After hearing this, Auron turned his head to look at Deoxys.
If that were the case, then Legendaries should be able to enter Black Mystery Zones that have strength restrictions.
After all, though there hadn't been an accurate test, Deoxys's strength most likely exceeded the Black Mystery Zone's limit.
It was just unclear by how much.
With that thought, Auron couldn't help but get an idea: "Once we're out, I'll call Darkrai to test Deoxys."
Though Dark-types were immune to Psychic-types, Deoxys wasn't limited to just Psychic-type moves, and they only needed to gauge Deoxys's approximate battle power — no need for a full-strength attack.
"So, are we going or not?"
While Auron was considering a match between Deoxys and Darkrai, Sui Yan had already lost patience and asked the group directly.
"Let's vote."
"Sure."
In the end, the vote came out to four in favor, two against, and one abstention.
Those who wanted to go were Tang Yunqin, Yin Hanling, Sui Yan, and Fugui.
Those who didn't were You You Liu and Su Tingxi, and Lu Ze abstained.
The situation was too murky, so You You Liu instinctively wanted to steer clear.
As for Su Tingxi, it was because the box in the photograph looked oddly familiar to him.
He couldn't quite place why it felt familiar, but he was certain it would be yet another considerable trouble for him.
Once the vote was tallied, Auron let out a breath. "Four to two. Let's pack up and get moving."
"Yeah!"
The four who'd voted yes let out an excited cheer, then went to收拾 their things.
"There's considerable danger."
Auron nodded. "Mm, I know. And we might not even find them — we'll improvise."
Auron smiled, remembering the time when he and Sui Yan had wanted to enter a Mystery Zone even before they'd obtained any Pokémon.
When you're young and don't act on impulse, by the time you're old, you won't be able to act at all.
Besides, it wasn't like they had no safety net.
When Sui Yan and I first entered the Mystery Zone, we had Gengar, Lucario, Cresselia, and Meloetta guarding us — plus the protection of Supertrainer Mo Qiangcheng.
And lurking in the shadows were Lu Wu and Sui Yongnian.
Sure, there'd been an accident — they got separated because the entrance placed them randomly — but the Supertrainer-level protection was very real.
This time, they didn't have as many people and Pokémon guarding them, but there was Deoxys, which was comparable to a Legendary.
Deoxys was a Psychic-type, so if things got dangerous, they could just use *Teleport* to escape.
Gardevoir couldn't carry that many people with *Teleport*, but that didn't mean Deoxys couldn't.
Even in the worst-case scenario where Deoxys couldn't bring the whole group at once, it could still bring them one at a time.
Deoxys's speed could guarantee everyone's safety. That was why Auron had agreed.
A short while later, everyone set off.
Their excitement made them pack up incredibly fast — that enormous tent was folded up in no time, let alone the rest of their gear.
In the end, with one highly unreliable choice from Auron, they decided on their search direction.
West of the Ice Land.
Because the chopsticks had fallen, and the direction they pointed was west.
*. .*
"Supertrainer, about the Silver Feather — what do we do?"
The middle-aged man in the purple robes smiled faintly. "The Silver Feather is already known to everyone. There's no reason he wouldn't go after it. This time, I want them all!"
With that, the man stepped over the corpse at his feet and walked forward.
Behind him, Onix dutifully dug a hole in the frozen soil, then swept the body inside with a flick of its tail before following after the man.
A moment later, the hole in the frozen earth slowly closed, and the ground returned to its original state — no one could have guessed that a body was now buried beneath it.
*. .*
"That's him!"
"Damn it!"
Soren Li cursed under his breath, then Gardevoir used *Teleport* and carried Soren Li away in an instant.
"Shit!"
Soren Li couldn't understand — overnight, why did it seem like everyone knew he had the Silver Feather?
Racking his brains, he figured out that those people had spread the news deliberately, to flush him out.
But what he couldn't understand was — why spread it at all? One more person was one more variable. Spreading the news just to find him… wasn't that cutting off your nose to spite your face?
"It's him, he has the Silver Feather! Quick, grab him!"
After a shout, Soren Li vanished again via *Teleport*.
"Go to hell! Didn't see your dad was about to get his hands on it?!"
On the prairie, a burly man in full camouflage gear suddenly stood up alongside his Marowak.
The man and his Pokémon had been preparing to ambush Soren Li, but the shouted warning had completely ruined their plan — how could he not be furious?
"If you don't have the skill, shut your damn mouth!"
The newcomer wasn't easygoing either. Even though he knew he'd spooked the prey, he still shot back at the burly man defiantly.
"Damn it — Marowak, *Dark Pulse*!"
" Meowstic, *Disarming Voice*!"
Seeing the burly man attack, the newcomer didn't flinch at all, ordering his Meowstic to counter immediately.
Soren Li had no idea that the two behind him had actually come to blows.
His top priority right now was finding the Mystery Zone's exit.
Once he was out, things would be easy. Inside a Black Mystery Zone, fighting to the death was beyond official jurisdiction — but if you took that outside? Then the authorities had something to say.
"Should I look for Lu Ze? His… Deoxys? That was the name, right — that strong Pokémon, it should be able to help me hold off the pursuers."
Soren Li thought it over, then shook his head. "Too strong. It probably can't be brought in — otherwise, they wouldn't have been chasing him at the Butterfree camp."
"And besides — the person I've set my sights on… using them like this… it would ruin any chance of a real connection later."
Soren Li smiled, then pulled a face mask and a duckbill cap from his backpack and put them on.
"That's him, that's him! Who wears a face mask and a cap in this heat? Absolutely suspicious!"
"Gardevoir, no complaints — hit him, it's him!"
Another group. Soren Li had barely put on the mask and cap before the crowd had already spotted him.
"Na…"
Gardevoir called out helplessly, then placed its hand on Soren Li's shoulder and used *Teleport* to escape once more.
"Slap!"
After teleporting to a new location, Soren Li ripped off the mask and cap and threw them on the ground in frustration.
"Goddamn it — nothing works, nothing works, I'm losing my mind!"
" Krookodile, *Earthquake*!"
"Shit!"
*. .*
"Lu Ze, are you sure about this direction?"
"Squeak!"
Not only were Sui Yan and the others looking at Lu Ze with suspicion, even the Mini Dragon in his arms seemed doubtful — the direction felt off.
Compared to everyone's misgivings, Lu Ze was the picture of calm. "Relax. This is heaven's guidance to me. There's no way it can be wrong."
"Ermm…"
Sui Yan was at a complete loss for words. Heaven's guidance? Heaven's guidance meant fewer and fewer people along the way?
At the start, they'd still run into a few other people — both sides would pull out photographs to compare.
But now, not a single soul the entire way. Just Oddish after Oddish, Skitty after Skitty, Taillow after Taillow, and Swellow after Swellow.
They were sick of battling wild Pokémon — just no sign of any other humans.
"Maybe… should Tang Yunqin do another round of heaven's guidance?"
*(End of Chapter)*
———
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