The important matter David had to attend to was naturally finding a place to stay for the night. Although he now had a tent, choosing a campsite required careful consideration.
He couldn't just spend the night anywhere. That would not only make it difficult to get proper rest but could also put him in danger.
When Dominic taught them about wilderness exploration, an entire lesson was dedicated to finding suitable camping spots in the wild.
However, fortune seemed to be on his side. Since there was already a good spot waiting for him, he didn't need to search for one himself.
David looked at the sun in the sky. It was probably around 4 PM. More than an hour had passed since they'd encountered the Teddiursa.
In the Imperial Capital's climate, the sun would set in less than two hours, so he had to act quickly.
Therefore, after instructing Ursaring about collecting the supply packages, David immediately set off toward the temporary camp those two students had mentioned.
Since Ralts had been there once before while tracking them, it stayed by David's side for protection.
Although Zorua expressed strong dissatisfaction about being recalled, it eventually returned obediently to its Poke Ball.
When moving through the wilderness, while Trainers should always have a Pokemon guarding them, it's best not to release all of them at once.
One reason is to conserve stamina and maintain the Pokemon's battle readiness. Another is that too many visible targets can sometimes attract unnecessary trouble.
This is also why there's a saying that Ghost-type Trainers have a significant advantage in wilderness situations.
Ghost-type Pokemon generally have the ability to sense life energy, which is like having a built-in life detection radar in the wild.
This allows them to discover or avoid many dangers in advance.
Furthermore, some Ghost-type Pokemon also have the ability to hide in shadows.
Not only are their movements incredibly stealthy, but no one knows how many Pokemon are hidden in a Ghost-type Trainer's shadow.
The most famous among them is Gengar, the purple powerhouse.
Not only can it hide in shadows to protect its Trainer's safety, but after Mega Evolution, Gengar also gains the ability to open portals to another dimension, allowing it to travel anywhere through them.
This forest wasn't very large, and since Ursaring's nest was in the center, it didn't take long for David and his Pokemon to reach their destination.
After choosing a vantage point nearby and having Ralts teleport him to the top of a large tree, David carefully observed the surroundings.
This location was already at the edge of the forest, in a transitional area between the outer and middle regions of the mountain range.
It was only about five or six kilometers from the Ekans nest that David had previously raided.
Looking down, the entire temporary camp came into view.
"Just as those two guys said, this is indeed a perfect camping spot, don't you think, Ralts?"
"Ralts! (Whatever David says is right!)"
Ralts beside him nodded its small head earnestly, but its words made David chuckle wryly.
However, despite that, those two really hadn't lied. The location of this temporary camp was genuinely excellent.
Before them was a small hill elevated several meters above the surrounding ground. The higher terrain would prevent water accumulation problems caused by rainfall.
The relatively flat and dry ground was also very suitable for setting up tents and other temporary shelters.
Surrounded by large trees and backed by a huge rock, it could effectively block the cold mountain winds at night.
One must remember that this was late November in the wilderness, almost December. Without proper shelter, the wind blowing through the mountains at night could truly be deadly.
Not far from here, a waterfall cascading down the mountain formed a small stream. The water looked clear and bright. With simple filtering, it would be an excellent water source.
"What a perfect location!"
After thinking about it, David increasingly felt that he should claim this place for himself.
As the saying goes, blessed lands go to those who are fated. Since someone had delivered information about this place to him, perhaps he was the fated one.
Looking at it this way, the people inside certainly weren't meant to have it! This place should rightfully belong to him.
"Ralts... (Um, David, there are still people inside...)"
David thought shamelessly in his mind. Although it didn't show directly on his face, Ralts, as a Pokemon sensitive to emotions, still sensed David's mood and weakly reminded him.
"Ah, right. Let's go, Ralts."
Prompted by Ralts, David snapped out of his thoughts and blushed slightly. He stopped his wild daydreaming and began considering how to perfectly secure this location.
He didn't choose to attack directly, mainly because David didn't want to let anyone escape. Otherwise, with the strength of David and his Pokemon, defeating these people and taking over the camp wouldn't be difficult.
He had let those two students go earlier for several reasons. First, he had already made a promise, and he had to keep his word.
Second, those two had already sold information about their temporary allies to him.
And they held leverage over each other, so they wouldn't dare reveal that they had encountered David. Therefore, letting them go wouldn't leak his information.
But the people here were different.
To claim this place, a battle was naturally unavoidable.
Currently, students from several schools had secretly formed an alliance and united their forces. If he acted rashly and one or two of them escaped, they might expose David and his Pokemon's location—especially since he had already planned to establish a camp here and stay for several days.
Although he wasn't afraid of minor troubles, he also didn't want to be constantly disturbed by those students.
It was better to just eliminate all these people from the assessment! That way, he could have some peace and quiet.