Three days later, inside the Ancient Forest Domain.
Ryuu wandered alone through the dense foliage, waiting for Takeda Ryo to make his move.
This Ancient Forest Domain was relatively small—similar to the Wandering Waterfall Domain he had visited before. It wasn't particularly dangerous.
Most of the wild Pokémon here were Elite level, with only a few reaching Gym level.
Yet, somehow, Takeda Ryo had managed to discover Rock Essence here.
His luck was unbelievable.
But instead of quietly taking his prize and leaving, he had decided to ambush Ryuu and steal Shelgon.
A foolish mistake.
If it weren't for this ambush, Ryuu wouldn't have bothered coming here himself—he could have just let someone else search for the Rock Essence.
But thanks to Red Destiny, he knew exactly how this would play out.
Takeda Ryo would come for him.
All Ryuu had to do was wait.
---
As Ryuu walked, he could sense Takeda Ryo quietly tailing him in the shadows.
For a while, nothing happened.
Then, a muffled curse broke the silence.
"Dammit...!"
Takeda Ryo had tripped.
He had smacked his head against a rock, cutting himself slightly. A small trickle of blood ran down his forehead.
His first instinct was frustration, but as he looked closer at the rock, something caught his eye.
A faint glow.
His breath hitched.
This wasn't an ordinary rock—it was embedded with Rock Essence.
Takeda Ryo's pulse quickened.
"A treasure…?"
No, not quite. It wasn't a true treasure, but even a single piece of Rock Essence was worth a few million.
With this, he wouldn't have to worry about money for a while.
He hurriedly pried it out, stuffing it into his backpack.
But his mind was still fixated on Shelgon.
No matter how valuable this essence was, it was nothing compared to a pseudo-legendary Pokémon.
---
Ryuu knew Takeda Ryo was behind him, but he pretended not to notice.
After a while, he picked a random clearing and sat down to rest.
There was no point in running.
The ambush was inevitable, so he might as well be comfortable when it happened.
Of course, he wasn't careless—he released Shelgon and Frogadier, positioning them on either side of him.
A Pikachu sat beside him as well.
It wasn't his, but his father's Pokémon.
Despite not evolving, this Pikachu had reached Gym level and had been assigned to protect him.
And, unknown to Takeda Ryo, there was one more person nearby.
Ryuu's father, Fujiwara Daiki, was silently following Takeda Ryo from behind.
---
Takeda Ryo crouched low, eyeing Ryuu from the shadows.
He couldn't wait any longer.
Releasing his Mightyena, he whispered his command.
"Fire Fang."
The dark wolf lunged forward, flames surging from its jaws—
But Shelgon was faster.
The moment Mightyena burst from the bushes, Shelgon instinctively intercepted, unleashing a Dragon Pulse straight at it.
A massive explosion erupted, sending shockwaves through the clearing.
Takeda Ryo didn't hesitate.
He went all in.
Bursting from his hiding spot, he released all six of his Pokémon at once.
All of them were Gym level—strong, but stagnant, unable to break through.
That frustration, that bottleneck—he thought stealing Shelgon would fix everything.
His eyes gleamed with greed.
"Hand over your Pokémon," he sneered. "And maybe I'll let you walk away."
Ryuu chuckled.
He wasn't scared.
Not because he was reckless—because Takeda Ryo was already doomed.
His father, Fujiwara Daiki, was right behind him.
And Takeda Ryo had no idea.
Still, Ryuu decided to humor him.
"Let me guess," he said, stretching lazily. "Even if I hand them over, you won't actually let me go, right?"
Takeda Ryo smirked.
"Of course not."
Ryuu clapped his hands together.
"Perfect. Because I wasn't planning to let you go either."
Takeda Ryo's smirk faltered.
"What?"
A deep voice rumbled from behind him.
"That's enough."
Takeda Ryo froze.
Slowly, he turned around—
And Fujiwara Daiki stepped into the clearing, an Electivire crackling with electricity at his side.
Takeda Ryo's heart dropped.
The Elite Trainer. The Gym Leader.
He had walked straight into hell.
"You're under arrest," Fujiwara Daiki said calmly, raising a video camera in his hand.
Takeda Ryo's stomach twisted.
Everything—his ambush, his attack, his confession—had been recorded.
He barely had time to process this before Electivire took a step forward, electricity surging between its fists.
"Do you want to do this the easy way," Daiki asked, "or the hard way?"
Takeda Ryo opened his mouth—
===
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