NOVEL NEXT Chapter 116: Chapter 116: The War Ends
Above the battlefield, Crobat and Heracross were locked in fierce combat. Their wings clashed occasionally, while at other times, they exchanged long-range moves in a relentless duel.
The intense atmosphere captivated everyone, with neither side able to tear their eyes away.
Meanwhile, the opposing forces of Moonshade Village and the Gale Poaching Group began to form differing thoughts about the outcome.
From the perspective of Moonshade's villagers, victory wasn't essential—if Heracross could hold its ground until the rangers arrived, the war would be as good as over.
On the other hand, the Gale Poaching Group thought similarly. However, their stakes were higher; failure meant their operation was a bust, and worse, they might be trapped here for good.
"Damn it! Are Marko and Hog still not done dealing with Moonshade's villagers?" grumbled Omar while commanding Crobat in battle.
Repeated exchanges had made Omar realize that Crobat alone wasn't enough to settle this quickly. A prolonged battle was precisely the scenario he wanted to avoid.
From the war's onset, nearly 40 minutes had passed. That left about 10 more minutes before the rangers would arrive. Factoring in retreat time, the Gale Poaching Group had less than 10 minutes to fight.
Omar could only hope that Marko and Hog were making progress elsewhere to shift the tides of battle.
Unfortunately, before Heracross had joined this fight, it had already secured key victories in other skirmishes, taking out the strongest Pokémon on those fronts and relieving pressure on Moonshade's defenses.
Similarly, Marko and Hog were holding out, waiting for results from other battlefields to tip the scales in their favor.
Amid this misalignment, none of the poaching groups managed to communicate effectively. The chaos meant that none of the three poaching squads coordinated their actions, leaving them isolated in their efforts.
By the time Omar, Marko, or Hog realized the futility of their situation, it would likely already be too late to retreat.
Deep within the forest, the rangers were closing in.
Upon receiving Moonshade's distress signal, they had mobilized immediately, deploying even an Elite Four-level ranger to ensure the complete capture of all three poaching teams.
Moreover, thanks to Jovanni's advance warning to Lugo, the rangers' response had been faster than Omar anticipated.
While Omar believed he still had 10 minutes, the rangers had already tracked their movements and prepared for combat.
On the main battlefield, Heracross and Crobat collided once more. This time, Heracross was sent flying back.
Age and fatigue were taking their toll on Heracross, preventing it from using its full strength and sapping its stamina.
"Crobat, now's the time! Use Air Slash and Cross Poison!"
Sensing victory, Omar urged Crobat to press the attack.
Blades of wind swept toward Heracross, followed closely by Crobat, its venomous cross-shaped attack aimed directly at Heracross's chest.
Summoning the last of its strength, Heracross prepared to charge forward one final time, determined to hold on until reinforcements arrived.
But before Heracross could act, a column of fire erupted between it and Crobat, cutting off the assault.
"Omar! By leading your poaching group to attack a League-affiliated town, you've sealed your fate!"
"Today, this forest will be your grave!"
A powerful voice rang out as a burly man descended on a Charizard of Elite Four strength.
Sure enough, Ron realized that the stronger the ranger, the more muscular they seemed. Marlon*, in particular, was so bulked up he didn't even bother with hair anymore.
At Marlon's command, rangers poured out from the forest, surrounding the Gale Poaching Group.
The other battlefronts faced similar fates, with rangers cutting off escape routes and forming a pincer attack.
"Break through!"
Recognizing Charizard's overwhelming strength, Omar knew he couldn't afford to hesitate and ordered an immediate retreat.
But it was too late.
"Rhyperior, block their escape!"
A flash of white light revealed another Elite Four-level Pokémon, sealing Omar's path.
From his vantage point, Ron could tell their side had secured victory.
Charizard, at level 64, and Rhyperior, at level 62, both outclassed Crobat. Combined with the pincer attack, Crobat had no chance of escape.
"Charizard, use Heat Wave!"
To avoid hindering Charizard's battle, Marlon leaped from its back, landing on a Pidgeot that carried him to safety.
On the ground, Rhyperior repeatedly used Earth Power, raising stone walls to isolate Omar and his team.
Now, Omar's only chance of escape lay in the skies—Charizard's domain.
"Crobat, give it everything you've got! Use Hyper Beam to break through!"
Releasing a Dodrio to carry him, Omar chose to break through Rhyperior's position, deeming it less formidable than Charizard.
"Rhyperior, counter with Hyper Beam!"
"Charizard, pursue with Heat Wave and Hyper Beam!"
A beam of orange energy clashed with Crobat's attack, halting its momentum.
The power gap rendered Crobat's charge nearly immobile.
Enveloped by Heat Wave, Charizard's speed increased as it executed Hyper Beam, its energy tinged with a fiery red glow.
"Crobat, behind you! Counter with Hyper Beam!"
Omar directed Crobat to turn and fire, but its orange beam couldn't stop Charizard's assault.
Pinned from both sides, Crobat was quickly overwhelmed.
Against an Elite Four-level ranger like Marlon, a mere hunter like Omar stood no chance. He was swiftly subdued.
Meanwhile, Moonshade's villagers rallied their Heracross to soar over Rhyperior's stone walls, joining the effort to crush the Cold Night Poaching Group.
The cries of defeat echoed through the forest, marking the war's end.
[TL/N: Marlon was previously translated as a "Champion" level Trainer in chapter 41 and a few chapters. I might have also translated the levels inconsistently. For this, I deeply apologized. I mistakenly translated the "King" level from the raw as the Champion level as only Champion level trainers or pokemon deserved such label "King".
For a more consistent translation in the future, I will be using the following levels to differentiate the strength of pokemon in this book starting from Elite level: from low Elite, mid Elite, high Elite, Elite Four, and Champion level.]
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