Chapter 499: Finding a Direction
Seeing the aftermath of the battle, Skarner was the first to exclaim, "My god! It looks like a small-scale war was fought here!"
Arthur, however, was surprised by something else. "You've preserved the scene this whole time?"
The Nidoking Chieftain explained that they had kept the scene intact in the hopes that a Psychic-type Pokémon could use Future Sight to divine the culprits' location. Not disturbing the scene would increase the chances of a successful divination. Unfortunately, the Psychic-types in the area weren't skilled enough, and so far, none had succeeded. They were on the verge of giving up.
Hearing this, Arthur chuckled. "Sometimes, you don't need divination to get information. But it's a good thing you preserved the scene."
He stepped into the chaotic battleground. Many of the plants in the area were unnaturally withered. "A Pokémon used a Poison-type move here," he analyzed, observing the scene. "Most likely Poison Sting."
Then, he noticed a straight gash on the ground, as if made by a blade. He reached into the slash. "The soil at the bottom is still damp. This was likely made by Aqua Tail or Razor Shell."
He then moved to a crater in the ground. "This was probably made by Crabhammer." He turned to the Nidoking Chieftain. "Were there any witnesses from your tribe at the time? Were there any Kingler or Crawdaunt among the enemy's Pokémon?"
The Chieftain was momentarily stunned. As a desert native, it didn't recognize those names. It wasn't until Arthur pulled out his phone and showed it a picture of a Kingler that the Nidoking Chieftain roared in recognition.
"So it was a Kingler," Arthur concluded. He then asked, "You said the poaching ring fled to the north after they were done? There aren't any oases to the north of your territory, are there?"
The north was the direction Arthur and his team had come from. The stretch of land between the Krookodile's territory and here was mostly worthless sand. The Nidoking nodded in agreement.
"Then it seems you've been tricked," Arthur declared. "They likely deliberately retreated to the north to mislead your pursuit."
Both Chieftains were stunned. Arthur had made this judgment so quickly, reaching a conclusion within minutes of seeing the crime scene. Only Skarner seemed to be deep in thought.
Before he could figure it out, Arthur revealed the answer. "Kingler is an aquatic Pokémon, not suited for desert travel. Unless they frequently rehydrate it, it's almost impossible for them to have left the desert from the north with a Kingler. Retreating to the north was most likely a diversion."
To use a Water-type move so freely meant they would need to rehydrate the Kingler even more, which would only be possible if they had a nearby water source. "So, where is the nearest oasis in this area?" Arthur asked.
The Nidoking answered: to the southwest, in the direction of the Kommo-o's habitat.
Arthur nodded. "It's more likely they went in that direction to resupply. If we follow, we might find something."
The Nidoking Chieftain was completely amazed. It had been days since the incident, and his entire tribe had been at a loss, unable to find any trace of the enemy, completely clueless. The Krookodile's territory had been in a similar state of helplessness. But now, with just a few words, Arthur had cut through the fog and given them a direction to pursue. Although a few days had passed and they might not be able to catch the culprits, at least they now had a clear lead.
The Nidoking Chieftain was overjoyed. The Krookodile Chieftain took the opportunity to take credit: See? The human I brought is pretty amazing, right?
The Nidoking was speechless. Only the Sandslash shot the Krookodile a contemptuous look. Arthur's the one who's amazing. What are you taking credit for? Shameless!
The Krookodile Chieftain glared back, but couldn't argue.
"Then we shouldn't delay. Let's head to the oasis in the southwest," Arthur suggested. He wanted to resolve this mess as quickly as possible so he could continue searching for his own Pokémon.
...
Meanwhile, to the southwest of the Nidoking's territory, a group of people was indeed resting and resupplying. Their main force had suffered heavy casualties, and the devastation around them was several times worse than the crime scene Arthur's team had just witnessed. They were in the territory of one of the Three Phantoms, the Kommo-o, and there was not a single living Dragon-type left in the area.
A graceful female leader was surveying the territory, her brow slightly furrowed. "The Seed collection has not been going well recently, has it? This is the fifth Seed we've had to destroy." She looked at the body of the Kommo-o at her feet, her expression grave.
A cadre beside her, his face as dark as water, replied after a moment's silence, "It has not been going well. There are not many Seeds left in the desert."
Just then, a group of people came to report. It was, coincidentally, the same sub-leader who had ambushed Arthur.
After hearing the captain's report, the leader's brow furrowed in anger. "What? Another failure? The Seed you were responsible for was just a Sandslash with no background. You couldn't even handle that?!"
The sub-leader replied bitterly, "There was an unexpected situation. Dr. Zeratano's expedition team happened to enter the desert recently, and that Sandslash was protected by their team." He deliberately obfuscated the truth, claiming the entire team had protected the Sandslash to make his own squad's failure seem less pathetic. If he had told the truth—that they had been defeated by a single person—they would have looked like fools.
"Leader, perhaps you could authorize us to just kill the Sandslash. I guarantee we'll complete the mission this time!"
"No!" the female leader refused flatly. "There are not many Seeds left in the desert. We've killed too many recently. We cannot afford to lose any more of the easier targets. This Sandslash must be captured!"
The sub-leader's face froze. He couldn't help but recall the terrifying image of his team's Pokémon being wiped out in a matter of seconds. Leader, this isn't an easy target at all!
Just then, someone else came to report. "Leader, a scout reports that a vehicle, accompanied by what appears to be a Krookodile Chieftain, is approaching from the northeast. They are getting close to our forward supply base. And the Sandslash Seed is in that vehicle."
"What?!"
No one had expected that, while they were discussing the matter, their target had already come to them.
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