Pokémon: A Trainer Who Masters the Six Powers from the Start

"The signal's up—go, now!"

As a signal flare shot into the sky, Beno and his team, already poised and ready, burst out of hiding.

"Who are you?! Why are you attacking us?!"

Eyes burning with fury, Jakub glared at Ron, who had just fired the signal flare.

In mere minutes, years of effort and carefully laid plans had been destroyed. Crushed beneath the weight of utter despair, Jakub knew deep down he wouldn't live to see the end of today—but even so, he showed no fear. Instead, he hurled his final question at Ron.

He wasn't looking for survival. He only wanted his death to mean something—anything more than dying like a nameless insect, coming into this world unnoticed and leaving it the same way.

"I'm Ron. And your death will mark my return. Your death might just be the spark that brings the entire Kanto League to its knees."

Ron's eyes locked with Jakub's, his tone resolute.

"I see. Then let's do this. If that day really does come, then my life won't have been wasted!"

Spreading his arms wide, Jakub stood unflinching, not even a flicker of fear on his face—only wild fervor.

Some people, like Jakub, refuse to die in obscurity. If the end is glorious enough, then death is worth the price.

"Machamp, Armament Technique: Evening Elephant!"

Ron roared. His Machamp launched into the air, a black-and-red foot coming down like a hammer toward Jakub.

"What a perfect finale…"

Jakub's last words barely left his lips before Evening Elephant slammed into the ground with a thunderous crash.

The shockwave was so violent that even Beno and the others, who had just arrived, struggled to stay on their feet, their eyes wide in awe.

While they were still reeling, Gardevoir's Hypnosis washed over them again, seizing control of their minds.

"Clean the battlefield. Fast. Then we move to the next target."

Ron had just wiped out an entire poaching syndicate by himself. Even though he kept his killing intent tightly reined in, Beno and the rest still felt a chill down their spines and snapped to work without hesitation.

In the days that followed, with intel provided by Bruno, Ron went on to annihilate three more poaching rings—each guarded by Low Elite Four-level trainers—and quickly became front-page news.

"That damn Ron… the moment he comes back, he's making headlines!"

Mathias Agdestein slammed his fist onto the table, his face red with rage.

"Right? If we knew he'd grow this strong, we should've crushed him when we had the chance!"

Even Preus Ellestad, normally at odds with Mathias, found himself agreeing for once.

The other two family heads said nothing, but their expressions made it clear—they felt the same.

"Tell me, gentlemen," said Klaus Nyland from the seat of honor, his voice calm yet piercing. "Do you really hate Ron… or do you resent Bruno for giving him so much power? Or maybe… you hate the Elite Four for showing up on your doorstep?"

His words stripped away their final excuses like paper masks.

When the Elite Four had visited the Five Great Families, it had become painfully clear that these once-ignored champions now possessed power on par with, or perhaps exceeding, the families themselves.

If not, the families would never have agreed to form this task force—let alone grant it supervisory authority.

Neither Mathias nor Preus dared say it out loud, but their ambitions of dominance had clearly been shattered—until Klaus crushed what remained of their illusions.

"You've all heard the saying: 'Shame is the spark of courage.' So you've been humiliated—who cares? What matters is winning that dignity back. Not sitting around whining like you are now."

Ignoring their scowls, Klaus continued.

"Starting today, keep your men in line. Don't give Ron any leverage. Time is on our side. Sooner or later, we'll find a reason to strip him of his authority—and when that happens, Lance and the others will be swept up with him."

"Or don't. Ignore this old man's advice. But remember: any one of us acting alone will be torn apart by the Elite Four. You might as well hang signs around your necks that say, 'Easy prey.'"

Without waiting for their response, Klaus stood and walked out, leaning on his cane—his steps strangely light.

At his age, he'd seen too much to care about pride. Especially when Lance and his team had been careful not to embarrass the families too deeply. In fact, this crisis gave Klaus hope—a chance to unite the Five Great Families under a single purpose.

And compared to Ron… well, Klaus now saw a different kind of opportunity altogether.

...

"Aghh… I must be dreaming. There's no way Ash is reading the newspaper on his own."

Misty rubbed her temples in disbelief.

Beside her, Brock and Pikachu nodded in perfect sync, staring at Ash like they'd discovered a new species.

"Hey! What's with those looks? Is it really that unbelievable for me to be reading a newspaper!?" Ash snapped.

In response to his indignation, Misty, Brock, and Pikachu all nodded again—emphatically and without hesitation.

"You guys… You guys…"

Ash, hit by what felt like a ten-thousand-point emotional crit, slumped over in defeat. He picked up a dry twig, crouched in a corner, and started drawing circles in the dirt while muttering under his breath.

"Alright, Ash, what are you reading, anyway?" Misty asked.

"Yeah, come on, tell us what exciting news you found," Brock added.

"Pika pika!" Pikachu chirped encouragingly.

Realizing they had teased him enough, Misty and the others softened their tone, now genuinely curious.

Ahem. Ash cleared his throat dramatically, stood up, and held up the newspaper like it was a trophy. "Listen up, all of you— big bro Ron is back! And yesterday, he took down three poaching syndicates all by himself!"

In the blink of an eye, Ash had completely forgotten his earlier funk and now boasted with pride, as if he had personally contributed to Ron's success.

"Wait—Ash, are you talking about the Lord Ron!?" Misty asked in shock.

"It must be him," Brock replied, scanning the article with a serious look. "There aren't many people with that name. But man… Ron's power level is terrifying now."

Unlike Misty, whose excitement flared the moment she heard the news, Brock was more grounded, but no less shaken. He even did a quick mental comparison—if he were to battle Ron now, there was no doubt he'd be the one to lose.

"Huh? You guys know big bro Ron too?" Ash blinked, clearly surprised that they were this familiar with his idol.

"Of course we do! I've read tons of articles about Lord Ron," Misty said. "He won the Indigo League championship in his first year of traveling, and later, he was called The Nightmare of Pokémon Poachers."

"Most importantly," she added with admiration, "he once risked his life to protect his fellow teammates."

"That's right," Brock chimed in. "Compared to Ron, Ash—you've still got a long way to go."

"But hang on," Misty tilted her head, "Why do you call him 'big bro Ron'?"

"Yeah, Ash. Do you actually know Lord Ron?" Brock added, eyeing him curiously.

Ash puffed up a little with pride.

If it had been Gary who'd done something like this, Ash probably would've gotten competitive. But when it came to Ron, all he felt was pure admiration. With that, he proudly launched into the full story of how he met Ron and how they became acquainted.

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