Chapter 213: The Five Great Families Take Action

It was the same conference room, the same five individuals led by Klaus Nyland, and the same discussion topic—Ron, whom they regarded as insignificant, like an ant.

"Let's talk. How should we deal with Ron?"

Seated at the head of the table, Klaus Nyland was the first to speak, as usual.

"I'll say it again—eliminate him! If we allow him to continue growing, it will only bring disgrace to our Five Great Families."

The moment Klaus Nyland finished speaking, Mathias Agdestein immediately voiced his opinion. Just like last time, his stance was clear: to get rid of Ron once and for all.

In Mathias Agdestein's eyes, Ron's refusal to hand over his training method was a blatant insult to them and their families. Worse, he saw Ron as a hindrance to the League's progress—a criminal deserving of eradication!

The others shared his sentiment. On this point, the Five Great Families were unusually unanimous. It was simply their nature.

"Seconded!"

"Seconded!"

"Seconded!"

Unlike last time, Preus Ellestad did not oppose the motion. Instead, he surprisingly agreed with Mathias Agdestein's proposal.

Initially, Preus Ellestad believed that even if Ron joined the Rangers, he would eventually choose to become a team captain. That would have required him to undergo lengthy training and gradually consolidate his squad, meaning it would take at least a month before he could pose any real threat.

A month of obscurity would be enough to erode Ron's reputation. Furthermore, while Ron was occupied assembling his team, they could infiltrate his ranks with spies.

Whenever Ron tried to make a move, they would receive immediate intel and could set up ambushes or traps to take him down seamlessly.

But now, Ron had chosen to join the Forest Hunters, achieving astonishing results in just over a month. Rather than fading into obscurity, his fame had only grown, forcing Preus Ellestad to act. That was why he now sided with Mathias Agdestein's plan.

"Very well. Since everyone agrees, Mathias, I'll leave this task to you."

"Remember one thing—be discreet. Do not deploy any Elite Four-level trainers, or the Elite Four themselves might take notice."

Seeing such rare unanimity among them, Klaus Nyland was in good spirits, smiling as he addressed Mathias Agdestein.

"Rest assured, I will handle this perfectly."

Mathias stood and bowed slightly to Klaus, his voice brimming with confidence.

"Good. That concludes our meeting."

Despite leaning on a cane, Klaus Nyland's steps seemed unusually light.

...

"Machamp, Finger Pistol: Evening Elephant!"

A massive elephantine foot descended from above. In sheer panic, Mitani hurriedly ordered his subordinates to have their Pokémon use Protect.

Green energy barriers flashed up one after another, but in the next instant, they shattered into nothingness with a crisp sound.

"Persian, charge in! Finger Pistol: Shadow Claw Execution!"

Barely holding off Machamp's Evening Elephant, Persian turned into a blur of darkness and rushed forward.

Claws slashed through the air. Screams and splatters of crimson filled the scene as human and Pokémon alike fell lifelessly to the ground.

Over the past month, Machamp had grown significantly. Now, after executing Finger Pistol: Evening Elephant at full power, his arms no longer fractured outright. Instead, they merely went limp for a brief moment before regaining function.

Though subtle, this marked a steady increase in Machamp's strength—though still not enough to break into the pseudo-Elite Four level.

Following Persian's swift assault, Mitani lost two Pokémon but was still fortunate enough to remain standing.

Two other lucky survivors also managed to evade Persian's deadly onslaught.

"R-Ron!"

Seeing Ron emerge slowly from the underbrush, Mitani trembled as he called out his name.

Before he could utter another word, Persian launched another attack. With a flash of its claws, Persian delivered the final strike.

After uploading the mission report and collecting any valuable resources from the fallen, Ron prepared to train his Pokémon nearby.

Meanwhile, Mathias Agdestein had dispatched a trainer with pseudo-Elite Four strength.

Despite the League's large number of Elite Four-level trainers, most of them had designated roles—whether as Rangers battling Pokémon Hunters, investigators fighting Team Rocket, or members of law enforcement protecting cities.

The remaining Elite Four-level trainers were stationed at the League's headquarters, ready to respond to sudden threats from Team Rocket, Pokémon Hunters, or other forces.

Even the Five Great Families couldn't exempt their own Elite Four-level trainers from these duties.

Thus, mobilizing an Elite Four-level trainer in secret was exceedingly difficult. In contrast, pseudo-Elite Four trainers were much easier to deploy.

Considering Ron was only at the High Elite level, sending a pseudo-Elite Four trainer was more than enough. Moreover, the trainer Mathias chose was one of the strongest in that tier. Surely, Ron would be in for a nasty surprise.

Unaware that the Five Great Families had once again set their plans in motion, Ron was currently in the forest searching for Level 10 Pokémon.

Pokémon like Gastly and Larvitar had grown considerably over the past month, reaching the point where they needed to strengthen their abilities.

"Gastly, Hypnosis, then Shadow Ball!"

Utilizing its airborne advantage, Gastly swiftly closed in on a Rattata, putting it to sleep with Hypnosis mid-charge.

To compensate for Gastly's lack of offensive moves, Ron had Persian personally teach it Shadow Ball.

A ball of eerie ghostly energy formed. As Gastly released the attack, the surrounding temperature seemed to drop.

Sensing the chill, Rattata momentarily snapped out of its drowsiness—only to see the Shadow Ball right in front of it.

With a loud explosion, Rattata was sent flying.

Seizing the opportunity, Ron commanded Gastly to use another Shadow Ball before closing in.

Another detonation followed. The helpless Rattata then took a direct hit from Gastly's Lick attack before being finished off by Night Shade.

Through frequent and rapid battles, Gastly's strength increased quickly, reaching Level 15.

What's more, after spending so much time absorbing Ron's Fighting Aura from his shadow, Gastly had begun to manifest a unique talent—enhanced ghost-type moves.

Ron even suspected this was only the beginning of Gastly's potential. Perhaps its true capabilities were still dormant, limited either by its current strength or its youth.

However, Ron wasn't the type to overwork his Pokémon just to expedite their development. After gaining five levels, it was time for Gastly to rest.

Now, it was Larvitar's turn. After a month of training, Larvitar had only reached Level 8. Ron's goal was simple—bring it up to Level 9.

For pseudo-Legendary Pokémon like Larvitar, which required significant early investment, Ron knew he couldn't expect too much just yet.

At that moment, Ron remained blissfully unaware that Mathias Agdestein's assassin was closing in on him…

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