"With the mountain?" Sato couldn't help but click his tongue, once again amazed by how strange and vast the world was.
The giant Durant was actually in a symbiotic relationship with the entire anthill. If one thrived, so did the other; if one fell, so did the other.
Under Sharpedo's attacks, the connection between the Durant and the anthill had been completely severed. The whole thing collapsed instantly.
But Sato had no time to investigate the reason for their symbiosis. He waved the Red Flag in his hand, hoping one of the still-functioning hidden cameras had captured it. Then, using Ralts's Teleport, he disappeared on the spot.
When he reappeared, he was already beside Phoebe and Joseph. Five seconds later, Ralts brought Ryoko and Mark over as well.
The five-person team was back together.
"We got the red flag. Let's go!" Sato raised the Mission Flag to the others, then turned and took off running without hesitation.
"Yes! Finally, all that effort paid off!"
Only now could everyone finally breathe a sigh of relief. There had been too many unexpected incidents earlier, each one making their hearts race.
Thankfully, they had managed to secure the first Red Flag in the end, pulling far ahead of the other teams.
---
Outside Vertress Cave, many of the projection screens that had been showing the battle at the anthill suddenly went black, only to switch to other surveillance feeds two seconds later.
Clearly, the hidden cameras in the cave were being destroyed one after another by the enraged Durant swarm.
But when Sato reappeared and waved the Red Flag, the remaining functioning cameras still managed to capture the moment.
No last-minute drama.
---
The five of them began a swift retreat. Most of their Pokémon were recalled, leaving only one or two out in case of emergencies.
Over ten minutes later, panting heavily, they finally came to a stop. The tremors in the cave had ceased. At least for now, they were out of danger.
"Everyone rest up. Let out your injured or exhausted Pokémon, I'll take care of it," Joseph said as soon as they stopped, wasting no time.
Bang Bang Bang…
A series of Poké Balls opened, followed by a rush of Pokémon. Nearly every one that had participated in the battle was present.
"Florges, Grassy Terrain, then Aromatherapy. Gogoat, Milk Drink. Chansey, Wigglytuff, Gallade, come help too!"
It was only now that Joseph really got to show his skills… though unfortunately, no cameras were around to record any of it.
The elegant Florges waved her hand, and a large patch of fresh green grass sprouted from the ground, dotted with a few charming flowers.
A steady stream of natural energy flowed into the bodies of the Pokémon on the grass, even airborne ones like Mismagius and Flygon quietly landed.
One by one, bottles of fresh Gogoat's Grass Milk were delivered to everyone by Gogoat using Vine Whip, none of Sato's team was left out.
"Florges~"
Florges wasn't finished. A faint, soothing floral aroma began to spread, calming everyone's nerves and easing their stress.
Umbreon, seeing this, couldn't help lifting its neck and shaking the Soothe Bell Sato had given it, activating Heal Bell.
Ding ding~ Clang~
In just that short time, everyone felt their physical fatigue and pain ease up significantly, and their mental state improved as well.
Unfortunately, if Joseph's Kirlia hadn't evolved yet, a little dance at this moment would've made things perfect…
Thinking that, Sato cast a sidelong glance at Ralts… then quickly looked away.
'…Forget it. Not all Ralts and Kirlia dance.' His Ralts was set to become a Psychic Queen.
How could he possibly ask a Psychic Queen to dance for fun? Was he asking to get slapped?
Shaking off such a reckless thought, Sato sat down cross-legged and began meditating.
The others quietly leaned back to rest and recover stamina. Only Joseph, accompanied by his three Pokémon, moved swiftly through the group, checking each Pokémon's condition and treating them accordingly.
This one needed Heal Pulse for internal injuries, that one had to have its external wounds bandaged […]
As for Togetic, who was practically on the verge of collapse, Joseph didn't hesitate to use Viridian Power to accelerate its recovery.
To Mark, even a once-evolved Togetic could rely on Metronome to battle across levels, taking on anything and everything.
If he didn't have to leave things to fate when catching Pokémon -and if he didn't have to go through near-death situations- Mark would've long wanted to catch one of every Metronome-using Pokémon out there.
Then let's see who could stop his all-Metronome team!
…Unfortunately, it was just a fantasy.
Having even one Togetic had already made Mark laugh in his sleep more than once.
---
In just under half an hour, Joseph had completed a full round of examination and treatment for all their Pokémon. The team's strength was almost fully restored.
"Then let's keep going. That wasn't the only red flag~" Phoebe said eagerly. Though they were clearly in the lead, it was only right to maintain that advantage.
"Mark, pick a direction~" Ryoko said with a smile, clearly in high spirits.
"Let's… go this way!" Mark pointed randomly toward the same fork they'd fled from earlier.
"..."
"Hm? Is there something wrong with this path?" Mark asked as if he had amnesia.
"…Nope, let's go with it." Joseph responded first. Phoebe looked like she wanted to say something but ultimately stayed quiet.
And just like that, the five returned to their original formation: Phoebe in the lead, Sato bringing up the rear.
This way… that way… let's try this route…
Mark gave directions three more times. To everyone's growing surprise, each choice gradually steered them closer to the Durant tunnel.
That shouldn't be possible. Mark couldn't have remembered the route.
…So how was it that his random, luck-based pointing had actually brought them back to the anthill?
Was his luck running out and slow to react, or was there something about the anthill they hadn't discovered yet?
"The deep pit…" Sato murmured to himself, remembering the chasm beneath the anthill.
He was the only one who had accidentally fallen down there, and before he reached the bottom, Umbreon and Ralts had pulled him out. It was truly bottomless.
"What deep pit?"
"A hidden space beneath the anthill. When the anthill collapsed, I didn't get buried. I just kept falling. But before I hit the bottom, Umbreon and Ralts rescued me," Sato explained directly, holding nothing back.
"You mean… there's something down there? And that's why Mark unknowingly brought us back here?" Joseph followed up immediately, drawing everyone's attention.
"Maybe. We'll find out soon. Mark, where to next?" Sato didn't elaborate further. Conveniently, they had arrived at the final fork leading back to the anthill.
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Sooo… 400 ch.
Cool, I guess.
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200 PW = Exta Chap