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Jett's expression turned bitter with regret. This S-rank Life Orb represented his greatest prize from his most recent poaching expedition. He had discovered both this Life Orb and a powerful Dark-type Pokemon, Absol, in one of the most dangerous regions within the Divine Dragon Mountain Wilderness Area located in Duskwinter Province.
During that operation, his team had split into two groups: one team served as a distraction to draw Absol away from its territory, while the second team infiltrated the Pokemon's nest. There, they had discovered two Pokemon eggs along with this incredibly valuable Life Orb.
In order to claim sole ownership of the S-rank Life Orb, Jett had committed an unthinkable act—he had murdered two of his own subordinates who had accompanied him on the mission, then secretly claimed the Life Orb for himself. As for the two Absol eggs, Jett had honestly reported those to his superiors as planned.
After acquiring this S-rank Life Orb, he had never dared display it in front of others, keeping it carefully hidden and living in constant anxiety. No one else knew of its existence, yet he had never imagined it would ultimately end up benefiting Jacob instead.
...
Faced with Jacob's direct questioning, Jett could only steel himself and reveal the true origin of the Life Orb. "This item was discovered in a cave deep within the Divine Dragon Mountain Wilderness Area in Duskwinter Province..."
Jett provided a detailed account of how the Life Orb had been obtained, though he carefully omitted any mention of the murders he had committed to secure it.
"Jacob, I've surrendered the treasure as promised. Can you allow us to leave now?" Jett looked at Jacob with barely concealed nervousness, though he forced his expression to remain calm as he posed the question.
"Certainly," Jacob replied with what appeared to be a genuine smile, seemingly prepared to honor his agreement and allow Jett to depart.
Upon hearing Jacob's affirmative response, Jett felt an enormous wave of relief wash over him, as if a crushing weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He then gestured to his three subordinates, preparing to make their escape. "Let's go."
"Wait just a moment," Jacob said casually, his tone almost conversational. "I didn't agree to let all of you leave together. I only agreed that one person out of the four of you could go free."
After processing Jacob's words, Jett's face turned deathly pale, and his three subordinates looked equally stricken. One of them immediately began shouting desperately, "No! Jacob, you can't do this to us! Please let us go! I'll give you every penny I have!"
"Please, just let us leave..."
Despite these desperate pleas for mercy, Jacob remained completely unmoved and showed no signs of compassion. His steady gaze remained fixed on Jett, because Jacob had never truly intended to allow the poacherS to escape from the very beginning.
When dealing with enemies, Jacob maintained a consistent philosophy: use whatever means necessary and never show weakness through misplaced mercy. In Jacob's worldview, showing compassion toward enemies, granting them leniency, or even developing any form of emotional connection with them represented the height of foolishness.
Enemies were enemies—that fundamental truth could never be changed. Regardless of their talents, their appearance, or their tragic backgrounds, as long as they remained adversaries, there could never be any room for mercy.
Furthermore, when Jacob had taken possession of Jett's S-rank Life Orb, the two of them had entered an irreconcilable conflict. Jacob's instinct was to eliminate threats completely, so how could he possibly consider letting him go free?
Kindness and gentleness were emotions reserved exclusively for those he cared about; ruthlessness and cold calculation were the tools he employed when dealing with enemies. Different relationships naturally demanded different approaches.
Countless historical examples demonstrated the necessity of showing no mercy toward enemies, treating them with absolute ruthlessness rather than offering even the smallest compassion.
As for those who might criticize Jacob from a morally superior position, accusing him of dishonesty or unethical behavior, such criticism was meaningless. As long as he rejected conventional moral constraints, no one could use morality as a weapon against him.
Perhaps sensing the unmistakable killing intent radiating from Jacob's eyes, Jett chose to remain silent. He made the calculated decision to abandon his three subordinates without uttering a single word in their defense, not even bothering to argue on their behalf.
Observing this cold betrayal, Jacob felt a slight pang of disappointment. Jett possessed remarkable self-control and survival instincts, but this only strengthened Jacob's resolve to eliminate him permanently.
At that moment, among Jett's three subordinates stood a young man with a military-style buzz cut. He was relatively short, approximately 1.7 meters in height. Throughout the entire confrontation, he had kept his head down and remained silent, never once attempting to beg for mercy like his companions.
"Brother Jett!" the young man suddenly called out, his voice carrying across the mountainside. "Please promise me you'll take good care of my sister and mother. Here's my bank card—the password is my sister's birthday."
