At the break of dawn, around four or five o'clock, a faint light began to emerge on the dark horizon.
Franz slowly opened his eyes, forcing himself to wake up.
Like a chain reaction, four others followed suit, stirring from their slumber, while the five who had been on night watch took the opportunity to rest.
It had been eight days since the plan was set in motion.
If there were still no results in two days, Franz would abandon the mission and switch to another plan rather than cling stubbornly to this one.
Outside the forest, Ron appeared once again. Gardevoir's detection remained unchanged—no signs of human or Pokémon activity.
Despite the trap being so blatantly obvious, Ron still chose to take the bait—after all, the Auraberry was crucial to him at this point.
Moreover, Ron was eager to test the true extent of Elite Four-level power.
Only by understanding the gap between himself and the top tiers could he continue to improve.
Of course, unless absolutely necessary, Ron preferred not to engage Elite Four-level trainers prematurely—especially in such a dangerous situation where his life could be at stake.
"I'll leave it to you, Ditto."
Before the operation, Ron released Ditto.
After receiving Ron's instructions, Ditto transformed into an Onix, then used Dig to burrow underground, patiently waiting for the right moment.
Ron silently counted the time before springing into action.
"Nidoking, Fire Release—Majestic Destroyer Flame!"
As soon as he approached the forest, Ron commanded Nidoking to unleash a wave of flames, forcing the hidden enemies out.
A sea of fire engulfed the forest, rapidly spreading in an attempt to flush out the targets.
"Number Two, Number Four, Number Five—engage and stall the target."
"Number Six, follow me. Numbers Four, Seven, and Eight—move from the other side and surround the target."
"Number Eight, Nine, and Ten—guard the Auraberry Tree."
Franz always assigned numbers based on strength during missions for more efficient coordination.
Upon seeing the flames emerge from Number Two's direction, Franz swiftly laid out the operation to ensnare Ron.
Leaving two High Elite trainers to guard the Auraberry Tree, the rest of the team joined the encirclement.
Under the sweeping flames, three figures emerged from the forest.
Though only three, their cooperation was impeccable. Several High Elite Pokémon protected them, along with one quasi-Elite Four Pokémon among them.
Leading the charge was another quasi-Elite Four Pokémon.
In the past, Ron's best option would have been to avoid direct confrontation, gradually wearing down their strength before striking with full force.
Now, however, Ron could crush them head-on.
"Machamp, Finger Pistol: Evening Elephant!"
"Persian, Finger Pistol: Shadow Claw Execution!"
"Bellossom, stand by."
"Nidoking, Lightning Release—False Darkness! Create an opening!"
At Ron's command, Machamp leaped into the air, unleashing Finger Pistol: Evening Elephant. The sheer force forced the first quasi-Elite Four Pokémon to block with its strongest attack.
Seizing the opportunity, Persian vanished from Ron's side with Shave—Instant Step.
The three enemies had been watching Persian closely since the fight began.
Noticing Persian's sudden disappearance, they immediately released more Pokémon to bolster their defenses, preparing for an ambush.
Shadowy claws flashed—Persian's quasi-Elite Four aura could no longer be concealed.
In the blink of an eye, Persian cut down three Pokémon and eliminated Number Five.
If not for the quick reflexes of the enemy Weavile, Persian would have slain all three trainers.
As the two remaining trainers prepared to corner Persian, Nidoking's Lightning Release—False Darkness surged forth, covering Persian's retreat.
The quasi-Elite Four Weavile gave chase, preventing Persian from acting freely.
"Number One, situation update: the enemy has two quasi-Elite Four Pokémon. Number Five is down."
Number Four relayed the message to Franz, while Number Two commanded his Pokémon to stall Machamp.
"Bellossom, One-Sword Style: Finger Pistol—Rebirth of All Things!"
Timing his attack, Ron sent Bellossom into battle.
Petals rained down, prompting Numbers Two and Four to hastily order their Pokémon to defend.
They were well aware of Bellossom's lethal swordsmanship.
At some unknown point, Gardevoir's Illusory Realm had successfully been deployed, causing the movements of the enemy Pokémon to lag by a beat.
A flash of the blade—Bellossom appeared behind Number Four, droplets of blood seeping from both Number Four's chest and the Pokémon standing before him.
Seeing their trainer fall, Weavile lost its usual composure, giving Ron the perfect opportunity to have Persian strike with Finger Pistol: Blink, gravely injuring it.
Even worse, the attack had intentionally targeted Weavile's legs, leaving them a mangled mess of flesh and blood.
Without its speed, Weavile stood no chance against Persian's might.
"Number One, hurry! We can't hold out here!"
Number Two frantically called out to Franz, then released all of his Pokémon, prepared to fight to the death.
Unfortunately, in front of Ron, he didn't even get the chance for that final stand.
Gardevoir and Bellossom coordinated their attacks with Moonlit Bamboo Shadows, picking off the remaining Mid Elite Pokémon one by one. Meanwhile, Persian unleashed a relentless assault, leaving Weavile's body stained dark red, covered in countless wounds.
On Number Two's side, facing the storm-like offensive from Machamp and Nidoking, his situation became increasingly perilous.
"Advance!"
Ron's command echoed through the battlefield as Nidoking and Blaziken followed him forward.
With Nidoking and Machamp holding the front, Number Two couldn't spare any forces to intercept.
Bellossom's Rebirth of All Things struck once more, beheading the last remaining Pokémon before swiftly launching a third Rebirth of All Things toward Number Two.
Persian mirrored the assault, finishing off Weavile with Finger Pistol: Blink Slash and turning to charge at Number Two.
Gardevoir returned to Ron's side with the plundered supplies, receiving recovery from Fighting Aura.
Nidoking seized the moment to unleash Final Shot —a devastating combination of Blizzard, Thunder, and Fire Blast fused into one ultimate attack.
Under the fourfold assault, two more of Number Two's Pokémon fell, leaving only a quasi-Elite Four Pokémon and two High Elite Pokémon still standing.
"Retreat!"
Rather than pressing the attack, Ron sprinted deeper into the forest.
Machamp covered their withdrawal with Finger Pistol: Daytime Tiger, quickly regrouping with Ron. Gardevoir then used Teleport to extract the entire team from the battlefield.
In their current state, Number Two dared not pursue. All he could do was report the situation to Franz and warn Numbers Nine and Ten to be ready to retreat if necessary.
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