The shade beneath the giant rock.
"Can you let me go?"
"No, stop with the nonsense and turn on the radar. I have something important to see."
Baimu refused Huo Wu's request and ordered her to turn on the radar.
Huo Wu remained silent for a few seconds, looking once again at her teammate on the ground, and decided to obediently cooperate with the man in front of her.
Though she hadn't been beaten or bullied so far, she knew this wasn't because of the man's kind-heartedness or mercy, but rather because her injuries were inconvenient for his plans.
Huo Wu didn't want to see this person's violent side, as it would bring her no benefit.
Beep.
The radar turned on.
Baimu leaned forward and looked toward the east, as expected, he saw a solid red dot—those were teammates in battle.
He wasn't sure who it was, but guessed the enemy was likely Jian heading east.
Before the fight, Baimu had paid attention to the east and remembered that the red dot on his side had already solidified, indicating the battle had begun.
Is it not over yet?
Hopefully, it'll consume enough of Jian's stamina.
"Please help heal them." He patted Chansey's head, pointing to Aron and Vibrava.
Since they had constantly been ambushing, both Pokémon were luckily not seriously injured, only suffering from physical exhaustion.
But it was enough to be tiring, especially for Aron, which had been climbing up and down between the ground and ground holes, struggling the most.
Baimu saw both Pokémon sighing with relief under the Healing Fluctuation, and waved his hand, "Take a break, take a break first, and eat something."
He took out some compressed food and Pokémon food from his bag, distributed it to Aron and then gestured to Huo Wu, "Want some?"
"..."
Huo Wu shook her head; she had no appetite right now. The man was right earlier—betraying her teammates had essentially made her a traitor to the Evil Dog Team.
If she's not careful, she might be punished after getting out.
—If she can even get out.
Her life was in someone else's hands, used as a tool to deceive others. At this rate, she might die at the hands of her own teammates first.
Plus, her Pokémon was still in someone else's hands, requiring money to reclaim them. What exactly should she do...
She glanced at Baimu discreetly, considering the likelihood of ambushing and taking him down.
"?"
Baimu blinked, chewing on some dry food, and handed over the water flask, asking, "Water?"
"No... I want it."
Huo Wu initially intended to refuse but subconsciously swallowed, realizing her throat was parched, almost catching fire, so she cautiously took a sip.
Then she realized it was her own water flask.
Her face changed, but she did not dare to voice her anger, silently handing it back.
"Don't be so serious. Better safe than sorry. I don't want any trouble here either, right?"
Baimu smiled slightly, still not drinking that water but instead took a sip from his own.
At the time, the radar time for the Evil Dog Team was not over yet. He glanced again and found the red dot to the east had disappeared.
"Lost, huh."
He felt a bit regretful; the endurance suggested a fierce battle had taken place. It would be great if he could have won directly.
"Goo?"
Aron came forward, curiously looking up.
Baimu said, "Launch an attack? We don't have the strength for that right now. Picking up leftovers isn't as easy as it seems. Let's obediently create traps."
The new version of the trap involved two people: the male Evil Dog Team member as the defeated and Huo Wu as the victor. It is believed the chance of deceiving the enemy would significantly increase.
Of course, Huo Wu's situation would undoubtedly become more dangerous, but prisoners don't have the right to choose.
Thinking of this, she hugged her knees, curling up.
"Lucky?"
The gentle call made her raise her head, and she saw Chansey standing in front of her, looking at her timidly.
"What's it doing?" Huo Wu looked at Baimu.
The latter observed for a moment, not very confidently saying, "It should be trying to heal you, seeing the cuts on your face and hands. As a healer, it can't help but want to."
She belatedly looked at her palm and touched her face, realizing it was covered in various small wounds.
In the past, she would have cared about this.
"...No need."
Huo Wu shook her head, refusing.
At this point, slight injuries were nothing to concern herself with.
Chansey looked conflicted. As a Pokémon with healing as its duty, seeing untreated wounds was like bugs crawling over it, wanting to urge the person to pay attention, yet it couldn't open its mouth nor had the courage to speak.
This made it instinctively turn to Baimu, eyes full of confusion.
"Lucky..."
Baimu stroked his chin, where a beard was beginning to grow, and seeing the look of gloom on Huo Wu's face, he thought for a moment and made her a promise, "How about this, you help me deceive one more, and I'll let you go."
"..."
She did not respond verbally.
He continued, "How much does it cost to reclaim a Pokémon normally per capture?"
"...About three hundred thousand."
"Alright, if you can help me capture one more, I'll pay you thirty thousand for each of the three you've helped with."
"...Really?"
"I don't have a habit of lying. If you don't believe me, I can't do anything about it." Baimu shrugged, and in a moment saw hope gradually blooming on Huo Wu's face.
This made him understand that a bit of 'profit-sharing' was the right move.
Earlier, this woman nearly had 'doesn't want to live anymore' written on her face. Continuing to press with dangerous tasks might trigger self-destructive tendencies in her.
