The battle inside the encirclement slowly drew toward its end.
With their morale surging, the City Defense Forces troops were almost completely overwhelming the Team Dark grunts—pinning them down and pounding them. Before long, they had cleaned up most of those vicious criminals.
On Kazu's side, things were already in the wrap-up stage as well.
In this Gym-level Trainer battle, Kazu's Sandslash clearly held the upper hand. With the final Crush Claw, it tore through the opposing Persian's defense, carving several deep gashes into the softest part of its side—so deep the bone was nearly visible.
Persian let out a pained cry. It couldn't hold on any longer, fainted, and lost the ability to battle.
"Be good and surrender! Don't struggle pointlessly anymore!"
Kazu snorted coldly, his face full of confident certainty.
"Shaaa—!!"
Sandslash shook the blood off its claws, revealing razor talons gleaming with a sharp luster. As if responding to Kazu's words, it shouted loudly.
Just as Kazu finished speaking, Himeko rode Pidgeot down and landed beside him.
With a Gym-peak helper arriving, Kazu instantly felt even more assured.
"Tie him up!"
Kazu saw that the Team Dark squad leader in front of him remained indifferent to his words. He waved a hand and ordered his men to bind the man.
"Heh heh…"
Tightly bound and wrapped in rope, the squad leader showed not the slightest panic. Instead, he started laughing in a bizarrely sinister way.
That eerie curve at the corner of his mouth fell into Kazu's eyes—
And in an instant, the battle-hardened City Defense Forces commander felt a strong sense of dread bloom inside him.
At first, the situation had been urgent. He hadn't had time to think about why Team Dark would suddenly launch such a fierce assault on the City Defense Forces garrison.
But now—
After smashing these guys—
Kazu's sharp instincts caught something off.
Something was wrong!
Everything that happened today didn't look like the kind of action those rats in the shadows would take.
These people—
They had to be plotting something!
"Dayu-san! It's your turn to take the stage now!"
The squad leader raised his voice and shouted in a shrill, piercing tone.
The moment his words fell—
From the towering holly tree he had been leaning against, three dark silhouettes dropped down without warning.
They landed and stood steady.
Only then did everyone realize that an additional Team Dark member had appeared out of nowhere.
He was powerfully built, broad and muscular. Even under a tight combat suit, the contours of his muscles were distinct—packed with explosive strength.
The instant Kazu saw the man's face, his expression turned ugly.
His breathing stalled for a heartbeat.
His pupils dilated, and shock and fear spread thickly through his eyes.
"Y-you… you're Dayu!? One of Team Dark's four Elite Four members?!"
When Kazu spoke, his voice was trembling, and his body was wound taut to the extreme.
That face—
There was no way he could be mistaken.
It was definitely one of Team Dark's four Elite Four-level figures—Dayu!
Don't be fooled by how sunny and upbeat he looked—
Among Team Dark's high-ranking cadres, he was the darkest, most cruel, and most bloodthirsty of them all!
A few months ago, the case where the Amano father and son died in an explosion—
After the City Defense Forces investigated, every lead's arrowhead pointed straight at Dayu!
How could someone this terrifying be here?
Weren't Elite Four-level figures supposed to stay on standby at Team Dark's headquarters at all times?
Kazu was tense to the limit.
He unconsciously took a step back.
After finally forcing his emotions to steady—
He discreetly signaled the City Defense Forces troops behind him,
Telling them to contact the Military immediately.
An Elite Four-level figure was already beyond what they could handle.
In fact, even in all of Wintergreen City, there might not be anyone capable of dealing with this.
They could only report upward as fast as possible—
And pray reinforcements from the Military would arrive in time.
"An Elite Four-level Trainer… What a play."
Himeko was startled.
In the shadows, she quietly communicated with Shiko.
Everything really was just as Shiko had predicted—
Everything earlier had been a trap.
"It's fine. Elite Four-level, that's all—small problem."
Shiko's voice was calm and confident.
Himeko nodded silently, her heart filling with a powerful sense of security.
"Himeko-san, withdraw first. Leave this to me."
Kazu turned his head and spoke in a low, transmitted voice.
In his impression, Himeko should be the same as him—
At best, only a Gym-peak Trainer.
That level of strength was top-tier in a small city like Wintergreen City.
But—
Facing someone like Dayu, an Elite Four-level Trainer?
That was far too weak.
Forget the two of them joining hands—
Even if three or four more came, they still wouldn't have any chance of beating Dayu.
So in this situation,
The best outcome Kazu could imagine
Was to delay as long as possible, buying time for Himeko to escape.
After all, compared to him, a genius like Himeko still had far more future ahead of her.
"You're thinking too nicely. Unfortunately, none of you are leaving today."
"Everything today was a trap I laid out—just to lure you into taking the bait."
"Now that you're here, don't go."
Dayu smiled.
He tossed a Poké Ball in his hand.
A purple, bipedal Pokémon appeared before everyone.
"Nidooo—!!"
Nidoking roared.
A powerful aura burst from its body.
The dangerous presence that rushed toward them made people's hearts seize with fear.
Nidoking's long purple tail lashed violently—
With massive force, it smashed and snapped the nearby holly trees one after another.
The brittle cracking of broken trunks rang out in overlapping waves.
On its forehead, the sharp horn exuded a chilling, terrifying aura.
A mid-tier Elite Four-level Nidoking!
Himeko used Eye of Appraisal and read Nidoking's data.
A Pokémon raised extremely well—
Just like Dayu himself.
Purely the power-brute route.
That body, far larger than an ordinary Nidoking's, didn't look bloated at all. Instead, it gave the impression of overwhelming strength.
