, and it's no exaggeration to say that wild Abra are nearly as rare as pseudo-legendary Pokémon.
Even so, the Abra line is undoubtedly among the elite within Psychic-type Pokémon.
Members of the species are almost guaranteed to possess top-tier psychic potential. As long as they don't die prematurely, they will eventually grow into extraordinarily powerful psychic beings.
Sato had no idea how Hook managed to capture this Abra, but judging by the fact that Hook relied on a mechanical device just to control it, the Abra clearly looked down on Hook as an ordinary human.
Psychic-type Pokémon are universally proud. They despise being ordered around by creatures whose intelligence is far below their own.
Thus, they often abandon trainers they do not acknowledge, escaping the moment they get the chance.
Sato wasn't sure whether this Abra would acknowledge him—but as a decently capable novice psychic, and still so young, his odds were undoubtedly far higher than Hook's.
Now that this Abra had fallen so low as to be controlled by machinery, it was surely furious and desperate. If Sato were the one to rescue it, it would likely be extremely grateful.
"A psychic who doesn't even have a single Psychic-type Pokémon… honestly, that's pathetic. The opportunity has finally come. Hopefully things go my way."
After much thought, Sato could no longer suppress the desire to capture a Psychic-type Pokémon capable of Teleport. Filled with anticipation, he stepped into the tunnel Hook had chosen earlier.
Meanwhile, Hook was advancing through the tunnel with a wary expression, accompanied by a Mightyena. Although the walls were studded with many high-quality gemstones, he had no intention of prying them out.
Having traveled through much of the Dragon's Den already, he understood the situation clearly. Gemstones embedded in the walls were typically guarded by Pokémon like Geodude.
The moment someone touched or approached the gems, the rock-type Pokémon disguised as stones would awaken and launch an attack.
Though their levels weren't high, their tempers were terrible. Perhaps because they hated being woken up, they would immediately choose to self-destruct at the slightest provocation.
In such a cramped environment, Self-Destruct was a nightmare. Even if a trainer used Protect to shield themselves from the blast, falling rocks triggered by the explosion could still crush them.
Many poachers who entered the place had died because of their greed.
Hook didn't fear explosions or falling stones—but Protect was a precious life-saving technique. Using it over a few gemstones in such a dangerous environment would be an incredibly foolish waste.
Thanks to this rational restraint, Hook avoided yet another fatal crisis. But the path he had chosen was a dead end—and at the end of that tunnel, disaster awaited.
Three sturdy Golem suddenly rolled toward him from behind, all using Rollout.
In the narrow passageway, the three Golem completely blocked the path. Hook's only option was to face them head-on.
"Damn it, this place really is full of traps."
"Mightyena, use Dark Pulse to intimidate them!"
"Come out, Machamp—use Ice Punch and take them out!"
Facing the three intimidating Golem, all over level 40 and barreling toward him with terrifying momentum, the battle-hardened Hook remained calm. He immediately commanded his Mightyena while releasing a muscular level 55 Machamp and ordered it to confront the threat.
Upon hearing the order, the level 49 Mightyena released a chilling wave of dark energy from its mouth.
The three rapidly spinning Golem shuddered upon being struck. One of them instantly stopped its Rollout, freezing in terror.
The other two weren't forced into flinching, but their speed dropped sharply and their momentum weakened.
The moment they reached Machamp, all four of Machamp's arms were already encased in icy gauntlets. Two arms struck each of the two Golem, sending both flying despite their massive weight, and they crashed to the ground unconscious.
But the danger wasn't over.
At the far end of the tunnel behind Hook, a pair of eyes suddenly opened on a wall full of jagged rock spikes. A savage Aggron awakened from its slumber.
The instant it woke, an orange-red beam shot from its mouth—Hyper Beam.
"Mightyena, Protect!"
Seeing a powerful enemy appear out of nowhere—and immediately open with such a devastating attack—Hook's heart lurched. He quickly ordered Mightyena to use Protect.
A vivid green barrier appeared just in time, blocking the oncoming Hyper Beam.
Hook narrowly avoided certain death thanks to Mightyena's Protect.
But the explosion caused by the beam still shook the entire passage violently. Large chunks of rock began to fall from the ceiling.