NOVEL WEB Chapter 152: Chapter 152: Opportunity
"Machamp, Shave: Blazing Blade!"
When Machamp rushed over, Ron already knew of its arrival thanks to Kirlia's psychic abilities. Without hesitation, Ron commanded Machamp to first eliminate Lukino and then attack after Weavile resisted Persian's assault.
The ice shards shattered as Machamp dashed like a blazing comet, appearing behind Weavile in the blink of an eye.
Weavile quickly turned around but could only manage to defend itself with Slash.
The immense force combined with the blazing flames caused Weavile's arms to burn with a scorching pain, and by the end, they had gone completely numb.
In the next moment, as if struck by a charging Tauros, Weavile's body was sent flying.
Leaping from the ground, Persian executed Shave: Shadow Slash!
Combining Shadow Claw with a precise cleave, Persian's sharp claws pierced through Weavile's heart, ending the battle decisively.
After using fighting aura to restore Machamp's strength, Ron approached Lukino's lifeless body.
He carefully searched Lukino, retrieving anything of value. As he prepared to leave, Ron noticed something peculiar about Lukino's face: faint wrinkles along the edge of his jawline.
The faint traces, stained by blood, caught Ron's attention.
This discovery reminded Ron of a famous item—the Human Skin Mask.
Squatting next to Lukino, Ron cautiously traced the edges of the markings, attempting to peel off the suspected mask.
After several attempts, he decided to let Kirlia use its psychic power to remove it slowly.
A minute later, a lifelike mask, resembling human skin, was revealed before Ron, with faint traces of blood around the chin.
Carefully cleaning it with water, Ron, lacking expertise with such items, wasn't sure if the mask was still usable. Nevertheless, he decided to keep it for now.
Without the mask, Lukino's true face was exposed.
Though slightly handsome, his face was marred by several ferocious scars, giving him a grim and menacing appearance. Perhaps a story lay hidden behind those scars.
However, Ron had little interest in learning Lukino's backstory. Instead, the Human Skin Mask gave Ron an idea—a potential opportunity for himself.
After tidying up the scene, Ron resumed his journey toward the lake rumored to harbor Dratini.
Without even asking, Ron could guess that the assassin sent after him was undoubtedly dispatched by Dunn Wade.
As for Lukino's identity, Ron speculated he was likely an assassin affiliated with some underground organization.
These assassins operated in the shadows between Team Rocket and Pokémon hunters, often taking jobs from wealthy families to handle tasks they couldn't risk doing themselves.
Sometimes, even Team Rocket or Pokémon hunters would hire assassins under false identities to eliminate certain targets.
Like Lukino, many assassins would conceal their true identities, posing as League trainers to infiltrate the League and assassinate internal personnel.
Due to such reckless actions and lack of caution compared to hunters, the assassin profession had suffered significant suppression. Now, even the strongest assassins barely reached the upper Elite level.
Now that Dunn's assassin had been dealt with, Ron knew that once he safely left the Safari Zone, Dunn would soon learn of Lukino's death, likely sending a second wave of pursuers.
Though Ron wanted to eliminate the source of the problem and free himself from the relentless pursuit, he saw this as a chance—a potential lifeline if he ever found himself cornered.
Rushing to the lake as quickly as possible, Ron had Kirlia use psychic abilities to scan the area.
Starting from the shallow areas and moving deeper, Kirlia meticulously searched the lake. If it encountered a powerful wild Pokémon, it would instantly use Teleport to escape.
Onshore, Ron was ready with a Master Ball. If a Dratini or Dragonair appeared, he would immediately attempt to capture it.
Unfortunately, Kirlia's strength made it easy to encounter stronger wild Pokémon, frequently interrupting the search.
Moreover, Ron occasionally had Kirlia scan the surrounding area to ensure no one else was nearby.
If anyone saw him capture a Dragonair or Dratini, it could cause significant trouble. A semi-legendary Pokémon like Dragonair often attracted immense attention, especially when its owner wasn't strong enough to defend it.
After three hours of searching with no success, the sky began to darken, and Ron decided to leave the Safari Zone.
Failing to find Dratini, Ron shifted his focus to the semi-legendary Pokémon promised to him by Team Rocket.
With Machamp's strength gradually improving, Ron needed to secure more resources for himself as soon as possible.
...
"Master, Lukino is dead. Ron is still alive."
As Ron had anticipated, shortly after he left the Safari Zone, someone reported this news to Hudson Wade.
"Inform the second young master that I will send someone to track Ron. Once we find an appropriate opportunity, I'll dispatch two people to go with him and eliminate him."
"If it doesn't work, then he can simply live peacefully as a wealthy young master," Hudson remarked calmly without even raising his head, showing complete disregard for Ron.
"Yes, Master."
While Hudson decided Ron's fate, Ron was also contacting Shadow.
"I understand. I'll arrange it for you now. I'll contact you when the time comes. Meanwhile, I'll provide you with a month's worth of food supplies. After that, if you need more, you'll have to either achieve results or pay for it," came the same raspy voice, as indifferent and straightforward as ever, showing no interest in Ron's choices beyond agreement or refusal.
"There's one more thing I'd like to ask you. Do you know if there's a black market near Fuchsia City?"
After a brief two-second pause, Shadow slowly replied.
"I do. Send me an address shortly, and I'll figure out a way to provide you with an ID and the black market's location."
"Remember, you must have identification to enter. The black market has protection and does not permit combat within its premises. Once you leave the black market, your safety depends on your own abilities."
"Anything else?"
After briefly explaining the rules, Shadow inquired further.
"No, that's all."
"Alright, contact me if needed."
With that, Shadow hung up.
For what it's worth, Ron still held some favorable impressions of Shadow.
As long as you deliver sufficient results, Shadow rewards generously. Conversations with him were concise and to the point, free of unnecessary small talk.
Even the brief hesitation in Shadow's response earlier had not escaped Ron's notice—it might indicate Shadow was connecting certain dots.
However, Ron had no time to dwell on it now. He had to handle things as efficiently as possible before Machamp advanced to the high elite level.
Taking a deep breath to compose himself and mask his stress, Ron shared his current location with Shadow.
Ron clearly remembered that the Wade family was centered around Fuchsia City.
Thus, he needed to minimize his time in Fuchsia City to avoid giving the Wade family too many opportunities to target him.
After setting up camp, Ron began to wait quietly.
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