The dry, rocky terrain echoed with the sound of fierce collisions. The ground trembled ever so slightly beneath the intensity of battle.
"Crush it, Golem!"
Following its Trainer's command, Golem spun rapidly, charging forward like an unstoppable boulder.
The battered and bruised Rhydon, seeing Golem's relentless assault, mustered the last of its strength. Clenching its right fist tightly, it gathered all its remaining energy and swung with everything it had.
In the next instant, Rhydon's massive body was sent flying backward before crashing heavily onto the ground, unable to continue the fight.
Before Jabor could even capture his fallen prey, a veil of black energy suddenly engulfed the area, forming a dark domain around him in the blink of an eye.
"D-Dark King...!"
Even though he had read about this moment countless times, witnessing it in person sent shivers down Jabor's spine.
The Dark King—a name whispered in fear among Pokémon hunters.
About half a month ago, rumors spread of a hunter who wielded a Gengar and, even more shockingly, possessed rare psychic abilities!
From the very start, his goals had been different from the average Pokémon hunter. Not only did he claim numerous high-bounty capture missions, but he had also hunted down Pokémon hunters themselves, an unthinkable betrayal.
Most of his victims had been High Elite-ranked hunters, with even a few quasi-Elite Four-level hunters meeting their end at his hands.
If not for the League tracking his movements and uncovering his actions, the Pokémon hunters might never have realized that their own ranks had been infiltrated by a ravenous wolf—one that devoured indiscriminately.
He went on to slaughter dozens of Pokémon rangers and even two quasi-Elite Four-level forest hunters.
Faced with such a terrifying force, Jabor's first instinct was not to fight back—it was to drop to his knees.
"M-My Lord! Please, spare me! I'll give you everything I have—everything except for Golem! I'll do anything—even serve as your dog, if that's what you want!"
Rage and shame burned within Golem's core.
As a Pokémon, it was its duty to protect its Trainer. Yet now, it could do nothing but watch in humiliation.
But Golem dared not move recklessly. Its own life meant nothing, but it could not risk its Trainer's.
Looking at Jabor, who was trembling in utter terror, Ron sighed inwardly.
Ever since he had taken down Terry and his group, every Pokémon hunter he encountered had reacted in one of two ways. Those at quasi-Elite Four-level ran for their lives. High Elite-ranked hunters surrendered outright—just like Jabor now.
Some had even reached out to him through the Hunter Guild's website, boldly offering to serve under him.
Honestly, if Ron were to openly display his Elite Four-level strength, he could likely build an enormous poaching syndicate overnight—one with quasi-Elite Four-ranked hunters as vice commanders and High Elite-ranked hunters as squad leaders.
But he had no such intention.
If he exposed his full strength, revealing Machamp and the others, then word would undoubtedly reach Bruno. And once Bruno learned the truth, he wouldn't even need the Hoenn League to act—he'd personally come hunting for Ron himself.
"Do as you said. Hand over all your resources. But you can keep your Pokémon."
Hearing Ron's words, Jabor let out a sigh of relief.
Lately, all the High Elite-ranked hunters who begged for mercy had been spared. But now that he was the one in this position, he couldn't help but feel terrified.
If the Dark King happened to be in a bad mood, his life would be forfeit.
Fortunately, today, the Dark King seemed to be in good spirits.
Without hesitation, Jabor handed over all his supplies and captured Pokémon, then stood aside respectfully, watching Ron take everything he had worked for with an ingratiating smile.
Ron had seen this exact scene countless times before.
And yet, each time, he reminded himself:
"This is the fate of the weak. It doesn't matter if the strong care or not—the weak have no choice but to grovel like dogs, unable to display even a shred of dignity."
"If I don't want to end up like this someday, I must become stronger."
"If I ever want to rise above this fate, I must become stronger!"
After collecting Jabor's resources, Ron turned and walked away—never once worrying that Jabor would try anything foolish.
Watching Ron's silhouette gradually blur and disappear, Jabor finally let out a breath of relief.
And yet, an inexplicable feeling gnawed at him—like he had lost something today beyond mere resources, something he would never be able to recover for the rest of his life.
"Lucario, I'll be relying on you. Use your Aura to scan for any nearby people or Pokémon."
"Larvitar, stay battle-ready."
"Gardevoir, you're in charge of aerial surveillance."
With telepathy, the commands were swiftly relayed.
Lessons learned through hardship.
Ron might have gained a formidable reputation among Pokémon Hunters, but in truth, he had long become a prime target for the Rangers.
If it weren't for the Rangers being preoccupied with Elite Four-level Pokémon Hunters—and the difficulty of dealing with his psychic abilities—they would have launched an operation against him already.
Even so, Ron remained cautious, ever wary of being surrounded again.
After all, if the Rangers made a second move against him, they would either send multiple quasi-Elite Four Rangers or dispatch an outright Elite Four-ranked one.
Either way, Ron couldn't guarantee he could take them all down. Caution was paramount.
Lucario unleashed his Aura. Anything alive radiated Aura—it was unavoidable.
Drifting through the area, Lucario soon detected the presence of wild Pokémon.
Even more intriguing, he sensed someone battling those wild Pokémon.
"Good. Let's go."
Activating Shave, Ron shot forward at lightning speed.
His growing strength allowed Lucario to keep pace with him effortlessly.
With the aid of Shave, they reached the battlefield in a mere two or three minutes.
Leaves sliced through the air, launching a relentless assault on the Graveler and Geodude.
Against a quadruple type disadvantage, the weaker Geodude had already fallen, unable to continue battling. The stronger Graveler fought desperately to push forward but stood no chance against the onslaught from the Shiftry.
Leaf Blade, combined with Hurricane, formed an attack no weaker than Leaf Storm.
And the one unleashing it was a Shiftry at quasi-Elite Four strength.
The opposing Graveler, at best High Elite level, had no way to break through its offensive.
A short distance behind the Shiftry stood a man in his thirties, his appearance unremarkable. At his side, two High Elite Pokémon stood guard.
Ron didn't need to guess—this man was a Pokémon Hunter.
"Lucario, return for now. Gengar, you're up. After all, you are my signature proof of identity."
Emerging from Ron's shadow, Gengar sighed in exasperation.
It disliked that nickname.
And yet, every time they acted, Ron had him use Netherworld.
Still, Gengar followed orders without complaint.
Darkness spread, turning day into sudden night.
"D-Dark King…!"
Kadyn muttered Ron's name, his voice laced with fear he himself hadn't even realized.
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