Why did the explosion suddenly stop just now?
Because Natsuhiko summoned the Golduck he had just captured the day before yesterday.
Can a single Golduck make all these Pokémon that used "Big Bang" go silent?
Yes.
Because of Golduck's trait.
It's "Dampness."
"Dampness" trait: When a Pokémon with this trait is present on the field, Self-Detonation, Big Bang, Head Smash, and Fog Burst will fail, and the Detonate trait will not activate.
So when Golduck appeared, the Pokémon's "Big Bang" naturally couldn't be performed.
It was as expected.
Natsuhiko captured the Golduck to have an extra helper for exploring the lake's bottom.
Unexpectedly, it also played a role here.
He didn't expect there to be such a talent developing black technology in the Hunter Guild.
Natsuhiko remembered that in Team Rocket, only a very few people knew that among Giovanni's secret tactics, the Rocket Team's "Legendary Beasts" included a guy named Chakra.
He used similar tactics.
Riding a Skarmory and flying in the sky, then dropping Forretress one by one to create a big explosion.
However, compared to this mediocre approach, Chakra would not let his Pokémon use "Big Bang" so frequently without caring for their growth and development.
And most of Chakra's Pokémon are ones he raised himself, even if they can't "Big Bang," they still have some combat power.
On the other hand, this person's Pokémon were obviously mostly directly grabbed wild Pokémon, after several repeated uses, they were basically wasted.
Pa—Pa—
The Bewear, after finishing burying the soil, clapped its hands.
Natsuhiko hefted the bag that felt a bit heavier again.
"Although it's not top-tier, the efficiency is indeed high, he alone is almost equivalent to the first three or four people, he should have some fame in the Hunter Guild, right."
The prey that came to the doorstep.
How could it be?
True hunters often appear like their prey.
"However, with such an explosion bringing about such commotion, a few days ago everyone was busy capturing Pokémon and probably didn't notice, but now the battle has begun, it will attract quite a few people, right?"
Natsuhiko muttered to himself.
Then he gave Alakazam a look.
Alakazam understood.
The superpower enveloped Natsuhiko and the Pokémon, and an "Instant Movement" took them away from the center of the explosion range.
They left, but they didn't completely leave.
Natsuhiko, with several Pokémon, hid to the farthest range that Alakazam's Super Sensing could perceive.
Here.
They could avoid the event center attracted by the explosion, and at the same time, they could pay attention to the situation of the people who would come.
If it's suitable, Natsuhiko wouldn't mind burying them together with that person just now.
Soon.
The first person arrived first.
Riding a Salamence, the speed was extremely fast.
Obviously, the first to arrive was someone familiar to Natsuhiko, Joanna!
The presence of Salamence is too representative.
Joanna was wearing her usual attire, her brows tightly knit under her sunglasses. After descending from Salamence's back, she squatted on the ground to check the traces.
"Roar—!!"
Accompanied by a long roar from Salamence, Joanna stood up and looked towards another part of the forest.
The second person came.
A muscular man with a bare chest, covered in scars of all sizes, and his attire clearly regarded these scars as his badges of bravery.
Beside this scarred man, a Machamp followed closely.
It was trained quite well, with muscles and stable steps, obviously a Pokémon extremely skilled in fighting.
Unfortunately, it's not a Flash one, and by the looks of it, it should be a male Machamp.
Just a bit unlucky.
"Joanna." The man saw Joanna and showed a somewhat surprised smile.
At the same time, he inconspicuously glanced at the Salamence beside her.
With unabashed desire and greed.
A Quasi-God Pokémon, its value is enough for some people to take risks.
Moreover, in his eyes, it may not be that dangerous.
"Billis." Seeing the newcomer, Joanna's expression darkened slightly.
This Billis isn't a confidant of "Miss Q," he's affiliated with someone else, but his strength is strong, considered quite famous among the core members of the Hunter Guild.
"Yo, which one of you took down that waste of Jiu Jie? Everyone shares in the spoils~~"
Another voice was heard.
