-068- Who Goes There? (1/3)

Boom—!!

After a powerful collision, Electabuzz collapsed to the ground. Even though Electabuzz had just used Quick Attack to dodge, it still couldn't escape the pursuit of the two Drapion. One must understand, Electabuzz was fighting two against one, and at only level twenty-one, facing two level fifty Drapion! It was like striking a stone with an egg—utterly hopeless!

In contrast, the two Drapion were at ease; bullying Electabuzz seemed nothing more than a game to them.

“Hahaha… You brat, you’ve reached a dead end. Admit defeat!” The tall man in brown laughed recklessly, clearly never taking Tong Si seriously.

“Bring Electabuzz over here!” At his command, one of the Drapion moved slowly toward Electabuzz.

Tong Si pulled out Electabuzz’s Poké Ball, intending to recall it, but the other Drapion suddenly appeared in front of him, obstructing his view and preventing him from retrieving his Pokémon.

“Damn it! Electabuzz, run!” Tong Si shouted.

This was the most helpless moment he'd experienced since coming to this world. He never expected that the members of the Bronzite Gang weren’t all weaklings; there were some formidable opponents among them!

Tong Si tried to skirt around Drapion, but no matter which way he went, it blocked him. Drapion didn’t attack, only repeatedly toyed with him.

Suddenly, a swift, thunderous sound rang out. Passing through the thicket, it seemed to arrive at the battlefield in the blink of an eye.

“What?” Tong Si and the Bronzite Gang members noticed the figure, though Tong Si’s sight was blocked by the massive Drapion, so he couldn’t see who it was.

Just as the other Drapion grabbed Electabuzz by the arm and lifted it, an attack struck it directly.

“Drapion—!” Tong Si heard the Drapion cry out in pain, then it was hurled through the air.

Thud—thud—thud! After crashing through nearly three slender trees, Drapion finally fell beneath an ancient tree.

“Who are you?” The tall man grew anxious. To knock Drapion away so suddenly and send it flying so far—the strength of the newcomer was clear.

Most critically, after knocking Drapion aside, the Pokémon vanished again.

“Hyper Fang!” From the thicket, Tong Si heard a human voice. It sounded familiar, as if he’d heard it somewhere before.

At that moment, the shadow-like Pokémon struck again.

The Drapion before Tong Si was stunned, unable to react as a set of bite marks suddenly appeared on its body.

“Drapion—!” A scream tore from it, and Drapion instantly fell, losing its fighting ability.

“Drapion!” The tall man’s eyes widened in shock as he saw Drapion collapse. On its back, a Raticate crouched—one that was even larger than most ordinary Raticate.

“Well done, old friend.” The familiar voice sounded again from the thicket.

With the rustling of branches, the owner of the voice finally appeared—a modestly dressed middle-aged man.

“It’s you!” Tong Si stared in astonishment. This was Lin Mo, who had come to Tong Si’s home a few days ago, inviting him to join the Poké Association’s Supernova Project!

At the same time, Lin Mo held another identity: Vice President of Jiahua City’s Poké Association, Provincial Specially Appointed Professional Trainer of Linhai Province—Master Lin Mo!

“Haha… Tong Si, never expected we’d meet here. What a coincidence!” Lin Mo’s eyes narrowed with a smile.

“Why are you here?” Tong Si was puzzled. Late at night, why would Lin Mo appear in Verdant Leaf Forest? Was this truly a coincidence? Absolutely not!

“Let’s talk later—first, let’s deal with this group before us!” Lin Mo’s gaze sharpened instantly.

“It’s Master Lin Mo!” The tall man in brown was suddenly dumbfounded at the sight of Lin Mo. He certainly recognized him; he had researched all the senior members of Jiahua City’s Poké Association. Before every Bronzite Gang mission, they investigated the local Association and the strongest trainers.

They had gathered extensive intelligence and carefully planned their routes. According to inside information, Verdant Leaf Forest usually had twenty investigators, rarely over thirty even in special situations. Each investigator had a specific area. The Bronzite Gang knew these patrol ranges intimately.

Along the way, they’d perfectly avoided all investigators, moving unimpeded. But Lin Mo—he was never supposed to be here!

According to their sources, Lin Mo would not come to Verdant Leaf Forest. What was going on?

“What happened?”

In the rear compartment, the Professor poked his head out after asking.

“Professor! The situation is urgent, please leave first—I’ll hold them off!” The tall man spoke earnestly.

The Professor understood, retreated into the compartment, locked the door, and told the driver to move.

Once the driver got in, the truck started up.

“Come out, Armored Warrior! Brave Eagle!” The tall man in brown sent out two Armored Warriors and two Brave Eagles.

The two Drapion had already been defeated. These four Pokémon were his only hope now.

To cover the Professor’s escape, he was prepared to risk everything. He knew well how powerful Master Lin Mo was, but he could not let the Professor fall into danger!

“Hmph! Interesting!” Lin Mo smiled slightly.

He didn’t even need to give orders—Raticate had already vanished.

When it reappeared, the truck screeched to a halt. Yes, Raticate had appeared in front of the truck.

“Take Down!” Lin Mo’s voice was soft, but Raticate understood perfectly. After years of working together, Lin Mo and Raticate shared a deep, seamless bond.

Bang—

A fierce collision echoed through the night, warping the truck’s front end and forcing it back over three meters.

“This Raticate! Impossible…” The tall man was stunned by Raticate’s astonishing power.

Inside, the driver had fainted; as for the Professor in the rear compartment, no one knew his condition.

“So strong!” Tong Si exclaimed. He had never seen such a powerful Raticate.

Scanning its data panel, Tong Si saw the specifics:

Raticate
Level: 70
Potential: Champion-grade
…
… (To be continued)