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Under the combined "good cop, bad cop" routine of the two Elite-level Trainers, the group of freelance Trainers had no choice but to agree.
The three people chosen to walk in front each released a Graveler, a Golbat, and a Sandslash, then carefully began scouting the way ahead.
Due to the narrow terrain, releasing too many Pokémon would only increase the chances of triggering danger, so each person only sent out one Pokémon. This arrangement had clearly been thought out in advance. The Graveler could serve as a shield and even self-destruct in a critical moment. The Golbat could fly and use Supersonic to detect traps. The Sandslash, being fast and agile, was there to respond to emergencies.
"Tap, tap, tap~"
Led by the three scouts, the group advanced through the narrow tunnel.
Suddenly—
Boom!
The Graveler at the front was blasted backward by an explosion.
"Heh-cha!"
Its rocky body was covered in cracks. With a single strike, this Rock-type Pokémon, known for its defensive strength, had already been severely injured.
But that was only the beginning.
The explosion seemed to be merely an appetizer. Soon after, a chain of explosions erupted.
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom~"
"Ahhh! Save me!"
"No!"
The three mid-stage Ordinary Level Trainers at the front, along with their Golbat and Sandslash, were instantly swallowed by the explosions.
Countless flying rock fragments shot backward, striking many of the people behind them.
Faced with such a large-scale chain explosion, all calculations became meaningless.
Flying through the air was useless.
Speed was useless.
There was no opportunity to escape at all.
The only reason the mid-stage Graveler survived was because it had been blown backward by the first blast.
However, after sensing the severing of its Mind Contract with its Trainer, the heavily injured Graveler no longer wished to live.
Its entire body began to glow with white light as it charged directly into the center of the explosion.
Boom!!!
A far more violent explosion erupted.
When the dust and smoke finally settled, only scattered scraps of clothing and chunks of flesh remained on the ground.
Whether those fragments belonged to humans or Pokémon was impossible to tell.
As for the three Trainers' spatial backpacks and everything stored inside them, all of it had been reduced to rubble.
"My lady, it was a life-burning self-destruction trap created using Ordinary Level Geodude and Graveler."
One of Natsume's experienced Elite-level subordinates stepped forward to inspect the area before reporting his conclusion.
Only a self-destruction of that scale could have heavily injured a mid-stage Graveler in a single blow.
"Heh~ They were really willing to spend the resources."
After hearing the report, Natsume nodded.
To be honest, she felt somewhat envious.
Unlike the Rock-type Pokémon cultivated by Pewter City, she specialized in Psychic-types as the Gym Leader of Saffron City.
Psychic Pokémon were notoriously expensive.
Just look at Staryu.
Simply because it possessed a Psychic attribute, its price was much higher than that of ordinary Water-type Pokémon.
Pure Psychic-types were even more outrageous.
Even their daily food expenses were astonishing.
So although Saffron City was wealthier and more prosperous than Pewter City, she could never afford to waste Pokémon lives in such a lavish manner.
After her brief moment of envy, Natsume spoke through the voice-modulation effect beneath her mask.
"Continue."
"Yes!"
The subordinate responsible for organizing the scouting teams immediately acknowledged the order.
Then he pointed at another group.
A new three-person team stepped forward.
Although all three looked terrified, they did not dare refuse.
After all, scouting ahead at least offered a chance of survival.
Refusing meant certain death.
"Come out, Machoke!"
"Graveler, come out!"
"Nidorino, come out!"
After releasing their Pokémon, the three Trainers cautiously moved forward.
Watching their slow pace, Natsume frowned.
They were deliberately dragging things out.
A telepathic message was immediately sent out.
"Hurry up, or I'll kill you right now!"
The Trainer acting as the "bad cop" instantly received the message and shouted the threat aloud.
"Yes! Yes! Yes!"
Realizing their intentions had been seen through, the three could only grit their teeth and speed up.
Watching them leave, Tian Ci shook his head.
In his opinion, these three were already dead.
There would definitely be more traps ahead.
And because the three had been forced together, they would never cooperate properly.
Even if each Pokémon was individually stronger than the previous group, it wouldn't make much difference.
The previous team had at least possessed a reasonable formation.
If that Graveler had not advanced too quickly, the group might have survived using Golbat's Supersonic scouting.
But these three?
They were all fighting for themselves.
How could they possibly survive?
Sure enough, only a few minutes later—
"Swish! Swish! Swish!"
A rain of deep-purple Poison Stings suddenly shot down from the cave ceiling.
"Kuli!"
Sensing the danger above, the strongest Machoke immediately threw itself in front of its Trainer.
The Poison Stings descended like a storm.
"Puchi! Puchi! Puchi!"
The sounds of sharp spikes piercing flesh echoed throughout the tunnel.
At the same time, the ground beneath them trembled.
Then—
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
A fresh wave of explosions erupted.
The three Trainers and their Pokémon, who had barely managed to hold on, were ultimately blown apart into mangled heaps of flesh.
None of them survived.
Still, their outcome was slightly better than that of the previous group.
At least most of their bodies remained intact.
Some of their belongings had also survived.
One piece of refined gold ore landed near a Trainer standing behind the scouting group.
Without thinking, he reached out to grab it.
"Don't touch it!"
A sudden warning rang out.
Unfortunately, it was already too late.
His hand had already made contact with the ore.
In his mind, it should have been safe.
After all, he was wearing a protective suit, complete with gloves.
Even if it was poisonous, the suit should protect him.
But the instant he touched it—
"Ahhh!"
A burning pain erupted from his hand.
Startled, he immediately jerked it back.
Only then did he discover that the glove covering his hand had already been corroded through.
The skin beneath was stained a dark purple.
He had been poisoned.
"Gulp! Gulp!"
Terrified, he hurriedly pulled out several bottles of Antidote and drank them all.
Fortunately, the contact had been brief.
After several moments, the poison was finally neutralized.
"That toxin was specially developed to corrode the materials used in protective suits. It was specifically designed to kill Trainers."
The Elite-level Trainer who had been playing the role of the "good cop" explained the situation.
He then looked around and warned everyone again.
"Don't get greedy."
They had traveled less than one-tenth of the remaining distance and had already suffered casualties.
If more people died because of greed, it would be an enormous waste.
These people were valuable tools.
They could not be squandered so casually.
"Alright. Third group, move out."
After the explanation ended, the "bad cop" immediately pointed toward another group.
The people selected instantly turned pale.
Nonetheless, they obediently stepped forward, released their Pokémon, and continued scouting the path ahead.
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