Chapter 350: Peak Master-Class Steelix
This island was situated right along the edge of the preliminaries' safe zone.
By tonight, it would no longer be within the designated safe area.
However, based on Hikaru's Aura, this island was already occupied by at least five teams—over fifteen contestants.
A resource-rich area drawing a crowd wasn't unusual.
From what Hikaru sensed, this island held over seventy Oran trees that were at least fifty years old...
And—there was even a treasure chest.
Contestants picking berries nearby seemed alert but didn't act aggressively.
It was as if this island had become a temporary "neutral zone."
"I remember now…"
Hayashi Mei brushed her hair back slightly, sounding a bit awkward.
"This island... it's one of the resource zones. It's where Oran trees are relatively abundant…"
She had mapped out these zones after last year's Youth League,
but with all the trouble surrounding her Dragonite's headaches,
she had pushed that info to the back of her mind.
Now that she was back here, the memory came flooding back.
"There's probably a lot of people down there."
Hikaru nodded.
"Yeah—at least fifteen. Probably five or six different teams."
"And there's a treasure box, too.
Judging by the energy fluctuations, it's at least S-rank."
That casual comment—
instantly made the girls' eyes sparkle.
"Another S-rank treasure!?"
In previous preliminaries, aside from the sky-dropped ones,
it was extremely rare to find S-rank treasures just lying around on islands.
Not impossible—
but usually, they were hidden very well.
Finding one often came down to pure luck.
But now, traveling with Hikaru?
Sky drops were handed to them.
Hidden treasures... seemed equally easy to uncover!
However, after a closer sweep with Aura, Hikaru frowned slightly.
"But... this treasure might be a bit hard to get..."
Sakura leaned forward from behind him.
"Eh? What's wrong?"
"This one's being guarded... by a Peak Master-Class Steelix."
"Peak Master?" she repeated.
"Yeah."
Hikaru looked a little troubled.
Not just because it was a Peak Master opponent—
but because the treasure box was nestled within the Steelix's coils.
That completely ruled out having Latias stealthily grab it like last time.
"I see…"
Sakura frowned slightly.
She wasn't worried about fighting the Steelix itself—
but once a battle started, it would definitely attract attention from others nearby.
They could end up fighting the Steelix and a bunch of opportunistic third parties.
From atop her Dragonite, Hayashi Mei asked,
"So… are we still going?"
Hikaru didn't hesitate.
"Of course we're going! Why wouldn't we?"
It wasn't every day you saw an S-rank treasure in plain sight.
"Even if we don't get it,
we can just bail with Latias or Dragonite—piece of cake."
"But first, let's gather some Oran berries…"
…
Below, near one of the older Oran trees—
Two groups of contestants crossed paths.
One of them, upon spotting the other, visibly stiffened.
They quickly put on a friendly smile and moved away.
The remaining group of two guys and one girl?
They were the seed team from North China University:
Liu Xuan, Ma Xiaojian, and Zhu Yuyu.
Their partner Pokémon?
Gengar, Lapras, and Gyarados.
But right now, the girl, Zhu Yuyu, looked upset.
"So annoying! Who the heck took that sky-dropped treasure earlier!?"
"Didn't even see their shadow!"
The Gengar user, Liu Xuan, adjusted his glasses with a strange look.
"Honestly, it's kind of weird…
This is our second time competing in the Youth League.
We've seen the big names already,
and most of the top players from last year aren't even eligible anymore."
"So how did someone sneak past our Pokémon like that?"
They had ghost- and water-type Pokémon—
some of the best suited for scouting and stealth-detection.
Yet someone had still made off with the treasure
right under their noses.
Ma Xiaojian, the guy with golden-rimmed glasses and a scholarly look, pushed them up and said,
"It's fine.
Anyone with a Pokémon that stealthy will definitely make it to the main tournament.
We'll meet them then."
"Hmph!
Whoever stole my treasure, they better show themselves during the main event!"
Zhu Yuyu clenched her fists together.
The knuckles cracked loudly.
With twin buns and a red-and-white martial arts uniform,
she looked both fierce and stylish.
Just as she was getting fired up—
BOOM!
A deafening explosion echoed through the island.
Even from where they stood,
they could feel the shockwave rumble beneath their feet.
Liu Xuan's eyes lit up.
"Woah! Sounds like someone pissed off the Steelix!"
As someone who loved watching chaos,
he grinned and said,
"Let's go check it out—see which poor sap kicked the hornet's nest."
"Sure…
Could be fun…"
…
…
On Hikaru's side—
Latias hovered in the air,
watching the smoke and rubble erupting from the mountain slope below.
Before them stood a 100-meter-high cliff.
The explosion had blasted a massive hole in the cliff face—
shattered stone flying everywhere.
When the dust settled,
a massive figure came into view—
A Steelix nearly ten meters long,
its entire body studded with jagged spikes,
its flattened head shaped like a battleship.
Its mere presence
would scare off most timid Pokémon.
But now?
Its crimson eyes were burning with fury.
> [Pokémon: Steelix]
[Ability: Sturdy]
[Gender: Male]
[Potential: Master]
[Level: 59]
[Moves: Bind, Harden, Tackle, Rock Tomb, Sandstorm, Quicksand Abyss, Stealth Rock, Dragon Breath, Double-Edge, Stone Edge, Autotomize…]
Someone had stolen a treasure chest it had discovered days earlier.
It didn't know exactly what was inside,
but it could sense the rich Ground-type energy coming from it.
Right now, Steelix was attempting a breakthrough to become a Heavenly King-tier Pokémon.
Its potential was already capped.
Only with that treasure could it hope to push past its limits.
But now?
Someone had stolen it.
And that was the last straw.
Meanwhile, several kilometers away—
Latias had already returned to Hikaru,
who examined the small wooden box thoughtfully.
"A Ground-type treasure, huh…
No wonder that Steelix is so worked up."
---
Read up to 20 Chapters ahead on patreon.com/Fanglin
[Please leave a 5 Star review and power stone for this novel]
*Thank you*