Chapter 338: Public Enemy of the Villains

"You guys take it from here."

After handing off the next stage of the mission to the late-arriving League Trainers, Steven Stone turned and walked out of the base with Ron.

"Thank you so much, Ron. We couldn't have successfully shut down this base or secured the data without you."

As they walked down the mountainside, Steven looked to Ron with sincere gratitude.

"Don't mention it," Ron replied with a faint smile. "I know my own limits. With this base's strength? You could've pulled it off alone. I just made the process smoother."

"Regardless, things wouldn't have gone this smoothly without you. I'll be reporting this operation as a League mission and will make sure you're compensated properly."

Steven didn't dwell too long on the gratitude—instead, he smoothly shifted the conversation toward logistics and payment.

Truth be told, if Ron were a Hoenn League Trainer, Steven wouldn't have even brought up money—he'd probably try to keep Ron close under the League's wing permanently.

Unfortunately, Ron was from the Kanto League, and even though Steven held him in the highest regard, some boundaries couldn't be crossed—just like it had been with Drake of the Elite Four before him.

"No need," Ron waved it off. "Letting me train at the research lab gave me a huge power boost—I don't even know how to repay you for that. This mission gave me a good chance to return the favor."

"Besides, I already scavenged a good haul from those Team Magma grunts. Don't trouble yourself over payment."

Under different circumstances, Ron wouldn't mind an extra payday. But for Steven—a man who had helped him countless times and treated him as a true friend—Ron had no intention of taking advantage.

"That won't do," Steven protested. "Helping you is my choice. But when you contribute to the League, there ought to be a reward."

"If you really see me as a friend, then don't say stuff like that," Ron said with a serious look. "And stop trying to slip me money under the table, alright?"

Meeting Steven's gaze head-on, Ron's tone turned firm.

"…Alright, alright, my bad. Let's call this one a freebie then," Steven laughed. "But next time, I'll definitely be counting on you again."

"Don't get ahead of yourself. Just this once. Next time, you pay."

"Ah, how the noble spirit decays… abandoning the fine virtue of helping others for free so quickly."

"Not listening. Blah blah blah."

"Metagross, someone's insulting your Trainer again!"

With no one else around, Steven didn't bother maintaining his usual composed Champion demeanor. He laughed freely, bantering with Ron as the two of them left Mt. Chimney behind.

At the base of the mountain, Ron bid his farewell.

"Alright, I'll head off from here. Still got some time left—I want to explore more of Hoenn."

"So soon? Why not stay a couple more days at the lab?"

"No need. Machamp and the others have hit a bottleneck in training. It's the perfect time for some sightseeing."

"Fair enough. But when you're about to leave Hoenn, make sure you tell me. I want to see you off properly."

"Of course. I'm still waiting for your parting gift."

"…Can't you think of anything else, you bastard?"

"Nope."

Ron's short, deadpan reply made Steven chuckle helplessly. A moment later, Gardevoir used Teleport to take Ron away.

"…He's a good friend."

Steven murmured to himself as he looked toward the lush forest ahead.

Beside him, Metagross gave a silent nod, echoing the sentiment.

...

"That damn Ron again! It wasn't enough to mess with Team Aqua—now he's turned his attention to us, Team Magma?!"

Courtney had barely been captured before Maxie received the intel.

In other words, for Team Magma's base to have lasted so long on Mt. Chimney, there had to have been a few spies on the inside.

"Tabitha, reach out to our contacts inside the Hunter's Guild. Have them find a few reliable Pokémon Hunters to either track Ron's whereabouts—or eliminate him outright."

"If we get useful intel, we'll leak it to Team Aqua."

"But remember—none of our own people are to be involved. I won't have us ending up like Team Aqua."

After reading the report, Maxie issued the order without hesitation.

Normally, if the Hoenn League took out one of their bases, Team Magma would retaliate immediately.

But with Team Aqua nearly wiped out by the League, Team Magma had to keep their heads down. If they attracted attention now, there was no guarantee they wouldn't be next.

"Yes, sir!"

After receiving orders from Tabitha, he sprang into action.

If Ron had a system interface, he might've just unlocked a new achievement—Public Enemy of the Villains, targeted by every villainous faction in the region.

Unfortunately, Ron had no such system. Instead of rewards, what awaited him was wave after wave of assassination attempts.

What Tabitha hadn't anticipated, however, was that when selecting suitable Pokémon hunters, the Hunter's Guild listed the Dark King without hesitation.

From their perspective, someone of the Dark King's caliber—even if he couldn't defeat Ron outright—could certainly escape. And with any luck, this setback might even push the Dark King to join their guild.

Two birds with one stone—why not?

And so, deep in the forest, Ron, currently disguised as Garus—the feared Dark King, and working on strengthening his Gengar and team—received a solo mission from the Hunter's Guild.

"Didn't see that coming," he murmured.

The enemy had clearly planned to strike from the shadows… yet suddenly chose to flip the script and go public.

After confirming that all participating Pokémon hunters were Elite Four-level powerhouses, a plan began forming in Ron's mind.

Once the rough outline took shape, he donned his obsidian-black cloak, fully reclaiming his identity as the Dark King.

Plans often can't keep up with change. That's why when Ron strategized, he only ever laid out a broad structure—the details always got adjusted on the fly.

"Are you sure about this!?"

Hiro demanded for the third time, staring hard at the informant in front of him.

"Yes, sir. Without a doubt."

The repeated questioning didn't annoy the informant in the slightest. On the contrary, he found the superior's caution completely justified.

Because of one damned Pokémon hunter, countless rangers and forest guards had lost their lives. One of Hiro's own men had spiraled into depression… only to be manipulated by a malicious Ghost-type Pokémon, and was now a prisoner for life—stripped of his freedom.

For all that, double-checking the identity of this hunter was more than justified.

"I finally found you, Dark King!"

"You've done well. Leave the rest to me," Hiro said solemnly.

Without wasting a second more, Hiro strode out of his office. His destination: Sidney—he needed his approval for this kind of operation. But given the Dark King's threat level, such special treatment was warranted.

Minutes later, two Flying-type Pokémon lifted off from the Ranger Headquarters.

...

Ron's eyes gleamed as he moved through the forest canopy, surrounded by towering trees.

Something about his current state—his cold, razor-sharp focus—struck fear into even a top Elite Four-level powerhouse like Long.

"Dark King! Don't tell me… you're planning to engage in a full-on Elite Four-level battle!? You'll drag us both down!"

But then Long remembered the rumors—whispers about the Dark King's true strength. A chill ran down his spine.

"No, no," came Ron's reply. "This isn't some mutual-destruction duel…"

"It's a one-sided slaughter."

As his voice echoed through the trees, Gengar emerged from Ron's shadow. The deepening twilight seemed to bleed into an all-consuming darkness that slowly devoured the forest.

-------

Want to read ahead of schedule? Head over to my Patreon ——— patreon(.)com/Madbot635 [remove the parentheses ( )]