In fact, self-destruction wouldn't matter, except for the concern she'd cause trouble.
After all, what would a person who doesn't want to live fear?
Of course, like the previous person, knocking her out would be a good option, but Baimu thought carefully and still felt that a 'live person' was more useful than a 'dead one.'
"Go ahead, spray and bandage her wounds."
He handed the spray and bandage to Chansey, giving it a gentle push as encouragement.
"Lucky!"
Chansey nodded heavily, summoning the courage to step forward.
Huo Wu still said nothing, but her cooperative actions indicated her consent to this healing act.
The hidden dangers were resolved.
Baimu glanced at the radar one last time, confirming there were still twelve points remaining.
Three people have already been defeated?
It's only been half an hour since the start, and the entire match lasts a full six hours.
"I hope everything goes smoothly."
Baimu exhaled, thinking if he guessed right, Jian, who couldn't find him in the east, would definitely return the way he came. Hopefully, the trap he set could trick that guy.
Even if it doesn't, he needs to find a way to gain some advantage.
From the intel pried out of Huo Wu's mouth earlier, that guy's Pokémon battle power is extraordinary, and among the other fourteen members of the Evil Dog Team, none can match him in one-on-one fights.
Moreover, his physical condition is excellent, and his unique personality allows him to thrive within the Evil Dog Team. He's the epitome of someone born with a silver spoon, someone destined to become a future leader of the Evil Dog Team.
Outside world.
As Baimu's plan unfolded, the second wave of betting began.
It was still about whether the trap would succeed.
But compared to last time, significantly more people were now betting on Baimu's victory.
"The Evil Dog Team sent out a bunch of fools, I won't trust them again!"
"Yeah! Even a fool could see through such a trap! How could they fall for it?"
"I finally understand what the boss meant before, too many fools, not enough con artists... People really can be this dumb!"
The audience whispered among themselves, changing their tune from before, attributing the trap's potential success to the excessive foolishness of the Evil Dog Team members.
Of course, not everyone thought this way.
There were plenty who saw Baimu as a talent; they just didn't voice it much. After giving rewards, they focused on more important matters.
In the main control room of the competition, in the banquet hall.
Ayana and that man were in different environments, yet both were unexpectedly fixated on the far-right screen.
There was a member of the Evil Dog Team, his face filled with rage and viciousness.
They had a premonition.
Sooner or later.
Baimu would surely have a fierce battle with this person.
——
A rugged and rocky ground, scattered rubble everywhere.
Under the shade of a massive cliff, a Quicksand Team member, his face hidden by a hood and bandages, was sitting on the back of a collapsed Evil Dog Team member, eating coarse dry food.
Not far away, an ash-covered Aron was looking around.
But all of this was observed by another Evil Dog Team member.
He had been lurking for about three minutes.
Initially, he also thought there was a trap, but upon closer inspection, he realized there wasn't, and the other side's poor condition seemed to be due to a nearby torn water pouch.
Running out of water?
Hehehe.
"Well, I won't be polite then!"
With great gusto, he charged forward with two canine Pokémon, "Battle! Bite him to death! Tear him apart!"
"Woof!"
The two big dogs sprinted forward.
Evidently, his rush was beyond the Quicksand Team member's expectations.
He watched as the Quicksand Team member's expression changed dramatically, and Aron looked horrified, unable to conceal a smile at the corner of his mouth.
Beep.
A beep sounded from the wristband, although there was no feedback from across, he didn't care.
They must be hiding.
What else could it be?
And as one of the dogs entangled Aron, and the other pounced on the enemy, viciously biting his arm, his guard dropped to the lowest.
Then.
A sudden violent wind noise came from behind the cliff, like some heavy object was rapidly falling.
Whoosh—
Boom!
"Damn!"
A massive force instantly flattened him, causing his face to make intimate contact with the ground, nearly breaking both arms.
"Sometimes it's important to look up!"
Baimu snapped his arms back, directing at the two returning canine Pokémon, "Dragon Breath!"
Buzz!
The sound of wings vibrating exploded, as indigo flames gushed out from above him, instantly launching the two turning canine Pokémon into the air.
"Lafu!"
Vibrava's voice echoed.
"Don't rush."
Baimu quickly locked the guy down, rummaging through his pockets, he soon found empty Pokeballs, and swiftly swept them to capture the two panicking canine Pokémon inside.
"You cheated! The member distance restriction hasn't been lifted yet, how could you be together!"
The Evil Dog Team member shouted angrily. He couldn't turn his head to see the Evil Dog Team uniform, mistaking it for a team effort, and became extremely agitated for a moment.
But after shouting for a moment, he was rewarded with a chop to the back of his neck, naturally causing pain to knock him out.
"Did it work?"
Baimu was somewhat surprised, having only wanted to give it a try, he hadn't expected it to actually work.
He couldn't help but check the guy's breath.
Hmm.
Still breathing.