And the horn atop its head—
Its color was an unusually deep purple-red.
It was obvious—
The Poison-type energy condensed within Nidoking was astonishingly intense.
"Sandslash! Crush Claw!"
Kazu took a deep breath, his expression resolute.
"Sha!"
Even though it could feel how strong Nidoking was,
Sandslash still showed no intention of backing down.
Resolve flashed in its eyes.
It crossed both arms in front of its chest, and both claws sparked with a cold, razor sheen—
Then it slashed straight toward Nidoking!
"Overestimating yourself!"
A trace of disdain flickered in Dayu's eyes.
A Gym-level Pokémon dared to show off in front of him?
That was simply looking for death!
"No need to hold back! Nidoking—Shadow Claw!"
With a roar,
The ground beneath Nidoking's feet suddenly sank an inch.
On its purple-red hands,
A sickening, ghostly gray energy coiled and wrapped around.
The two pairs of sharp claws collided—
Nidoking chose to meet the attack head-on, without hesitation.
"Now! Hurry and go!"
Kazu turned around, staring at Himeko with anxious urgency.
This was the only chance.
He knew his Sandslash wouldn't last long at all in a power clash at this level.
If they were going to run—
They had to seize every second.
At the same time,
Kazu's troops behind him had already reached the Northern Military Division.
The news that a Team Dark Elite Four-level figure had appeared in Wintergreen Forest
Was immediately delivered to the Northern Military Division's upper ranks.
"Aisa, go—right now. I'm worried about Himeko's safety."
Minister Kenjiro looked serious as he instructed Aisa.
Himeko was the Military's treasure right now.
Absolutely nothing could be allowed to happen to her.
Originally, Minister Kenjiro had thought this investigation wouldn't encounter major problems.
After all, Wintergreen City was a fringe little city—
Even if Team Dark showed up,
Big figures shouldn't appear.
But he never expected Himeko's luck to be this bad—
She had run straight into one of Team Dark's four Elite Four members!
And—
The most cruel one at that!
Minister Kenjiro instantly tensed, terrified that something might happen to Himeko.
"Don't worry too much. She should be fine."
Aisa nodded. After a brief pause, she offered a few words of comfort.
"She's in Wintergreen Forest, which means she should have already brought GeoGreymon back."
"With GeoGreymon there, ordinary Elite Four-level Pokémon can still be dealt with."
As Aisa said this,
Her mind involuntarily replayed the scene of Shiko pinning a whole squad of Dragon-type Pokémon in Dragon Valley and beating them senseless.
Her scalp tingled.
With a Pokémon that strong and violent around—
Maybe, compared to Himeko, the one worth worrying about more was the unlucky Team Dark Elite Four member's safety.
"That may be true, but I'm worried they've arranged even more manpower afterward."
"Just in case, take your Dragonite and leave immediately."
"Understood!"
Aisa nodded.
No dithering.
She left the Minister's office, went to the open yard out front, released her Dragonite, and mounted it.
Dragonite flapped its wings—
With a single whoosh, it became a blurry black dot shrinking into the sky.
Back in Wintergreen Forest,
Kazu wore a determined expression as he urged Himeko to leave quickly.
Just as his words fell—
Before Himeko could even move—
"Shaaa—!!"
Sandslash's agonized, piercing scream suddenly rang out through the forest, stabbing everyone's eardrums.
Everyone looked toward the sound.
Sandslash had already crashed heavily to the ground, completely unconscious, losing its ability to battle.
Even more horrifying—
Both of its sharp claws had been torn apart.
Blood seeped and stained them in mottled patches. It looked utterly miserable.
"Sandslash!"
Seeing his Pokémon in such a state,
Kazu's eyes went red with fury, pain tearing through him.
He hadn't expected it—
In that single collision, his Gym-peak Sandslash hadn't even lasted a few seconds!
And it had taken such severe damage!
"Damn it!"
He recalled Sandslash into its Poké Ball.
Kazu's heart sank into icy despair.
That suffocating pressure made him completely unable to see any path to break this deadlock.
Terrifying…
Too terrifying…
So this was the power of Elite Four-level strength?
It was truly horrifying!
"Nidoking! Kill everyone and every Pokémon here!"
"Leave that girl behind—that's all!"
Dayu pointed at Himeko within the crowd, his face wearing a bright smile as he issued a cold command.
The smile looked sunny—
But in the eyes of the City Defense Forces troops on the scene,
It was as cold as the Grim Reaper, suffocating and despair-inducing.
At that moment—
From the sky came a massive chorus of Flying-type Pokémon cries.
From outside the forest came loud movement as well.
Kazu abruptly raised his head.
He saw troops in City Defense Forces uniforms riding Flying-type Pokémon overhead.
Then he lowered his gaze again.
On his deathly pale face,
A trace of color finally returned.
Kazu exhaled in relief.
This reinforcement force numbered around one hundred and fifty people—
With several hundred Pokémon.
Maybe—
Maybe they could use a human-wave tactic!
Maybe they could grind down this Elite Four-level Nidoking through sheer numbers!
Hope reignited in Kazu's eyes.
"So many ants… and you think you can change my—"
Dayu laughed with contempt, repeating his command.
"Nidoking! Don't bother with them—finish them immediately!"
From his waist, he tossed out two more Poké Balls.
A gray humanoid Pokémon with four arms—
And another Pokémon covered in yellow fur with black markings—
Appeared before everyone.
"Gurdurr! Stop the people outside!"
"Electivire! Knock every one of those fliers out of the sky for me!"
(End of Chapter)
[200 Power Stones = 1 Extra Chapter]
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