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"Brat, you're looking for death!"
"Gengar, Mismagius, Shadow Ball."
The sickly-looking old man, seeing Sato command Nidoking to suddenly attack their side, widened his beady eyes hidden beneath bushy white eyebrows. Furious to the point of his whiskers and hair seeming to bristle, he roared at Sato.
In the next second, the Gengar and Mismagius that had been invisibly guarding him materialized simultaneously. A Shadow Ball pulsing with terrifying energy quickly shot from Gengar's mouth, while a similar one formed from Mismagius, both colliding with the Flamethrower unleashed by Nidoking.
Both Gengar and Mismagius were over level 60, part of the sickly old man's main team. Although Nidoking, bolstered by its Sheer Force ability and Life Orb, had amplified the Flamethrower's power to a formidable degree, it was ultimately no match for the combined Shadow Balls from the two powerful Ghost-types.
For a moment, the two terrifying Shadow Balls pushed the pillar of flame back a good distance before erupting in a violent explosion with it.
BOOM!!!
A massive spray of white water erupted from the lake, churning the surface into turbulent waves.
The inflatable boat carrying the sickly old man rocked violently left and right in the swell, its occupants swaying precariously, each moment threatening a plunge into the water.
Soon, a member of the Malevolent Ghost Poaching Group, unable to steady himself, fell overboard.
Though his rubber suit protected him from being instantly electrocuted by the powerful currents released by the Tynamo swarm, it wasn't long before the frenzied Tynamo tore through the material. He vanished beneath the lake's surface.
The other poachers still crossing the underground lake watched, their expressions darkening, yet they unanimously chose to stand by idly.
Many even wore expressions of schadenfreude, as if the earlier pact had been mere words on paper.
'Just as I expected. These guys all wish the strongest ones, the Malevolent Ghost Poaching Group, would just drop dead right now.'
'Since sinking their boat is difficult, I'll just slow them down. Nidoking, use Ice Beam to freeze the water around their boat.'
Observing the other groups' inaction, Sato sneered inwardly and immediately gave Nidoking another telepathic command.
Roaring in response, Nidoking released a beam of icy-blue light from the horn on its forehead, freezing the lake water directly beneath and around the sickly old man's inflatable boat.
"Brat, you better not run later. Just you wait, I'll make you wish you were dead."
"Mismagius, use Mystical Fire to melt the ice around us!"
"Gengar, leave us, go over there and kill that brat!"
Now, the members of the Malevolent Ghost Poaching Group were truly at their wits' end. Sato's move had directly caused them to fall behind the other poachers.
They hurriedly ordered their Pokémon to break the ice while simultaneously commanding others to cross the lake and attack Sato.
Unfortunately, they were destined not to land a single blow on him because Sato gave them no chance.
After having Nidoking freeze their boat, Sato immediately recalled Nidoking. Then, accompanied by Crobat and Kecleon, he swiftly entered one of the passages in the rock wall on the far shore.
In the end, the Malevolent Ghost Poaching Group could only watch helplessly as Sato swaggered away right before their eyes.
The second group to successfully reach the far shore was the Gale Poaching Group. Their jet-propelled flight gear was incredibly fast, making their crossing speed second only to Sato's Crobat.
Unlike Sato, who had only targeted the feared Malevolent Ghost Group, the Gale Group, as a powerful large-scale poaching organization, had few reservations about the other three major groups.
In their daily operations, they were stumbling blocks on each other's paths to profit, leading to deep-seated grudges. Given the chance, each would eagerly eliminate the others to monopolize the Pokémon market.
To seize the priceless Pokémon egg this time, the Gale Group wasn't afraid of angering the crowd.
Therefore, the moment they reached the far shore, the hook-nosed man leading the team immediately ordered his comrades to attack the other three major poaching groups, further weakening their competitors.
However, the hook-nosed man knew their own strength alone couldn't quickly eliminate the other competitors. So, he chose to utilize the most powerful force in this place.
Under his command, the Gale Group members released their powerful Flying-type Pokémon. These Pokémon rapidly created over a dozen large whirlwinds.
Guided by the Flying-types, these whirlwinds lined up, almost horizontally covering the entire lake surface, instantly becoming a massive barrier blocking the other poachers' progress.
Moreover, as these large whirlwinds entered the lake area, they churned up vast amounts of water, transforming into imposing waterspouts.
The Tynamo in the lake were numerous and small, so they were also swept into the waterspouts along with the current. Panicked, the Tynamo began releasing Electric-type moves in self-defense.
Thus, the large whirlwouts evolved once more, becoming terrifying thunderous waterspouts.
But for the other poachers, the most deadly threat wasn't these thunderous waterspouts created by the Gale Group, but the Tynamo swarm in the lake that had been thoroughly enraged.
Eelektrik, the evolved form of Tynamo, were more aggressive and hot-tempered. Seeing their kin being tortured within the waterspouts, they flew into a rage.
This time, no amount of powder scattered by the Crag Poaching Group or calming efforts from the Eelektross protecting the Malevolent Ghost Poaching Group mattered. The infuriated Eelektrik began savagely attacking all poachers.
Instantly, the entire lake seemed to boil over as hordes of Eelektrik leaped from the water, launching fierce assaults on any poacher passing through their territory.
Unlike Tynamo, which only knew Electric moves, Eelektrik, upon evolution, gained access to other attacking moves like Crunch, Acid, and Acid Spray, which they learned naturally by leveling up.
Realizing their usual go-to Electric moves were ineffective this time, they switched to using Crunch, Acid, Acid Spray, and other non-Electric moves to attack the poachers.
Now, thanks to the Gale Group's sabotage, the remaining poachers were instantly plunged into a lethal crisis.
'Dog bites dog. The moment you all chose not to intervene and stop me, I knew this would happen.'
'But these Gale Group guys are truly ruthless. They're trying to finish off everyone else. Indeed, people with hook noses are always cruel and vicious.'
Unbeknownst to them, Sato had quietly slipped back from the passage. Hidden behind a large rock, he used his psychic senses to watch the highly ironic scene unfold before him, sneering inwardly.