Gardevoir's eyes flickered faintly purple. Waiting for the right moment, she placed a hand on Soren Li's shoulder — and then both of them vanished with a sharp burst of Psychic energy, Teleporting directly into the middle of the two traders.
"Hey there~"
Soren flashed a mischievous grin, then reached out and snatched the small box from the hand of a young man standing nearby whose eyes had gone wide with shock.
Gardevoir Teleported again, and just like that, the two of them were gone — vanished from both parties' line of sight.
Only after Soren had disappeared did the people on both sides finally react.
"Your guy?!"
Ono Saburo — the one who had been making the trade — exploded, grabbing the young man by his collar.
The young man shoved his hands up frantically. "Are you kidding? What would I possibly gain from that?"
"Double-cross!" Ono Saburo grit his teeth. "That's what this is!"
He released his grip on the young man's collar. He knew it too — there was practically no way that was true. The conditions they'd offered this young man were ones he simply couldn't refuse.
"Then tell me — what do we do now?"
Ono Saburo forced himself to calm down and turned to the young man. "If the goods don't make it to my hand, you can forget about getting anything from me either."
The young man smiled, a sharp glint surfacing in his eyes. "Obviously."
"Your people got a recording, right? Did you get a clear shot of that guy's face?"
"Got it, got it." Ono Saburo tilted his head, and one of his men stepped forward. "We got the image."
"Then print it out and spread the word." The young man smiled faintly. "Put the news everywhere."
"Why?" Ono Saburo asked, genuinely puzzled. Wouldn't it be smarter to keep this quiet?
The young man was already starting to despise the person he was dealing with. *How is this guy so dense?* He even suspected this imbecile might have accidentally leaked the trade details in the first place.
But the thing he needed most was still in this man's possession, so he swallowed his irritation and explained.
"We barely have any people. How are we supposed to search this entire Black Mystery Zone? What if he just walks out? Or what if Dragon Kingdom officials get involved?" The young man's smile turned sinister. "But the moment we spread the news, *everyone* will want to stop him from leaving the zone. And when we find him, the combined strength of both our sides will be more than enough to crush whoever else is competing. Which means the Silver Feather stays yours."
"Nice~" Ono Saburo's eyes lit up and he clapped the young man on the shoulder. "You're clever."
The young man slapped his hand away impatiently. "Just get moving. And remember — send out Dark-types this time. Don't give that Gardevoir another opening."
"Yes sir!"
Ono Saburo was completely won over. He immediately gathered his people and got to work.
"Young master, won't this expose your identity?"
The young man glanced back at his attendant. "I'm not showing my face anywhere. What do I have to worry about?"
"Besides, if it weren't for that fossil revival machine, would I have handed that thing over?"
The attendant watched the young master's expression twist into something almost feral, and sighed quietly. *I just hope the old master never finds out about this…*
As Ono Saburo and his group dispersed, the young man's expression grew darker by the minute.
*Stealing from me right to my face? Fine. If you can't be found — that's one thing. But the moment I do find you, you're finished.*
*...*
Meanwhile, Lu Ze and the others had no idea a storm was about to break over their heads.
They had just finished a big barbecue, and now everyone was flopped inside their tents, bellies round and full.
This area wasn't a safe zone — wild Pokémon still came to attack. But because they were camped by the water, trainers couldn't fight each other here.
So Lu Ze and the others were actually able to get some decent sleep.
Even so, the Pokémon night watch rotation remained in place.
In the second half of the night, while Lu Ze and the others were still deep in slumber, the outside world was already starting to buzz with activity.
"Hey, did you hear? The Silver Feather just showed up in the Black Mystery Zone."
"Seriously? That's fake, right? Can Pokémon even drop a Silver Feather?"
"Not dropped — someone brought it in. Then they got careless and flashed it around. Now everyone's looking for them."
"Ha! What a moron. Bringing a Silver Feather into the Black Mystery Zone — does he think he can summon Lugia in there?"
"They say a photo of the guy leaked out too. Some young guy with a Gardevoir. Half the zone is already out hunting him. You going?"
The other person laughed. "Me? Nah. My strength? I'd just be cannon fodder."
"Yeah, same here. I'd be nothing but cannon fodder too."
The two of them snickered and went their separate ways.
But even after splitting up, both of them had the same idea. Each waited quietly in their own tent for a moment, then slipped away — tents and all, abandoned without a second glance.
Listening through the walls, the lakeside camp emptied out in no time. Only a handful of heavy sleepers and people who simply hadn't been told remained, snoring away in their tents.
The next morning, Lu Ze woke up the same way he always did — on Snorlax's belly. He gently moved Mini's tail away from his neck and quietly slipped out of the tent to wash up.
"Huh? Why does it feel so empty out here?"
The lakeside was nearly deserted. Only two or three other people were shuffling around, half-asleep, doing the same morning routine as Lu Ze.
"Hey kid, you haven't heard yet? The Silver Feather just appeared in the Black Mystery Zone."
"The Silver Feather?"
Lu Ze's brain hadn't quite caught up. The Silver Feather was out? What did that have to do with him?
"The Silver Feather! The one that summons the legendary Pokémon!"
The old shopkeeper nodded, grinning at Lu Ze with undisguised satisfaction.
Lu Ze's startled gasp drew the attention of the others nearby. Every last one of them immediately pricked up their ears, leaning in to listen.
"I happen to have a photo of the guy carrying the Silver Feather. Ten berries and it's yours — and I'm giving you a special deal."
The old shopkeeper looked thoroughly pleased with himself, as if he'd just offered Lu Ze the bargain of a lifetime.
Last night, a man had walked into his shop, shoved two thick stacks of cash and a photo across the counter, and told him: *This person has the Silver Feather. Spread the word — sell the photo, give it away, whatever. Those stacks are yours. Oh, and one more thing — take the money, and if the information doesn't get out? Don't say I didn't warn you.*
The shopkeeper had banged his fist on the counter and stood right up. "What kind of person do you take me for? After running this shop for so many years, you think I'm some kind of pushover?"
Then he'd snatched the cash, slapped his chest, and declared: "Relax — as long as there's a single person left in this area, *that* person will know about this story and this face!"
*Hey brothers, Chapter Three!*
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