"Ditto, quit stalling. Look at Rookidee; she's already itching to train."
Feng Che scooped up the pink blob, unlatched the treehouse door, and leaped down. Rookidee flapped her wings gently, exiting in near silence, and used a controlled gust of wind to pull the door shut behind them.
"Rookidee, our training ground today is the beach. Our opponents will be the Coconut Crabs," Feng Che announced. He had been eyeing that troop for a while. Because they fed almost exclusively on coconuts, their meat carried a delicate, sweet fragrance—a true gourmet delicacy in the wild.
The path from the treehouse to the shore was already well-traveled. Ditto had cleared the trail multiple times, chasing off any wild Pokémon that lingered near the path. Over time, the local wildlife had learned to avoid the "Forest Trail" entirely.
As they walked, Feng Che's mind drifted to the trial's logistics. If I were Team Rocket, I'd definitely hide a chest on the shore. I wonder if there are any shipwrecks around here?
A shipwreck was a shortcut to sudden wealth. Even an organization as vast as Team Rocket valued the gold and artifacts found in sunken vessels, which could be exchanged on the black market for rare resources and high-potential Pokémon.
"Ditto, scout ahead. Clear anything in our way."
Though Ditto shifted into Golbat with a visible lack of enthusiasm—classic work-avoidance behavior—it had one redeeming quality: once it committed to a task, it performed it flawlessly.
Feng Che heard a sudden roar of wind ahead, and leaves hissed as a powerful gale swept through the trees. When he reached the clearing, he found several Bellsprout slumped on the ground, unconscious.
Judging by the flattened grass, Ditto had used Gust in its Golbat form to sweep them aside instantly.
Bellsprout saliva can be processed to mimic Sweet Scent—it's their primary hunting tool, Feng Che noted. He pulled out small vials and began collecting the fluid from the mature specimens. Mixed with certain berries, this becomes a potent lure for wild Pokémon. Waste not, want not.
Once the harvest was finished, he left the Bellsprout to recover. Once they woke, they would surely spread the legend of the "Demon Path" to the rest of the forest, further securing his perimeter.
He pushed through the last of the undergrowth and stepped onto the sand. He expected to see the Coconut Crabs foraging, but the beach had undergone a transformation.
The crabs were gone. In their place, a swarm of Krabby was scuttling across the white sand. They used their sharp pincers to dig out mollusks, using Vice Grip to snap shells in half.
What a shame. No coconut-flavored crab meat today, Feng Che thought, scanning the area. It seems Krabby and Coconut Crabs are territorial rivals. Since Krabby are actual Pokémon with elemental moves, the regular crabs likely retreated to avoid being turned into a meal.
Krabby have a distinct red upper body and a light-tan lower half, with two large pincers and four smaller walking legs.
Suddenly, Feng Che's eyes caught a glint of silver-white metal peeking out from the sand.
That's a Rocket chest, buried deep. Yesterday's storm must have washed away the top layer of sand, and the Krabby's digging finished the job.
The chest was located in the most densely populated part of the Krabby swarm. Several curious crabs were currently clicking their claws against the metal, fascinated by the sound.
Feng Che looked further down the beach. A massive Kingler was patrolling the area with a sideways, arrogant gait. This was clearly the leader.
Unlike Krabby, Kingler is predominantly red. One of its pincers—the left one—is evolved to an enormous size, often as heavy as the Pokémon itself. It looked formidable, its mouth filled with jagged, tooth-like protrusions.
Hanging from its smaller, right pincer was a gleaming Silver Key.
Time to see what we're up against, Feng Che thought, narrowing his eyes. System, identify the leader. Let's see if we can take that key.
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