Wrapped in a yukata, Ron stepped out of the bathroom, satisfaction written all over his face as he lay down on the bed, his entire body relaxed.
Beside him, Machamp and the others were sprawled on the floor, equally fatigued, as if they had just endured a fierce battle.
In fact, that wasn't far from the truth. Five days ago, Ron had arrived in the Yolton District and established contact with Aki Murrigan.
For the sake of secrecy, Aki had arranged for Ron to temporarily stay in a hotel, instructing him to wait for further orders before making any moves.
Since then, Ron had thrown himself into relentless physical training in the hotel's attached training room, honing his body in preparation for obtaining the Terraberry Fruit—an item that would significantly enhance his physique and enable him to master the Six Powers.
Just when Ron thought Aki wouldn't make a move and had begun to settle in for a night of rest, a sudden message arrived.
The message not only confirmed the operation would begin in two days but also outlined Ron's specific targets—three individuals, two of whom possessed quasi-Elite Four strength, while the other was a High Elite.
After carefully reviewing their profiles and route maps, Ron replied with a simple "Got it" and decided to rest the following afternoon to conserve energy for the upcoming assault.
With Gardevoir by his side, Ron would become the perfect assassin—especially during the defenseless hours of the night, offering countless opportunities.
As for the power struggles between the families, Ron had no intention of involving himself. It was the Albani family who had made the first move against Aki—failure meant they had to bear the consequences.
The truly laughable part was that the Albani family head actually believed Aki would set aside her grudge after accepting his resources.
From the moment he met Aki, Ron had never underestimated her due to her age or gender. This operation only confirmed his belief—Aki was a rose with thorns.
She might appear beautiful and alluring, but her sharp thorns could pierce at any moment.
Time passed swiftly, and soon the day of action arrived.
Looking up at the sky, Ron couldn't help but think of the phrase, "A dark night—perfect for murder and arson." The night's atmosphere seemed to mirror the bloodshed to come, with the moon and stars hidden deep behind layers of dark clouds.
Dressed in a black cloak, Ron vanished from his room with the aid of Gardevoir's Teleport.
As Ron began his mission, Aki gathered her trusted subordinates, splitting them into small squads to launch a coordinated assault on the Albani family.
Aki's goal was simple—eliminate the key figures of the Albani family, then leverage their superior numbers to overwhelm the enemy's Elite Four trainers. Once their core forces were eradicated, the remaining stragglers would pose no threat.
At that point, the Albani family would be at Aki's mercy.
...
In the pitch-black night, groups of black-clad operatives scattered and advanced swiftly.
Aki had promised countless resources to ensure tonight's operation went smoothly.
There was only one way to recover those losses—and that was to completely annihilate the Albani family.
With the mobility granted by Teleport, Ron quickly arrived at the residence of his first target—Joe.
After Gardevoir's psychic probe confirmed the distribution of guards, Ron found a clear path and silently infiltrated the bedroom via Teleport.
Unlike Ron, who spent his long nights alone, Joe lay between two stunning women.
A single Psychic attack from Gardevoir snuffed out Joe's life without a sound, and Ron proceeded to his next target.
Meanwhile, Aki's teams had begun their assault.
"Who are you?!"
Two drowsy guards were jolted awake as a swarm of black-clad figures emerged from the shadows. Before they could press the alarm, several Pokémon struck first, cutting them down.
With the guards neutralized, Aki's operatives flooded into the building.
Years of arrogance had made the Albani family complacent, even neglecting basic security.
After dispatching the guards, Aki's teams infiltrated different floors with little resistance.
The building's first six floors served as office space for the Albani family's enterprises. The middle six housed the family's core members and hired trainers—their heart of power. The top three floors contained training rooms and logistics departments, offering the trainers a comfortable living environment.
To ensure total annihilation, Ruben personally led a team to the middle floors, while three smaller squads—each led by quasi-Elite Four trainers—targeted the offices and upper floors.
The brightly lit building soon became stained with crimson.
With Ruben's Scizor leading the charge, they easily broke down doors and slit the throats of drowsy trainers before they could react.
Just like the lax defenses of the Albani Family, these trainers never anticipated that one day, someone would break into the building, storm into their rooms, and cut them down in their sleep.
Aside from Ruben, the rest of the team operated in pairs.
One person would break down the door while the other commanded their Pokémon to strike at the opportune moment.
Often, the trainers would awaken from their dreams only to see a Pokémon lunging at them—there would be no after.
While Ruben's operation went smoothly, Aki Murrigan's dispatched squads were wreaking havoc, dismantling the Albani Family's vital strongholds one by one before converging toward the villa of Petrus Albani, the family head.
Meanwhile, Ron had also eliminated two targets. Once the final quasi-Elite Four opponent was dealt with, Ron would have every reason to coast through the rest of the mission.
Unfortunately, not every quasi-Elite Four was as careless as Joe, whom Ron had dispatched earlier.
When facing the final target, Lydus, Gardevoir could sense that two Pokémon were standing guard inside the room, meaning a swift execution like before would not be possible.
"That's fine... at least I'll feel more at ease claiming the Terraberry Tree this way."
To prevent any interference during his final battle, Ron sent Gardevoir out alone.
With Teleport, Gardevoir vanished from sight, combining the technique with Shave—Instant Step to swiftly locate the first sentry at Lydus' residence.
Using Psychic to restrain the target, a flash of green light followed—another body fell.
Gardevoir proceeded as if playing a stealth assassination game, using Teleport and Shave—Instant Step to silently appear behind each remaining sentry. Each time, a flash of green light left another corpse on the ground.
After clearing all possible obstacles, Gardevoir returned to Ron's side, using Teleport to bring him into Lydus' room—like a ravenous wolf pouncing on its prey.
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