After those words were spoken, many of the weaker Gym-level trainers who had originally planned to slip away began to reconsider.
They were Gym-level trainers too. The Hunters Guild is loaded. They've come all this way, so what's wrong with taking a share of the rewards?
Standing in a corner, Morton nearly applauded.
He had originally wanted to be the one to speak first. Now that someone else had taken the lead, he no longer had to become the target of everyone's attention. That was perfect.
Of course, he still needed to show his support.
"That's right! Mason is absolutely right!" Morton called out. "Those people from the Hunters Guild are just trying to stall for time and split us apart. Their strength might not even be better than ours!"
"If we settle things among ourselves, a few of the Hunters Guild's seated hunters will naturally be eliminated. As long as a handful remain, the handover won't be affected!"
After he finished speaking, many others who had been wavering immediately voiced their agreement. Dozens of people gathered together, united against a common enemy.
The thirteen wanted criminals and foreign trainers who had already secured their positions remained silent, standing off to the side as if watching a show. Whether the Hunters Guild veterans clashed with these dissatisfied trainers had nothing to do with them.
If a fight broke out, the fewer people left alive, the better. As long as one or two Hunters Guild veterans survived to transfer authority, that would be enough.
Facing the wanted criminals who had united into a single front and were steadily closing in, the Hunters Guild members remained completely calm. No one knew what they were thinking. For a while, none of them even bothered to respond.
Seeing this, Morton grew irritated. 'They're only Gym-level trainers too. What are they relying on?'
They did not say a word or make a single move.
'Are they just standing there waiting to die? Do they really think they can beat dozens of us? If dozens of Gym-level Pokémon each use one move, even a Champion couldn't stop them all.'
Not wanting to waste any more time, Morton took the lead and threw out a Poké Ball.
"Onix, Rock Blast!"
Rock Blast fired hardened rocks at the opponent in a continuous attack, striking two to five times.
"Onix!"
The Gym-level Onix coiled high in the center of the battlefield. Clumps of yellow-brown energy quickly gathered around it and condensed into massive rocks.
Witnessing this sight, Mason, who had been the first to send out Tauros, narrowed his eyes. Instead of joining in, he quietly recalled his Pokémon and stepped back several steps.
When the trainers behind him noticed this, much of their enthusiasm immediately cooled. Several who had been about to release their own Pokémon to help quietly stopped.
But on the battlefield, Onix's attack had already been launched.
Morton's attention remained fixed on the enemies ahead. He never noticed that the allies behind him had quietly moved aside and left him standing alone.
Several massive boulders shot forward at high speed. The hunters in black cloaks barely reacted. They stood neatly in place as if they did not care about the incoming attack at all.
Hunter D, who stood farther back, looked at his companions in confusion. The attack was practically in their faces. Why was nobody sending out a Pokémon to stop it?
'What are they all thinking?'
The rapidly enlarging rocks filled his vision, making his scalp tingle.
Gritting his teeth, Hunter D finally pulled out a Poké Ball.
"Toxicroak, Acid Spray!"
The dark blue Toxicroak had barely emerged before the large crimson poison sac on its chest rapidly expanded. In the next instant, it spat out a stream of dark green acid that corroded every rock it touched.
Toxicroak was also a Gym-level Pokémon at Level 46, and its mastery of Acid Spray was exceptionally high.
A few rocks posed no challenge. They were easily dissolved, leaving only scattered fragments that stirred up a light cloud of dust.
Among the hunters, Hunter M, whose slightly hunched figure stood near the edge of the group, quietly shook his head. A trace of mockery appeared on his aged face.
Before coming here, he had assumed these hunters were all experienced trainers. Instead, quite a few of them turned out to be fools… Hunter D in particular was still too young. He simply could not hold himself back and had rushed out first.
Buzz...
The communication device vibrated softly.
Without attracting attention, Hunter M quietly stepped backward and glanced at the message.
[Elite Blaine, Shiro and I are already in the Hunters Guild headquarters' meeting hall. We've found the passage leading to the underground battlefield and will be there shortly.]
* * *
"Elite Blaine says the situation below is still stable and under control. We just need to make sure we stay hidden."
Inside the pitch-black passage, Bertha spoke in a low voice while wondering how to conceal her face.
Unown G was already familiar with this. With a quick motion, it pulled out two white masks. "Use these."
Bertha blinked in surprise before gently accepting one. "Thank you."
After putting on their masks, the two quietly continued down the passage.
Before long, the darkness gradually faded. The arched tunnel opened into a brighter area where the backs of many black-cloaked people came into view.
"They're hunters." Bertha stopped in her tracks, unsure whether she should keep going.
She was worried they would be exposed the moment they stepped out and trigger a chaotic battle.
"I... It's fine. I have... Psychic-type Pokémon." Unown G patted its chest and waved a hand, releasing a soft pink wave of psychic light.
Bertha looked at it in surprise. 'So Shiro stutters whenever he's nervous?'
Not far away, Unown G seemed completely confident. It strode out of the passage without hesitation.
Bertha raised an eyebrow. That didn't look like someone who's nervous at all…
Still, after confirming that the psychic power had concealed them, she pushed those doubts aside and followed closely behind Unown G.
After reaching a corner of the battlefield, Bertha quickly sent a message.
[Elite Blaine, we've arrived.]
* * *
Disguised as Hunter M, Blaine quietly swept his gaze around. He watched the passage behind him for a moment but saw no sign of anyone.
After a brief thought, he guessed the two had hidden themselves with some special method, so he was not particularly surprised.
[Bertha, another League trainer has disguised himself as an Elite-level wanted criminal. He's already one of the trainers who secured a Hunters Guild seat and is over on the right side.]
[He'll look for an opportunity to strike first and eliminate a few of the major criminals over there. After that, we'll work together and make sure none of these hunters escape.]
Blaine carefully explained the plan.
The primary targets of this mission were the Hunters Guild veterans and several notorious criminals who were infamous across multiple regions.
As for the others, some were only minor offenders while others had simply come to join the excitement. Once chaos broke out, they would naturally flee. There was no need to waste effort chasing them. Completing the main objective was enough.
[I understand.] Bertha replied.
Boom!
A towering cloud of dust suddenly erupted from the battlefield.
Morton and Hunter D naturally became locked in battle as Onix and Toxicroak clashed head-on.
After only a few exchanges, Onix tightly coiled around Toxicroak and completely restrained it.
With the type disadvantage working against it, Toxicroak could only barely use Rock Slide at the very end, shattering the nearby quicksand before collapsing unconscious.
"Hahaha..." Morton laughed loudly in satisfaction. "A loser like this is one of the seated hunters?"
But the moment he turned around, he discovered the wanted criminals who had been standing with him earlier were now silently staring at him without saying a word.
Looking toward Mason and the others, who had already retreated to the back, Morton's smile stiffened.
'Why did they all back away?'
On the battlefield, Onix suddenly fled in panic. After only a moment, it crashed heavily to the ground.
A ghostly figure flickered into view.
**
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