Not long after, David was randomly dropped into a corner of the mountain range.
After exiting the vehicle, he quickly climbed to a nearby small slope and carefully observed the surrounding environment. David's expression showed he had expected this outcome.
"This place is really desolate. As expected, the League wouldn't let us comfortably survive for seven days in the outer regions."
David surveyed the surrounding environment. He didn't know if it was bad luck, but the spot where he'd landed was indeed far too desolate.
Craggy cliffs and barren terrain stretched before him. Around him, let alone resources dropped by the League, there were hardly any ordinary trees or plants. This was a unique environment created after the integration of a Mystery Dungeon with the region.
If this were on the former Earth, it would be nearly impossible for dense forests, rotting swamps, desolate wastelands, and fertile basins to exist within a few hundred kilometers of each other.
The harsh ecological environment David found himself in couldn't sustain many Pokémon.
He didn't know if the entire outer region of the mountain range was like this, or if it was simply his bad luck. If all other areas were even one-third as desolate as this place...
David estimated that, forget lasting seven days—considering the Pokémon's needs, they probably wouldn't even last three days in the outer region.
If they tried to endure for seven days, it would be an achievement not to starve to death. The matter of earning points wasn't even worth considering.
No longer dwelling on such thoughts, David refocused his attention on the assessment and threw out a Poké Ball.
"Come out, Zorua."
A familiar red light flashed, and Zorua's figure appeared before him.
He reached out and skillfully scratched Zorua's chin a few times.
"Zorua, from now on, my safety is in your paws."
"Zorua~ (Don't worry, David! Leave it to me.)"
Upon hearing David's words, Zorua abandoned its usual lazy demeanor and stood guard at David's side, vigilantly surveying everything around them.
Half a semester had passed. By supplementing its diet from Reshiram, Zorua's level had soared to 29. With its profound foundation, even without an Aura link with David, it was strong enough to easily handle most Veteran-level Pokémon.
The first priority after arriving in the wilderness was naturally ensuring one's own safety. So David directly released his strongest Pokémon, Zorua, as a bodyguard. Combined with David's own Aura powers, their safety could be considered well guaranteed.
Among his three Pokémon, Riolu was directly excluded because David himself possessed Aura powers.
However, in a wild environment like this, Ralts, who excelled at Teleport, would also be a good choice.
But at this stage, David's Ralts hadn't fully matured yet. Its stamina was limited and it couldn't use Teleport freely, so it was best to conserve its energy for emergencies.
Although it was highly unlikely that anything in this examination venue could threaten David, it was better to be cautious. David chose to keep Ralts in its Poké Ball to preserve its stamina.
This little one, however, was quite jealous that David had chosen to let Zorua out for protection while keeping it in the Poké Ball.
The Poké Ball containing Ralts shook slightly, apparently expressing its dissatisfaction.
This forced David to comfort Ralts for quite some time. After Ralts finally calmed down, David wiped away imaginary sweat from his forehead and smiled wryly to himself.
"Sigh! How did I, a Trainer, end up in some kind of dating sim scenario? There won't be a love triangle ending in the Pokémon world, will there..."
After comforting Ralts, David continued observing from the small hillside for a while before finally choosing a direction and heading deeper into the mountain range with Zorua.
David's current plan was to quickly venture deeper into the mountain range to see if he could find supplies like tents. Otherwise, he'd have a difficult time at night.
Several hours later, David and Zorua had advanced rapidly. Being in a desolate area had its advantages—they'd hardly encountered any Pokémon along the way, let alone any trying to stop them, so they could move quickly without concern.
Relying on his increasingly exceptional physical endurance since his Aura powers awakened, David didn't even take a break, walking for several hours straight.
By this time, they'd left the initial desolate wasteland and entered a jungle.
Along the way, David and his Pokémon hadn't gone without encounters. The two Ekans fangs in his backpack were proof of that.
That was the only attack they'd faced in the wasteland region, right at the border between the wasteland and the jungle. That Ekans had been lurking underground, attempting to attack David directly.
Unfortunately, both David's Aura powers and Zorua, being a Dark-type Pokémon, had sensed the life signature underground.
When the Ekans burst from the ground, the prepared Zorua immediately used Shadow Claw, and before the Ekans could react, it became a trophy in David's backpack.
Pokémon like Arbok and Seviper were absolutely high-risk species in the wild—practically threats to human life.
They not only possessed toxic abilities and were extremely aggressive, but they also had an extreme tendency to attack Trainers directly. Some even exhibited dangerous behavior toward humans, making them among the few Pokémon that the League officially hunted and eliminated.
This Ekans, attempting to attack David immediately, naturally met an unfortunate end. Its method of attacking the Trainer directly had enraged Zorua, who tore it apart with a single claw strike.
David naturally said nothing about this self-inflicted fate. After collecting its fangs, he continued searching the surrounding area.
Not far away was the Ekans's nest. After David and his Pokémon cleared away the sand and rocks, they found several valuable items inside.
Two Ekans shed skins. This material had considerable medicinal value, making it a worthwhile find.
Over a dozen Berries. David examined them—they were all Oran Berries, which could restore stamina and also served as food. They were a small but helpful addition to their currently insufficient food supply.
Finally, there was one remaining item. David held it in his hand, looking somewhat puzzled. Why would something like this be in an Ekans's nest?
The item in David's hand was a golden orb, quite large—about the size of a fist. Under the sunlight, it emitted a golden luster, clearly indicating its high value.
A Nugget—a precious item made of pure gold that could be used as material for certain moves. In games, it was valuable for selling, and in reality, it was obviously quite valuable as well.
"I haven't heard of snake Pokémon liking these things! According to general knowledge, shouldn't this kind of item appear in places like dragon lairs?" David wondered aloud.
Apparently, at this moment, he'd completely forgotten that Ekans also belonged to the Dragon egg group.
However, for David at present, it was obviously not immediately useful. A Nugget wasn't as valuable as a bottle of clean drinking water.
The only somewhat useful aspect was that, according to the score wristband's appraisal, this item was worth quite a few points.