"Charizard, use Fire Blast!"
"Rhydon, use Earthquake! Finish this battle quickly!"
Without giving Tycho any chance to speak, Marlon commanded Charizard and Rhydon to launch their attacks.
Among the five remaining Pokémon Hunters with quasi-Elite Four strength, one was even a Psychic-type user. His Pokémon was naturally the Psychic-type Alakazam.
Seeing that the situation was unlikely to change, Ron, who was hiding in the shadows, silently chose to leave.
Although he didn't know how Marlon had learned the entire plan, the outcome was already clear. These victories belonged to Marlon and his team. If Ron intervened now, he might earn their disdain.
After all, he had already secretly hunted many Pokémon Hunters along the way. There was no need to offend someone with two Elite Four-level Pokémon just to claim a share of the credit.
Moreover, there was another place worth exploring.
With his decision made, Ron had Gardevoir use Teleport to leave the area.
The Psychic-type user, who was commanding Alakazam in battle, sensed Gardevoir's presence but only hesitated for a moment before refocusing on the battlefield.
The most important thing now was to eliminate all the Pokémon Hunters. One or two stragglers weren't worth chasing—especially not someone as troublesome as another Psychic user.
Even if Gengar had not exhausted its strength, it wouldn't stand a chance against Charizard, who was on the verge of breaking into the top Elite Four tier—let alone in its current weakened state.
From the moment the battle began, Gengar had been completely suppressed.
Tycho's poaching syndicate stood no chance against an Elite Four-level Rhydon and five quasi-Elite Four Pokémon. In the blink of an eye, more than half of their forces had been wiped out.
Altaria and the others watched in stunned silence. They couldn't comprehend why humans were so complicated—always fighting each other.
After a moment of hesitation, Altaria led Pidgeot and the others away quietly.
In their current condition, they couldn't participate in a battle between two Elite Four-level Pokémon. It was better to find a place to recover and face the coming changes in a better state.
Marlon noticed their retreat but made no move to stop them. In fact, he had never considered Altaria and its companions as his targets.
Even if he defeated the heavily injured Altaria, its pride as a Dragon-type Pokémon would never allow it to submit. It would only become a ticking time bomb.
Moreover, using Altaria and its group as bait to lure Tycho's syndicate was already excessive. If he captured Altaria on top of that, whether for personal use or to offer to the League, it would inevitably draw criticism.
For the sake of his future, it was best to let them go.
Meanwhile, Ron appeared in Altaria's dragon nest—the very place he had vanished to earlier.
He swept up seven or eight stalks of Dragonscale Grass from the ground before climbing into the nest itself.
As a Dragon-type Pokémon of Elite Four level, Altaria had indeed gathered quite the collection of valuable items in its lair.
There were Floraberries, Pyroberries, and even Evolution Stones like Leaf Stones that were commonly found in forests.
Most importantly, there was Dragonbone Vine.
Compared to Dragonscale Grass, the grayish-white Dragonbone Vine, which resembled a flying dragon, was far more precious.
Ron didn't get greedy. He only took half of the stash, leaving the rest for Altaria.
He didn't touch a single berry, knowing they would be essential for Altaria and its companions' recovery.
After packing the items into his backpack, Ron had Gardevoir use Teleport to swiftly leave the area.
Not long after, Altaria returned to its nest with Pidgeot and the others.
Upon discovering that its lair had been robbed, Altaria flew into a rage. However, remembering their injuries, Altaria suppressed its anger.
Finding the untouched berries, Altaria gave half to Pidgeot and the others before swallowing one itself.
Instantly, a warm current flowed through Altaria's body, healing its wounds.
The best method would have been to wait for the berry's effects to fully manifest before consuming another, maximizing its benefits.
But with enemies lurking nearby, Altaria couldn't afford to wait. It swallowed a second berry before the first had even finished its work.
As Altaria hastened its recovery, the battle between Charizard and Gengar gradually drew to a close.
Under normal circumstances, two Pokémon of the same Elite Four level wouldn't produce such a swift outcome.
Gengar should have been able to hold out for a while. But facing a superior Charizard and the combined assault of Charizard and Rhydon, Gengar had no chance.
In the same way, Tycho was also overwhelmed. Facing two quasi-Elite Four Pokémon that had been exhausted, Tycho could barely command his own Ghost-type Pokémon to resist, making it impossible to spare attention to direct Gengar in battle.
"It's time to end this. Charizard, Dragon Blaze!"
"Rhydon, Rock Prison!"
Marlon's voice echoed as Rhydon summoned all its strength, causing pillars of ochre stone to rise and form a cage that tightly trapped Gengar within.
Soaring through the sky, Charizard spun as rings of flame coiled around its body, with even traces of Dragon energy infused within.
"Roar!"
A deafening dragon's roar resounded as a massive dragon-shaped entity—formed by the fusion of flames and Dragon-type energy, resembling Charizard itself—burst forth, flapping its wings as it lunged toward the sealed Gengar.
Controlling the Rock Prison, Rhydon weakened the cage just as Charizard's flames were about to reach, allowing Gengar to break free.
"Gengar, quickly use Protect!"
Tycho's hoarse voice rang out, but the cost was that his High Elite Gengar was defeated after being caught off guard.
As the first Gengar fell, a chain reaction seemed to unfold—Tycho's remaining Pokémon could no longer maintain their position.
Simultaneously, although Gengar had heard Tycho's command, it couldn't react in time after breaking through the blockade. Charizard's Dragon Blaze struck it head-on.
Under the scorching heat, Gengar seemed like a true ghost exposed to sunlight, emitting wisps of black smoke.
Like a meteor crashing down, Gengar—blasted by Charizard's Dragon Blaze—made the entire ground tremble. The searing heat baked the blood-soaked mud dry, yet the crimson stains remained stark and unyielding.
The dazzling light gradually faded—just like Tycho's life reaching its end.
"Notify the Rangers to clean this up."
Recalling the grievously wounded and semi-transparent Gengar back into its Poké Ball, Marlon gave instructions to the other forest hunters.
Gazing at the blood-streaked mud, Marlon, who had seen far more brutal scenes, felt nothing.
However, the five quasi-Elite Four-level Pokémon hunters who accompanied Marlon stared at the corpses of the Pidgeot and Fearow scattered around, falling into contemplation—was what they were doing truly the right thing?
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