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"Looks like I really can't underestimate these people. Even with psychic sensing, there are still blind spots. Underground just happens to be where my and Crobat's detection is weakest—and they clearly figured that out."
Watching Mismagius vanish rapidly from his psychic detection range, Sato's expression darkened, irritation flashing through his mind.
He immediately ordered Roserade to heal Crobat using Grassy Terrain and Aromatherapy.
Receiving the command, Roserade activated Grassy Terrain and Aromatherapy without hesitation, rapidly treating Crobat's injuries.
Before long, Crobat's wounds healed at a visible pace, and its vitality quickly recovered.
On the other side, after Mismagius successfully broke free, the whip-wielding woman's Manectric and the sickly old man's Gengar also disengaged from Nidoking and returned to their respective Trainers.
Although Mismagius had escaped, overall, Sato had gained the upper hand in the clash against the three poaching groups. Not only had their sneak attack on Roserade failed, they had also suffered heavy losses.
In particular, after Gengar's two shadow clones were destroyed, his aura visibly weakened. Clearly, losing those two clones had dealt him severe damage—he would be unable to rejoin the fight for quite some time.
As for Sato's side, although Crobat had been defeated earlier, with Roserade present, it wouldn't be long before Crobat fully recovered its combat capability.
With the enemy weakened and his own side recovering, who gained and who lost was obvious at a glance.
The three leaders of the poaching groups understood this all too well. Seeing Crobat—whom they had finally defeated through a coordinated ambush—rapidly recovering under Roserade's healing, all three of their faces looked terrible.
However, they simply couldn't spare any additional forces to deal with Sato now. The combined presence of Onix, Sableye, Cradily, Druddigon, and Aggron created a synergistic threat far beyond simple addition.
Especially with Aggron acting as a massive frontline tank, capable of charging through formations at will, defeating those wild Pokémon had become even more difficult.
Worse still, Sato—the Trainer who had suddenly switched sides—was watching them like a hawk, ready to strike at any moment.
To be honest, Sato truly considered joining forces with Onix and the others to completely crush the three poaching groups. The only reason he hesitated was his uncertainty about Altaria's attitude.
After all, he was still a human Trainer. In Altaria's eyes, he too was an intruder.
Sato had no way of knowing whether Altaria would appreciate his help. Moreover, his intervention would come at a price—the resources within Altaria's dragon lair used to nurture Dragon-type Pokémon.
If Altaria turned hostile afterward and refused to acknowledge the deal, Sato might end up with nothing—and escaping the dragon lair could become extremely difficult.
Chirp—!!!
Before Sato could make his decision, a piercing cry rang out, instantly causing his expression to change.
Sato wasn't the only one who reacted. All the Trainers and Pokémon engaged in battle froze upon hearing the shrill scream, then instinctively turned and rushed toward the depths of the Crystal Cavern.
"So that's where Shadow's been hiding all this time… taking advantage of the chaos to steal the Pokémon Egg."
Hearing Altaria's unmistakable cry, Sato snapped out of his thoughts and immediately realized the truth about Shadow's disappearance.
Deep within the Crystal Cavern, in front of a massive nest formed from amethyst and decorated with countless precious gems, an Altaria completely encased in ice glared hatefully at a black-clad man wearing a white mask.
Beside him stood a badly injured Houndoom, an equally battered Froslass, and an Ambipom holding a Pokémon Egg covered in dragon-like patterns with its twin hands.
The masked man was none other than Shadow.
While the three poaching groups were fighting Onix and the others, Shadow had quietly slipped away. With a simple scheme, he had Froslass unleash Blizzard, freezing Altaria—whose strength had sharply declined after just laying an egg.
Even so, Altaria proved worthy of her powerful Elite Four level status. To protect the egg, she endured Blizzard head-on without collapsing, retaliating with Draco Meteor that heavily injured both Houndoom and Froslass.
However, with her severely weakened after childbirth, her Pokémon Egg was seized in that moment by Ambipom, and she herself was subsequently frozen solid by Ice Beam.
"Hahaha! I finally got it! With this Pokémon Egg born from Altaria and Salamence, I'll easily be Elite-Four bound within five years!"
Taking the dragon-patterned egg from Ambipom, Shadow burst into excited laughter.
Hearing hurried footsteps approaching from behind, Shadow's smile faded. He coldly addressed the gravely wounded Altaria.
"It seems they've noticed what's happening here. What a pity—I can't take you with me. But don't worry. I'll take good care of your child."
"Come out, Claydol. Use Teleport and get me out of here."
With that, he released a Claydol and issued the command.
"Don't even think about escaping—leave the Pokémon Egg behind!"
At the same time, the sickly old man and the others rushed in. Seeing the egg in Shadow's hands and Claydol being released, they instantly understood his intent and shouted angrily.
But the moment Claydol appeared, it immediately carried out Shadow's order. A powerful wave of psychic energy surged outward.
Just as Teleport was about to succeed—right before the eyes of everyone watching in shock—
The solid ice encasing Altaria suddenly shattered.
In the next instant, a beam of freezing energy shot from Altaria's barely breathing body, striking Claydol directly.
"How is that possible?! Claydol, activate Teleport again!"
"You're courting death! Froslass—kill her! Ice Beam!"
Seeing Altaria break free at the critical moment and interrupt Claydol's Teleport with Ice Beam, Shadow's face changed drastically as he urgently issued orders.