"Boom!"
The sound of an explosion rang out, but it was blocked by the Golem Shiro had released at the last moment. Even after revealing himself and sensing that the Golem possessed Leader Rank strength, Aegon had no intention of retreating. He tossed another Poké Ball, and his strongest Pokémon, Weavile, struck immediately, charging fearlessly toward the Leader Rank Golem.
Conversely, Aegon transformed himself into a flying arrow, his blade piercing directly into Shiro's heart. Faced with Aegon's assault, Shiro had considered resisting. However, he was already paralyzed with fear; as someone who usually relied entirely on his Pokémon's strength, he was simply unable to best the battle-hardened Aegon in a life-or-death struggle.
Blood splattered. Even after leaping across ranks to eliminate a Leader Rank trainer, Aegon's face showed no joy or pride, as if he had performed a trivial task. He quickly found the Golem's Poké Ball on Shiro's person and recalled it just before the Golem could successfully trigger Explosion.
As Aegon was cleaning up the battlefield and preparing to set up his next position, an ill-timed sound of clapping echoed through the air. Without a second thought, Aegon ordered his Pokémon to attack the direction of the noise.
Unfortunately, two figures were faster than his team. First, a red silhouette blocked Scyther's advance and forced it back with a counter-attack. Then, another yellow figure crushed toward Aegon like a tank. The red figure was Scizor, one of Scyther's evolved forms, and the yellow figure was a Tauros. Both shared one thing in common: they possessed Leader Rank strength.
As their trainer, Masanobu—like Shiro—had luckily escaped the initial raid. The only difference was that Masanobu was smarter; he knew how to use others as pawns to scout the way. Sure enough, Aegon had been flushed out.
Masanobu noted that Aegon's chain of attacks was exceptionally sophisticated. He wasn't even sure if he could have blocked the assault himself despite being stronger. Fortunately, Aegon's full capabilities had been exposed while being lured out by Shiro. All Masanobu needed to do now was use his superior strength to crush him.
Aegon pulled the cord on a signal flare. Even facing a powerful foe, he had no thoughts of fleeing; instead, he prepared to use his own life to stall his opponent.
"You're looking for death!"
Masanobu roared, ordering his Pokémon to attack immediately, fearing the flare would attract others.
"Hahaha! Since when does a terrified old dog dare to speak so boldly?"
Seeing through the panic hidden beneath Masanobu's confident exterior, Aegon laughed mercilessly, which only made Masanobu's offensive more violent. Watching his Pokémon retreat step by step, Aegon knew his best option was to leave, tail the man from a distance, and wait for reinforcements. At the very least, letting one Leader Rank trainer go wouldn't change the tide of a war of this scale.
But Aegon was unwilling to back down. The sea of hatred weighing on him made him refuse to let a single member of these families go, nor would he retreat without a fight. Not everyone is a saint capable of easily mastering their rage. After so many years of bottled-up frustration, Aegon would rather die in battle here. Having finally seen the hope of these families' destruction, he could die without regrets.
The battle ended without surprise; Aegon and his Pokémon were all killed. However, the Tauros leading Masanobu's charge was also taken down by Aegon, and Masanobu lost an Ace Rank Pokémon as well. Looking at Aegon's corpse on the ground, a flash of fear crossed Masanobu's eyes. Clearly, that suicidal fighting style had left a significant psychological scar.
Not staying long, Masanobu sprinted away to avoid further pursuit. He knew the Elite Four had finally made their move. While he didn't know where they got the confidence, he knew Saffron City was no longer safe. He planned to observe from afar; if the Cotton family treated people like him well, he would head to Sunny City. If they viewed survivors as a disgrace, he could turn to Team Rocket or head to another region. As a Leader Rank trainer, he wouldn't lack for factions wanting his services.
Just as Masanobu thought he had escaped, an invisible force silently seized him. Both he and his Leader Rank Scizor were rendered motionless. An Alakazam slowly stepped out from the shadows; with a surge of psychic power, it instantly sent Masanobu and Scizor to meet the Grim Reaper.
In this operation, the Elite Four weren't the only ones acting. Team Rocket had also prepared using the intelligence provided by Gu Yuan. However, Team Rocket had no intention of revealing their identity, choosing instead to act from the shadows. They weren't targeting the Cotton family's public assets, but rather their underground influence. Families like this naturally needed people to do their "dirty work." The League might not be able to investigate these shadows thoroughly, but as the leader of the Kanto underground, Team Rocket knew them all too well. Under a silent understanding, Team Rocket cooperated to ensure the Cotton family was hit hard.
Meanwhile, Gu Yuan's battle was drawing to a close. Under the coordinated assault of Moltres and the others, Jynx had long since lost its ability to fight and collapsed. A chain reaction followed. First, all of Frey's quasi-Ace Pokémon were eliminated. Then, aside from Hypno, one of the three remaining Elite Rank Pokémon was taken down. Had Hypno not actively stepped in to block Mega Charizard Y, Mega Alakazam, and Moltres, Frey would have likely collapsed already. Even so, defeat was only a matter of time.
At that moment, Gu Yuan slowly pulled out his dagger. He lunged forward suddenly, launching a direct assault on Frey.
"Using me as the catalyst for your breakthrough? You truly are the top genius of the League."
"So, as your stepping stone, should I feel proud?"
Having seen through Gu Yuan's plan, Frey questioned him with a roar before rushing forward. Just as Frey said, Gu Yuan—feeling he was only a thin veil away from reaching the middle stage of the Intermediate Rank—was using Frey as the catalyst for his breakthrough. Of course, Gu Yuan was not overly arrogant; Ceruledge, Gengar, and Skeledirge had all silently slipped away from the main battlefield. They were his insurance.