"Beedrill, use Poison Sting to disrupt!"
"Dodrio, charge in with Tri Attack!"
A barrage of glowing purple Poison Stings shot through the air, forcing the rapidly retreating Arbok to turn back and counter with its own Poison Sting.
As both Pokémon were at the Mid Elite level, their Poison Sting attacks were evenly matched, leaving neither with an advantage.
Seizing the moment when Arbok slowed down, Dodrio exploded with speed, dashing behind it and unleashing a powerful Tri Attack, sending Arbok soaring into the air.
"Dodrio, use Jump Kick!"
Taking advantage of Arbok's inability to evade, Niel immediately issued the next command.
Dodrio leaped into the air, delivering a crushing Jump Kick that sent Arbok plummeting to the ground.
"Beedrill, finish it with Poison Sting!"
Following Niel's order, Beedrill pinpointed Arbok's location amidst the dust and unleashed a flurry of Poison Stings, ensuring its complete defeat.
With a swift motion, Niel recalled Arbok into its Poké Ball and secured it. But before he could catch his breath, a dark shadow burst from the forest.
"Dodrio, stay alert!"
Niel's warning had barely left his lips before blood sprayed into the air from Dodrio's three necks.
Beedrill, still hovering above, was also struck down, its lifeless body collapsing to the ground.
"Blood Shadow!"
Seeing his two Pokémon taken down in an instant, Niel involuntarily uttered the infamous name whispered among Pokémon hunters.
A moment later, a blade of emerald-green Leaf Blade pierced through his chest.
As he collapsed to the ground, Niel's mind lingered on the legend of Blood Shadow.
Since emerging as a forest hunter, this figure had eliminated countless Mid Elite and High Elite Pokémon hunters, even single-handedly wiping out entire poaching rings.
His Pokémon were so fast that they moved like shadows, striking before their targets even realized what had happened. All that remained was a final spray of blood before death took hold. Thus, the name—Blood Shadow.
Recently, Blood Shadow had gone silent for two days, only to resurface with even deadlier precision, making his name all the more fitting.
Stepping out from his hiding spot, Blood Shadow—also known as Ron—glanced down at Niel's lifeless body with a resigned sigh.
Who had come up with such a dramatic alias for him? Blood Shadow? Couldn't they have picked something less ominous?
After looting Niel's resources, Ron quickly left with his Machamp and the others.
Ever since his last blood-soaked lesson, Ron had changed his approach to missions. He no longer left an obvious trail, instead constantly shifting his position to remain undetected.
What Ron didn't know was that his actions had prompted the Five Great Families to convene a third meeting regarding him.
The outcome was simple: they would temporarily call off the hunt for Ron.
After this latest incident, the Elite Four were bound to increase their scrutiny, especially when it came to targeting League trainers.
Had the plan succeeded, the Five Great Families could have manipulated the narrative and deflected the blame onto the Elite Four.
But now that it had failed, they had to bear the consequences. At the very least, they needed to wash their hands of the matter or find a way to minimize the fallout.
One notable detail from the meeting was Mathias Agdestein repeating Nakar's report.
Everyone present was experienced in political maneuvering; they could easily detect the subtle omissions in Nakar's account. It was highly likely that these missing details were the key to Ron's survival.
As a result, Klaus Nyland took it upon himself to handle the aftermath.
He had little choice—after all, both Nakar and his brother Bjorn were part of his faction. When Mathias Agdestein had requested assistance, it was Klaus who had sent Nakar, intending to use this mission to boost Nakar's standing.
Now that the mission had failed, Mathias certainly bore responsibility, but Klaus' role in the decision meant that he carried the greater burden.
Yet, this situation made Klaus wary of Mathias Agdestein.
Mathias had several quasi-Elite Four trainers under his command, any of whom could have matched Nakar's abilities. And yet, he had specifically requested a Psychic-type specialist, citing the need to counter Ron's Gardevoir.
At the time, Klaus hadn't thought much of it and simply sent Nakar.
But looking back, wasn't this an incredibly discreet test? If the plan had succeeded, Mathias would have shared in the credit. If it failed, Klaus would be the one paying the price.
It seemed that age was catching up to him, and others had begun plotting behind his back.
Today it was Mathias Agdestein. Would Preus Ellestad be next? Or perhaps one of the other two?
For the first time, Klaus Nyland found himself empathizing with the Elite Four.
Despite facing powerful enemies, internal power struggles still took priority.
Letting out a weary sigh, Klaus was the first to rise and leave the conference room.
Mathias Agdestein followed shortly after, while Preus Ellestad remained seated, silently watching Mathias with a flickering gaze.
...
"Ron, the resources have been converted into contribution points and transferred to your account. Don't worry—I'll make sure you get your revenge someday."
"Thank you, Elite Four, but I'd rather take them down myself once I've grown strong enough."
Shortly after eliminating Niel, Bruno contacted Ron to inform him of the resolution and compensation.
"I admire your spirit, but you should know—Nakar's brother, Bjorn, is a top Elite Four-level Psychic. His strength is far beyond what you can imagine."
"Your job is to grow stronger. With your talent, I have no doubt you'll surpass them one day. When that time comes, you can decide their fate."
"For now, they won't dare target you again, especially since you've been handling things well. Just remember—if anything like this happens again, contact me immediately."
Listening to Bruno's encouragement, Ron showed an expression of gratitude, though inside, he remained indifferent. He simply played along, pretending to be consumed by thoughts of vengeance.
After ending the call, Ron checked his contribution points. They had surged by a staggering 500,000, revealing just how much Klaus Nyland and his faction had paid as compensation.
But Ron knew that for the Five Great Families, who controlled immense resources, this was barely a drop in the ocean.
Adding in the points he had accumulated from eliminating Pokémon hunters, Ron's total contribution points had skyrocketed to 750,000, with an additional 150,000 points in the Hunters' Guild.
If he converted them into League Credits, it would be a fortune—enough to purchase the Pokémon Eggs he had his eye on. The only question was how much further he needed to go before acquiring the Elemental Plates required for his Pokémon's evolution.
After hanging up, Ron continued his journey.
Bruno might have acted concerned, but Ron knew he was still under surveillance.
From Bruno's perspective, Ron's recent actions would have raised suspicions—was he secretly aligning himself with Team Rocket or another organization?
To fully erase those doubts, Ron needed to maintain his cover for a while longer…
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