"Sir, we have news on the Dark King."
Looking at the utterly exhausted Bert, who was covered in grime and emitting an unpleasant stench, Hiro didn't need to think twice to understand just how much effort Bert had put into tracking down the Dark King.
"I understand. Gather our forces—we move to eliminate the Dark King!"
Without hesitation, Hiro trusted Bert's information and prepared for battle.
"Yes, sir!"
With excitement, Bert responded immediately and moved at top speed to assemble their forces.
He had envisioned this moment countless times in his mind.
Within minutes, the assembled Forest Hunters and Rangers stood ready.
...
"Go, Zangoose! Use Cross Slash!"
"Seviper, use Poison Tail!"
The moment Vero commanded his Zangoose to attack, Mervin also issued his order for Seviper.
Perhaps due to the natural enmity between the two Pokémon species, even Vero and Mervin exchanged hostile glares.
After an intense clash, Zangoose gained the upper hand.
With both its Immunity ability and the boost from Poison Boost, Zangoose had a significant advantage over Seviper. Furthermore, Vero's Zangoose possessed the Poison Boost ability.
Earlier, taking advantage of Mervin's lack of knowledge about Persian's ability, Zangoose had deliberately taken a Poison-type attack, successfully triggering Poison Boost and significantly increasing its strength.
Now, Vero's goal was to eliminate Seviper as quickly as possible, receive healing from the Dark King, and prepare for the next battle.
Elsewhere on the battlefield, another battle was unfolding between Shiftry and Magcargo.
Due to type advantage, Magcargo maintained solid footing and easily suppressed Shiftry.
Though Shiftry's agility caused some trouble for Magcargo, Ron could see that it wouldn't be long before Shiftry fell.
Seeing how hard these four were pushing themselves, Ron almost felt bad about interfering.
But at this point, he had no reason to hold back.
"Gardevoir, inform Persian to begin the operation."
"Machamp, once you enter the battlefield, focus on eliminating Vero's and the others' quasi-Elite Four-level Pokémon as quickly as possible. Then assist Persian in taking down the remaining Pokémon Hunters."
Using telepathy, Ron silently issued his commands.
Hiding on the outskirts from the beginning, Persian made its move first. Guided by Gardevoir, it slipped unnoticed into Gengar's barrier.
Machamp and the others also stood by, waiting for the perfect moment. As soon as the battle reached a decisive point, it would be their time to strike.
"Now! Zangoose, use Cross Slash!"
Seizing the perfect opening, Vero commanded Zangoose to launch its attack.
Dashing forward at full speed, Zangoose closed the distance to Seviper in an instant.
Taking Seviper's Poison Tail head-on, Zangoose retaliated with Cross Slash, decisively taking Seviper down.
"Excellent work, Zangoose!"
Seeing his victory over Mervin, Vero's face lit up with excitement.
If he could defeat Magcargo next, he would become the second-in-command under the Dark King.
But before he could savor his triumph, he suddenly felt his body losing control, collapsing backward in exhaustion.
At the same time, distant screams and angry curses filled the air—directed at none other than the Dark King.
Before Vero could make sense of the situation, his consciousness sank into darkness.
The moment Vero's victory drew all the Pokémon Hunters' attention, Ron unleashed Machamp and the others.
With their entrance, Persian began its merciless hunt, cutting down Pokémon Hunters left and right.
The battlefield was already somewhat cramped. Without Ron's command, the Pokémon Hunters hesitated to release their Pokémon recklessly.
Taking full advantage of the opportunity, Persian's swift assault left a trail of bodies in its wake.
Following Ron's instructions, Machamp's primary targets were the four quasi-Elite Four-level Pokémon.
Executing Four Tiger Slaughter, Machamp swiftly eliminated all four Pokémon. With time to spare, it followed up with Flying Finger Pistol to take down Vero and his allies.
Gardevoir maximized its Hypnosis abilities, successfully hindering the Pokémon Hunters from releasing their Pokémon.
A swift flash of a blade cut through the air—delicate green leaves and pristine white petals transformed into deadly weapons, cutting down Pokémon Hunters in an instant.
Electric currents surged, forming countless serpentine streaks of lightning that turned every unfortunate hunter who touched them into charred corpses.
Scorching flames blazed as if determined to claim every life before Persian and the others could. Blaziken rapidly boosted its speed, weaving effortlessly through the enemy ranks, leaving destruction in its wake.
Darkness loomed again. A spectral, violet-black chain lashed out, resembling the Grim Reaper's scythe, claiming the lives of more Pokémon Hunters.
In less than a minute, over a hundred Pokémon Hunters had fallen to Machamp's team.
Without a change in expression, Ron methodically looted the resources from the fallen before signaling to Gardevoir to use Teleport, whisking him away.
...
"We're too late again."
Staring at the corpses on the ground, Hiro wasn't sure whether to be furious or relieved.
Though they had once again lost track of the Dark King, seeing so many Pokémon poachers lying dead here was, in a way, a good thing for someone like Hiro—a forest ranger devoted to protecting Pokémon.
"Why?! Why?! Why does the Dark King keep slipping away?!"
"Hiro, sir, we should keep chasing! I'm sure the Dark King hasn't gotten far. Believe me! If we just push a little harder, we can catch him!"
"Sir, we have to go after him! Did you hear me? Hurry!"
At some point, Bert's eyes had turned bloodshot.
Clearly, the Dark King had become an obsession—his personal demon. As long as the Dark King remained alive, Bert would only spiral further into madness, inevitably leading to his own destruction.
Slap!
A sharp crack echoed through the air, and a bright red handprint quickly appeared on Bert's face.
"Calm down."
"Can't you see? These men have been dead for a while already!"
"Don't you understand? The Dark King is a Psychic-type user—he can teleport at will!"
"And don't you realize? Given his brutality, any ordinary ranger or forest hunter who encounters him has an overwhelmingly high chance of dying?!"
Gripping Bert's collar, Hiro bellowed his questions.
Bert opened his mouth to say something, but the words caught in his throat. His lips trembled for a moment before he slumped like a limp Magikarp, completely at Hiro's mercy.
"Effective immediately, you are suspended from duty. Take time to cool off—only after you've regained full composure will we consider reinstating you."
"Spread the word—increase the bounty on the Dark King and elevate his status to Elite Four-level Pokémon poacher. Any rangers or forest hunters below Elite Four rank are strictly forbidden from engaging him directly. Upon spotting him, they must immediately contact headquarters or an Elite Four-level ranger."
With that, Hiro mounted his Flying-type Pokémon and shot into the sky.
Despite his words, he still wanted to try—just to see if he could cross paths with the Dark King.
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