The Unseen Threat

Qing Wu narrowed his eyes at the exploding Black Robes, thinking to himself, "Team Rocket's humanoid robots... I didn't expect this research to be completed." Qing Wu muttered.

Humanoid robots are controlled by brainwaves, which can reduce trainer casualties.

Trainers observe their surroundings through cameras and use microphones to command their Pokémon to attack.

This was introduced in the Pokémon Diamond and Pearl anime. Zhen Xing remotely controlled Pokémon to attack using a machine. Team Rocket's research is more specific, using humanoid robots to significantly reduce losses for veteran trainers.

"I remember Lan Ling was very skilled in using this technology in my past life." This humanoid robot ultimately exposed the attacker's identity.

"Kecleon, take care of these robots!" A massive rock fell from the sky, an attack launched by Kecleon, who had been hiding underground.

One drawback of these humanoid robots is their lack of sensitivity to their surroundings, making them easily unaware of the true environment and susceptible to assassination.

Qing Wu felt this thing was useless. A trainer must be present on-site to make the most accurate judgment.

As the smoke cleared, a humanoid robot emerged, heavily damaged with electrical arcs flashing all over its body. Its lower half was mostly smashed.

"Kill him, kill him!" the robot said, followed by a crackling sound and a BOOM as it self-destructed.

All the Pokémon attacked Qing Wu like their lives were on the line.

Two Grimer rapidly expanded their bodies, glowing and heating up as they charged forward, completely disregarding their own safety.

"Golbat!" Qing Wu called out calmly. Golbat appeared behind Qing Wu, extending its powerful wings.

Controlling the airflow under the effect of Tailwind, the Grimer, being gaseous Pokémon, were blown further and further away from the explosion target by the strong winds. Instead, they drifted closer to their own allies.

"No!" The two Grimer watched helplessly as they floated to within inches of their comrades, who also stared with wide eyes.

With a BOOM, a deep crater was blasted into the forest by the Grimer.

The other Pokémon attacking Qing Wu all lay in the crater, reduced to charred lumps. Only their weak breaths indicated they were still alive.

"Why go through all this, a suicide bombing attack? It harms others and yourself." Qing Wu walked over and found the Poké Balls of these Pokémon.

Fortunately, these Poké Balls were extremely durable. Otherwise, these Pokémon would have been left to fend for themselves.

Qing Wu recalled the Pokémon into their Poké Balls and locked the switches.

Although these Pokémon appeared severely injured, given their constitution, they would recover in just a few days.

If humans suffered such severe injuries, they would likely be finished.

Just then, Qing Wu noticed a Poké Ball flashing with light. Qing Wu suddenly felt unable to move.

"This is bad! Kecleon, Golbat, quickly grab me!" Qing Wu knew he had been tricked. The real trump card was here.

This was the Teleport ability of a Psychic-type Pokémon. Golbat and Kecleon narrowly grabbed Qing Wu's clothes and disappeared with him.

After Qing Wu vanished, a Black Robe slowly walked out from behind the forest.

"You didn't expect this, Qing Wu? This is the grand feast I prepared for you. You'll stay in this ghost den we found until the end of the trial. Although four humanoid robots and a few Pokémon were wasted, I think it's worth it." The Black Robe person chuckled and disappeared on the spot.

Beep, beep, beep. Qing Wu, who had fallen asleep due to Teleport, was awakened by the sound of dripping water.

Qing Wu slowly opened his eyes, looking at the pitch-black surroundings. He couldn't see his hand in front of his face.

Qing Wu flipped open a flashlight hidden in his black robe and found Kecleon and Golbat, who were also asleep next door.

However, their condition was not good. A purple, round-bodied Pokémon with a pair of detached arms was continuously draining Kecleon and Golbat's life energy.

This Pokémon had triangular white eyes with black pupils. Its mouth contained several sharp purple teeth.

"This is bad! This Haunter is using Dream Eater to drain Kecleon and Golbat's life energy!" Qing Wu immediately released Deino.

"Deino, use Bite!" After emerging from its Poké Ball, Deino cautiously observed its surroundings. Soon, it gathered Dark-type energy on its teeth and bit down hard on the Haunter. ... ...

Only a mournful cry was heard. The Haunter gave Qing Wu a resentful look before vanishing into the air.

"Kecleon, Golbat, are you alright?" Qing Wu shook the two small Pokémon awake. He saw them tiredly open their eyes, as if they hadn't slept for days.

"It seems your stamina was greatly depleted by Haunter's Dream Eater. Fortunately, I discovered it early." Qing Wu took out some Poffins from his backpack that restored mental energy and stuffed them into the mouths of the two little ones.

"If I had been any later, after your stamina was completely drained, it would have started absorbing your souls." Qing Wu hadn't expected Lan Ling's team to be so ruthless as to teleport him directly to the Spirit World.

The Spirit World is a world where Ghost-type Pokémon live. Humans are forbidden.

Once a Pokémon of another type enters the Spirit World, it means its soul will be completely sent into the Spirit World, unable to escape.

They can only watch as their souls are corrupted by the Spirit World's aura over time and transform into a brand new Ghost-type Pokémon.

"No, this isn't the Spirit World, it's just very similar." Qing Wu had been to the Spirit World before and knew what it looked like. After all, there would be no sound of dripping water in the Spirit World.

Moreover, Lan Ling's team did not have the ability to directly teleport him to the Spirit World. That required a top-tier Psychic-type user.

"I see." Qing Wu looked at the surrounding rock walls and finally understood Lan Ling's team's plan. They wanted to trap Qing Wu here so he would miss the final rendezvous.

According to Team Rocket's rules, if you miss the rendezvous, regardless of the reason, you will be disqualified and directly eliminated by Team Rocket.

"This should be Ghost Mountain. What a shame, sending me here. I was already planning to come here." Qing Wu had made many preparations to come here, including making Poffins that Ghost-type Pokémon loved.

"And you ended up helping me. Thank you so much." Qing Wu sneered, his eyes filled with killing intent. If it were a normal person, they might have succeeded. But for Qing Wu, he could come and go freely in Ghost Mountain.