Chapter 500: An Old Acquaintance in a Foreign Land
With a clear direction, Arthur and Skarner set off again immediately. Time was of the essence. Although the Nidoking had been kidnapped more recently than the Krookodile, it had still been several days. If they didn't hurry, their trail would go cold.
Once again, Skarner drove while Arthur sat in the passenger seat. The Sandslash was in the back, and the Krookodile Chieftain was... running alongside them. It wasn't that they were deliberately tormenting him; his massive frame simply wouldn't fit in the car.
The Nidoking Chieftain hadn't come along. It wasn't used to running in the desert and was too slow. Instead, it had sent one of its Heliolisk sub-leaders to accompany them. Heliolisk were native to the desert. They resembled lizards and had a frill around their necks that they could open like an umbrella, which is how they got their name. They were Electric/Normal types and could generate their own electricity, entering a state of heightened physical ability, and could run incredibly fast, becoming a blur of lightning. They had no trouble keeping up with the jeep's 50 mph speed.
And so, the group of humans and Pokémon headed west, tracking the mysterious poaching ring. Along the way, Arthur occasionally chatted with the Heliolisk, gathering more information. He first asked about his little dragonfly, and the information was largely the same as what the Krookodile Chieftain had told him. Then, he asked about the kidnapped Nidoking.
This part surprised him. The Heliolisk's description of the kidnapped Nidoking gave him a strong sense of déjà vu. Young, a sudden burst of potential, a rapid increase in both intelligence and strength in a short amount of time, and, coincidentally, it had also claimed to have received a revelation.
Hearing this, Arthur subconsciously turned to look at the Sandslash in the back seat. The resemblance is uncanny.
Was this just a coincidence? Was chuunibyou spreading like a virus? Or was there some other, unknown reason behind it? Vaguely, Arthur felt like he had heard of this phenomenon before, but he couldn't quite recall where.
The car sped on. The Heliolisk would occasionally hop into the car to rest and recharge when it got tired. The Krookodile Chieftain, on the other hand, had to run the entire way and was panting heavily after a few hours. Its gaze on the two humans in the car had started to turn resentful.
About two hours later, their monotonous journey finally took a turn. "What's that?" Skarner asked, subconsciously hitting the brakes. As they got closer, they were forced to a complete stop. A long blockade had been set up in front of them.
Several armored vehicles were parked in a line across the desert, and soldiers armed with rifles were motioning for them to stop.
"&r#@%!"
After Skarner stopped the car, several soldiers approached and began speaking in a language Arthur didn't understand. It was the local dialect, not the Kubfu language.
Skarner gave a wry smile and explained to Arthur, "They're saying there's a military supply line ahead and we have to take a detour. Can't be helped, just bad luck. This sort of thing happens around here. Don't be too surprised, Team Leader."
But Arthur was silent, his eyes narrowing. Skarner didn't notice that one of Arthur's hands was now resting on a Poké Ball on his belt.
"@f%k!" came another series of commanding shouts.
Skarner explained, "They want to check the trunk. You stay in the car, I'll go show them."
But at that moment, Arthur grabbed Skarner's arm. "I'll go."
"What? But you don't speak the local language, you won't be able to communicate. I should—" He stopped mid-sentence. The look in Arthur's eyes sent a sudden chill down his spine. Skarner wasn't an idiot. Arthur's unusual behavior made him realize something was wrong. His hand, which had been about to turn off the engine, froze in place.
"I'll go. You stay in the car," Arthur repeated, and then, without waiting for a reply, he got out. As he did, he "accidentally" dropped a Poké Ball on the seat. Skarner noticed but said nothing. He didn't know what was going on, but out of trust and a sense of camaraderie, he instinctively chose to cooperate.
After getting out of the car, Arthur nodded to the approaching soldier and led him to the back of the vehicle. He opened the trunk, and the soldier continued to speak in the local dialect.
But then, Arthur, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly spoke. "You speak the Kubfu language, don't you?"
The man's head snapped up, a look of alarm in his eyes. The bluff confirmed Arthur's initial suspicion. It's an old acquaintance.
"It's a long way from the Star Brilliance Alliance to here. It must have been a tough journey," he asked, out of the blue, which made the man's face change color. The man immediately raised his rifle to attack.
But Arthur had already gotten the information he wanted. It really is them. In a way, this was a reunion in a foreign land. Unfortunately, this reunion wasn't one of tears, but of backstabbing.
Arthur's foot shot out, kicking the inside of the man's knee and forcing him to stumble to the ground. He then lunged forward, grabbed the stock of the rifle, and pushed the barrel upwards. At the same time, the man pulled the trigger, and the rifle fired into the air.
Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat!
The sudden burst of gunfire shattered the desert silence, startling everyone. Skarner, in the car, jumped in his seat. Are you serious, sir?! He's actually fighting?! Team Leader, they have numbers!
But despite his complaints, he acted without thinking, his hand immediately reaching for the Poké Ball Arthur had left on the seat.
Meanwhile, behind the car, Arthur raised his leg again, delivering a knee strike between the "soldier's" legs, a critical hit. The man's eyes bulged, bloodshot. His grip on the rifle loosened, and Arthur snatched it away. He then swung the rifle, smashing the stock against the man's temple and knocking him to the ground.
More than two years later, the man was once again at his feet. The last time Arthur had looked down on him like this was on a night in the Star Brilliance Alliance. That's right. From the moment he had seen him from the car, Arthur had recognized him. This was the member of the Stitched Shadow Army he had briefly "controlled" back then.
The threads of fate were truly strange. Arthur had finally confirmed the enemy's identity. This was no ordinary poaching ring. It was an old acquaintance—the remnants of the Stitched Shadow Army, fully absorbed by Dayna after Specter's departure.
This was a truly fateful reunion.
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