Sure enough, after getting closer, the sound of battle grew louder.
Aoki's expression shifted. Had Regis and Drake's plan already begun after Gengar left?
After a brief hesitation, Aoki summoned Slowking.
With Slowking's psychic barrier concealing his presence, the chances of being detected were reduced.
Qingfeng stared at Aoki's swift actions, momentarily stunned.
"Why are you hesitating? If you want rewards, you take risks. Do you have a psychic-type Pokémon? If so, come with me. If not, stay here or leave." Aoki said impatiently, noticing Qingfeng's hesitation.
He recalled that Qingfeng had a Jynx but wasn't sure how strong it was now.
If Jynx wasn't strong enough, Aoki wouldn't bring Qingfeng along—dead weight in a dangerous situation would only slow him down.
Hearing Aoki's words, Qingfeng snapped to attention and summoned her Jynx.
The moment it appeared, the yellow-haired, red-coated Pokémon puckered its thick lips and beamed at Qingfeng.
"Jynx, mimic Slowking's psychic barrier," Qingfeng ordered after steadying herself.
Jynx turned to observe Slowking.
A gleam flashed in its eyes—admiration? Infatuation?
Standing beside Aoki, Slowking shuddered, feeling as if it had been targeted by some primal predator.
Jynx seemed to forget its trainer's command, lifting its red skirt as if preparing to charge at Slowking.
Slowking instinctively stepped back in alarm.
Luckily, Qingfeng grabbed Jynx in time.
"Jynx! Focus! This is important!" Qingfeng scolded.
Only then did Jynx regain its composure, though it still stole glances at Slowking.
Mimicking Slowking's technique, it generated a similar psychic barrier.
Qingfeng gave Aoki an apologetic look. "Sorry… Jynx has a bit of a crush on Slowking. A very… enthusiastic crush."
Aoki, having witnessed the scene, could only nod silently, his lips twitching.
Slowking, thoroughly unsettled, positioned itself as far from Jynx as possible.
But this was just a distraction—the real concern was the battle ahead.
A quick scan revealed Jynx's strength—elite level, with solid psychic abilities. No wonder it replicated Slowking's barrier so quickly.
As for its obsession with Slowking, Aoki guessed it was drawn to Slowking's psychic prowess—a one-sided attraction.
"If things go wrong, I won't save you. We split if things get dangerous," Aoki warned Qingfeng.
Qingfeng understood—they weren't allies, just temporary companions for safety in numbers.
When they reached the hall Gengar had mentioned, the battle was at its peak.
The dozen trainers who had followed Drake and Regis were now united against them.
Four—Drake, Regis, Drake's subordinate, and Regis's ally—faced nearly ten elite trainers.
Yet the fight was one-sided.
Several Pokémon already lay defeated. Two Team Rocket members were down, likely ambushed by their own allies.
Seven remained, struggling against the four.
Hidden by the psychic barrier, Aoki and Qingfeng went unnoticed.
The reason for the lopsided battle? A ruthless Pokémon dominating the hall—Nidoking.
Aoki was startled—his intel, provided by Regis, hadn't mentioned a Nidoking.
How much of that intel was even true?
"Regis! Drake! You teamed up?! Why?! With your strength, we're no threat to you!" one of the seven snarled.
He had allied with Regis, expecting at least minor rewards.
Instead, he'd been led into a trap.
They were being slaughtered.
Regis remained silent, his usual carefree demeanor gone, replaced by cold indifference. Drake, however, laughed wildly.
"Your weakness is your sin! We didn't plan this, but the door won't open! You're the sacrifice!"
Aoki wasn't surprised. The scene in the hall, the earlier destruction of the ancient tree, Nidoking's rampage—it all made sense now.
In his past life, as a pseudo-Champion, he'd learned Team Rocket's darker secrets.
Ancient ruins weren't rare, but their keys were often lost. Team Rocket's scientists had devised a brutal solution.
By saturating an object with enough life energy—blood—they could trigger a high-energy explosion. The corruption from the blood, combined with the blast, could force open sealed gates.
The best medium? Wood—it absorbed energy well.
So Regis had Nidoking tear a piece from the strongest tree on the island, then poisoned it to hide the damage.
This Nidoking, rampaging now, was a powerful pseudo-Champion.
With it, Regis and Drake were overwhelming the seven.
Their goal wasn't the trainers—it was their Pokémon.
Everything clicked into place.