Secretly Crossing Chencang

The competition grounds were not particularly large, but a desolate canyon ran through them, making the terrain infinitely more complex.

With the radar shut down, Baimu could only use a compass to search for enemies.

His current position was still dangerous. Before the map had closed, a flashing red dot had been moving toward him.

If nothing unexpected happened, that person was probably coming for him.

Jian?

Hopefully not.

"Continuing forward is prohibited. Please change direction."

Suddenly, the Rotom Drone descended and provided Baimu with some information.

There was actually a teammate in this direction, and they should not have been far away.

Otherwise, it would not have forbidden him from proceeding.

Would the red-dot target run into that teammate? Hopefully, this teammate was strong enough to handle it. This competition did not even have a proper support system.

Once someone got into trouble, they could only use the distress function on their wristband to call for rescue. No rescue would come unless they called for it, and the Rotom Drones following the contestants would fly away as soon as they saw someone lose, utterly unconcerned with whether the contestant lived or died.

People outside the arena could not interfere with what happened inside.

Combined with the rule forbidding surrender, the organizers were worse than beasts.

Baimu exchanged a glance with the wary Aron and decided to check the place where a battle had just taken place.

If a teammate had won, then at worst, he would change direction after being stopped. If an enemy had won, he could take advantage of their condition and kick them while they were down.

Of course.

He had to watch out for any other enemies who might have been drawn there as well.

"Let's go."

He called out softly and headed in the direction he remembered.

From above, this desolate canyon could have been called magnificent and beautiful. Jagged boulders stood like ancient guardians, weathered by wind and sand as they watched over the barren land.

Unfortunately for Baimu, he preferred the green that represented vitality and life. Whenever he saw such a wasteland, he could not help but miss the splendid mountains and rivers of his previous life.

"Do you like sand? Or rocks, iron chunks?"

Baimu turned to ask Aron, his low voice nearly drowned out by the Rotom Drone's buzzing.

But Aron had clearly heard him. It lowered its head in thought for a few seconds, then looked around before suddenly trotting away as though it had found something.

Baimu's gaze followed Aron's movements, and he quickly spotted its target—

A clump of grayish-yellow weeds, either withered or naturally that color.

"Gu!"

Aron looked at Baimu with sparkling eyes, like a dog spotting its favorite toy.

If it had had a tail, it would definitely have been wagging furiously.

"You like grass? Plants?"

Baimu stared at it in surprise. As a Rock- and Steel-type Pokémon, a rumored industrial pest, it did not like delicious iron ore but instead liked some insignificant weeds.

A hobby, perhaps?

Seeing Aron nod wildly, he began wondering whether he should get it a pot of grass to raise, or perhaps flowers.

They continued onward.

To conserve stamina, he certainly would not climb mountains. Whenever he encountered a dead end, he found a way around it.

Finally.

As Baimu was about to pass a bend, the sound of wind rushed into his ears, carrying a faint cry for help. When he stopped and listened carefully, the cries gradually grew louder and more shrill.

So close...

Not a companion?

He glanced at the Rotom Drone. Seeing no reaction from it, he cautiously poked his head forward and began observing.

About two hundred meters away, in a canyon passage where the breeze stirred up dust, a naked boy was clinging tightly to the top of a towering, bamboo-shoot-shaped boulder, crying and howling without pause.

"He lost?"

Baimu frowned. This person was undoubtedly one of his fourteen teammates. Though they were not familiar, he had still ended up in such a miserable state.

Not only had his clothes been stripped off, but his leg was probably injured too. His ankle was swollen like a ball, and trapped in that position, he could hardly reach his wristband to request rescue.

More importantly, where was the Dark type Hound Team member who had taken him out?

He looked at the Rotom Drone again. It had not flown away, but the whirring of its four little propellers sounded quite distinct to him. Even with the wind masking it, someone might still hear it.

Worried that he had already been exposed, he pointed at the ground for Aron.

Aron understood and swiftly used Dig to burrow underground.

Then.

Baimu held a Smoke Ball in his left hand and took out a Poké Ball with his right, calming his breathing as he surveyed the surroundings.

If the enemy did not move, neither would he.

There were only ten minutes until the radar activated again. By then, whether that person had discovered him or not would become clear.

Of course, it was possible that the other party was waiting as well.

As he considered this, a new sound came from the teammate's direction, like the scrape and clatter of hooves and claws on the ground.

Baimu peeked out again and saw that beneath the bamboo-shoot-shaped rock, a Dark type Hound Team member had appeared at some point, riding on an Arcanine's back.

The billowing dust on the path behind them showed that they had arrived less than two seconds ago, while another Rotom Drone responsible for filming hovered behind them, circling around like a fly.

The person tilted his head back and circled the huge rock twice, then looked around, making Baimu immediately duck back behind cover as his heart pounded.

Unexpectedly, the other party did not spot him, nor did they hear his Rotom Drone's propellers. They simply dismounted and said, "Arcanine, find a way to get him down."

Huh?

What did that mean?

Had he not been the one who defeated the teammate? Or had he given up after failing to catch any fish?

Either way.

This person showing himself meant there were no other Dark type Hound Team members lying in ambush nearby. He had spent all this time playing a battle of wits against thin air.

Baimu lay down and lightly knocked on the ground. When Aron poked its head out of the hole, he handed it the Smoke Ball and said in a low voice:

"Dig deeper and sneak over. Stay a little farther away so you don't get noticed. When I call for battle, bite off the ring on this thing and ram it into that person's front. Once you're in position, push up the dirt a little."

"Gu."

Aron nodded to show it understood, then withdrew and began moving.

Hopefully, it would go smoothly.

Baimu set down his backpack to lighten his load and secretly watched the distance. He saw Arcanine looking around, seemingly searching for a foothold and figuring out how to get the unclothed person down.

No Pokémon capable of flying?

That was definitely good news for him.

After all, something like a Smoke Ball could be dealt with by a bird Pokémon with a few flaps of its wings. Its main purpose was to confuse the opponent and make them panic, while briefly interfering with Arcanine's sense of smell.

Nearly two hundred meters.

If not for the Rotom Drone, Baimu would definitely have tried to shorten that distance.

After all, even though humans in the Pokémon world had extraordinary physiques, and anyone who trained seriously could become a first-rate sprinter, with exceptional people easily surpassing Bolt, two hundred meters was truly too far.

He needed to find the right moment...

As he watched, a patch of dirt suddenly bulged up beside the Dark type Hound Team member's feet.

Damn!

Why was it so close? Aron had not controlled its position properly!

Baimu was so frightened that he nearly opened his Poké Ball and rushed out, but fortunately, the other party was more focused on the Quicksand Team member atop the huge rock and did not notice Aron.

At that moment.

The wind suddenly grew stronger, sending sand and stones flying and disrupting their vision.

The opportunity had arrived.