Sowhere in the reserve, a group of people was walking through a forest. Leading the way was a man accompanied by a Pokémon, clearing the path ahead.
Scattered around them were several other Pokémon. Based on their formation, it was clear that if any danger arose, these Pokémon could react imdiately.
The group consisted of exactly twenty people—no more, no less.
"Boss, Venonat couldn’t find Togekiss," one of the n reported.
A Venonat was perched on his shoulder. Though the Venonat wasn’t particularly strong, its radar-like eyes made it highly effective at locating targets within a certain range with precision.
Because of its exceptional scouting abilities, Venonat was frequently used by the military and exploration teams. As a Bug-type Pokémon, it grew quickly and required minimal resources to train, making it a highly practical Pokémon.
"That's expected."
The so-called boss replied indifferently.
This group of people was naturally the Blackstar Poaching Group—the target Julian was after this ti.
"As long as we can catch those two Togekiss, we’ll be set for life," one of the grunts said expectantly.
An adult Togekiss was worth over ten billion on the market. If the two they were after turned out to be a pair, their combined value would be even higher.
"Don’t get ahead of yourself, finding them is still the real challenge," the vice leader said flatly.
The Blackstar Poaching Group had one leader and three vice leaders. The leader was at the mid-Elite level, while the three vice leaders were all at the peak of the pseudo-Elite level.
The one who had just spoken was the first vice leader. His appearance was unremarkable, but his eyes gave off a chilling impression, making it clear he was no ordinary man. There was a viciousness in his gaze that no normal person could possess.
"As long as they’re sowhere in this wilderness reserve, it’s only a matter of ti before we find them. However—"
The second vice leader spoke but deliberately left his sentence hanging. The group was used to his speaking habits by now.
"However, what?"
One of the grunts asked, playing along.
The second vice leader cast him an approving glance before continuing, "However, we need to catch the Togekiss before the authorities tracking us arrive."
"After we killed those two reserve patrol squads, we’ve definitely been exposed. The association is probably already on their way."
"Let them co. Our boss is an Elite-level trainer," one of the grunts declared confidently. As he spoke, he glanced at the leader walking at the front—Blackstar himself—but the man didn’t even bother to look back.
The third vice leader looked at the newly recruited grunt and shook his head slightly. He probably wouldn't see this guy on the next operation.
The Blackstar Poaching Group had been wanted by the Trainer Association for over a decade. While so mbers had been captured, they were all low-level grunts, never anyone important.
As long as Blackstar, the leader, remained, the Blackstar Poaching Group would always exist.
Even if the other mbers were captured—even if all three vice leaders were taken—it would only weaken the group slightly.
After all, their current vice leaders had only risen to their positions because their predecessors had already been arrested.
"Let’s rest here for a bit."
Blackstar who was walking in the front, spoke, and the entire group ca to a halt. They had been walking for most of the day without any breaks.
"You lot, set things up," Blackstar gestured toward a few mbers.
"Got it, boss."
Several people nodded, and pulled out various tools and devices from their bags and began setting traps along the path they had traveled and around the surrounding area.
If any trainers were really pursuing them, there was a good chance they would be killed by the traps before they even caught a glimpse of the poachers.
Trap-setting was a survival skill that all trainers needed to learn for wilderness exploration.
The most skilled individuals could create traps that were incredibly well-hidden, sotis even interlocking with one another.
If a Pokémon or trainer failed to detect them, stepping into the traps often ant certain death, with little chance of survival.
"We’re all set, boss. If anyone steps on these, they’ll be blown to pieces," one of the mbers laughed, as if he could already picture their pursuers being blasted apart.
Blackstar gave a slight nod. Standing guard beside him was a crimson Scizor, resembling a loyal bodyguard. Its sharp pincers were still stained with fresh droplets of blood.
Scizor had cleared the path earlier, rcilessly cutting down a few unfortunate wild Pokémon that had crossed their way.
"Boss."
The first vice leader approached Blackstar, who asked, "What is it?"
The first vice leader hesitated slightly before asking, "Could the Togekiss have already left the wilderness reserve?"
There was a chance Togekiss had simply been passing through the area. If that was the case, they were probably long gone by now.
"No," Blackstar shook his head.
The first vice leader looked puzzled, unsure why Blackstar was so certain.
"This reserve had two Togekiss sighted here decades ago, and they even had offspring."
"Few people know this, but female Togekiss sotis return to their birthplace to give birth."
Hearing this, the first vice leader’s eyes widened in sudden realization. "The female of the two Togekiss we’re after was born here."
He hadn’t known this detail.
While it was true that so Pokémon species had the instinct to return to their place of birth to raise their young, he hadn’t expected Togekiss to be one of them.
"Boss, how do you know about this?" he asked curiously.
"Because my father once captured the male Togekiss, but the female Togekiss escaped with its young," Blackstar said calmly.
He had witnessed it himself—his father capturing the male Togekiss and selling it for an enormous price.
If what Blackstar said was true, then the two Togekiss were very likely still in the wilderness reserve, and they might have even started nesting by now.
"Boss, Venonat says soone’s heading this way. Looks like a trainer, probably here to catch so Pokémon," a mber reported.
"That’s enough rest, let’s move on."
Blackstar stood up and emptied the remaining water from his bottle.
"Get rid of your scent."
The group nodded and imdiately retrieved small spray bottles, applying the liquid to their clothes and gear.
"This stuff is really amazing, just a few sprays, and it completely masks your scent," one of them muttered.
"It’s the boss’s family recipe," another mber explained.
Within monts, the entire group had packed up their belongings and erased their scent.
If any Pokémon tried to track them by sll, the lingering scent of the spray would temporarily disrupt their sense of sll.
"Take down the traps," Blackstar ordered.
The traps they had set earlier were ant to catch any pursuers off guard while they rested. If soone had managed to close in during their break, the traps would have given them the upper hand.
But now that they were on the move again, leaving the traps behind was a risk.
If a passing trainer accidentally triggered them, it wouldn’t be long before the Trainers’ Association caught wind of it. The association would imdiately realize that the Blackstar Poaching Group had been there.
*****
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