When Thane gathered all the treasures together, there were nearly a hundred items in total, including some extremely rare ones. Among them were even two elemental orbs that could enhance a Pokémon's potential.
However, he still didn't know exactly what these orbs did.
As he looked at the sheer number of treasures before him, the corners of Thane's mouth slowly curled upward before he finally burst into unrestrained laughter: "Hahaha, hahaha!"
Not to mention anything else—just with these treasures alone, it was enough to support him in breaking through to the pseudo-Champion level.
And if he were to sell all the Pokémon from Anglia and those of his two companions, the resources he could obtain would undoubtedly be a staggering amount.
He came from a minor family in Wyvernia. To defeat a major clan's trainer and earn the right to enter this secret realm had cost him dearly—only he knew how much he had sacrificed.
Now, laughing wildly, tears streamed down his face—everything had been worth it.
With these resources, he would have the qualifications to become a Champion-level trainer in Wyvernia in the future.
Originally, he had no intention of killing his two companions. After all, they had all struggled to survive under the oppression of Anglia's team.
But everything changed when he found the Soulburn Wood yesterday. That was when the idea of eliminating both the Anglian team and his two teammates surged into his mind.
When he set the plan in motion today, he fed Samurott a berry that was its favorite. But he had secretly tampered with it.
Everything unfolded exactly as he had predicted—or rather, even more smoothly than imagined, to the point where it felt surreal.
Lost in fantasies of using these resources to boost his strength and steadily rise in status within Wyvernia after leaving this place, his laughter grew even more boisterous, resembling the squeals of a pig.
Clap, clap, clap.
Suddenly, the sound of applause broke through his trance.
"Who's there!!"
Thane's laughter cut off abruptly as he turned toward the source of the sound, his face twisting in shock and fury.
"Impressive."
Julian clapped lightly—not in mockery, but in genuine admiration.
Regardless of this man's character, someone like him, as long as he didn't meet an untimely end, was destined to become a prominent figure in Wyvernia.
With such cunning and determination, he had already taken a significant step on the path to greatness.
The only thing left was a little bit of luck.
"Julian?!"
The moment he recognized the newcomer, Thane's expression turned to horror as a chilling dread surged through his entire body.
"Cofagri-!"
His Cofagrigus, standing beside him, barely had time to react before a Gengar abruptly materialized in front of it. In the next instant, an overwhelming drowsiness enveloped the coffin Pokémon.
Watching his Cofagrigus collapse, Thane instinctively reached for the Poké Balls at his waist—
Only to feel a cold sensation against his neck.
A Kartana had quietly placed one of its bladed arms right against his throat.
Kartana: 'Let's see if your hand is faster… or my blade.'
Julian walked up to him and, under Thane's despairing gaze, calmly packed away all the treasures—including the Poké Balls—into his backpack. Even Thane's own Poké Balls were confiscated.
Thane shut his eyes in despair. He hadn't expected to fail at the very last moment.
"Aren't you going to beg for your life?"
Julian asked, amused as he watched Thane resign himself to death.
"You are never going to spare me," Thane muttered, shaking his head. With his Poké Balls taken, it was clear Julian had no intention of letting him live.
Besides, there was no reason for Julian to show mercy.
If their roles were reversed, Thane would have done the same.
"But I have one question," Thane said.
"Go ahead."
"Did you come from another island?"
It had been over two months, and the eight of them had already searched this island thoroughly. If a Drakorian trainer had really been here all along, they would've run into him by now.
And the alliance between them and Anglia wouldn't have broken apart either.
"Yes. This is the third island I've come to," Julian nodded.
'Third?!'
Upon hearing that, Thane's mind reeled.
A third island meant this guy had already defeated two Island Guardians.
They had tried battling this island's Guardian before—a late-stage pseudo-Champion Pokémon—and stood no chance.
In a one-on-one fight, the most they could do was survive a few moves.
So, as far as they were concerned, defeating a Guardian at their current strength was impossible.
They had even believed that not even the top trainers from Drakoria or Celestria could pull that off.
Yet here was Julian, casually telling him he'd already taken down two.
This had completely refreshed Thane's worldview.
While he was still in a daze, Julian gave Kartana a nod.
A flash of light—and in the next moment, Kartana had sliced off Thane's head.
Even in his wildest dreams, Thane would've never imagined that all his planning and scheming would ultimately benefit someone else.
The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind… but behind the oriole, there's still a slingshot.
And Julian was that slingshot.
The smoke from Thane's campfire had drawn Julian in, unraveling his plans.
Ironically, without that fire, his plan would never have succeeded in the first place.
As Julian sorted through his spoils, he counted over a hundred Poké Balls—not just from the original eight trainers, but also those they had stolen from others, as well as wild Pokémon from the island itself.
By now, there were probably few living trainers left on this island.
Which was fine. These people had already cleared out most of the threats for him.
Originally, upon arriving on Ula'ula Island, Julian had planned to stay alert for trainers from Celestria, Gallia, and Anglia. Even allies like Volkaria were not to be fully trusted.
But as soon as he got to this island, he witnessed a great drama unfold.
At the same time, he confirmed that there were no trainers from Celestria, Gallia, or Volkaria on this island. They were likely all concentrated on the final island, Melemele.
Had Anglia and Wyvernia not turned on each other, their combined forces would have made them a formidable challenge for Julian.
A direct confrontation would have been unwise, leaving him with no choice but to resort to underhanded tactics—and even then, success wouldn't have been guaranteed.
But now, thanks to the headless Thane, all those problems had been solved for him.
So, as a token of gratitude, Julian had Metagross dig a pit and bury the man properly.
"Gen~"
Gengar floated over and handed Julian the half-burned piece of Soulburn Wood.
Julian looked at the charred piece of wood in his hand.
"Really does just look like an ordinary piece of wood."
He muttered to himself. If he had seen this lying on the ground, he wouldn't have bothered picking it up.
This thing was practically a deadly tool for ambushes—under the right wind conditions, it could easily catch someone off guard.
What Julian didn't know, however, was that the smoke from Soulburn Wood lost most of its potency beyond ten meters.
Additionally, if the wind was too strong, the smoke would disperse before it could take effect.
Checking the System Shop, he saw that Soulburn Wood was priced at 2,000 points—a bit steep for something so small. The piece he held, half-burned as it was, matched the size of the one in the shop.
'Free 2,000 points. Not bad at all.'
Storing the wood in his system space, Julian summoned Moltres and officially set off on his treasure hunt across Ula'ula Island.
*****
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