Chapter 487: A Dark Undercurrent
The sudden pre-dawn battle was a real nuisance. And being wrongly blamed for the actions of a poaching ring made it even more frustrating. However, the conflict wasn't entirely without its benefits.
At the very least, they had captured the sub-leader. This meant they could now enter the Krookodile's territory without any further obstruction. When dawn broke, the research team was able to smoothly enter this previously unexplored area.
Furthermore, several Flygon had been called in to assist the Krookodile during the battle, giving Arthur a chance to question them. Unfortunately, after speaking with several of them, he still couldn't find any clues about his own little dragonfly.
Wild Flygon were generally free-spirited. They had long lifespans, were quite powerful, and rarely cared for their young. This made most of them lone wanderers, like rangers, who rarely stayed in one place for long. This also explained why there was no Flygon among the Seven Chieftains. They were too independent; even if they had the strength, they rarely bothered to claim territory and become rulers.
Trapinch in the desert were as common as Magikarp in the sea, and the vast majority never evolved and only lived for a few years. Because of this, Flygon rarely paid any attention to the larvae of their own kind. It was similar to how Gyarados never cared about the fate of Magikarp; there were always more where they came from. They were in no danger of extinction. This meant Flygon had little need for territory, so they often roamed, mooching off whatever they could find.
The Flygon he had spoken to were just passing through the Krookodile's territory and would likely be gone in a few days. This gave Arthur a headache. If his little dragonfly was now just as free-spirited, where in the world was he supposed to find her? This was going to be difficult.
Another difficult problem now faced the entire team. On the road, a worried Amani asked Arthur, "There's a poaching ring nearby. Is it dangerous for us to continue on this route?"
Indeed, the other problem was the very poaching ring that had framed them. Skarner also advised caution. "A poaching ring bold enough to target one of the Seven Chieftains probably has a powerful backer. It would be wise for us to avoid them."
The Ashen Desert was a lawless place, full of ruthless criminals. The poaching gangs here were known to be particularly vicious. The research team, including Skarner, didn't want to get involved. They weren't Rangers or heroes; they had no obligation to right every wrong they came across.
However, Arthur had a different idea. It stemmed from something the captured Krookodile sub-leader had interjected while he was questioning the Flygon. It had said that the Chieftain might know a very powerful Flygon, that it remembered hearing the Chieftain mention it in the past. None of the other Flygon could confirm this. The species was not social; they mostly traveled in small groups or alone. In a desert this vast, the number of their own kind they knew was limited.
In contrast, the Krookodile Chieftain, one of the Seven, was a powerful ruler. Any Flygon passing through its territory would likely pay it a visit. It made sense that it would know of a particularly strong one. This made Arthur even more determined to meet the Krookodile Chieftain.
"It's fine. Let's stick to this route. The desert is huge; it's not a given that we'll run into that poaching ring," Arthur finally decided, choosing to take the risk.
He was the team leader now, and after his display of incredible strength, Skarner and Amani had no choice but to follow his lead. The three jeeps hit the road again.
This decision also inadvertently earned him a lot of goodwill from the Sandslash. It had confirmed during its exchange with the Krookodile that the poaching ring that had stolen the Chieftain's child was very likely the same one that had been hunting it. The fact that Arthur hadn't backed down, and had even stood up for it against the Krookodile, had significantly raised his standing in the Sandslash's eyes, though it didn't show it.
Initially, Arthur had also beaten it up, but it knew that was a misunderstanding and held no grudge. However, it hadn't particularly liked him at first. It was only after Little Lapras had enthusiastically and forcibly befriended it that it had started to interact more with Arthur. Now, Arthur's actions, though driven by other motives, had unintentionally earned him a great deal of gratitude from the Sandslash. It was a strange twist of fate. Arthur hadn't even thought about capturing this special "child of revelation," yet he seemed to have already made significant progress in winning it over.
What the Sandslash had likely misunderstood, however, was that Arthur was still hoping they wouldn't run into the poachers. He preferred to avoid trouble. Right now, he just wanted to find the Krookodile Chieftain and ask about his little dragonfly.
But sometimes, when you're not looking for trouble, trouble finds you.
At that moment, on the dune Arthur's team had just left, a group of people were carefully examining the traces of the pre-dawn battle. Around them, many of the Pokémon that had dispersed had been recaptured.
One of them, his face grim, stood on top of the dune and said, "Even that wasn't enough to drive off the research team? Since when did Zeratano's team have such a tough nut?"
If Arthur had heard this, he would have been shocked. The Krookodile's encounter with his team had not been a coincidence at all. It had been deliberately orchestrated.
Another person walked up the dune and asked respectfully, "What should we do now? The Seed is still with that group. And we've already angered the Chieftain here by capturing the Krookodile Seed. It might be dangerous to stay in this territory."
But the grim-faced "poaching ring" leader remained silent. After a long pause, he said with grim determination, "Even if it's dangerous, the operation must continue! We must acquire all the Seeds! Either capture them or destroy them. If even a single Seed is left out there, our entire plan could fail. We cannot let years of effort be ruined at this final step. No matter what, that Sandslash must be ours!"
His subordinates roared in agreement. They got into their vehicles and continued to track Arthur's team. Their discipline and efficiency were not those of common criminals or a low-level poaching ring.
In their vehicles, their arsenal was shockingly advanced. They had all manner of firearms, and even rocket launchers. Every single one of them carried more than six Poké Balls.
At that moment, Arthur had no idea that a dark, turbulent undercurrent was surging just beneath the calm surface of the desert. This was something that could not be simply dismissed as a "poaching ring."
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