"As always, I'll go in first. Wait for my signal before you follow."
"Yes, sir!"
No sooner had Ron spoken than he and Gardevoir vanished from sight.
Watching the all-too-familiar scene unfold, Nera let out a helpless sigh.
Just a few days ago, Nera's squad had received direct orders from Elite Four member Drake to report to Sootopolis City, where they would serve under the command of a trainer with power on par with the Elite Four.
The news brought both excitement and unease. Having an Elite-level commander meant their enemies would be just as formidable—if not more so—and the danger, even greater.
But it didn't take long for Nera to realize this commander wasn't like the others.
Even with the commander added in, they were a tight twelve-person unit. Their mission? Infiltrate and destroy key Team Aqua outposts, inflicting maximum disruption wherever possible.
And so, every mission began the same way: Ron would teleport in first with Gardevoir.
Once he carved open a path, Machamp and the others were unleashed to wreak havoc. When Ron was ready for the rest of them to move, he'd trigger his signal—Finger Pistol: Evening Elephant.
Over several operations, not only had they sustained zero casualties, but the squad began to feel their role had changed—no longer the vanguard, but the cleanup crew behind Ron's trail of destruction.
And honestly? That kind of effortless victory was addicting.
Thanks to Gardevoir's psychic detection and Ron's telepathy, it didn't take long before they closed in on the enemy base.
Judging from the layout, this was likely a strike force preparing for an attack on the city tomorrow. But this was where their ambitions would end.
Ron ordered Machamp to stand by, while Gardevoir locked onto the central tent—the one housing the strongest presence.
With a flicker of light, they vanished—and reappeared dead-center in the enemy camp.
"Let's go."
The moment Ron and his team appeared, the Elite Four-level trainer from Team Aqua snapped into action—but he was just a step too slow.
Machamp's Flying Finger Pistol struck first, stealing his life in an instant.
Gardevoir's psychic powers surged, locking the man's Poké Balls in place and plundering their supplies. Meanwhile, Ron released Persian and the others.
Half a minute later, fireballs erupted from the tent, marking the official start of their ambush.
"Persian, Finger Pistol: Blink Slash!"
"Bellossom, One-Sword Style: Finger Pistol – Verdant Shroud!"
"Nidoking, Fire Release—Majestic Destroyer Flame!"
"Blaziken, Inferno Ring: Flame Pillar!"
With a burst of telepathy, Ron issued all four commands at once.
Persian's Blink Slash had evolved, combining Finger Pistol, Feint Attack, Shadow Claw, and Sucker Punch into a deadly new form. Each strike resembled a sudden black mist—appearing and vanishing in the blink of an eye. By the time you saw him, you were already dead.
A flurry of green leaves danced in the air, hiding deadly slashes beneath their beauty.
Nidoking and Blaziken's combined attacks formed a massive firestorm, annihilating the unprepared Team Aqua members before they could react.
While Ron's side turned into a fiery spectacle, Nera's squad remained completely still.
They'd been instructed to wait until Machamp used Finger Pistol: Evening Elephant. Until then, it was Ron's solo performance.
"Vice-Captain, do you think we even need to go in at this point?"
One of the team members, holding back for days, finally voiced what they were all thinking.
"We're going in—if only to make sure we get credit for being here," Nera replied after a pause.
"Smart call, Vice-Captain."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than a red elephant-shaped shockwave burst into the sky, then plummeted down with force.
"That's our cue! Move in—full assault!"
After giving the order, Nera led the charge, moving in to clean up the battlefield.
Just like the times before, by the time Nera and the others arrived, all they found were corpses scattered across the ground.
Ron had taken the lion's share, but he hadn't forgotten to leave something behind for the others.
Whatever else could be said, these people had helped Ron with plenty of miscellaneous tasks. That allowed him to focus entirely on battle, and he didn't mind sharing a bit of the spoils in return.
Without saying much, Neta took the lead and began organizing the cleanup.
Perhaps it was due to experience, but both Nera and the other squad members had become much faster at clearing a battlefield.
In less than ten minutes, Ron had already led his squad into retreat.
During the withdrawal, one member relayed the mission report to Elite Four Drake, while the others took on tasks like scouting the path ahead, radar sweeps, and coordinating their bearings.
Ron was particularly satisfied with the radar sweeps.
Even when the enemy used materials to block psychic detection, they still couldn't escape the radar's scan—which saved Ron from having to make excuses for using Lucario's Aura to sense their surroundings.
Late at night, in the captain's quarters of a battleship, Elite Four Drake received the report on Ron's mission.
Looking over the report—another operation executed flawlessly and without casualties, taking out dozens of Team Aqua grunts led by an Elite Four–level trainer—Drake became even more certain that involving Ron in this war had been the right choice.
At that moment, Drake even considered submitting a request to Steven Stone, asking permission to personally bring Ron over to the Hoenn League.
Still, before making any official moves, Drake decided he would ask Ron what he wanted first.
One thing was certain: if Ron agreed to join the Hoenn League, then whatever the Kanto League could offer him, Drake could match.
If not for the current shortage of personnel, Drake would've already sent someone to Kanto to investigate Ron's background—anything that could help build a personal connection.
"Captain, message from Elite Four Drake—he's ordering a day of rest. We'll resume the mission tomorrow."
"Got it. Find a secure location, but steer clear of towns. Too many eyes and ears."
"Yes, sir."
Upon receiving Ron's order, the squad began moving immediately.
Truth be told, aside from during battles—where they were more of a burden than help—Ron actually appreciated having a team with him during the rest of the mission.
Take now, for instance: in no time, they had found a hidden spot, and someone had even thoughtfully prepared a hot late-night meal for him.
Another had set up a watch rotation, laying traps in the surrounding area just in case.
Though Gardevoir was with them—and that alone made most of the preparations redundant—it didn't take away from the team's professionalism.
...
"Boss, we've located Wallace."
"Good. Any word on Ron?"
Ron's continued success had only deepened Drake's admiration of him—and, at the same time, Archie's hatred had taken root. Despite the increasingly strained situation on the front lines, he still diverted resources just to track Ron's whereabouts.
"None for now. With Gardevoir by his side, they're incredibly well-hidden."
"Then send the order. Have Shelly return and assist me in capturing Wallace first. I want to see if the League still has the guts to challenge Team Aqua after losing one of their rising stars!"
"Yes, sir!"
Although it was disappointing not to have found Ron, the thought of Wallace, a rising star of the League, falling into his hands filled Archie with uncontainable excitement.
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