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The battle at the foot of Sky Mountain echoed throughout the entire mountain range, reverberating through the valleys and peaks like thunder.
Tomas and Roger had truly unleashed their fighting spirit. Their Pokémon were almost all deployed in this intense confrontation, with neither side holding back their strength or strategy.
"Roger!" Tomas called out, his voice filled with apprehension as he stared at his opponent. He hadn't expected Roger, who had dressed so simply and faithfully guarded the Wilderness Area for many years, to possess such overwhelming power. "This is as far as it goes. You can't keep me here."
Roger's piercing gaze fell upon Tomas, remaining silent and unmoved like a stone statue. He completely ignored Tomas's desperate words. With a decisive wave of his hand, he directly commanded the Charizard beside him to launch another devastating attack. "Charizard, use Blast Burn!"
"Roooaar!"
Roger's Charizard let out a thunderous roar that shook the mountain air. Its entire body's Fire-type energy erupted like a volcanic explosion, flames becoming as substantial as molten rock.
Though both trainers had used the same Blast Burn move earlier, Roger's Charizard was far more powerful than Jacob's Charizard had ever been. The Blast Burn it unleashed was so intense it almost ignited the entire sky, transforming the clear blue heavens into a brilliant orange-red canvas, creating genuine fiery clouds that rolled across the atmosphere.
The massive, rolling fiery cloud surged forward with tremendous force toward Tomas's final ace Pokémon - his beloved Glaceon.
"Glaceon, counter with Blizzard!" Tomas shouted desperately.
Wild winds began to howl with supernatural fury, and the Blizzard raged forth with incredible intensity. Large, goose-feather-like snowflakes surged forward in a white torrent, colliding head-on with the incoming Blast Burn attack.
The collision was spectacular - it appeared as if some celestial being was wildly intoxicated, crushing white clouds haphazardly across the sky. Countless snowflakes fell like shredded paper, dancing through the air in a mesmerizing but deadly ballet.
"BOOM!"
The impact was accompanied by a massive, earth-shaking roar. Thick black smoke billowed upward into the sky like a volcanic eruption. When the smoke began to clear, Tomas's Glaceon was already lying unconscious on the snowy ground, completely defeated.
Tomas stared in disbelief. He hadn't expected his trusted Glaceon to be completely outmatched by Roger's Charizard. The power difference was overwhelming.
True panic began to set in for Tomas now. He hadn't anticipated Roger being so terrifyingly strong. With Roger's incredible strength and battle prowess, if he participated in the next Heavenly Kings Ranking Tournament, he would have a genuine chance to challenge for the Elite Four positions.
But why would such a powerful trainer like Roger choose to guard this seemingly godforsaken Wilderness Area? And why did Tomas have to encounter him today of all days?
"Corviknight, let's go!" Seeing that the tide of battle had turned completely against him, Tomas quickly climbed onto his Corviknight's sturdy back. He recalled his fallen Glaceon to its Poké Ball and immediately commanded his flying Pokémon, desperately intending to escape this dangerous situation.
But just as they began to ascend, an orange-red figure burst explosively out of the rolling black smoke.
"Use Flame Charge!" Roger commanded with authority.
Roger's battle-scarred Charizard flew out of the thick smoke screen, its remaining single eye glaring at the fleeing Corviknight like a predatory beast hunting its prey. Its powerful body became enveloped in brilliant flames as it directly slammed into Corviknight with tremendous force, bringing the Steel-Flying type Pokémon to an abrupt halt.
Tomas, riding desperately on Corviknight's back, felt the immense impact of the collision. The force was so overwhelming that he was almost knocked unconscious by the devastating tackle.
A dizzying sensation overwhelmed Tomas's senses. When he finally regained consciousness and his vision cleared, both he and his Corviknight had already crashed down into the deep snow below.
At the same time, an ominous fiery glow began brewing menacingly in Charizard's mouth, the dragon-like Pokémon already preparing to unleash its final, decisive Flamethrower attack.
"Stop! I surrender!" Tomas cried out desperately.
Faced with the choice between death and surrender, this was not a difficult decision to make. Confronted with the very real threat of being burned alive, Tomas unhesitatingly chose to surrender completely.
Seeing Tomas's surrender, the other onlookers - the remaining poachers who had been watching the battle unfold - also attempted to flee the scene. But just as one particularly foolish poacher had mounted his flying Pokémon and hadn't even managed to take off properly, a precise Flamethrower struck directly from Roger's Charizard, accurately hitting both the fleeing poacher and the Pokémon beneath him.
"AAAHHH!" The poacher, now completely engulfed in raging flames, let out an agonizing wail of pure pain. His entire body was burning in the merciless fire. The searing, unbearable pain caused him to lose his balance completely, and he fell directly from his Pokémon into the snow below. He was already dead beyond any hope of revival, having suffered immense torment before his death.
