"Swampert, Tidal Surge!"
With a shout, a monstrous wave surged forth, crashing toward Salamence like a living tsunami.
In Salamence's eyes flickered a flash of disdain. It unleashed Dragon Breath in sync with Flamethrower.
A simple combo of moves—but when there's a gap in power, even simplicity becomes devastating.
The wave broke apart under the burning heat, and Salamence pushed forward with a mighty flap of its wings, surging ahead with Dragon Rush enhanced by Steel Wing.
"Sceptile, Overgrowth Frenzy!"
Another command rang out, and thick vines erupted from the earth, aiming to halt Salamence's charge.
Unfortunately, they snapped easily under Salamence's momentum.
Still, thanks to Sceptile's interference and Swampert's Protect, much of Salamence's force was absorbed, sparing Swampert from being instantly overwhelmed.
"Blaziken, Blazing Inferno!"
To stop Salamence's onslaught, the last of the three Quasi-Elite Four trainers sent out his Blaziken.
Blaziken unleashed a torrent of searing flames, barreling toward Salamence with unstoppable force.
But with a sudden burst of Fly, Salamence soared skyward. As it climbed, Dragon Claw shimmered at its talons, combining once again with Dragon Rush and Steel Wing.
Watching silently from the shadows, Ron had no intention of intervening—he was already preparing to scavenge what resources these trainers might leave behind.
With only Mid Elite-level strength, it would take at least three Elite Four–Mid Tier trainers to restrain this Salamence.
These three alone were barely surviving a single round.
"Swellow, Sky Guardian Descent!"
Before Salamence could strike Blaziken, another Ranger arrived on the scene.
This one commanded a Mid Elite Four Swellow that charged straight at Salamence in a direct aerial clash.
Winds howled from the shockwaves of their impact. As more trainers tried to suppress it, Salamence's violent aura, which had begun to calm, flared up once more.
With a single swipe of Dragon Claw, Salamence overpowered the weary Swellow.
Then came Dragon Breath and Flamethrower—a blazing column of fire roared down on Swellow.
"Swampert, Tidal Surge!"
"Sceptile, Overgrowth Frenzy!"
"Blaziken, Blazing Inferno!"
Commands came in rapid succession as the Pokémon on the ground tried to buy Swellow a few precious seconds.
"So that's how it is?" Ron muttered. "Then we leave. That Salamence is done for."
Having sensed more people approaching thanks to Gardevoir's psychic detection, Ron made his decision.
Surrounded by Rangers, the Salamence was all but captured.
As for swooping in like a lurking hunter—well, putting aside the sheer difficulty of taking down so many Elite Four trainers, prideful Dragon-types don't yield easily. Unless bested in direct combat, few would ever recognize a new master.
Activating Teleport, Gardevoir vanished into the canopy with Ron and Dwight in tow.
Now that he had gathered enough resources, it was finally time to help Nidoking and Gengar break through their limits.
Speaking of which—Gengar's Nether Crystal still hadn't dissipated.
That left Ron wondering: besides the Nether Crystal, could there be other elemental crystals waiting to be discovered?
Not long after Ron departed, another group of Rangers arrived on the scene.
To arrive this quickly, each of them had to be at least High Elite level.
But in a battle dominated by Elite Four trainers, all they could do was hang back, waiting for the right moment to launch long-range attacks.
"Tory, have your Swellow use its speed to pin down Salamence!"
"Sullan, have your Pelipper cool it down a bit!"
"The rest of you—keep your Pokémon ready! Look for an opening in Salamence's defenses and strike!"
"Flygon, brace for Salamence's charge—hold the line no matter what!"
As two more Mid Elite Four-ranked Trainers rushed onto the battlefield, the tide began to turn immediately.
Among the trio, the strongest—Jorn—barked his orders. Without hesitation, the other Elite-level Trainers sprang into action.
The once-chaotic battlefield quickly found order. With three Mid Elite Four Trainers forming the front line, the rest of the rangers finally had the time to set up a formation, boxing Salamence into the center.
Salamence scanned the encirclement of Pokémon and humans with no fear in its crimson eyes—only an overwhelming surge of battlelust.
What came next would decide everything. If Salamence could win this fight, it might break through to High Elite Four in one fell swoop. But if it failed, everything would be over.
"ROAR!!"
With a deafening bellow, Salamence lunged directly toward the strongest foe—Flygon.
Meanwhile, Ron had already slipped far from the battle. He'd even contacted members of the Hunter Guild, purchasing an Attribute Plate under the guise of another pokémon hunter.
Back on the field, Salamence was battered and bloodied, swaying as though it could collapse at any moment.
All around it lay the fallen—rangers and Pokémon alike.
Jorn, the one who had taken command earlier, now stood disheveled and barely conscious. His Flygon hovered nearby, blood seeping steadily from wounds that covered its body.
A little farther off lay Tory, the first of the trio to engage Salamence. He was already a corpse, sprawled not far from the lifeless form of a Swellow.
No one had expected this. That this Salamence could possess such monstrous power—to hold its ground against so many attackers, and still cause such carnage.
And yet, one thing gave them hope: Salamence was grievously wounded. If they found an opening, they could still bring it down.
Locking eyes briefly with Jorn, Sullan, and the remaining rangers, Salamence didn't launch another attack. Instead, it began slowly beating its wings, retreating skyward.
"Flygon, Stone Edge!"
Jorn hesitated, then gave the command anyway.
With him taking the lead, the remaining rangers and their Pokémon summoned the last of their strength in one desperate effort to bring Salamence down.
But with a sudden burst of wingbeats, Salamence soared upward, executing a perfectly timed Fly, evading the attack as it climbed rapidly into the sky.
As the dragon's silhouette faded into the horizon, no one knew whether to feel relief or sorrow.
Later, after distancing itself from the battlefield with the Fly technique, Salamence landed heavily in a remote clearing. It barely had time to recover before a group of wild Pokémon began circling.
A single surge of a dragon's presence scattered them with ease.
But in Salamence's state, how much longer could it rely on intimidation alone?
...
Three days later, on a quiet glade.
Nidoking and Gengar stood with eager anticipation written all over their faces.
"Dwight," said Ron, turning to the young boy beside him, "stay back and watch. Someday, you'll face this moment yourself."
"Okay."
Obediently, Dwight moved to stand beside Machamp, pulling out a small notebook. It looked like she was ready to document every detail of Nidoking's breakthrough.
Following the order in which he had captured them, Ron began by helping Nidoking attempt his evolution to the Elite Four rank.
Machamp, having already experienced it, showed no curiosity. Instead, he and the others kept their eyes on the surroundings.
Gardevoir released her psychic field, while Lucario activated his Aura Sense—ready to detect any incoming threat.
Once preparations were complete, Nidoking began absorbing the energy of the Attribute Plate. The breakthrough to becoming an Elite Four-tier Pokémon had officially begun.
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