Just by voice alone, it was impossible to distinguish between male or female, sounding like a man, yet also like a woman.
Joanna and Billis simultaneously directed their gaze in a direction.
The third person arrived.
A sharp voice, long golden hair, androgynous dress, a face smothered with a thick layer of makeup, and that undulating... Adam's apple.
Seeing this third person appear, both Joanna and Billis unconsciously showed a hint of disgust on their faces.
But upon seeing the Roserade beside him, they forcefully suppressed their disgust.
"Bernie." Joanna uttered his name.
A well-known crossdresser from the Hunter Guild.
Disliked by countless people, yet his strength was indeed formidable, so few dared to show their disdain openly.
Bernie seemed indifferent to how others viewed him, raising his eyebrows subtly at Billis.
Causing Billis a chill.
The three among the Hunter Guild's core members were quite famous.
They were strong contenders for this competition's three spots.
Evidently, they also knew who used the explosion, so upon detecting the commotion, they rushed over immediately.
Whether stealing the remaining advantage or dealing directly with the cheeky man named Jiu Jie who used subpar explosion techniques, both seemed viable options.
But they likely didn't anticipate.
All three coincidentally arrived at the same time.
The tension, even Natsuhiko watching from afar, could feel.
Though they stood in a triangle, Natsuhiko could clearly sense Joanna had already become the prey in the eyes of the other two.
There was no choice.
The allure of Salamence was just too strong.
If it were just one person, Joanna might not care, but now with two, her situation was rather awkward.
Just as Natsuhiko said.
In this final slaughter stage, anyone could become the hunter or prey.
Communication was utterly unnecessary.
Billis and Bernie simultaneously reached for their waists, summoning several Pokémon at once.
A sudden eruption.
The target.
Was clearly Joanna, who owned the Salamence!
And they locked onto her personally.
Joanna knew the seriousness of the situation.
Yet her expression didn't change much, her hand brushed her waist, summoning her Drapion, Ariados, and Houndoom.
But with just these four Pokémon, dealing with the combined efforts of the eight Pokémon from the two was evidently difficult.
"Pixie, Gravity!" Bernie commanded.
His Pokémon Pixie reinforced the gravity, limiting Salamence's flight and restricting Joanna's chance to escape.
"Machamp, Bursting Fist!" Billis grinned wickedly.
The sturdy Machamp charged, taking three steps in two, heading straight for Joanna's Drapion.
The situation almost instantly skewed.
Joanna could barely resist by continuously retreating, unable to launch any effective counterattack.
A hint of anger appeared on her face.
Not because of the combined assault from the other two.
She had already guessed this outcome when she saw them appear one after another.
What truly made her upset was....
"Enough already? Still not coming out?! I've been bait for you long enough!" Joanna's voice echoed.
And her words made Billis and Bernie across her clearly pause.
What do you mean?
Bait?
The next second.
While the two were still reacting, suddenly several figures appeared in front of Joanna.
Among them, a Bewear with a blank expression rushed in front of Machamp, dodged its "Bursting Fist" with a swift low move, and then unhesitatingly struck its abdomen with a "True Qi Fist."
Boom!!!
The seemingly fierce Machamp was directly smashed into the ground by Bewear's punch.
Buzz—
On the other side.
A milky soundwave charged straight at Pixie, causing it to stop its "Gravity" technique mid-way because of the ear-piercing noise.
Salamence ascended once more.
Joanna looked at Natsuhiko who appeared in front of her, feeling a bit shaken by the strength he displayed.
"You..."
Natsuhiko turned his head, a smile appearing on his pale face.
"Observing quite meticulously, huh."
As the first to arrive, Joanna checked the ground situation and discovered traces Natsuhiko hadn't cleared in time; hence she was calm facing the duo's assault.
"So frail, visited ten times last night?"
Natsuhiko: ...
————
Promise kept, 15,000 words today, a small explosion~~
Thanks to Meow Lihuwula Ha Star for being the alliance leader! Thanks to the 'Determined to make Sanlu' for the generous reward! Such generosity!