The group instantly perked up. Back at Beautifly Camp and earlier in the tunnel, they'd been in such a rush fleeing that there hadn't been time to collect any loot.
Now they finally had a chance. Auron Vale immediately called out to Tang Yunqin, asking her to check what the two Smoochum had left behind.
Why didn't he go himself?
Because he knew his limits.
His luck swung wildly up and down—and it crashed downward far more often than it climbed.
So why risk it? Better to just let someone with good fortune handle the loot search from the start.
Tang Yunqin carefully skidded across the ice and knelt down at the spot where the two Smoochum had dissolved.
"Got something!"
The group lit up. "What'd you find?"
"An Ice Stone and a Wiki Berry."
"Haha, nice!"
Everyone cheerfully praised Tang Yunqin.
A great start, right out of the gate.
"Come on, let's keep moving deeper."
Fugui was already excited, shuffling his feet to head inside.
They'd barely entered and already struck gold—what kind of jackpot awaited further in?
"Don't rush." Auron Vale grabbed Fugui by the arm before he could waddle forward. "The map marks this area as medium-danger, and the footing's terrible. We go slow."
"He's right," Jace Rowan said, sliding past Auron Vale. "Not like we could go fast anyway on this surface."
"But… doesn't it feel like there aren't many Pokémon around here? Way less than at Goldeen Lake."
Auron Vale scanned the area. "Who knows. Maybe the higher the danger, the sparser the population. Or maybe someone came through before us and cleared things out from this direction."
"Should we switch direction?"
"We'll see. If it gets bad, we switch."
The group chatted as they shuffled across the ice.
The two Charizard flew overhead—they were the main fighting force here.
Arcanine couldn't run on this surface, and Torkoal had it even worse—with no traction devices, every slide sent it skidding far too far.
Ghost-types were unaffected, floating serenely in the air.
But because they needed to protect the group, they held back from joining the battle.
Dragonair and Milotic circled nearby to assist the two Charizard.
Crobat and Altaria, thanks to their speed, had already flown ahead to scout and clear out any aerial Pokémon.
"Pii…"
"What's wrong, Mini?"
"Pii…"
Mini gave Auron Vale a pitiful look, sniffling.
"Do you want to head back into your Poké Ball?"
Auron Vale felt a pang of sympathy looking at Mini like that.
But before Mini could consider the offer, Auron Vale suddenly realized he wasn't cold anymore.
He couldn't even feel the frigid wind that had been buffeting them the whole time in Ice Land.
"What's…?"
Auron Vale glanced up at Deoxys, whose presence was hidden in the air above, then activated his Aura sense.
That's when he noticed a layer of pinkish energy wrapping around him.
"Pii~"
Mini immediately brightened. Not cold anymore—does that mean he doesn't have to go back in the Poké Ball?
Auron Vale laughed and rubbed Mini's head, then turned his attention back to the Pokémon appearing around them.
The Pokémon density had already grown much thicker than when they'd started. Even the two Charizard were struggling to keep up.
With no choice, Crobat and Altaria returned from their scouting run to help clear out the surrounding masses.
"So cute… what a shame…"
Tang Yunqin watched the Ice-type Pokémon being wiped out with a hint of regret in her voice.
Too bad you couldn't capture Pokémon from Black Mystery Zones—otherwise Tang Yunqin would've been over the moon.
Ice-types were her favorite. Even after Auron Vale had talked her out of insisting on an all-Ice-type team, she still wanted to recruit Ice-types.
As they pushed forward, Ice Land truly lived up to its medium-danger rating.
By the time they reached this point, the Pokémon appearing were already around the same strength level as pre-evolution Electabuzz.
But thanks to Ice-types' fragile resistances, Auron Vale and the others hadn't felt much pressure.
Even so, after the two Charizard had wiped out so many Ice-types, their aura made them look noticeably stronger than when they'd first entered the Black Mystery Zone.
"Let's take a short break."
"Break break! I'm spent!"
As soon as Auron Vale said it, Jace Rowan flopped down onto the ice surface, waving his hands.
Ice Land stretched out in every direction—a blinding white expanse.
Unfortunately, they'd gotten turned around and lost their bearings. Even though it felt like they'd been moving in a straight line, when they checked their actual progress against the map, they should've already reached the center of Ice Land.
But they hadn't. Not even close. There wasn't a single other person in sight.
"It's almost noon. You guys hungry?"
Both Charizard nodded. A morning of battles, even ones that were all stomps, still drained their energy over time.
"Let's eat first."
"Sure."
The group pulled out various food items and Pokémon feed. After a few bites of rice balls, Auron Vale quietly murmured to the others: "Those guys are still following us. Should we leave an opening for them?"
Su Tingxi nodded. "Leave an opening. You worry less about a thief who shows his face than one who hides in the shadows."
"Alright, here's what we do…"
Tang Yunqin and Yin Hanling snickered quietly, then composed themselves and went back to eating their rice balls.
Auron Vale chose this spot deliberately.
First, it was a gentle downward slope—meaning the group was positioned in a hollow with walls on three sides and only one way in or out.
If they blocked that one entrance, it would be a perfect ambush trap. The thing was, from an outsider's view, Auron Vale's group had picked this spot for wind protection. The pursuers didn't know Auron Vale already knew they were there.
Second, there was a small grove nearby—perfect for creating a fake opening.
A moment later, the group finished eating and collectively sprawled out on the ground.
After Auron Vale gave Jace Rowan a look, Auron Vale and Jace Rowan got up and headed toward the small grove.
"We're gonna go take a leak. You guys want to come?"
Everyone shook their heads.
Auron Vale and Jace Rowan then headed into the small grove with the two Charizard and Crobat.
This scene was watched closely by the group that had been tailing Auron Vale the whole time.
"Boss, should we make our move?"
———
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