It can be seen that the lines on the blood-colored wooden block have merged together.
A smile appeared on Drake's face.
Now there are only three people left—Regis, Drake, and Han Song, who has been silent, holding a book in his hand.
"Aoki! Qingfeng! I know you're here! You've seen the show now, come out!" Regis didn't use the bloody bomb immediately but shouted into the empty hall.
Qingfeng, who was standing with Aoki, tensed slightly. He hadn't expected the two of them to be discovered despite hiding so well.
Now that they had been found, there was no point in staying concealed. They needed to find an opportunity to escape quickly. The Nidoking in the hall was not something they could deal with.
Just as Qingfeng was about to leave, Aoki stopped him with a hand, frowning as he stared at the calm Regis in the hall.
"Those two who disappeared didn't run away—they followed us?" Drake, standing beside Regis, looked serious, scanning the area vigilantly.
"What? Aoki! Aren't you coming out to meet old friends? I've been waiting for you for so long." Regis's voice grew louder.
But the hidden Aoki relaxed his expression, even allowing a mocking smile to form.
Regis hadn't actually noticed them—he was just trying to provoke them.
If they had acted rashly, they might have fallen for it.
But Aoki saw through Regis's bluff. After all, Regis had just killed the person beside Drake without hesitation.
If he had truly detected Aoki and Qingfeng, he would have attacked immediately rather than calling out their names.
Silence filled the hall.
After three tense minutes, Regis's expression darkened.
He truly hadn't sensed Aoki or Qingfeng—he had only hoped to lure them out with words.
"Fine. They must not be here. Let's go." Regis, still uneasy, decided not to wait any longer.
It was clear that Drake and Han Song followed Regis's lead.
As for Aoki and Qingfeng, they were more useful alive than dead.
Regis had no way of knowing where they were, and he couldn't afford to wait.
The blood-red wooden block in his hand was growing hotter.
The most troublesome aspect of this explosive was that it activated spontaneously after completion. That was why Regis and Drake had slaughtered so many Pokémon outside—to ensure it would detonate inside the hall.
This brutal method had drawn many people here.
Effective, but highly restrictive.
Regis pressed the wooden block against the gate.
A towering door stretched from the floor to the ceiling, engraved with strange patterns—an ancient language now lost to time.
Under normal circumstances, destroying such a door would be wasteful—the engravings held significant historical value.
But Regis and his group, unable to find another way in, had no choice.
After placing the explosive, the three retreated to the edge of the hall, their Pokémon taking defensive positions.
The mighty Nidoking stood at the front like an unbreakable wall.
The lines on the wooden block glowed brighter, its temperature rising as wisps of white smoke curled from its surface.
Then—
BOOM!!!
A deafening explosion erupted. Crimson cracks spread across the door before it shattered into fragments, the blast sending a shockwave through the hall.
Aoki and Qingfeng braced themselves, shielded by Slowking and Jynx.
Had Regis been watching closely, he might have spotted them—but he and his team were too busy defending against the blast, their Pokémon erecting barriers.
The tremors lasted ten seconds before fading, leaving the hall in ruins.
But the door was gone—revealing what lay beyond.
Drake's face twisted in triumph. Regis, though pleased, remained composed.
The effort they had put into this mission was immense.
Of the thirty who had come to the island, only five remained—Regis's group of three, plus Aoki and Qingfeng.
A ten percent survival rate.
And the mission wasn't over yet—more could still die.
The space beyond the door was unremarkable, only slightly brighter, the walls inside now clearly visible.
Regis's group waited, ensuring no hostile Pokémon lurked within, before cautiously advancing.
Nidoking remained at Regis's side—his greatest asset on this mission, now an open trump card.
It served as both a deterrent against Aoki and a warning to Drake, whom Regis still didn't fully trust.
Drake's impulsiveness made him unpredictable.
Once the three vanished into the next chamber, Aoki and Qingfeng emerged from hiding.
Luckily, Gengar had scouted earlier, finding them a concealed spot. Combined with Slowking and Jynx's psychic abilities, they had avoided detection.
Qingfeng now felt a flicker of admiration for Aoki.
Had she acted on instinct earlier, she might have revealed herself and been caught.
Against Nidoking and Drake's Flygon, escape would have been nearly impossible.
"What now?" Qingfeng asked, deferring to Aoki's judgment.
Aoki's mind raced. Recalling the key Lucario had forged from the Ancient Life Tree, he finally said, "We follow them."
With that, he motioned for Slowking to follow and stepped toward the ruined gate.
Qingfeng hesitated, then gritted her teeth and hurried after him.