"Hey, I'll give you another half minute. If you don't come out, you'll stay in this shell until you die."
He patted the metal plating.
As if in response to his words, Steelix began drilling through the steel plate with even more force, ignoring the protective shield that had lit up above, desperately rushing inside.
Inside, the Pokémon Hunter's expression was twisted, glaring at him with intense hatred, completely unaware that his system was silently being invaded by a toy duck.
Breaking down the outermost protective shield was just a matter of time.
Ten minutes ago, Steelix used a Heavyweight Charge to knock those two pursuing Pokémon hunters and their aircraft flying away, but failed to take them down immediately, only forcing them to crash land.
Upon closer inspection, it turned out that their small aircraft was covered by a layer of blue light membrane, withstanding the Energy Shock of the Heavyweight Charge.
Rocket Team's small aircraft didn't have protective membranes like this—it was the hallmark of elite Pokémon hunters!
No wonder the three of them dared to roam around here.
They were probably in the same tier as Sinnoh Hunter J, much stronger than the rabble that used the Crystal System to capture Lei Gong before.
Unfortunately, such intelligent systems were like doors that could be opened at any time in front of a Porygon II, far less thrilling than Hunter J's Petrification Gun.
Baimu saw those two who crashed trying to escape, intending to send Mawile after them for a chase, but unexpectedly, Dragapult was much faster, leaving Honchkrow to go invisible and pursue, effortlessly taking down one, then leisurely attempting to finish off the other.
The previously thin personality disappeared at this moment.
Seeing the fiery Dragapult, he instinctively recalled the saying that enemies meet with particularly red eyes.
He had suspected before that Dragapult's hatred for humans might be related to the Poaching Team, and now it seemed to confirm that theory. If its former partner was captured…
He needed to find a way to rescue them.
Baimu contemplated this in his heart, not forgetting to trouble the last person.
However, upon realizing his two companions probably couldn't handle Baimu and his Pokémon, the person disappeared back into the woods at some point and brought out the airship they used for mobility—
It was still an airship with missiles!
Its appearance looked about seventy percent similar to the one piloted by the bandit father-daughter duo in the theater version of "Destruction Cocoon and Diancie," possibly built by the same factory.
Upon seeing the missiles for the first time, even Baimu was startled, but relaxed once they were actually launched—
The missile's flight speed was not even comparable to Dragapult's Dragon Arrow!
Its power was nowhere near that of missiles from his past life.
Steelix simply used a Quicksand Hell protective shield to deflect those missiles, diverting them to explode elsewhere, not harming it or Baimu and Blissey on its head.
With the sudden relaxation, he had spare time to ponder whether Yveltal evading those missiles compared in power to these.
The subsequent attack process was also clear.
Baimu and Steelix tangled with the airship outside, dispatching Porygon II to disable the airship's main control program. Hydreigon, after taking out those Honchkrow and Crobat on his command, went to assist Dragapult, saving it from potential mishap.
In less than half a minute, the airship lost control and plummeted from the sky.
To think about it.
This person piloting such a large airship alone, how could it be possible without a smart control system? Even a high-intelligence talent like Jello would need artificial intelligence to operate such a large aircraft.
To accelerate the airship's crash landing, Steelix even unnecessarily used an Iron Tail, unexpectedly, after losing the protective shield, the airship's metal was as fragile as paper, nearly cutting the airship in half at the midsection.
Fortunately, the keel was sturdy enough, waiting to break into pieces upon impact, allowing many of the metal cages inside to roll out.
Afterwards... was the scene before him.
Dragapult and Hydreigon together captured the last person and disappeared. In the chaos, Baimu wasn't sure where they went, presumably nearby.
According to Hydreigon, this guy nearly flipped his cart, his level was high but his mind too straightforward, not as cunning as the Pokémon Hunter.
Thankfully, he followed along, providing backup for Dragapult.
Half a minute later.
The leader of the Pokémon hunters obediently crawled out of the cockpit, although his eyes still harbored resentment, fear was evidently greater.
