Chapter 495: Something's Wrong With Every Trip
In the eyes of a Pokémon, all humans look more or less the same. They often rely on aura to identify individuals. The good thing about this is that human disguises are rarely effective against them. The bad thing is that the Krookodile Chieftain couldn't give them any distinct features of the humans who had kidnapped his heir.
Body type... not too tall, not too short.
Facial features... they all looked the same to him.
He had said a lot, which amounted to nothing.
But Arthur and Skarner understood immediately. "This sounds like a very professional poaching ring."
Arthur was a bit curious, though. "Is poaching really that rampant here?" They had even targeted one of the Seven Chieftains.
But Skarner had a strange expression. "I haven't heard anything about it. As far as I know, the Seven Chieftains are infamous in the nearby alliances. Not many people would dare to mess with them. And in the Ashen Desert, the most valuable things have always been the oil fields and the Sand Apricorns. Poaching Pokémon... from what I remember, that's usually the work of low-level gangs."
This, however, was in direct contradiction to what the Krookodile Chieftain was saying.
"KROOK! KROOK!!" he roared excitedly.
Greninja translated with its usual calmness. "He says: impossible! Those despicable humans have been especially rampant in recent months. It's not just him; many other leaders have had their most exceptional Pokémon kidnapped from their territories. He's even heard that the Three Phantoms have not been spared! They are vile, cunning, and very... difficult to deal with."
Greninja paused before translating the last part. It felt like the Chieftain had given it a meaningful look. Arthur guessed that the last bit was in response to Skarner's claim that the poaching rings were low-level. But the Chieftain was too proud to admit he couldn't handle them, so after a long thought, he had settled on the term "difficult to deal with."
In reality, it was more than just "difficult." The Krookodile was completely helpless against them. Their organization and discipline were too strong.
Skarner was about to argue. "That's impossible!"
The Ashen Desert was different from other places. The climate was harsh, and the Pokémon were savage. Poaching here was far more dangerous than in other regions. And as Skarner had said, the most valuable resources here were oil and Sand Apricorns. A single Apricorn tree could generate hundreds of thousands in revenue a year, and a whole plantation could bring in hundreds of millions. Wasn't that a better business than poaching? High risk, low reward. This was why poaching wasn't actually that common here. Stealing Sand Apricorns, on the other hand, was a persistent problem.
A standard Poké Ball sold for around two thousand Poké Dollars in most parts of the Kubfu Alliance, with more advanced ones like Luxury Balls, Safari Balls, and Heal Balls costing even more. The primary raw material for Poké Balls was the Sand Apricorn, one apricorn per ball. These miraculous fruits only grew in arid, tropical regions and had very demanding cultivation conditions. The purchase price for a single Sand Apricorn was generally between three hundred and five hundred. Stealing a few trees during harvest season was far more profitable than risking one's life to hunt wild Pokémon.
So, in the Ashen Desert, the real players were in the oil and apricorn business. In Skarner's memory, there had been wars fought over oil fields and apricorn plantations, but he had never heard of anyone causing trouble over poaching Pokémon. If you're going to commit a crime, why not pick a more profitable one?
But the story the Krookodile was telling completely contradicted Skarner's understanding of the situation. "A poaching ring that even the Seven Chieftains are having trouble with... Pokémon being taken even from the territories of the Three Phantoms... and it's been going on for several months. There's definitely something wrong with this picture," Arthur thought, quickly realizing that there was more to this than met the eye. The expected reward and the risk involved were completely out of proportion. What kind of Pokémon would they have to be capturing every day to cover the operational costs and salaries of such an elite team?
Legendaries? Normally, Arthur wouldn't have even considered such a wild idea, but a certain onion-headed Pokémon that had been following him around had changed his perception of them. It turns out even Legendaries could be lazy shut-ins.
From a hidden corner, Celebi fumed: You wanna say that again? I'll bite you!
But regardless of what this "poaching ring"—and it now deserved quotation marks—was really after, the question before Arthur was whether or not to get involved. He rubbed his chin and muttered to himself, "Why does it feel like something always goes wrong whenever I travel? Isn't this supposed to be a peaceful era? Why is there so much trouble everywhere..."
Skarner gave him a strange look, not understanding his complaint. That's because he didn't know what Arthur had been through in the past three years. He'd gone on a trip to the sea, and a ship had blown up. He'd gone to the Star Brilliance Alliance, and an abandoned building had blown up. He'd gone to Mount Axewood, and while the active volcano there hadn't erupted, thankfully, he had still run into some trouble. And now, he had come to the Ashen Desert and run into a suspicious poaching ring.
Even with the iron-clad nerves he had developed from over a decade of fighting in his past life, Arthur couldn't help but wonder if his luck had taken a turn for the worse. Maybe he should find an Alakazam to read his fortune when he got back.
As he was thinking, he inadvertently glanced at the Sandslash, who was looking at him with a mixture of nervousness and hope. "..."
It was clear the Sandslash was scared. This was the first time it had realized just how big the operation of the poachers who had been hunting it was. If even the territories of the Seven Chieftains and the Three Phantoms weren't safe, where in this desert could it possibly hide?
Perhaps... only by the side of the human in front of it. The thought came to the Sandslash unbidden. It was hard to explain where its confidence in Arthur came from, but its eyes were now filled with a desperate plea.
For a moment, Arthur wavered. This was a Sandslash that was a bit of a chuunibyou, but it also had its convictions. Its talk of revelations was cringey, but its actions in the desert, teaching the Trapinch and protecting the vegetation, were admirable. And most importantly, Little Lapras was very fond of her new friend.
"Alright, I'll help. What information can you give me on the poachers? And first, tell me what you know about the Flygon." In the end, Arthur decided to get involved in this strange affair. He had already clashed with the poaching ring once and killed several of their Pokémon. If they were the type to hold a grudge, then the matter was already settled. He might as well cooperate with the Chieftain and take them down together. Strange as it was, he wasn't afraid of them.
But seeing Arthur agree so readily, the Krookodile Chieftain's eyes darted around again. The Krookodile species had never cared much for things like honor.
"Krook, krook~"
Greninja translated, "He says we have to help him first, and then he'll tell us about the Flygon."
"..." Arthur didn't say anything. He just calmly raised his hand. Sword, come.
A few seconds later, the Krookodile Chieftain's attitude had changed considerably.
♧♧♧
-> SUPPORT ME WITH POWER STONE
-> FOR EVERY 200 PS = BOUNS CHAPTER
♧♧♧
-> 35 Advanced chapters Now Available on Patreon!!
-> https://www.patreon.com/c/Segais
(Just remove the hyphen to access patreon normally)
If you like this novel please consider leaving a review that's help the story a lot Thank you