Chapter 505: Rescue and Suspicion

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Following the weakening signal on his communicator, Sato rode atop Arcanine and sped into Spider Forest, heading straight toward the direction where the signal was strongest.

Both Sato and Arcanine were undoubtedly marked as the most hated targets by the poisonous spiders dwelling in the forest.

So, shortly after they entered Spider Forest, numerous Ariados and Spinarak immediately began screeching loudly to alert their fellow Pokémon throughout the forest.

In no time, a large number of Ariados and Spinarak surged from all directions, aiming to ambush Sato and Arcanine. Countless threads of web shot out like a giant net, attempting to ensnare the two.

Unfortunately for the spiders, both Sato and Arcanine had already survived one ambush from them. They knew exactly how to handle these poisonous arachnids. 

With all four of its limbs wreathed in flames, Arcanine's speed remained completely unaffected by the webs.

However, seeing these spiders unrepentantly obstructing his path again, Sato's eyes flashed with a ruthless glint.

After last night's battle, Sato had come to fully understand the law of survival on this mysterious island—only the strong had the right to live on and grow stronger.

Therefore, any action taken in pursuit of that goal should not be constrained by one's moral code.

Of course, if one's strength was overwhelming, then one could afford to uphold some moral standards, perhaps even show mercy to one's enemies. But for enemies who never learned their lesson, death was the best outcome for them.

Without hesitation, Sato gave the order again—for Arcanine to set the forest ablaze.

Arcanine, who obeyed Sato's commands without question, immediately used Flame Burst, a move capable of unleashing a large area of fire damage in an instant.

A high-temperature fireball the size of a watermelon shot from Arcanine's mouth into the air. As soon as it emerged, the fireball rapidly expanded with the wind. In just seconds, it ballooned into a massive sphere at least five meters in diameter.

With a loud boom, the massive fireball exploded, transforming into a fiery rain.

In an instant, every tree and plant touched by the fire rain burst into flames. With the aid of a gust of wind, the flames roared to life and began spreading rapidly in all directions.

Now, the poisonous spiders were once again gripped by the fear of Sato and Arcanine's overwhelming power. Threatened by the blazing inferno, they scattered in retreat, no longer daring to obstruct their path.

Freed from interference, Arcanine picked up speed once more. It didn't take long before it brought Sato to a contestant who had nearly become food storage for the spiders.

"Arcanine, use Flamethrower to intimidate them."

Seeing the large group of poisonous spiders and two nearly complete cocoons on the ground ahead, Sato frowned. He immediately commanded Arcanine to use Flamethrower for a show of force.

In truth, if he wasn't worried that the contestant's number tag might get burned by Arcanine's intense flames, he wouldn't have bothered saving the guy at all.

Now that he was here, he might as well go all the way and save the man's life.

Arcanine followed the order. A jet of searing flames erupted from its mouth, and it swung its head side to side, sweeping the fire over the heads of the spiders like a flaming rope.

When the Ariados and Spinarak on the ground saw Sato riding on Arcanine before them, panic had already set in.

After watching their poison stingers and webs once again prove useless against Arcanine, and feeling the oppressive power of its flames at close range, the spiders collectively chose to retreat.

"Saved… I can't believe… a miracle actually happened."

Seeing the poisonous spiders withdraw, Aoki knew he was finally safe. His heart swelled with gratitude toward his rescuer.

But the moment he saw that the one who saved him was Sato riding on Arcanine, his expression twisted into something far more complicated.

Aoki currently served Ranka. And since Sato had thoroughly embarrassed Ranka earlier, Ranka had made it clear to all his loyal followers: if any of them ran into Sato, they were to signal him and the others immediately.

So when Aoki realized his savior was none other than Sato, any gratitude he felt vanished instantly, replaced with only one thought—how to send Sato's current coordinates to Ranka and the others.

Aoki wasn't stupid. He knew Sato had saved him only to snatch his number tag. While he had escaped with his life, being eliminated was inevitable.

So why not make the most of it before he was out of the game?

Ranka had promised his loyal followers a reward of 100 million PokeDollars to whoever could help locate Sato's whereabouts.

At that moment, Aoki began scheming—thinking of how to earn Sato's trust and convince him to swap backpacks, giving him the opportunity to send a signal.

What Aoki didn't realize, however, was that his momentary look of surprise had already given him away.

In truth, the moment Sato saw Aoki bound in webs, he knew this contestant was already within his grasp.

Originally, Sato just intended to extort him—snatch some supplies and leave him a special device that could be used later to gain help from Psychic-type Pokémon at the base.

But that one fleeting look of shock and surprise when Aoki first saw him made Sato suspicious. Though the expression only lasted a split second, Sato's sharp dynamic vision picked it up immediately.

That gender-bender Ranka… Sato had never forgotten the threat that guy posed. With just a brief thought, Sato began suspecting that the man in front of him might be one of Ranka's people.

Though he lacked solid evidence, Sato had always been cautious in handling such matters.

He had no ties to Aoki and now had him completely at his mercy. Since the guy was suspicious, there was no way Sato would let him off easily. For the sake of his own life, he'd have to deal with Aoki… firmly.

If Aoki really was Ranka's subordinate, he likely carried some way to transmit information. If Sato allowed that to happen, he might soon find himself surrounded by Ranka and his men.

With that thought, Sato's eyes grew cold. He released Ariados and ordered it to remove Aoki's storage backpack.

"What's your relationship with Ranka? Start talking!"

Once Sato confirmed there were no active devices in Aoki's backpack, he delivered a hard kick to the man's stomach and interrogated him coldly.

A moment later, Sato saw the flicker of panic flash across Aoki's eyes—and he had his answer.