At that moment, a plain-looking man suddenly appeared at the entrance leading to the backstage of the auction hall.
He looked at the boy in the stands and said with a cheerful smile,"Truly spectacular."
Although his tone sounded calm and pleasant, many in the audience could feel the killing intent hidden beneath his words.
This place was one of the most important bases of the Pokémon Hunters in the Hoenn region.
The Pokémon Hunters were not like Team Magma or Team Aqua, but their influence stretched across the world. They were merchants who would use any means necessary to achieve their goals.
Therefore, when someone came knocking at their doorstep to cause trouble, no matter who that person was, the Hunters would never allow them to leave alive.
The nearby Hunters brightened the moment they saw the man, shouting:"Executive!"
The group of wealthy buyers nearby also shifted their attention toward him.
Most of them were wealthy collectors who obsessed over rare Pokémon. Pokémon battles were not part of their daily lives.
In truth, many of them did not even own Pokémon capable of fighting.
And even if they did, their Pokémon were far from strong.
One of the men in a black suit spoke up angrily to the Hunter executive:"We demand an explanation."
The executive glanced at his esteemed guests, then smiled reassuringly."Please be at ease. We'll take care of this."
Just another teenager—he thought inwardly. Probably another reckless fool who fancied himself a hero of justice.
They had seen plenty of those.
So laughable. None of them realized who the real criminals were.
But before his words had fully fallen, a dull, foolish "Gah!" echoed from nearby.
The next instant, terror appeared in the eyes of those wealthy buyers.
The executive turned instinctively—only to see countless pale-blue beams reflected in his eyes, swelling larger and larger until they filled his entire vision.
The energy pulsing through the beams was so overwhelming that the very air currents were swept into violent turbulence.
The man's face turned deathly pale in the light, his hair and clothes whipped upward by the blast.
A heartbeat later, everything vanished.
Origin Pulse engulfed him completely.
The scene was like a heavenly angel passing judgment upon a demon. Amidst horrified screams, the blinding white beams devoured the man's body utterly.
He hadn't even managed to release a single Pokémon.
Hayato: "Too much talking."
"Executive!"
The surrounding Hunters cried out in shock. No longer daring to hesitate, they immediately drew Poké Balls and hurled them forward.
With flashes of white light, a host of Pokémon materialized on the battlefield.
"Gengar. They're all yours." Hayato said quietly.
"Gengaaaar."
Gengar grinned wickedly, its fanged smile exuding a chilling menace.
A second later, its body vanished into the shadows like a true ghost. Every time it emerged from the darkness, another Pokémon collapsed, instantly defeated.
Overwhelming strength, amplified further by the Ghost-type Plate—it made Gengar unstoppable. No matter who the opponent was, a single strike was all it took.
And the Hunters could not even perceive where it was striking from.
In the blink of an eye, the auction hall was filled only with humans.
"You…"
The remaining Hunters' eyes widened in terror.
Hayato did not answer. His Cramorant flapped its wings and slowly ascended into the air. It opened its beak, a torrent of blue energy rapidly swirling within before lancing outward in a single devastating beam.
Dialga's signature move swept through the hall. Anything struck was annihilated in less than a second.
In just a few breaths, the entire auction house had become a silent wasteland.
The Hunters and their wealthy patrons disappeared from the world forever, leaving behind only horror and unanswered questions.
At the side, the old sailor stared blankly at the scene, swallowing hard.
He had thought the boy only wanted to teach the Hunters a lesson—but to "vent his anger" by wiping out everyone like this…
I'm a fool, truly… The old sailor's eyes lost their focus, muttering silently in his heart.
"…" Hayato glanced at him, somewhat speechless.
To be honest, killing had not been as difficult to accept as he had imagined.
Perhaps because not a drop of blood had been shed.
Human bodies simply could not withstand energy of such magnitude. Everything touched by it had been reduced to nothingness.
Still, for the Pokémon and Trainers who would otherwise have been stolen and sold in the future, this had been a righteous deed.
Hayato exhaled softly, steadying his emotions.
To leave a warning, he pulled out a bucket of red paint he had prepared in advance and painted four large characters on the wall:
"Thieves—Die."
The old sailor, who had just recovered from his daze, happened to walk over. He froze upon seeing the boy clumsily scrawling letters with paint.
Old Sailor: "…"
So he wasn't cruel enough after all.
A truly ruthless man would've written those words in blood…
The old sailor's feelings were complicated.
Judging by the boy's unsettled state these past two days, it wasn't hard to guess this was his first time doing such a thing.
Sighing, the sailor turned aside to wait quietly.
As Hayato painted the wall, Gengar drifted back, hesitating before asking:"Were we… doing something bad just now?"
The question made Hayato pause.
He remembered how he had always told Gengar not to harm humans, not to scare them for fun.
Seeing Gengar's confused expression, Hayato thought for a moment, then explained:"This is different."
Gengar tilted its head in puzzlement.
"There are many good people and many bad people in this world," Hayato continued. "Remember that girl we met before entering the desert—the one who didn't want her Paras to evolve?"
Gengar blinked, then slowly nodded.
"She's a kind person. She never harmed anyone and treasured her bond with Paras. When we helped her, she offered us her most precious possession in return."
