Chapter 331: The Crisis Resurfaces
Although he had safely escorted Basalt to the research outpost, Adil wasn't completely at ease. He staked out the area near the outpost for two days, just in case the black-robed man was still lingering.
"Looks like I was too worried. That mysterious guy must have run off after I intercepted him. He didn't follow us. And after so many days, there's no way to track him now."
Certain that the black-robed man wouldn't appear again, Adil shook his head with a smile and finally turned back to return home.
"But who was that guy?"
Adil frowned, a shadow cast over his heart.
According to the messages sent back from the tribe, they had confirmed that there was no such person in the Roba Tribe.
But the problem was, the man had definitely come out of Roba City. Adil was sure of that.
If they really looked into it, the Roba Tribe couldn't completely absolve themselves of responsibility.
So, before the matter was fully investigated, Adil didn't want to tell Basalt the details.
Instead, he just called Basalt to warn him that poachers had been spotted in the desert recently and to be careful.
"Huh? Poachers in the desert?"
Basalt scratched his head, surprised. "There are still poachers operating within the Alliance's borders?"
Poachers, also known as Pokémon Hunters, made a living by capturing and selling rare Pokémon. This profession had existed since ancient times and had never truly disappeared.
However, the Alliance's public security had always been among the best in the world, so poachers had essentially vanished from within its borders.
But abroad, poachers and criminal organizations were still very active, and their presence was significant.
Basalt had once read a report online about certain powerful underground organizations that would even invade a region, setting up branches under the guise of the Pokémon League. Their power was formidable.
"Although there are few poachers in our country, they haven't completely disappeared. Their organizations just can't compare to the scale of those abroad, and they operate much more secretively."
Adil shook his head and warned, "Besides, the Takla Desert is located in the western frontier of the Alliance. Further west lies the Afghan League, Tajik League, Kyrgyz League, Kazakh League, and other small Pokémon Leagues. The border is too long; it's impossible to guard against everything. I suspect these poachers might be from abroad, so you must be careful."
The black-robed man's Claydol and Corviknight were both very rare within the country.
So Adil suspected he was from abroad.
Basalt nodded. "Don't worry, Big Brother Adil. I'll be careful."
"Alright then. Take care of yourself. If you run into any trouble, you can contact me. My word still carries some weight in this desert."
With that, Adil hung up.
...
After resting at the research outpost for two days and helping Professor Rowan with a few experiments, Basalt packed his bags and was finally ready to set off for the Ashkule volcano cluster.
It happened to be Finn's rest day, so he offered, "Basalt, the Ashkule volcano cluster is pretty dangerous. Are you sure you don't need me to go with you?"
"Senior Finn, better not! I'm not a child. Besides, you can protect me for a while, but you can't protect me for my whole life, right?"
Basalt declined with a smile.
"Well... alright then!"
Finn nodded and could only advise, "Then be careful on the road. Remember, when you're out and about, it's best not to trust any strangers. And if you can avoid interacting with people, try to avoid it."
After a bear hug goodbye with Finn, Basalt released Bronzong and shot into the sky, heading southwest.
Finn, meanwhile, took Dr. Zander, Leopold, and the others back to the oasis camp.
Back at Amuyar's oasis.
When Finn and his group landed, they didn't notice a Pokémon with long, cream-colored facial fur and dark blue fur on its upper body sniffing the air, its spirit perking up.
This Pokémon resembled a large dog, with a tall, sturdy build. Its lower body had light gray fur, and its eyes were intimidating. Like a real dog, it had short black whiskers on either side of its nose.
It was a Stoutland.
After Finn and the others entered the courtyard, the large dog approached the spot where Finn had just landed. It took a deep breath, its nose twitching constantly.
Odor Sleuth!
"Woof! Woof!"
Stoutland's eyes flashed. After confirming the scent, it quickly ran off, without alerting anyone during the entire process.
Running quickly through the dunes, the large dog moved with incredible speed, traversing the soft, shifting sand as if it were flat ground.
"Stoutland, did you find anything?"
From behind a rocky outcrop in the dunes, a figure completely shrouded in a black robe stepped out. It was the same man Adil had intercepted.
"Woof! Woof!"
Stoutland wagged its tail.
Seeing this, the black-robed man was overjoyed. "My prey cannot escape my grasp."
Although he had lost Basalt's trail after being intercepted by Adil, the black-robed man had learned some of Basalt's situation from Alim. He knew the research team Basalt was with would rest at Amuyar's oasis.
So, the black-robed man had decided to wait it out and try his luck here.
Now, his patience had finally paid off.
Because on Finn, Stoutland had detected Basalt's faint scent.
Unfortunately, Basalt's scent was too faint. Since it was just a lingering trace on Finn, it wasn't enough to track over a long distance.
So, Stoutland had memorized Finn's scent instead.
As long as they followed Finn's scent back to its source, they would likely find Basalt's current location.
"Come out, Claydol!"
The black-robed man threw two Pokéballs. "And... Skarmory!"
"Skarm! Skarm!"
The Skarmory appeared, letting out a harsh cry.
It glanced at Claydol and the black-robed man, fear in its eyes.
This Skarmory was a utility Pokémon the black-robed man had violently captured to replace his lost Corviknight.
As for its strength, it was lacking. This Skarmory was barely Pro-level, much weaker than the black-robed man's other Pokémon.
Stoutland arrogantly climbed onto Skarmory's back, while the black-robed man was enveloped in Claydol's psychic power. One black and one white figure shot into the sky.
"Stoutland, use Odor Sleuth!"
The black-robed man waved his hand, his face full of anticipation.
Most canine Pokémon had a keen sense of smell and were excellent trackers. But if the target was flying, tracking the scent became much harder, as scents dispersed more easily in the air.
Fortunately, the black-robed man's Stoutland had undergone special training in the move "Odor Sleuth." It was far more sensitive than ordinary canine Pokémon.
So even if the target was riding a flying mount, as long as it hadn't been more than 24 hours, they would leave a traceable trail.
"Woof!"
Stoutland's nose twitched, and it soon found the direction.
Flying for two hours, the black-robed man quickly found the research outpost.
But when he landed near the outpost and observed from hiding, discovering the large number of people, the black-robed man frowned. "So many people? And so many Pro-level Pokémon?"
This place was clearly not easy to attack.
But soon, Stoutland made a new discovery.
"What? You say Basalt has already left here and headed southwest? And he's alone?"
When he heard Stoutland's report, the black-robed man was overjoyed.
If Basalt was alone, he could do whatever he wanted with him.
"Then what are we waiting for? After him!"
The black-robed man quietly left the research outpost without alerting anyone.
By the time the black-robed man set off again, Basalt had already reached the back entrance of the Ashkule volcano cluster.
High in the sky, Basalt looked out, trying to take in the entire Ashkule cluster.
Unfortunately, the area was too vast, and there were many high mountains blocking his view.
Finally, Basalt fixed his gaze on a towering mountain, his eyes burning with determination.
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