While the grave robbers were howling in pain after being blinded by the shirtless man's flash grenade, the shirtless man and his Blaziken had already vanished from where they stood.
Likewise, the spectator who had been watching the show—Sato—had also disappeared.
The flash grenade's effect was brief.
A few seconds later, the intense light faded away. Some of the more experienced tomb robbers, such as Abyss, had managed to close their eyes in time. When they opened them again, they discovered that the shirtless man and Blaziken who had been standing before them were nowhere to be seen.
"Damn it! Who ruined my plans? Don't tell me that guy has companions? No, that's impossible. According to the information I gathered, he's a lone wolf with an unbearable temper and no companions whatsoever."
Abyss's face darkened as he spoke.
Although the shirtless man had played a small trick, Abyss was no amateur.
Even though he had been unable to see clearly after closing his eyes, he had immediately instructed the Hippowdon beneath him to keep track of the shirtless man and Blaziken.
His Hippowdon possessed the Sand Stream Ability, granting it exceptional control over sand. Within a hundred-meter radius, the surrounding sand effectively served as its eyes and ears.
Therefore, even while temporarily blinded, Hippowdon should have been able to track the movements of the shirtless man and Blaziken through the sand and guide Abyss in pursuit.
Yet Hippowdon had informed him that neither the shirtless man nor Blaziken had moved even half a step.
They had simply vanished in the blink of an eye.
Naturally, Abyss understood that someone had intervened and rescued them.
Moreover, since there had been no strong gusts of wind, it was obvious that they had not escaped by flying away in a panic.
In other words, someone had used some mysterious method to spirit them away.
Thinking about how the information he had desperately sought had slipped through his fingers—and how he had now gained a powerful enemy besides—Abyss ground his teeth in hatred toward whoever had rescued the shirtless man.
To be fair, Abyss himself possessed a way to freely enter and leave the ruins.
However, after suffering a disastrous setback there previously, he no longer dared to venture into the ruins alone.
In his view, if the shirtless man had attracted so many Golurk and Golett in pursuit, then he must have ventured deep into the ruins and obtained some valuable treasure.
"Damn it! I was so close. That treasure should have been mine."
Recalling his own miserable escape from the ruins two days earlier, Abyss clenched his teeth again.
Meanwhile, on a deserted stretch of sand dozens of meters away from the previous location, Sato suddenly appeared together with the shirtless man and Blaziken.
Nearby, a Sandshrew that had just poked its head out of the sand was so startled that it immediately burrowed back underground.
A moment later, curiosity got the better of it, and it cautiously poked its head out again to observe the three strange beings that had appeared out of nowhere.
Unfortunately for it, the instant it did so, a yellow mouse dropped from the sky and stared at it with equal curiosity.
For a moment, the two simply stared at one another.
Then they both jumped in fright.
The Sandshrew instantly dove back underground, while the yellow mouse shot back into the air.
"Don't think I'll thank you just because you helped me. Even without you, I could've escaped perfectly fine. What a busybody."
The shirtless man was an Elite-Four level Trainer and proud to the core.
Although Sato was a Psychic and had just helped him escape, he still showed no gratitude whatsoever.
Instead, he spoke to Sato with obvious displeasure.
Still, despite his bad attitude, he wasn't an ungrateful person. He didn't attempt to bully Sato despite his superior strength. He merely looked annoyed.
Compared to his Trainer's terrible attitude, Blaziken behaved impeccably.
The Pokémon gave Sato a deep bow of thanks and even apologized on behalf of his Trainer.
Blaziken was extraordinarily powerful, reaching Level 78.
As a Fighting-type Pokémon, his body was packed with explosive muscles. Some bulged so prominently that veins stood out beneath the skin. Unlike the typically lean Blaziken, this one looked immensely powerful.
The flames emerging from his wrists were a deep blue, indicating extremely high temperatures.
"Of course. Since you can freely enter and leave a ruin whose barrier seal has yet to be removed, your strength must be extraordinary. Naturally, you would've had a way to escape."
"When I saw you being blocked by that villain Abyss, I couldn't help feeling a sense of shared hostility toward him. Acting without your permission was indeed reckless of me. I hope you'll forgive my rashness."
"Oh, right. My name is Tyler. May I ask your name, sir?"
Sato paid no mind to the man's unpleasant attitude.
First, he waved his hand at Blaziken, who was still apologizing for his Trainer.
Then he respectfully addressed the shirtless man.
"Hmph. At least you've got some sense."
"As for my name... just call me Ade."
"Here. Take this. Consider it a thank-you gift."
Ade was the sort of person who was naturally tsundere.
Seeing Sato not only apologize first but also flatter him a little, he actually felt somewhat embarrassed.
Still, he kept a stern face and spoke in a reluctant tone.
After speaking, he pulled an ancient artifact from his spatial backpack and handed it to Sato.
It was a bronze object resembling a key. However, it was more than ten times larger than an ordinary key.
Its surface was heavily oxidized, yet it remained remarkably intact overall.
Sato estimated that if it were auctioned, it would easily fetch five or six million PokeDollars.
The fact that Ade casually gave away a bronze artifact worth several million PokeDollars made it obvious that he had profited greatly from his exploration of the ruins.
Ruins exploration truly was an incredibly lucrative profession.
"Thank you for your generosity, Mr. Ade."
"I only acted on impulse and wasn't expecting any reward. You should keep this treasure for yourself."
Sato carefully accepted the bronze key, examined it for a moment, and then used Telekinesis to return it to Ade.
He spoke through telepathy.
"Take it, take it. I never take back anything I've given away. If you don't want it, then throw it away. I don't want it back."
The moment Ade heard Sato refuse his gift, his face immediately darkened.
He casually tossed the bronze key-shaped artifact onto the sand and spoke with obvious disdain.
Afterward, he stopped talking to Sato entirely and called for Blaziken to leave.
Blaziken politely waved goodbye before quickly catching up to his Trainer, who was stomping off with a sour expression.
"This guy really has a strange personality."
"Still, even though I didn't manage to obtain any information about the interior of the ruins from him, at least we've become acquainted. That's a positive connection."
"Maybe if I run into him inside the ruins later, he'll be willing to lend me a hand."
"But the biggest gain was unintentionally ruining Abyss's scheme and giving him another enemy of equal standing."
"The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Of course I had to help."
Watching Ade's departing figure, Sato wore a helpless smile. Yet the slight curve of his lips revealed his excellent mood.
"Pika, pika~"
A short while later, Pikachu finished playing around with the Sandshrew.
On the way back, he picked up the key-shaped bronze artifact lying on the sand and brought it over to Sato.