Jett released a small sigh, regarding the young man with what appeared to be genuine reluctance. "Don't worry, Albert. I give you my word that I'll look after your sister and mother. Actually, I had planned to officially take you as my apprentice when we returned from this mission, but I never expected we'd encounter a situation like this."
"Brother Jett, it's perfectly fine. Perhaps I can be your apprentice in the next life."
Jacob chose to ignore the emotional exchange between Jett and Albert, standing aside and observing the scene with cold detachment, completely unmoved by their display.
However, the atmosphere suddenly shifted dramatically. The young man Jett had called Albert abruptly dropped his emotional facade, his expression turning ice-cold as he shouted, "Attack now! Machamp, eliminate Jett! Don't give him any chance to counterattack!"
Machamp had clearly received its trainer's instructions well in advance. Almost the instant Albert spoke, the Fighting-type Pokemon erupted into action, launching a devastating assault on Jett with incredible speed. The attack was clearly designed to be swift and fatal.
No one had anticipated that Albert, who had just been displaying such touching loyalty and affection, would suddenly turn on his leader with lethal intent. Furthermore, Albert immediately called out to his two remaining companions, "Attack together! We need to eliminate Jett first, or we'll all die here!"
Hearing Albert's urgent command, the other two subordinates quickly grasped the situation. Gritting their teeth with determination, they issued their own battle commands simultaneously.
"Crobat, attack now!"
"Marowak, take down Jett!"
...
"I've been expecting treachery from you little fools for quite some time! Gengar, defend me!" Jett proved himself to be a cunning veteran. From the moment Jacob had announced that only one of them could survive, he had been carefully watching his three subordinates, preparing for exactly this kind of betrayal.
His emotional conversation with Albert moments earlier had been nothing more than an elaborate performance designed to lower their guard.
Witnessing this sudden turn of events, Jacob felt a surge of dark satisfaction. This was exactly the kind of internal conflict he had hoped to see unfold. As long as Jett could be eliminated in the chaos, the specific method didn't matter to him.
"Alakazam, Aerodactyl—intercept Gengar and prevent Jett's other Pokemon from interfering!"
No one had expected Jacob to intervene at this critical moment. While he wasn't directly attacking Jett himself, ordering Alakazam and Aerodactyl to block the poacher's Pokemon was essentially the same as signing his death warrant.
"No! You cannot do this! You gave me your word..." Jett's eyes became bloodshot with rage and disbelief. He stared at Jacob, utterly shocked by the young trainer's ruthless deception.
How could Jacob, who came from such a prestigious family background, choose to betray him so completely? Wasn't he concerned that these three subordinates would expose his crimes when they provided their statements to the authorities, potentially ruining his reputation forever?
Another reason Jett had chosen to trust Jacob's promise was that Patrol Team members were strictly forbidden from executing poachers unless they faced immediate mortal danger themselves.
This represented one of the fundamental frustrations many people faced in law enforcement: criminals only needed a moment's impulse and a single decision to kill, while bringing criminals to justice required following a complex series of legal procedures and protocols.
Therefore, as long as Jett surrendered peacefully, Jacob should only have been authorized to arrest him, not execute him. If Jacob had refused to honor his promise, Jett could have threatened to expose Jacob's crimes. But now, Jacob's actions clearly demonstrated his intention to eliminate all witnesses completely.
Wasn't Jacob concerned that the other two Patrol Team members accompanying him would leak information about this incident? Wasn't he worried that his subordinates would report him for the unauthorized killing of prisoners? Wasn't he afraid that the Patrol Team leadership would discover he had committed murder?
Did Jacob actually intend to eliminate all of them to ensure his secret remained safe?
Jett's mind raced with countless questions and overwhelming feelings of injustice, but Machamp's powerful fist had already connected with devastating force, sending him crashing to the ground while blood spilled from his mouth. The single blow had nearly killed him instantly, leaving him clinging to life by the thinnest of threads.
"Ahhh!"
Immediately afterward, Marowak's bone club struck with crushing force, directly shattering his sternum and causing Jett to release an agonized scream. However, his cry was quickly silenced as Crobat swooped down with razor-sharp precision, its attacks tearing through his body and ending his life completely.
Jett died exactly as he had lived—betrayed by those closest to him, meeting a truly tragic and brutal end.