"Machamp, Finger Pistol: Evening Elephant!"
Using Gardevoir's telepathy to relay the command, Machamp, hidden within the treetops, suddenly leaped into action. A massive shadow engulfed the Pokémon hunter and his Pokémon on the ground in an instant.
Recognizing the unmistakable elephantine strike, the Pokémon hunter—who was only at the High Elite level—knew he was finished.
Even so, he ordered his Pokémon to put up one final resistance.
A green light shimmered—Protect was activated, attempting to block the incoming attack.
A shattering sound rang out as the protective barrier crumbled upon impact. The devastating force of Evening Elephant slammed down, crushing both the Pokémon hunter and his Pokémon beneath its sheer power.
With a surge of psychic energy, all resources from the Pokémon hunter's possession were swiftly gathered and extracted.
At that moment, Machamp used Shave to return to Ron's side. Gardevoir activated Teleport, and in a blink, Ron's group disappeared from the scene, paying no heed to the onlookers nearby.
From beginning to end, neither Ron nor Machamp had been seen—the only thing that bore witness to their presence was Machamp's signature move, Finger Pistol: Evening Elephant.
Ever since Ron gained fame as a Forest Hunter, videos of his battles in the Indigo Plateau Conference had resurfaced. Over time, his distinctive elephantine strike had become his calling card.
A nearby Pokémon hunter who had narrowly escaped hesitation quickly passed this information along to the League's quasi-Elite Four.
Upon receiving the intel, the quasi-Elite Four began rallying their forces, preparing to take action against Ron.
To the Pokémon hunters at the quasi-Elite Four level, eliminating Ron was a top priority. If they failed to do so before he ascended to the rank of Elite Four, their futures would be sealed in disaster.
When that time came, they would be left with two choices: abandon their identities as Pokémon hunters or live in constant fear, hunted by Ron.
After all, someone like Ron—who possessed extraordinary growth speed, exceptional mobility, and unparalleled assault capabilities—was a rarity among Forest Hunters. A rarity so extreme that he had become a terror to the Pokémon hunters.
It wasn't as though talented Forest Hunters had never appeared before, but none had risen as quickly as Ron. Most fell into the traps of Pokémon hunters and perished before reaching their full potential.
The League had limited resources and couldn't protect every prodigy. This had given the Pokémon hunters the opportunity they needed.
The quasi-Elite Four hunters believed that despite Ron's mobility, it would still be difficult for the Forest Hunters to safeguard him. As long as they could seize the right moment, their superior numbers would ensure his demise.
Of course, for making such a significant contribution to the Pokémon hunter community, they expected to claim all of Ron's resources as compensation.
After distancing himself from the scene of the attack, Ron came to a halt and began reviewing the latest mission updates from headquarters.
To keep his movements unpredictable, Ron always retreated in a seemingly aimless manner before selecting his next target based on mission details.
Though this method consumed more time, it offered unmatched security. The last thing Ron wanted was to experience another close call like before.
As noon approached, Ron found a secure location and began preparing lunch.
Multi-tasking, he released his growing psychic power, rapidly depleting it before replenishing his energy through Fighting Aura.
He tossed the prepared ingredients into the pan, stir-frying them over hot oil. As he meticulously controlled the heat, he continued his cycle of psychic energy depletion and recovery.
This technique was one Ron had refined through rigorous training. His goal was to enhance his control over his psychic abilities while practicing breathing techniques simultaneously.
Nearby, Machamp and Persian were sparring, training in the Navy Six Powers technique—Tempest Kick.
Tempest Kick involved high-speed, forceful kicks that generated vacuum shockwaves to slash at the enemy. It was one of the two offensive techniques within the Navy Six Powers, apart from Finger Pistol.
As for Paper Art, Ron had reserved it for last, intending to use Machamp and Persian's mastery of it to refine his own bodily control and potentially help them achieve Life Return.
Given that Machamp and Persian had already laid a solid foundation with Shave and Moonwalk, and their physical attributes met the required standards, mastering Tempest Kick was only a matter of time.
Meanwhile, Bellossom—whose strength ranked just below Machamp and Persian—was diligently training in Iron Body.
To compensate for Bellossom's defensive shortcomings, Ron had set a strict requirement: she had to master Iron Body to the highest level.
On the other hand, Nidoking and Gardevoir were also making progress. Nidoking, who had been dedicated to training in the Navy Six Powerrs, was now focusing on Finger Pistol, while Gardevoir was on the verge of mastering Moonwalk to keep up with Nidoking's advances.
Blaziken, however, had the slowest progress, just beginning its training in Moonwalk.
As for Gastly and Larvitar, one was physically incompatible with the Six Powers, and the other was still a child—not yet ready for rigorous training.
With the last dish prepared, Ron surveyed his surroundings with satisfaction. Machamp and Persian were leaping and kicking, trying to unleash air slashes.
Bellossom and Nidoking trained together, honing Iron Body and Finger Pistol, while Gardevoir and Blaziken worked up a sweat perfecting Moonwalk.
Watching his Pokémon put in their best efforts, Ron was pleased—except for the stark contrast of Gastly and Larvitar playing around, completely out of sync with the training atmosphere.
Ron could only keep reminding himself that they were still children and that he shouldn't expect too much from them.
As the cooking smoke curled into the sky, five quasi-Elite Four Pokémon hunters, having formed an alliance, began leveraging their networks to launch a large-scale search for Ron's whereabouts.
After enjoying a hearty lunch, Gardevoir suddenly felt an ominous premonition—something was about to go wrong again.
Previously, this sensation had been faint. But ever since their encounter with Nakar's ambush, it had grown stronger, including the feeling of someone watching Ron.
Without extensive research into Gardevoir's unique abilities, Ron didn't fully understand the mechanism behind these premonitions. He simply attributed it to an extraordinary psychic talent manifesting in a special way.
Taking Gardevoir's warning seriously, Ron immediately abandoned any plans for rest. He recalled all his Pokémon except Gardevoir and Machamp into their Poké Balls and instructed Gardevoir to use Teleport to leave the area.
The five quasi-Elite Four-ranked Pokémon hunters had already found it difficult to track down Ron with their own strength and connections among High Elite Pokémon hunters. Now that Ron had become alert to their pursuit, the challenge had only grown exponentially.
"Sir, a group of Pokémon hunters is planning to make a move on Ron."
At the Ranger Headquarters, Bruno—nearly buried under piles of administrative work—immediately turned his attention to the intelligence report regarding Ron.
Under normal circumstances, even if a Pokémon Ranger wanted to intervene against a group of forest poachers, Bruno would struggle to mobilize a rescue team in time. After all, the Kanto region was vast, and coordinating efforts across such an expansive territory was no easy task.
However, Ron was an exception. Because of this, Bruno had received the information as soon as it surfaced.
"Send word to our team—have them gradually move in closer. If Ron shows signs of struggle, they are to intervene as if they just happened to be passing by."
"Yes, sir!"
Unaware that he had an extra layer of protection, Ron had already noticed signs of activity nearby. It was time to take action.
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