"No... No!"
Dumas trembled in fear as he watched the Persian slowly approach, his weakened body crawling backward in a desperate attempt to escape death.
But the bloodstained Persian showed no intention of stopping. The trail of corpses behind it was proof of that.
With a swift slash of its claws, Dumas, who had just recently broken through to quasi-Elite Four status and was eager to make his mark, met his end right there.
"Clean up the battlefield."
Seeing Ron effortlessly obliterate the two poaching syndicates with overwhelming strength, Lily quickly snapped out of the joy of reunion and survival. She began directing the remaining rangers to handle the bodies of both the elite poachers and their fallen Pokémon.
Just as they finished, Yusef arrived with reinforcements, their timing impeccable.
Fortunately, because Lily had relayed the message earlier, the quasi-Elite Four-level forest rangers who had originally been dispatched were no longer needed, preventing unnecessary deployment of manpower.
"Leave the rest to me. Lily, why don't you take Ron to tour our ranger headquarters and see if there's anything that could be improved?"
Yusef knew Lily well—especially about her feelings for Ron.
To him, when you're young, you should boldly pursue the one you like. Even if you fail, at least you won't have regrets.
So upon seeing Ron, Yusef made sure to give Lily an opportunity.
"Understood. Please follow me."
Trying her best to appear composed, Lily left Ron no chance to refuse and started leading the way.
With so many eyes on them, Ron couldn't bring himself to embarrass Lily, so he quietly followed.
Not long after, the sound of breaking hearts echoed in the air.
The surviving rangers who witnessed this scene felt as if they had just suffered the most painful of heartbreaks.
"It's been a long time... You've gotten even stronger. So strong that I can't even see your shadow anymore."
Once they were a bit further away, Lily's previous composure faded. Instead, she spoke softly, almost like a shy girl confessing her thoughts.
"Not really. You've also gotten a lot stronger."
To be honest, Ron wasn't sure how to handle situations like this—especially after his Gardevoir had quietly informed him that Lily's feelings for him were sincere. That made him even more uncertain about what to do.
Originally, Ron had assumed Lily's feelings were just a fleeting crush, something that would fade with time.
But to his surprise, when they met again, her emotions had only grown deeper. Ron, who had never prepared for something like this, didn't know how to respond.
"That's why Captain Yusef set this up. You could have just left if you wanted to."
After a long silence, Lily suddenly spoke, causing Ron, who was just about to come up with an excuse to leave, to freeze on the spot.
"It's fine. I have time. I'll walk with you for a bit."
Almost instinctively, Ron chose to stay instead of walking away.
"Mm."
A soft hum escaped Lily's lips, unable to hide her delight.
To avoid further awkward silence, Lily started asking Ron about Pokémon training.
Although Ron wasn't a specialist in Fighting-type Pokémon, he had unique insights into training methods.
Especially since his ace Pokémon was a Machamp, he had plenty of experience to share with Lily.
And since Lily was currently working to help her own Machamp reach quasi-Elite Four level, their conversation naturally flowed with ease.
Before they knew it, they had arrived at the ranger headquarters near Vermilion City.
Even though Machamp and the other Pokémon had already been healed by Bellossom and Gardevoir, Lily still sent them in for another round of treatment, just to be safe.
After that, she took Ron on a tour of the facility. As they became more familiar with each other, the initial awkwardness faded, replaced by easygoing conversation and laughter.
But little did they know, someone in the shadows had been watching their every move.
"Alright, I should get going. I still have other missions to take care of."
After the tour, Ron decided it was time to leave.
His stance regarding Lily hadn't changed—he still wasn't thinking about romance for now.
On the surface, Ron seemed to be living a prestigious life, but he knew the truth. The people plotting against him hadn't given up yet. The ambush they had set using an Auraberry as bait was proof of that.
If he got too close to Lily, he might drag her into trouble.
There was no denying that Ron had grown fond of Lily.
Or rather, it would be difficult for anyone to remain unmoved by a kind, understanding, and devoted woman who admired him so much.
But even so, Ron knew he couldn't afford to have such attachments—at least not now.
"I understand. Be careful. Sometimes, abandoning a mission isn't the worst thing—staying alive is what matters most."
Perhaps it was the weight of their experiences, but Lily's words of farewell had taken on a different tone.
"Don't worry. I value my life quite a bit," Ron replied with a grin.
With that, he had Gardevoir use Teleport, taking him away in an instant.
Earlier, out of respect for Ron and Lily's private conversation, Gardevoir had refrained from using its psychic abilities to scan the surroundings—an unusual choice for the Pokémon. Yet, someone had still taken note of how Ron and Lily interacted.
After parting ways with Lily, Ron resumed his mission, eager to accumulate more resources while strengthening himself as quickly as possible.
—
Meanwhile, in Klaus Nyland's study…
"Inform Franz about this matter," Klaus instructed, his voice calm as he continued writing with a traditional brush. "And hire an assassin for the job."
"Make sure to keep this discreet. No one else can know. Understood?"
"Yes, Master Klaus."
The butler bowed deeply before silently exiting the room.
Among all his subordinates, Klaus trusted his butler the most. Any matter that required discretion was always left in his hands.
"A Ranger, huh? Even if it's just a suspicion, it doesn't matter. At least there's finally a target."
Closing the communicator, Franz gathered the remaining men and began moving toward Vermilion City.
Rather than wandering aimlessly, he preferred launching a direct assault on a League Ranger outpost.
After all, he had already accumulated enough criminal charges—one more wouldn't make a difference.
As Franz set his sights on his target, Klaus' butler discreetly began the search for an assassin through special channels.
Compared to mercenaries, assassins were far harder to come by—especially those at the Elite Four level.
But for the Nyland Family, such a task was almost effortless.
Unaware that yet another group had set their sights on him, Ron was already searching for his next target.
Just a few more hunts, and he would take a temporary break—long enough to consolidate his current strength and, while he was at it, inquire about the price of the Attribute Plate.
Only by reaching Elite Four status would Ron gain true influence, enough to stop the League from acting recklessly against him.
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