Defining good and evil was never easy. In any world, there were no absolutes—only differences in perspective.
Of course, a few extreme cases existed.
But Hayato didn't want to burden Gengar with such complicated philosophy.
So he spoke simply.
Gengar nodded earnestly. "That girl was a good person."
Satisfied, Hayato pressed on:"Then, if one day, someone tried to hurt that Paras—and the girl killed the attacker to protect it… Would she still be a good person?"
"Yes." Gengar's eyes widened as it made the connection. "Just like us—we were protecting our friends."
"Exactly." Hayato smiled, patting its head. "We don't harm others without reason. But if someone tries to hurt us, we don't need to hold back."
Gengar fell into thought. Then its eyes lit up, and it nodded enthusiastically."I understand!"
"Good." Hayato stood, preparing to leave.
Just then, the old sailor returned, carrying a stone the size of a watermelon. He chuckled."I went poking around in the back and found this! Looks like the buyer hadn't taken it away yet."
Hayato glanced at it. Instantly, information surfaced in his mind:
[Cocoon of Slumber: Within it, the Mythical Pokémon Jirachi lies asleep.]
The old sailor grinned."Here. This belongs to you."
Jirachi…
Hayato recalled the lore about it. After a moment's thought, he didn't refuse, simply storing away the Cocoon of Slumber. He could compensate the White Sea Lion's crew with money later.
"Oh, right!" The sailor fished a parchment map from his pocket. "And this—the thing you wanted!"
Hayato took a glance.
It was an ancient nautical chart, recording the route to a remote island said to be inhabited by Mew.
Unlike legends like Kyurem or Zekrom, there was more than one Mew in this world.
They could shapeshift into any Pokémon, live in hidden places across the globe, and sometimes wander into human cities out of curiosity.
So far, Hayato only knew of one confirmed place—a Mew's home within the Tree of Beginning near Orudoran City.
Now, with this chart, there were two.
"When I have time, I can look for it," Hayato thought silently.
But not now.
The chart was ancient and damaged, some portions unreadable.
And after handling matters here, he still had to travel to Kanto to help Marshadow fulfill its mission.
After some thought, he released Ralts from its Poké Ball."Let's leave this place."
As a Psychic-type, Ralts could use Teleport to bring humans along for short-distance travel.
The old sailor had no objections.
With a flash of dazzling white light, the auction house fell utterly silent.
Three hours later.
One Hunter, having received no contact from his comrades, rode the elevator down into the underground base.
When the doors slid open, a dark corridor stretched before him.
Strangely, the massive underground auction hall was silent.
A sense of dread welled in his heart.
He found the switch and flicked on the lights, then followed the hallway deeper.
He first entered the lounge where Hunters usually relaxed—but the room was empty.
"Strange…"
Muttering, he continued on until he reached the auction hall itself.
Following memory, he turned on the main lights. As brightness flooded the room, he looked around—and froze.
The wide hall was empty.
But on the wall inside, four blood-red characters screamed back at him.
His heart pounded violently.
At that moment, his phone buzzed with a message.
It reported that all the nobles and tycoons who had attended today's auction had lost contact with the outside world. None of them had left the premises. He was ordered to investigate immediately.
By the time he read the last word, his phone slipped from his trembling hands and clattered onto the floor.
Cold sweat poured uncontrollably down his forehead and back.
As news of the Pokémon Hunters' Lilycove City underground base spread, dark shadows in Hoenn stirred and then faded back into obscurity.
From that day forward, it was as if the entire Pokémon Hunter network had vanished.
Reports of Pokémon snatchings across the cities dropped sharply, quickly catching the attention of the Officer Jennys.
In Petalburg City—
A group of Jennys stared at the reports in their hands, completely baffled.
But with Pokémon theft cases dwindling, it seemed… like a good thing?
At least some Trainers no longer had to fear losing their beloved partners.
The same phenomenon unfolded across every city in Hoenn.
Sunlight streamed through the windows, and many Officer Jennys could not help but smile with relief.
Surely, somewhere out there, someone had quietly done something for the sake of this world.
Some were overjoyed, others terrified.
Among those terrified were the wealthy collectors who had once purchased rare Pokémon from the Hunters.
According to the rumors… every single buyer had vanished without a trace.
From the battle scars left at the scene, along with the message scrawled on the wall, it was obvious:
This was not merely a warning to the Hunters. It was also directed at them—the ones who fueled the trade.
Where there is demand, there will be a market.
And the one behind this had understood that perfectly. That was why not even the buyers were spared.
At the bases of Team Magma and Team Aqua—
Maxie and Archie studied the reports in silence, a strange chill creeping into their hearts.
That auction… wasn't it the same one they had attended just days ago?
They had left midway, not staying until the end.
So what had happened after their departure?!
A shiver ran down their spines.
Even as the leaders of the two great organizations, they could not help but feel a sense of relief.
After a moment of silence, Archie muttered to his subordinate:"The Pokémon Hunters really were getting far too arrogant."
Maxie, however, paid the matter little mind.
Team Magma never stole Trainers' Pokémon. Their purpose lay only in awakening the legendary being—the god of land, Groudon.
After setting aside the report, Maxie turned to question his men about the progress of their own investigation.
(End of Chapter)