Unown G froze for a moment. It then nodded and briefly shook Allen's hand.
Fortunately, Allen didn't pay much attention to it and continued explaining his thoughts, "My hearing is pretty good. Those hunters were only arguing about who should take the lead. You all know how that goes. But no matter which side wins, their goal is the same. They want to recruit people."
"The Hunters Guild can't keep running without the ace hunters. Right now, we just need to deal with these bodies and continue hunting."
"Besides, we're strong enough that they'll try to recruit us anyway. The fewer people there are, the better for us. Fighting is breaking out everywhere."
"The Hunters Guild doesn't care who joins."
After finishing, Allen looked completely calm. Even if the others disagreed, it was obvious he still intended to hunt those wanted criminals.
Bertha's expression darkened, but she didn't object.
Meanwhile, Vince, who had been acting like he wasn't there the whole time, hurried over to Unown G. With a respectful and flattering smile, he asked, "Professor Shiro, do you have any other orders for us?"
As soon as he spoke, not only Bertha but even Allen turned to look at Unown G, waiting for its instructions.
Whether it was status or strength, Galar Champion "Shiro" held the greatest authority and influence here.
Still pretending to be invisible, Unown G was completely stunned. For the first time, it found itself envying Unown A's smooth and endlessly talkative mouth.
* * *
At the center of the battlefield, Saturn let out a cold laugh. "The power of origin is impressive, but this isn't the outside world."
As he spoke, black mist poured from the Poké Ball in his hand.
This was Team Galactic's territory.
Behind him, Hunter E and Hunter H, who were also Team Galactic members, released black mist from their own Poké Balls as well. The three streams of mist slowly rose into the air. Their paths were impossible to follow, yet they silently stretched all the way to the ceiling.
The ancient stone pillars embedded halfway into the walls around the edge of the battlefield suddenly turned pitch black. An unimaginable surge of Dark-type energy erupted instantly.
'What the hell is this thing?'
Shiro's pupils shrank. He suddenly remembered that the entire Hunters Guild headquarters had been built from special Dark-type materials specifically designed to block Psychic Pokémon from entering or leaving. This entire space had been created to counter Psychic Pokémon.
Team Galactic had existed for a very long time. Whether this was ancient technology or the result of years of modern research no longer mattered.
The Articuno formed by the four Unown still possessed Psychic power at its core. More accurately, it was an Ice, Flying, and Psychic Pokémon.
Crack!
In just a moment, Sheer Cold had barely reached halfway before it abruptly came to a halt.
Chains of Dark-type mist burst down from the ceiling. They scattered across the air for no apparent reason before quickly gathering together again.
Invisible strands of black energy wrapped around Articuno A, binding and sealing the four Unown hidden inside. If the four Unown hadn't already undergone a qualitative transformation together, they would have collapsed and fainted long ago.
Standing silently on the stiff Articuno A's back, Shiro remained motionless.
"Didn't expect this, did you?" Saturn called out from below. One hand held the Psychic Crystal while the other raised the Poké Ball releasing the black mist. "How much longer can your Articuno last? A few minutes?"
He clenched his fist and dismissed the psychic barrier to avoid wasting the crystal's power.
Now that this perfect Dark-type space had trapped Articuno, the situation was firmly under his control. He finally relaxed a little and glanced around at the trainers scrambling in panic like ants on a hot pan. A trace of regret crossed his face before he looked away.
To him, they were all labor that could be controlled. Every death meant one less worker. If he had managed to recruit them all as originally planned, they would at least provide enough strength to help Team Galactic sweep across the Sinnoh region… then their boss could lead Team Galactic to reclaim Sinnoh once again.
His thoughts stopped there as he looked back up at Hunter W, the Galar Champion, who still hadn't spoken.
If that man would just say a few words of surrender and cooperate in bringing these trainers under control, sparing his life wouldn't be a problem.
'Is he really not afraid of death? Or does he still have another trump card?'
Saturn instinctively scanned the surroundings again. Apart from Hunters Guild members and trainers desperately fleeing from the center of the battlefield, there was nothing suspicious.
There was no one else capable of threatening him.
* * *
'G! Come help!'
While Unown G was still anxiously wondering how to respond to the League trainers, it suddenly received a message from Shiro and Unown A.
At the moment, Saturn could only rely on the Psychic Crystal and the Poké Ball controlling this Dark-type space. Without any Pokémon protecting him, even a small distraction would be enough to create an opening for Shiro.
Knowing how important this was, Unown G didn't hesitate.
"Let's go!"
It grabbed Gengar's arm and floated toward the center of the battlefield.
Bertha and Allen exchanged confused looks.
Whether Shiro agreed or refused to risk hunting the wanted criminals right now would have been understandable. But charging straight toward the center of the Hunters Guild's battle all of a sudden seemed far too dangerous.
Vince, however, didn't think that much. Riding his Skuntank, he immediately chased after them.
Driven by blind confidence, he always believed Shiro had a plan no matter what decision he made. Otherwise, how could he have surpassed Chairman George and even defeated Professor Oak?
If they were charging in, then so was he. After all, Shiro was still leading the way.
"Professor Shiro! Wait for me!"
After shouting twice, Vince sped after them.
Bertha and Allen stopped hesitating and quickly followed.
In a place like this, staying united mattered more than anything. The other low-quality wanted criminals didn't concern them, but League trainers absolutely couldn't afford to be divided.
* * *
"Could the League trainers be coming to help him?"
Saturn muttered to himself. The warning from the Psychic Crystal was growing stronger. A sharp sense of danger pressed against his back, as though icy needles had stabbed him several times.
Thinking about how Hunter W above him was the Galar Champion, and knowing there were plenty of undercover League trainers hidden throughout the area, it wasn't difficult to guess that the League might interfere.
Yet everything nearby still appeared normal.
'Then what exactly is it…?'
Not far away, a black-cloaked hunter who had been quietly standing by walked over and spoke. "Lord Saturn, be careful of the League."
The slightly cold female voice was enough for him to recognize Hunter J without even turning around. He gave a casual response and continued scanning the area.
Then, without warning, a chilling breeze brushed across the back of his neck. The cold pierced straight into his chest.
Saturn's eyes widened in confusion. Only when he felt warm blood spreading across the front of his uniform did he realize what had happened.
A strand of silver hair drifted into the corner of his vision. Behind him, the woman's voice carried a mocking tone.
"And one more thing. Our leader asked me to send Team Galactic greetings on behalf of the Sootopolitans."
"The People of Shin'o truly are a foolish and arrogant race. They should have disappeared into history long ago."
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