Doka was the first to realize what was happening.
Without a word, he swept his right arm across his waist. Deep purple spirals spread across his once-ordinary belt, and with a sharp hiss, an invisible force seemed to seize him. His figure streaked across the sky.
"...Magearna!"
Yisha hesitated for an instant and glanced back before preparing to use the special device at her waist to retreat as well.
But in that single instant, paralysis seized her entire body, and she collapsed to the ground.
"Well done, Ariados."
Hunter K stroked the black-and-red spider Pokémon on his right shoulder. Its mouthparts twitched as it spun a strand of silk.
Click, click.
Ariados reeled in the thread with its legs at an unhurried pace. Venom flowed through the hollow silk and seeped into Yisha's body, leaving her paralyzed and unable to move.
This had been Hunter K's hidden tactic all along: attack the Trainer directly to secure victory. He simply hadn't needed it until now.
But not needing it didn't mean Hunter K would entrust his life to someone else.
Jill, Qike, and the other hunters immediately shouted their praise. They might not excel at much else, but cleanup and kicking an opponent while they were down were right up their alley.
Hunter K flicked his hand. Ariados pulled hard, lifting Yisha bodily into the air. If they hadn't needed the items on her, she would already have been wrapped into a cocoon.
He brought his "prize" to Dian, who stood ahead, lowered his head, and took responsibility. "Boss, I failed. One of them got away."
Beside him, Jill and Qike stared at the burly, dark-faced man in disbelief. Now they understood why appearances could be deceiving.
Brother K was meticulous. He even knew to give the boss a way to