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The sky was chaotic and pitch black, with no moon visible through the dense clouds.
A surge of moisture rose from the ground, carrying the fresh scent of green grass toward them.
The soft sound of "tick, tick, tick" raindrops lingered in their ears.
Dark night. Rainy weather. Frontier forest.
Led by Stephen, the elite Pokémon Investigator team marched quickly along the border.
Chris and his team's objective was to apprehend a unit of the Asuka Group attempting to cross the border. According to their informants, there was a high probability that "Eagle," the leader of the Asuka Group, was traveling with this team.
This was the special circumstance that had prompted Stephen and Lucas to launch their operation ahead of schedule.
If Eagle managed to escape, regardless of whether their current mission succeeded or failed, the Asuka Group would immediately go underground.
At that point, it would become exponentially more difficult to capture them again.
Therefore, even if some minor operatives slipped through their net, the Pokémon Investigators of China were prepared to launch preemptively and execute a Sucker Punch on all currently known Asuka bases and executives!
"Everyone, release your Psychic-type Pokémon and wrap yourselves in Confusion to block all detection," Stephen instructed immediately after they reached the border.
One by one, each member of Chris's team released their Psychic Pokémon.
In the Pokémon Investigation Division, frontline operatives were required to have at least one Psychic-type Pokémon at their disposal. Without one, you were relegated to desk duty, no exceptions.
Without the protective shield provided by Psychic and Dark-type Pokémon, you were essentially a glowing target in the darkness when facing Trainers with Psychic Pokémon. And without the signature move "Teleport," the casualty rate climbed to a staggering 70% during operations against hostile Trainers!
Chris summoned his Gardevoir. With a graceful wave of its slender arm, a faint psychic energy spread outward, enveloping Chris like an invisible blanket.
It not only repelled the rainwater but also shielded him from the bitter cold of the rainy night.
"Why didn't I think of using Confusion this way before?" Chris couldn't help but wonder to himself.
Eliana glanced at Chris's shiny Gardevoir, her eyes widening with admiration. She also had her own Psychic Pokémon—an Espeon.
As a new recruit this year, Olivia was also part of Senior Stephen's team. She had sent out a Slowking.
"It's been confirmed that Eagle, the leader of the Asuka organization, is indeed with the smuggling team we're about to intercept. Everyone, remain vigilant!" Stephen's voice came through clearly in everyone's headsets.
The team collectively held their breath.
What had been merely possible before was now certain.
Before arriving at the site, everyone had thoroughly studied the intelligence on the Asuka organization. Top of the file was information about "Eagle," the organization's leader.
Eagle's codename derived from his signature Pokémon, Braviary—mirroring the naming convention of the Asuka Group itself. Every executive in the organization was, without exception, a specialized trainer of Flying-type Pokémon.
As for Eagle's combat prowess?
The Pokémon Investigation Division's internal assessment rated his battle capabilities at Gym Trainer level. However, that data was from two years ago. His actual strength might be considerably greater now.
As a criminal organization, they had access to various illegal means of obtaining resources. Moreover, the Asuka Group was a large-scale transnational criminal enterprise whose ambitions extended to capturing Legendary Pokémon—a testament to their formidable capabilities.
With such resources at their disposal, reaching Gym Trainer level power wasn't particularly challenging.
It was precisely for this reason that the Chinese Pokémon Investigation Headquarters had dispatched two top Investigators for this mission: Lucas and Chris's senior, Stephen.
"Teams of three, spread out and wait for my signal!" Senior Stephen ordered.
The unit immediately divided into four teams, each using an Investigator with a canine Pokémon as their central point, and dispersed in all directions.
Chris, Eliana, and a young man named Josh formed one team. Josh held a Poké Ball containing a Manectric.
In rainy conditions, when facing the Asuka Group with their Flying-type expertise, the operation planners had decisively substituted the typically deployed Arcanine with Electric-types like Manectric.
"Odor Sleuth," Josh commanded the Manectric.
The Electric Pokémon immediately lowered its nose to the ground and began sniffing intently.
"What are you searching for?" Chris inquired.
"Scents," Josh replied simply.
"What kind of scents?"
Before Josh could answer, Manectric's eyes suddenly sharpened. It bared its fangs with a threatening growl emanating from its throat.
"Grrrrr..."
Josh immediately lowered his voice and spoke into his headset:
"Captain, Team 4 has detected a suspicious odor."
"All teams, hold your positions, remain concealed, and await my orders!" Stephen instructed in a hushed tone.
Chris and his teammates immediately crouched down, and Aiden recalled his Manectric at once, explaining: "Canine Pokémon possess a sense of smell several times more acute than ordinary dogs. They can easily detect human scents in complex environments, distinguish between different Pokémon smells, and then Lock On to their targets!"
"Experienced criminals often deploy Pokémon with Stench abilities to mask their scent when crossing borders."
"Since pinpointing the exact location of opponents becomes difficult, we typically rely on scent detection merely to determine whether they've entered a specific area."
"Now that we've detected the Stench, it means they've entered the border forest."
Hearing Manectric's explanation, Chris nodded in understanding.
The tactical interplay between Stench and Odor Sleuth was something he'd witnessed in battle before.
Odor Sleuth functioned essentially as a partial Mind's Eye.
Once deployed, it rendered the opponent's visibility-reducing moves like Mist and Double Team ineffective. And to counter Odor Sleuth, the Stench ability was indeed the optimal solution.
"Chris, I have a request for you!" Stephen's voice suddenly came through the headset.
"Captain, I'm ready for your instructions!"
"Good. The other teams haven't detected the scent yet, which indicates that the criminal organization is closest to your position. Judging by the direction, they appear to be advancing directly toward you."
"As soon as you spot the Asuka operatives, issue a warning and disrupt their formation from the center."
"The other two teams will immediately move to encircle them and apprehend them one by one."
"As for Eagle, the leader of the Asuka Group—I'll intercept him immediately after your initial attack."
"Once you've neutralized the Asuka Group's subordinates, we'll combine forces to take down Eagle together."
Stephen already had his strategy mapped out.
Initially, he had planned to strike the Asuka team himself.
But with Chris—who possessed Gym Trainer level strength—on the team, he could execute a safer approach. His priority was to prevent Eagle from escaping at any cost.
If Eagle used his ordinary members as human shields to buy himself time to flee, capturing this elusive target would become significantly more challenging.