Chapter 5: Foolish Actions How many Pokémon did the Quicksand Team actually stuff in here?

Baimu seemed speechless. In less than thirty minutes after landing, they encountered three waves of Pokémon, and this final one was even caught on the spot.

What to do?

Should they resort to their last resort?

He reached into his pocket, nervously eyeing Kokodora.

However, for some reason, the other party didn't attack but maintained a watchful stance, a hint of curiosity apparent in its azure eyes.

After about ten seconds of standoff, Baimu, who was awaiting Kokodora's attack but saw none, was briefly puzzled. Suddenly, as if understanding something, he slowly reached towards his collar.

At the same time,

Faint buzzing wingbeats suddenly came from behind him.

Not good!

Those two supersonic larvae had returned! Dealing with one Kokodora alone was already challenging, and now two more supersonic larvae appeared.

Wasn't this pushing him onto a dead-end path?

Baimu looked at Kokodora, which still hadn't assumed an attacking posture, and inexplicably, the idea of pulling it into his arms and hiding it arose in his mind.

Otherwise, even if he hid, Kokodora would expose itself.

Who would have thought that the other party took a few steps back, glanced at the direction where the wingbeats came from, then dashed to the rock wall, swiftly digging out a small pit, and dove in.

The movements were covert and agile, truly impressive.

This fellow...

As Baimu, who had hidden himself, couldn't help but touch the iron ingot in his chest, wondering if the clue referred to this Kokodora.

But how could the Pokémon that the Quicksand Team brought in, mentioned as "obtainable," actually be obtained? Could it be... an abandoned individual?

There was a probability of this, but it relied on the premise that the assessment ground hadn't been thoroughly inspected. After all, there were plenty of Pokémon interested in iron ingots in this world.

In any case, everything was possible.

Baimu held his breath, striving to minimize any slight movements to avoid being detected by the supersonic larvae.

This Pokémon, living in the desert, possessed strong aggressiveness and wouldn't let any spotted enemies slip away.

"Buzz—"

The noisy sound, akin to a buzzing device, incessantly stimulated Baimu's nerves. If not for his decent level of endurance, he might have lost control by now.

He silently counted in his mind, holding his breath.

After a while, he narrowly escaped another encounter with the two supersonic larvae.

It wasn't until the buzzing sound faded away that he slightly moved and glanced towards the small hole dug by Kokodora.

He thought the other party would show itself, but even after waiting for more than a minute, there was no sign of it.

"Gone, huh... Could this fellow really be abandoned?" Baimu touched the shrunken Poké Ball in his pocket.

The two supersonic larvae came back too quickly; he didn't have a chance to probe.

Did he miss this opportunity?

He rubbed his forehead to dispel the distracting thoughts. At the moment, the most crucial thing was to pass the assessment. Even if he truly missed it, being an official member would eventually grant him one.

Let's continue.

Baimu turned on the lamp on his miner's hat, adjusted the brightness to make the dim path clear yet not attract attention from light-sensitive Pokémon.

Not long after he left,

Kokodora popped its head out of the hole, looked in the direction he had departed, and a bit of dust sprayed from the four small black holes on its face. It followed him, neither hurried nor slow.

Panting heavily, Chenghong's panicked run was like a death sentence, the Iron Armored Rhino chasing behind him making him panic and lose his way.

Undoubtedly, his act of treating traps as nothing was quite foolish.

Therefore, it was no surprise when Chenghong suddenly stepped into a pit deliberately crafted, the scattered rocks at the bottom easily piercing his skin, blood instantly soaking through his clothes.

"Hehehehe, a bunch of incompetent trash, thinking they can pass the assessment."

Above the pit, the Iron Armored Rhino showed its head, accompanied by several annoying faces.

Among them, a person sneered, "Tell me about Baimu's whereabouts earlier, if I'm in a good mood, I might let you off."

"You're dreaming! Just wait! If Baimu finds out, he won't spare you!" Chenghong glared at Shibata with resentment.

After they split up from Baimu, their journey had been exceptionally fortunate. Not only did they avoid various traps, but they also encountered few trial Pokémon.

When they reached the depths and saw those scattered gemstone mines, victory seemed imminent. However, Shibata had already set up an ambush here with people and cheating Pokémon. They caught them off guard.

One after another, his companions fell, and now, the only one who managed to escape fell into a trap.

"Let me go? Hahaha, I want to see how he won't let me go! A bunch of worthless paupers! Iron Armored Rhino! Kill him for me!"

Shibata was furious, waving his hand intending to kill Chenghong.

The latter, horrified, crossed his arms in front of him, closing his eyes, thinking he was doomed, despite being extremely afraid, he instinctively gritted his teeth, unwilling to show weakness before death. In his heart, he called out for Baimu to avenge him.

However, after waiting for a while, he felt no pain at all.

This made him unable to resist opening his eyes and looking up.

"Huh? Where are they?"

Shibata and the others, along with the Iron Armored Rhino, had disappeared without a trace.

Was he actually let go? How was that possible!

Chenghong was full of doubts.

Above the pit, Shibata wore a stiff expression, looking at the departing Iron Armored Rhino. The latter was a Pokémon his uncle sent to help him, yet he couldn't command it! The contemptuous gaze before leaving also stung his heart.

Damn it! How dare even a Pokémon look down on me! Remembering the clear attitude of the Iron Armored Rhino that had just made it clear it didn't care about him, Shibata's face was almost distorted with rage, his fists clenched, and his body tense. The people beside him, seeing his appearance, didn't dare to speak louder.

Afraid of being implicated by his temper.

"All because of that damn Baimu! I must kill him!"

Finally, Shibata attributed everything to Baimu's refusal to yield. If it weren't for Baimu's existence, where would these paupers dare to be so stubborn? He wouldn't have been constantly criticized by his family for not doing even such small things well and bringing shame upon them.

Absolutely.

It's all Baimu's fault!

Returning to the vicinity of the gemstone mine, Shibata looked at the lying "paupers," who were wailing on the ground, and sneered, "Hit them! Make them shout out loud! Let that little wretch Baimu know about this place!"

"Um, that Shibata..."

"Hmm!?"

The person speaking avoided Shibata's crimson gaze, and the others glanced at each other, wanting to say that doing so might easily attract other Pokémon. However, they didn't dare to contradict Shibata's anger and just did as he said.

In a flash,

From the underground mine, there came horrific cries of pain, causing many lackeys exploring the Quicksand Team to shiver.

What terrifying thing had they encountered that made them scream like that? Was the assessment really this frightening?

Baimu, who was slowly advancing, also sensed something. He even recognized a bit of the screaming and couldn't help but quicken his pace.

Failing or passing the assessment didn't matter; he was just worried that someone might lose their life due to this. He hadn't become so callous as to turn a blind eye to the possible death of acquaintances.

And in the shadows where everyone was unaware, a symbol-like figure, resembling a small person growing out of a gray rock slab, held a miniature camera, secretly observing these participants in the assessment.

Inside Huangtie Town, a man with a dignified demeanor held a glass of red wine, gazing at numerous screens in front of him, sighing.

"The Quicksand Team, each generation is worse than the last."

The security company established to protect the mine had fallen to such a state.

"Death Board, keep an eye on the Crying Mask group, don't let too many people die."

"Ssss!"

On the giant gray rock inscribed with strange snake-like symbols, the purple eyes blinked gently before disappearing on the spot.

Seeking more chapters, seeking votes, seeking collections~ (The end of this chapter)