They had committed crimes all over the place for so long, had they ever encountered someone as ruthless as Baimu?
When he commanded a Pokémon to attack, it really went for the kill, as if not worried about eliminating him. Even Miss Jun Sha might not be this ruthless!
Not to mention when Steelix drilled its tail into the cockpit. Those two brothers of his were lying on the ground, their fate unknown!
Truly.
This level of ruthlessness reminded him of a small town in a distant barren region...
As the hunter leader was contemplating, a voice suddenly inquired from the side.
"Was the landslide your doing?"
"Yes, huh? No!"
The head hunter's expression changed and he quickly waved his hand in denial.
Baimu looked at him, pondering for a moment before summoning the Milotic which had bewitched a group of wild Pokémon. "Come, use your hypnosis techniques to pry open his mouth."
"Milo!"
Milotic nodded, its eyes glowing blue.
"No! Wait!" The head hunter frantically tried to dodge, but before he could turn his head, he was grabbed by Steelix's tail.
The hefty tail wrapped most of his body, leaving only his head exposed to Milotic's hypnotic light waves.
Three minutes later.
Baimu pried out all the information he wanted from the head hunter's mouth.
Just as he suspected, this landslide was not a natural disaster but was caused by these three guys planting explosives, leaving Absol helpless to predict danger but not knowing the disaster was man-made.
Interestingly, these three were actually targeting the Ancient Tomb, planning to blow it open to capture the Registeel sleeping inside, having somehow learned about the presence of a Legendary Pokémon there.
Before catching Registeel, they'd already captured some wild Pokémon that were fleeing the disaster.
Absol was unfortunately caught by them purely by coincidence.
"Blowing open the door with bombs... It's surprising these guys thought of that."
Baimu clicked his tongue secretly, thinking the Ancient Tomb probably wouldn't withstand repeated explosive attacks without some protective measures.
However...
Is there really a Registeel inside the Ancient Tomb?
He remembered that the Registeel of Shendai never spoke of its origins, which could very well be this one from the Ancient Tomb.
Of course, it might not be.
After all, multiple of the Regi Trio exist, as clearly shown in the Pokémon animation - not to mention the three guarding the Tree of World Origin in the movies, and a Trainer named Ajian having a complete set during his later journey.
It's like dealing in wholesale.
Honestly, Baimu was quite interested in the Divine Pillars, not any less than his interest in Lei Gong. Among the many Divine Pillars, his favorite was the Dragon Pillar Regidrago and the Electric Pillar Regieleki from the Sword and Shield games.
The reason was simple.
They are so strong!
These two, released later on, one with such speed it causes a game bug, the other having a "Dragon Spit" exclusive move with the [Giant Dragon Power] ability.
He would definitely try to find them in the Crown Snowfield given a chance.
Though he felt a bit sorry for Gary Oak.
Suddenly.
"Woo-woo—woo-woo—"
The piercing sound of sirens rang out, followed by the whirring of rotating blades.
Baimu looked up, seeing Miss Jun Sha sticking her head out of the cabin door quite unexpectedly. How did she arrive so quickly today?
In such remote mountains, it usually took several hours.
"Ancient Tomb..."
He turned his head only to find the Ancient Tomb had somehow been buried, with the Aggron calmly patting its paws to shake off the damp sand and stones above.
"Ha, burying it is pointless."
Baimu looked at it with a mix of satisfaction and helplessness, guessing it must have noticed his interest in the Divine Pillars and didn't want them exposed to outsiders.
Yet, once Miss Jun Sha interrogates these Pokémon hunters, isn't whatever supposed to be exposed going to be?
Well...
He could actually have a quiet word with her, asking not to reveal anything casually.
Announcing a Legendary Pokémon sleeps on Route 120 will definitely attract a flood of Trainers, and the soil here has been loosened by the Pokémon hunters, posing a danger and disturbing nearby wild Pokémon.
Miss Jun Sha should understand.
Officer Jenny and Joy are among the most sympathetic characters in the Pokémon animation.