"Don't worry, I'm fine. The battle outside was intense, and the Pokémon fighting out there are all Champion-level. If one of their attacks had actually hit me, I wouldn't just be injured — I'd be dead." Jacob said with a light laugh, trying to ease the tense mood in the room.
"Champion-level strength…"
Everyone exchanged uneasy glances. To them, a Heavenly-King-level Pokémon was already a terrifying existence. Champion-level strength felt like something from a completely different world.
"Who was out there?" Rory, calm as ever despite being a Gym Leader, frowned and looked at Jacob. "Were they after you?"
"Yes." Jacob nodded. "The people outside belong to an organization called God's Coffin. You may not have heard of them before. God's Coffin is—"
Jacob gave a brief explanation of who God's Coffin was and where they came from. "The one behind the shipwreck incident was Priest-3."
"You're saying each of them owns a Legendary Pokémon?" Zoe's eyes were wide with worry as she looked at Jacob.
"That's right." Jacob nodded. "Tonight it was Priest-4 and Priest-10 who came. I don't know who Priest-4 is, but you've probably heard of Priest-10 — Huxley, the president of the Dawn Society."
"The Dawn Society?!" Zoe and the nanny beside her gasped, then turned to Jacob. "Then why did they leave?"
"They couldn't take me down quickly, so they retreated." Jacob forced a smile, trying to keep his family from worrying further. "I happen to have a Pokémon with me that can save my life in a pinch. Once they realized they couldn't beat me fast, they had no choice but to withdraw."
Jacob paused, then his tone turned serious as he looked around at everyone. "Mom, Dad, since we're already talking about this — there's something I want to bring up. As you just saw, a lot of people are after me now. For everyone's safety, I think we should move to the Imperial Capital after the New Year."
"Move?" Still shaken from what had happened, Zoe hesitated, glancing at Rory. "But your father is Starlight City's Gym Leader, and there's the Grass-Insect Secret Realm to think about."
"Dad's old enough to retire anyway. Why not use this as a chance to step down and settle in the Imperial Capital? As for the Secret Realm, we can simply hire someone trustworthy to manage it." Jacob spoke earnestly. "Starlight City clearly isn't safe anymore. If they could strike once, they can strike again."
"We'll talk about it later."
⁂
Grass-Insect Secret Realm.
The smell of blood hung thick in the air. Pokémon lay scattered across the ground, their bodies still, blood soaking into the dirt.
In front of Dante, his Tyranitar and Chien-Pao stood panting heavily, covered in wounds. The Chien-Pao especially looked close to collapse, its injuries severe.
On the ground nearby lay Sylas's body.
Sylas, one of the Four Heavenly Kings guarding the region, had fallen — killed by Dante's own hand.
Their clash had ended just like that.
Dante checked the time. Only one minute remained before the agreed deadline; he could withdraw now.
He released his Mandibuzz, climbed onto its back, recalled both Tyranitar and Chien-Pao into their Poké Balls, and vanished into the night.
Tonight was destined to become an unforgettable night.
Sylas, the Flying-type Elite and one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Southwest Region, had died in battle.
⁂
The night was as dark as ink.
It was New Year's Eve, past three in the morning, yet Starlight City blazed with light as countless Flying-type Pokémon streaked across the sky.
The residents of Starlight City had been jolted awake by the commotion. They peered out their windows at the Flying-type Pokémon darting overhead and recalled the tremendous noise from twenty minutes earlier. Everyone sensed that something serious had happened that night.
⁂
"Champion Colby!"
Colby appeared in Starlight City, the rest of the Southwest Region's Four Heavenly Kings following close behind him — Water-type Heavenly Kings Sawyer, Electric-type Heavenly Kings Marge, and Dark-type Heavenly Kings Cameron.
Together, they represented the strongest force the Southwest Region had on paper.
Dressed in formal dark attire, the three walked side by side, their faces grim, and quickly made their way into the Grass-Insect Secret Realm.
A white cloth had been draped over the body. No one nearby dared to speak above a whisper; the air felt heavy and suffocating.
Jacob and Rory stood off to one side. After making sure God's Coffin and its members had truly gone, they had rushed straight to the Grass-Insect Secret Realm — but they never expected to find this.
⁂
"Someone tell me what happened." Colby's voice was low and rough, straining to hold back his fury.
In that moment, he carried the full weight of a Champion's authority, his eyes fixed on the white cloth, burning with rage.
A member of the Four Heavenly Kings had died — and he had died right here, inside the Secret Realm he was sworn to protect.
Outside of the great wars, no member of the Four Heavenly Kings had ever fallen during peacetime.
Last time, it had been the Patrol Team leader. This time, one of the Four Heavenly Kings. Who would be next?
⁂
No one at the scene spoke up. The battle between Sylas and Dante had been far too fierce; no one else had dared to get close, so no one had clearly seen who Sylas had actually been fighting.
"It must have been God's Coffin, though we don't know exactly who. At the same time, two separate battles broke out in Starlight City — one here, at the Grass-Insect Secret Realm, and the other at the Xia family's home. The Xia family might know something…"
The middle-aged man's words turned every head toward Jacob and Rory.
Seeing this, Jacob drew a slow breath, stepped forward, and said, "We were attacked too, but I don't know who was behind it."
Jacob chose not to reveal the truth — that three members of God's Coffin had come after him — because if he admitted that, everyone would want to know how he had possibly survived.
Though Iron Valiant was no longer exactly a secret, Jacob still wanted to keep it hidden as much as he could.
Hearing Jacob's answer, Colby's frown deepened as he stared at him. "Tell me exactly what happened."
Jacob took another breath and spoke seriously. "Around three in the morning, I was attacked."
"I couldn't tell how many there were — it was too dark, and my attackers kept their distance, only sending their Pokémon in to fight. I couldn't make out their faces at all, only that they were extremely strong. They sent out several powerful Pokémon, including one at Champion level — something that looked a lot like Moltres."
Jacob gave a brief account of what had happened, but it only deepened everyone's suspicion.
"Huxley! the president of the Dawn Society! And you're saying you survived?"
"No… that's not possible. Even Elite Sylas died at the hands of God's Coffin. I can't believe you walked away from them alive."
"And you're claiming your attacker was Huxley? Are you saying you beat his Moltres? That's impossible."
As that voice rang out, murmurs spread through the crowd. It was plain that no one believed a word Jacob had just said.
"I know it's hard to believe, but it's the truth. Ask the nearby residents — there must be witnesses. And the only reason I survived is because someone once gave me a Pokémon meant to save my life in exactly this kind of situation." Jacob looked steadily at Colby as he spoke.
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