As the brilliant glow of evolution faded, the once vibrant green Larvitar was now encased in a rugged, bluish-gray shell. The hardened exoskeleton covering its head resembled a mask.
Above its eyes, two triangular openings gave the impression of eyebrows.
Following its evolution into Pupitar, the pointed spikes on its sides had completely replaced the arms and legs it once had as a Larvitar.
Beyond its drastic change in appearance, Pupitar's height was another notable transformation.
Although Larvitar had developed better than most of its kind, it still hadn't surpassed the one-meter mark, standing at approximately 80 centimeters.
However, upon evolving, Pupitar's height nearly doubled, reaching around 1.6 meters.
Additionally, Pupitar gained a unique, temporary ability—it could propel itself through the air by expelling compressed gas from within its body!
Though its endurance and agility were nowhere near that of a true Flying-type Pokémon), it was still capable of actual flight.
At this stage, Pupitar's primary goal was to accumulate enough energy for its final evolution. This also meant that the less energy it expended in battle, the faster it would reach its next form.
In other words, Pupitar needed to engage in battles where it had the upper hand, avoiding prolonged fights that could deplete its energy reserves and hinder its evolution process.
"Congratulations, Pupitar. You're getting closer to your final evolution—Tyranitar," Ron said with a smile, gently patting Pupitar's large, armored head.
Even through touch alone, Ron could feel that Pupitar's outer shell was significantly tougher than when it was a Larvitar.
Without arms or legs, Pupitar could only express its excitement through its crescent-shaped eyes, which curved into a joyous grin.
Meanwhile, flocks of Flying-type Pokémon took off from the Ranger Headquarters. Rangers stationed in the rugged rock region where Ron was located had already begun their operation.
The strongest among them barely reached the High Elite level. Their mission was simple: track Ron's movements while staying out of sight. The last thing they wanted was to be noticed by Ron—or worse, to recklessly engage him in a direct confrontation.
After the previous incident, Ron had become synonymous with a ruthless Pokémon Hunter in the eyes of the Rangers.
If Ron retaliated too fiercely, they were fully authorized to eliminate him on the spot.
As wisps of smoke curled into the sky, a simple yet satisfying lunch was prepared in Ron's hands.
Truth be told, Ron had wanted to cook something special for Pupitar, but due to the region's limitations, he had to make do with the scarce ingredients he had brought along.
For his Pokémon—who had been surviving on Pokémon food and premium Pokéblocks for the past few days—this meal was already a feast.
Halfway through their meal, Ron suddenly sensed something. His gaze shifted toward Gardevoir.
"Ron, you felt it too?"
Noticing Ron's gaze, Gardevoir's voice echoed in his mind.
"I only have a faint feeling… I can't be certain yet."
"But since you sensed it too, then it must be real. Looks like someone is after us again."
Responding with a somewhat helpless tone, Ron remained unfazed as he continued enjoying his lunch.
"Let's eat first. I'll handle whatever comes next."
Hearing Ron's words, Gardevoir simply nodded and then resumed eating.
To Gardevoir, no matter what kind of trouble arose, Ron could always handle it with ease.
After finishing his meal, Ron wasted no time leaving the rocky terrain as quickly as possible.
Lucario used its Aura to scan the surroundings, while Gardevoir utilized its psychic abilities to monitor the skies. At the same time, Gardevoir employed Teleport to move them swiftly.
After half a day of travel, Ron found himself once again embraced by the forest.
Finding a secluded spot, he shed his previous guise, reverting to his original identity—allowing the name Dark King to vanish for the time being.
As for the source of danger, Ron didn't even need to think—he knew it was the Rangers' retaliation.
Given the circumstances, it was almost certain that the ones after him this time were Elite Four-level trainers.
With such formidable opponents leading the charge, whether he could defeat them or not was irrelevant—he couldn't risk them spreading any information about him.
The only solution was to remain hidden, traveling under his true identity. This way, he could also use the opportunity to strengthen his Pokémon. A win-win situation.
"Still no sign of the Dark King?"
Seated on a large rock, Hiro asked impatiently.
"No. It's as if he vanished into thin air. No matter how we search, there's no trace of him."
Bert hesitated for a moment but ultimately chose to report truthfully.
"Search for one more day. If we still can't find him, then we'll call off this operation for now."
Unlike Bert, Hiro didn't hesitate. From the start, his plan to take down the Dark King was a swift and decisive strike. That was the only way to mobilize this many people—including himself, an Elite Four-level trainer.
If they failed to locate the Dark King within a short period, he had no choice but to call it off.
At most, in two months, the Rangers' headquarters would fully stabilize. By then, they would have all the time and manpower needed to track Ron down and eliminate him.
"Understood!"
When Bert relayed the message, he made a slight modification—ordering the Rangers and Forest Hunters to go all out, even at the cost of exposing themselves.
Bert could never forget—it was his intelligence failure that led to Terry, Sloane, Hughes, and so many Rangers perishing at the hands of the Dark King.
He couldn't forget how the news of their deaths had thrown the Rangers' operations into turmoil.
Lacking the strength to personally eliminate the Dark King, Bert could only contribute in the area where he excelled.
Only by erasing the Dark King as soon as possible could he finally feel his guilt ease, even if just a little.
Unfortunately for him, no matter how hard he tried, he would never find the Dark King—who had already resumed his original identity.
Using Shave to traverse the forest swiftly, Ron moved alongside his Machamp, their target being a poaching syndicate led by a quasi-Elite Four trainer.
Ron had initially adopted the identity of a Pokémon Hunter precisely to avoid drawing too much attention from the high-ranking hunters.
After all, the only reason Hoenn's Pokémon Hunters suffered such devastating losses, even nearing collapse, was because of him.
If given the chance, those hunters would never let him go.
For his own safety, Ron had disguised himself as a Pokémon Hunter—only to end up as Public Enemy No. 1 in the eyes of the Rangers.
But now, with just a little more effort, he could obtain enough resources to exchange for two Attribute Plates, allowing his Persian to break through to the next level.
At this point, he no longer cared about keeping his identity a secret. He openly used his true appearance to hunt down this poaching syndicate.
Once the job was done, it wouldn't be long before Persian successfully reached the Elite Four level.
As for Ron's target, they remained unaware that their doom was fast approaching.
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