The Pokémon beneath him also couldn't withstand the full power of Charizard's devastating attack and likewise collapsed into the snow, completely lifeless.
Looking at their dead companion's charred remains, the other poachers no longer dared to make any rash moves. None of them wanted to die in such excruciating, blazing agony.
"If any of you insist on trying to escape, I have the legal right to eliminate you on the spot," Roger declared, his eyes holding undisguised killing intent as he warned the remaining poachers who still harbored thoughts of fleeing. Having dealt with dangerous poachers for so many years, he understood their inherent greed and cruelty better than anyone else. He absolutely could not and would not show any mercy to criminals like them!
Seeing that no one else dared to attempt escape, Roger then walked purposefully toward the defeated Tomas. He took down the metal flask from his waist and took a long, satisfying gulp of whatever liquid was inside. "I told you from the beginning - you're not my opponent. Now throw all your Poké Balls over here, and don't even think about playing any tricks."
Hearing Roger's firm words, Tomas had already lost all fighting spirit and hope. His Pokémon were all severely injured and in no condition to battle, so whether he handed them over to Roger willingly or not made little practical difference at this point.
If only his Weezing hadn't used that desperate Self-Destruct attack earlier, perhaps he truly would have had a fighting chance in this battle. Even if he couldn't defeat Roger outright, he could have potentially escaped by relying on Weezing's Self-Destruct to create chaos and confusion.
These regretful thoughts swirled through Tomas's mind.
"Roger, please let me go. I promise I'll give you a substantial sum of money when I return to civilization," Tomas kept trying to tempt Roger with various offers. "I can also provide you with an introduction to the Dawn Society. With your incredible strength and skill, as soon as you join our organization, I guarantee you'll be appointed as at least a Vice President of the Dawn Society. Staying here in this wilderness is just burying your exceptional talent."
"Are you finished talking yet? If you're done with your pathetic offers, then shut your mouth," Roger replied, looking at Tomas with complete indifference. He remained utterly unmoved by the desperate bribes, and a mocking expression crossed his weathered face as he regarded Tomas. "You think you can buy me off with just empty promises like that? It's not nearly as comfortable or satisfying as being a Captain here."
Roger took considerable effort to tie all the captured poachers' hands securely with strong rope, then prepared to make the journey back to civilization with these dangerous criminals in custody.
Walking through the deep snow, Roger carefully escorted the bound poachers, their group leaving footprints of varying depths in the pristine white powder.
"Roger," Tomas called out, still unwilling to give up completely on his freedom. If he were captured and delivered by Roger like this, only the death penalty would await him back in civilization. "I'll trade you a valuable secret in exchange for my life."
Listening to Tomas's desperate final plea, Roger simply smiled with amusement, completely ignoring the offer. He turned his head to look directly at Tomas with dismissive eyes. "Talk less - aren't you getting tired of begging? When you're locked up later and the authorities interrogate you properly, you'll have plenty of opportunities to say whatever you want."
"Ro—"
"ROOOOOAAARRR!"
Tomas's voice was abruptly interrupted by a massive, earth-shaking roar that seemed to come from the very depths of the mountain itself. This enormous bellow was accompanied by a biting cold wind, the sound waves actually carrying frost that cut painfully at everyone's exposed cheeks as they spread outward through the air.
"It's here! That creature is here!" Tomas's eyes flashed with absolute terror as he recognized the sound. He hadn't expected the mysterious Pokémon from the cave to actually pursue them out into the open. "Hurry, Roger! You must run immediately! You are absolutely no match for this creature! Quickly untie me and let me leave with you!"
The other bound poachers around them also felt their hearts tighten with primal fear. They had personally witnessed their companions die horrible deaths and knew better than anyone else just how utterly terrifying this unknown Pokémon truly was.
Suddenly, a malevolent, ancient gaze fell upon the entire group. The unmistakable threat of imminent death filled all their hearts, making every person present tremble uncontrollably with fear.
Roger's expression became deadly serious as he vigilantly scanned the surrounding mountain forest with experienced eyes. His battle-scarred, one-eyed Charizard beside him also adopted a grim, alert posture. The Fire-type Pokémon could also sense the terrifying pressure that was now permeating this entire mountain forest.
A tremendously powerful Pokémon was somewhere very nearby, watching them.
"Roger, quickly untie me! We must leave this place immediately!" Tomas was now extremely anxious, his voice rising to near-panic levels. He had personally experienced firsthand just how overwhelmingly powerful this unknown legendary beast truly was. Not to mention Roger, even the Elite Four would likely prove no match against such a creature. "You are absolutely no match for it!"
"Shut up," Roger reprimanded Tomas firmly.
Suddenly, intense Ice-type energy began to surge forth from somewhere in the forest, instantly spreading outward like a deadly wave. The few poachers positioned at the very end of their group didn't even have enough time to react or cry out, and they were instantly frozen solid into ice sculptures, their expressions of terror permanently preserved in the crystalline prison.