"The fifth one."
Natsuhiko watched as Bewear adeptly covered with soil; its proficiency in the task growing increasingly skillful.
He glanced at the faint glow emanating from the dense fog in the distance.
Another night had thus passed.
Five hunters had been eliminated; it's not that the efficiency was remarkably high, just that there were too few hunters participating in this mission on the island.
With only around thirty or forty people scattered across the island, it really wasn't an easy task to find them.
Moreover, Natsuhiko was certain that he wasn't the only one carrying out the hunt; most likely, others who deemed themselves strong enough were doing the same thing.
The competition was extremely fierce.
However, there was a benefit.
That was, each encounter would likely yield more resources.
The final day's time.
Clearly, this had morphed from a task of hunting wild Pokémon to one of mutual slaughter.
And this island was no longer a simple isle; it resembled a coliseum.
Natsuhiko and the others were beasts trapped within.
Only by eliminating enough "enemies" could one stand out among the rest.
It's absolutely impossible that the Hunter Guild hadn't anticipated the occurrence of such a situation.
Therefore.
This was actually the Hunter Guild's deliberate ploy to create a cage, quietly awaiting the end of the carnage inside.
Have to admit.
This method is very ruthless and bloody.
After all, those who landed on the island were, theoretically speaking, core members of the Hunter Guild, and cultivating them surely cost some resources—discarding them without a second thought.
But it is precisely because of this, those who truly stand out have adequate strength and capability.
This is akin to a method of Raising Gu.
The difference being, in Raising Gu, there's only one strongest survivor.
Whereas in this scenario, at least ten or more will survive.
But this seems to be the limit the Hunter Guild can bear.
Selection and elimination of a batch, the survivors are all elites.
No matter how we say it, the task needs to be completed.
And having successfully eliminated five, Natsuhiko had already amassed a large number of resources.
Even if he didn't seize the final opportunity, these resources made the journey worthwhile for him.
However.
Since I'm here.
Wouldn't it be natural to compete?
"This efficiency is a bit slow."
But there wasn't any other better method.
Moreover, the longer a person survives, the stronger they are, and Natsuhiko wouldn't underestimate others; matters of life should never be taken lightly.
Here, everyone is a hunter, but anyone could also become prey.
Like now.
Rumbling—
With the commotion stirring, a Graveler rolled and crashed through bushes and shrubs, charging toward Natsuhiko's position.
Its speed wasn't fast.
And just as it was about to reach Natsuhiko's group, it stopped abruptly.
A lonely Pokémon suddenly appeared in front of Natsuhiko.
"Gym Leader Level? But it seems to be nurtured rather... poorly."
As a relatively common Rock-type Pokémon, Natsuhiko, being partly a Breeder, easily identified the Graveler's condition.
Its surface was potholed and gray, and its eyes lacked spirit, signifying its rather poor state of nurturing.
Even worse than some directly captured wild Graveler.
Natsuhiko naturally wouldn't think this was a wild Graveler—wild ones wouldn't dare roam so freely in the forest, let alone approach him directly.
He gave Alakazam a look.
Alakazam spread out its psychic powers, searching for the Graveler's owner.
However.
Before Alakazam could find the owner, the Graveler patted its belly, a dark crimson aura rose from its body, and an intense heat emanated.
Natsuhiko's face changed slightly.
He immediately threw the Pokeball in his hand.
In a flash of red, Snorlax appeared at the forefront of the group, directly in front of Graveler.
"Snorlax, Curse," Natsuhiko shouted.
"Snorlax~~" With a hand infused with deep Ghost energy, Snorlax pressed onto its belly.
While its movement speed was decreased, its Defense Power and Physical Attack Ability were simultaneously increased.
The next second.
Boom!!
A dazzling white light erupted from Graveler, followed by a highly destructive explosion, and a mushroom cloud of crimson rose to the sky.
Powerful air currents centered around Graveler swept outward.
The trees closer to it snapped instantly.
Big Bang!
Once the shockwave of the explosion passed, only a crater remained from the blast, and a Graveler lay charred and incapacitated within it.
"Ka-pu."
