As a result, Aoki, who was about to act, slowly put down the Pokéball in his hand.
Since there were still people who wanted to play praying mantis, he didn't mind being the oriole instead.
He patiently continued to wait.
Aoki also had a copy of the Team Rocket member information obtained from Regis. Although he didn't know if the other party had something similar, Aoki estimated there was a high probability they didn't. Even if they did, Regis wouldn't have made it as detailed.
He decided to wait for the other party to act first. After confirming the opponent's identity and strength, Aoki's initiative would be much greater.
He waited silently for another half an hour.
By this time, the Krookodile had been pushed to the edge of the sunken area by the Bastiodon, but this was the limit of what the Bastiodon could do.
After all, what they relied on was their super defense, and their offensive power was their weak point.
The reason the Krookodile had been forced to retreat was only a strategic one, not because they feared the Bastiodon.
Now that they had reached the edge, if they retreated any further, they would have to withdraw from the sunken area.
Obviously, that wasn't what the Krookodile wanted.
Thus, their fierce counterattack began.
The two sides fell into a stalemate once again.
At this time, Aoki, who had been keeping an eye on the other side, noticed that a member of Team Rocket had started to act.
A piece of cloth appeared on the previously endless yellow desert, and a Team Rocket member in a black bodysuit crawled out from underneath.
His previous disguise had been the yellow cloth covering his body.
The black bodysuit was very obvious against the yellow sand, but once he entered the sunken area, it wouldn't be so easy to spot him.
Because of the sun's rays, there was a huge shadow cast over the sunken area, and the man took advantage of this environment to camouflage himself again.
Aoki frowned and didn't rush to act.
This man's ability to camouflage and survive in the wild was definitely not weak — the kind of quality a Team Rocket squad leader should have.
Aoki still didn't move. Before confirming the man's identity, he decided it was better to stay put and adapt to any changes.
Soon, using his body alone, the man darted through the sand at high speed, clearly experienced in desert survival.
"Is it because of the shoes he's wearing? He really knows how to survive in the desert. Sure enough, none of the people who entered Neverland this time are simple," Aoki thought, paying close attention to his movements.
Three minutes later, when the Bastiodon and Krookodile were distracted, the man approached the exposed ore field.
"It's time. Drapion, alert the Bastiodon and Krookodile. Fire a Shadow Ball at the ore field!" Aoki ordered, standing on Drapion's back.
Hearing Aoki's command, Drapion stretched out a pincer and slowly condensed a black energy ball.
Among Aoki's Pokémon, Gengar used the Shadow Ball move the most easily. Although Drapion had learned a lot from Gengar, he was still a little less skilled.
But if it was just to attack the stationary ore field, it was no problem.
Two Shadow Balls flew out, one after the other — the first targeting the ore field, the second targeting the man.
After firing the Shadow Balls, Drapion quickly concealed himself again.
The Team Rocket member who had just reached the ore field immediately sensed the danger behind him just as a smile appeared on his face.
He hastily performed a roll, dodging Drapion's Shadow Ball.
Boom! Boom!
Two Shadow Balls struck the ore field and the sandy ground in succession.
They didn't hit the Team Rocket member, but it didn't matter — the effect had already been achieved.
The Krookodile and Bastiodon immediately noticed the explosion.
The two groups of Pokémon stopped fighting one after another.
After all, wasn't it these precious ores they had been risking their lives over?
Now someone was sneaking around behind them, trying to steal the ore while their attention was elsewhere.
Without hesitation, the Bastiodon adjusted their door-like tails and charged straight toward the ore field, eyes locked onto the Team Rocket member.
The Krookodile didn't continue fighting either. Freed from the Bastiodon's obstruction, they unleashed their true speed. Like true sand predators, they frantically tunneled through the desert, easily overtaking the Bastiodon in a mad rush toward the ore.
Aoki couldn't see the person's face clearly, but he guessed it must be as dark as the black tights he wore.
Still, Aoki couldn't help but admire the man's resolve.
Realizing escape was impossible, he decisively threw out two Poké Balls.
Aoki finally saw what Pokémon the thief used — a Drilbur and an Onix.
The moment he saw them, Aoki immediately understood who the man was.
But now wasn't the time to dwell on that.
If Aoki wanted to act as the oriole behind the mantis, he needed this thief to struggle a bit more.
The man jumped onto Onix's back while Drilbur dove headfirst into the sand.
Onix surged forward without looking back, quickly slithering across the desert floor.
Normally, Onix wasn't a speedy Pokémon.
But in this rugged desert, Onix was actually quite fast — though not faster than the Krookodile.
Especially their leader, whose speed through the sand was unmatched.
In moments, the Krookodile would catch up.
That's when Drilbur, tunneling underground, showed its worth — launching attacks from beneath the sand to block the crocodiles' pursuit.
Meanwhile, Onix deliberately sought out rocky terrain to cross.
With its massive body, boulders were no obstacle, but for the Krookodile, the rocks forced them to detour and slow down.
Little by little, the distance between them widened.
Aoki, who had been watching all this time, was finally ready to act.
But first, he had one more thing to take care of.
"Honchkrow, follow them. Fly high and stay out of range. Keep an eye on them, and guide the Krookodile and Bastiodon — don't let them lose track," Aoki instructed calmly.
Honchkrow understood, nodded, and beat its wings, taking off in pursuit.
From above, Honchkrow occasionally tossed attacks toward Onix's escape route, making sure it stayed visible to the Krookodile while subtly guiding their chase.
"Slowking, take us to where the ore were," Aoki said, tossing out another Poké Ball.
"Yah-dong!" Slowking's eyes gleamed as it activated its psychic power.
Space distorted slightly, and in the next instant, they reappeared in the middle of the ore field.
The Krookodile and Bastiodon had already chased the Team Rocket member far away.
"Drapion, Slowking, hurry! Dig out as much ore as you can before they return!" Aoki commanded.
Drapion swung its massive pincers, frantically digging out the precious ore bit by bit.
Slowking used its psychic powers to levitate the ore and float it into Aoki's huge space backpack — something he had prepared precisely for a moment like this.
At this point, it didn't matter what quality the ore was just obtain it.