Shane's taunting voice echoed throughout the entire battlefield, yet the Hunters Guild remained silent.
Of the eight seated hunters present, aside from Hunter D who had just been defeated, everyone hesitated.
Their eyes met several times before the tall Hunter T finally walked to the front and replied, "Mr. Shane, please give us a little more time to discuss this..."
Across from him, Shane spat on the ground and cursed, "Discuss? Discuss my ass! Don't you useless idiots know you're useless? I saw you arguing before I even came in. You couldn't reach a decision then, and now you're trying to stall again? Are you letting people into the Twenty-Six Seats or not?"
"Stop wasting time and give me a straight answer! You really think I've got the patience to wait for a bunch of trash like you?"
Hunter T fell speechless. Beneath his black robe, his thin face turned extremely ugly.
Ever since becoming a Gym-level trainer, this was the first time he had been humiliated so openly. Worse still, Shane hadn't insulted only him. He had cursed the entire Hunters Guild.
Yet behind him, his companions only exchanged uncertain glances. Forget speaking up in support, not one of them even bothered stepping forward for appearances.
'A bunch of cowards!'
Hunter T couldn't help cursing inwardly. At the same time, he found himself agreeing with Shane's words.
'They're all useless idiots.'
Everyone wanted someone else to fight first so they could collect whatever remained afterward. But everyone here was at least an experienced Gym-level trainer. Who wouldn't hold something back? Even if their Pokémon fought, they'd stop short of an all-out battle.
If the Hunters Guild still refused to take charge, these wanted criminals would eventually wipe them all out. Once that happened, the guild would lose every bit of leverage, and the entire organization would likely fall into the hands of these fugitives.
'Damn it all!'
Hunter T hated the person who had let these criminals into headquarters. But he also knew that individual would never reveal themselves so easily. In fact, they probably weren't even at headquarters.
This had to be the work of one of Sinnoh's remaining three seated hunters.
Hunter A and Hunter B had disappeared, so someone had gathered every hunter under Hunter A's name. Then they had secretly allowed all these wanted criminals inside.
After all, the guild headquarters was extremely well hidden. It was practically a sealed prison. As long as the remaining teleportation devices were destroyed, everyone underground would be trapped here until they died, while that person could simply walk away and enjoy all the rewards alone.
'What a perfect scheme.'
Hunter T's gloomy gaze swept across the hunters behind him, lingering for a moment on Hunter D at the very back.
Hunter D was one of Sinnoh's remaining three seated hunters. He was impulsive and foolish, and he had appeared here openly. There was no way it was him.
So was it Hunter F... or Hunter W?
There was also another critical question. How had Hunter F or Hunter W managed to spread the news and attract so many wanted criminals here?
In truth, the safest plan would have been to lure all the seated hunters here, kill them, and keep Hunter A's disappearance a secret.
Gathering so many wanted criminals, knowing Hunter A's situation, and possessing enough influence to spread the news so quickly, only the League could accomplish something like that. And only the League would.
This time, however, it was merely a coincidence. Not only had the League made its move, but some unknown mastermind hiding in the shadows had been plotting as well. The two schemes had collided.
The thought sent a chill down Hunter T's spine. For the first time, he wanted nothing more than to turn around and run.
At that moment, Shane was still waiting for an answer, but the wanted criminals watching from the sidelines lost their patience first.
Someone shouted, and soon everyone joined in.
"We came here for money and resources. Why don't we kill these useless fools first, then split the loot?"
"That's right! Kill these cowards first! They can't even choose someone to lead them. They should've died a long time ago!"
"Come on, everyone! Let's go!"
"Each person only needs to send out one Pokémon. Finish these guys first..."
"Exactly! Everybody, send out..."
The shouting quickly became a chaotic mess. In reality, everyone kept looking around at each other.
Some did tighten their grip on their Poké Balls, but no one wanted to be the first to release a Pokémon. They were afraid their own partner would become the first casualty.
Hunter T frowned. There was no time left to think about the mastermind behind everything.
Surviving came first.
After clearing his throat, he raised his voice. "It is truly an honor for so many outstanding trainers to gather at our Hunters Guild. After giving it some thought, we believe your arguments make sense."
"The Twenty-Six Seats are indeed not full, and we do need your assistance. However, the Hunters Guild has always respected strength above all else. I'm sure none of you wants some lucky person to walk away with the benefits."
"So, every seat will be open for challenge. The winners will become one of the twenty-six seated hunters. We currently have thirteen seats available, and naturally, they should belong to the thirteen strongest people."
"As for our current thirteen seated hunters, we'd like to request a six-month exemption from challenges. After all, once you join the guild, you'll still need us veterans to explain how everything works, including authority, resources, and responsibilities. What do you all think?"
After hearing his proposal, the wanted criminals all began considering it. No one spoke. Instead, they slowly shifted their gazes toward everyone else.
Of course, they understood that if they united and killed the Hunters Guild's seated hunters first, they could seize even greater rewards. But none of them had come here intending to cooperate. There were simply too many people, and they would eventually have to fight each other anyway.
Hunter T's proposal merely moved that final struggle forward.
The stronger Elite-level trainers among the fugitives didn't particularly care either way. In fact, they preferred deciding ownership through strength. Their fists were the biggest. They were guaranteed to get a share, and if things didn't go their way, they could simply overturn the table.
Those who had only recently reached the Gym-level didn't dare object either. Their only hope was for the stronger criminals to eliminate the Hunters Guild's veterans first, giving them a chance to pick up something afterward.
But no one had been willing to make a move even when the Hunters Guild had been weak and divided earlier. Now that rules had been established, it was even less likely anyone would.
As for the veteran Gym-level trainers, they had no objections either. Everyone had come here knowing it would all come down to ability.
Within just a few minutes, the wanted criminals spread out across the battlefield. Several trainers who possessed Elite-level Pokémon took the lead and released them first. Simply by standing there with their Pokémon, these strongest trainers established their positions.
There were nine of them in total.
The remaining trainers, nearly seventy altogether, had come here from Jubilife City or Sunyshore City. They glared at one another in silence.
At a time like this, the Hunters Guild should have stepped in again to maintain the infighting among the wanted criminals and preserve its own position.
But now, Hunter T, who should have been taking charge, had already slipped into one of the corridors.
He didn't even spare the other hunters another glance. After hurriedly saying that he had something to deal with, he quickly disappeared.
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