Staring at the impact of the Big Bang, Snorlax also took two steps back, with the force of the explosion leaving black ash on its milky white belly.
Snorlax rubbed its belly in a bit of pain, but soon returned to its milky white color.
However, the inflicted damage wasn't so easily erased.
Just a sudden "Big Bang," huh?
If Natsuhiko hadn't summoned Snorlax in time, the blast impact would probably have been quite tough for the already weakened Natsuhiko.
"Hudi!"
Before he had a chance to catch his breath, Alakazam's voice came through.
It transmitted the scenes perceived by its psychic powers into Natsuhiko's mind.
Seeing the surrounding scene, Natsuhiko's mouth twitched.
Rumble-rumble—
The appearance of Graveler was just the beginning.
Then various Pokémon were seen rolling in from all directions, forming a posture as if they were about to completely encircle them.
Most of these Pokémon were Graveler, Electrode, Weezing, Forretress, and the like.
Their strengths were varied, some at Gym Leader Level and some at Elite Level.
But they all shared a common trait.
Which was that they could all use... the move "Big Bang."
Now Natsuhiko understood.
Why the earlier Graveler seemed in such poor condition, and why the Pokémon appearing one after another didn't seem well-cultivated.
This was akin to a Pokémon Realm version of "Art is Explosion!"
The hunters from the Hunter Guild, called Trainers, lean more towards efficient capture of Pokémon.
Capturing a large group of Pokémon capable of "self-explosion," and then no matter the strength of the prey encountered, going in with a barrage of "boom-boom-boom," absolutely convenient and efficient.
But it does come at a cost to Pokémon.
Such usage of "Big Bang" is definitely a waste of Pokémon's abilities and talents.
However,
The opponent clearly didn't care about this.
And now Natsuhiko became their target, ready to show him what it means to...
Explode!
Boom-boom-boom!!!
The thunderous sound turned this area decidedly into a battlefield.
A unilateral heavy fire suppression.
Moreover,
With such frequent impact from "Big Bang," Alakazam's "Instant Movement" couldn't be executed.
In the worst-case scenario, he might end up blasted into a spatial rift.
About five or six hundred meters away from Natsuhiko.
A sleazy, short-statured man with a pointed monkey-like face was curled up in a bush.
In his hand, he held a small wireless computer broadcasting footage of the explosion captured from above by a drone.
Watching the crimson flames constantly bursting out in the footage, the sleazy man's eyes were full of excitement.
He had already dealt with several hunters using this method.
Tactics, attack methods, strategy, and the like were useless to him.
He straightforwardly overwhelmed others with sheer numbers and explosions of Pokémon.
However,
He was enjoying it all the more.
Just as the explosion in the footage was starting, and hadn't reached the true climax of the explosions, it suddenly stopped.
One by one, the Pokémon poised for action seemed to have turned into "duds."
Faded.
"What's going on?!?" The sleazy man was a bit bewildered, also a bit angry.
He hurriedly pulled out dozens of Pokeballs, ready to summon Pokémon to continue the bombardment, determined to blast Natsuhiko, this "prey," to death.
Yet,
As he reached into his backpack for the Pokeballs, the smoke from the explosions in the footage gradually dispersed, revealing the unharmed Natsuhiko standing below, head raised.
The sleazy man dragged his finger, enlarging the scene in the footage.
Then he saw.
Natsuhiko with his head raised, grinning widely at him, revealing a broad... smile.
Moreover, he noticed that next to Natsuhiko appeared a deep blue Pokémon.
It was Golduck.
The next moment.
The Pokeball in his hand suddenly slipped.
Because Natsuhiko and his Pokémon suddenly disappeared from the footage.
The sleazy man's expression stiffened as he slowly turned around.
He saw Natsuhiko's pale face and the eager Bewear clutching its fist.
"Um..."
But he heard Natsuhiko calmly say two words.
"Bury him."
——————
1.2w+ words already, everyone's monthly ticket support is so strong, today we're aiming for a total of 1.5w, which translates into 7+ chapters, thanks for everyone's monthly ticket and reward support!!