"Use Protect, now!"
Even as she issued the command, Hunter J's instincts screamed that something was wrong.
"Roar!"
A blinding bolt of lightning suddenly curved midair, changing trajectory in an instant and striking the protective barrier that Salamence had just conjured.
"Now! Dragonite, Thunder! Gengar, Curse!"
Dick seized the opening, commanding his two main battlers to attack Salamence.
Just as Salamence's shield flickered out of existence, Dragonite unleashed a powerful Thunder directly upon it.
There was no time to dodge. Hunter J, realizing the inevitable, executed a desperate backflip off her airborne Salamence. A split second later, the Dragon Pokémon took a direct hit from Thunder.
"Damn it!"
"Roar—!"
Midair, Hunter J gritted her teeth in frustration, while her Salamence let out an agonized cry, wracked with pain from Gengar's Curse.
She quickly pressed a hand to her earpiece and issued a rapid-fire order.
"Deploy the Assault Squad, Strike Team, and Disruptor Unit! Attack indiscriminately—target all trainers and Pokémon!"
"Understood!"
The instant her command was acknowledged, multiple hatches opened on J's airship. Dozens of her operatives descended from the aircraft, each tossing Poké Balls into the air.
Within moments, the sky teemed with Metagross, Skarmory, and Crobat, their wings blotting out the moonlight. From a distance, they launched a barrage of attacks—not to hit, but to create sheer chaos.
"Hold the Line!"
"Ursaring, Dewott—engage! Take down Drapion and Ariados!"
"Drapion, Ninetales—intercept the aerial assault!"
Paul swiftly leaped onto Metagross' back, issuing precise commands to his Pokémon.
"Raaaah!"
Drapion raised its massive claws, its tail pincers glowing with Pin Missile, launching a flurry of energy needles into the sky to intercept the incoming attacks.
"Wooo~!"
Ninetales, ever elegant, released Extrasensory, twisting the enemy's attacks back toward them, intercepting multiple projectiles at once.
Thanks to their coordinated defense, the airstrike posed no real threat.
However, the situation on the ground was worsening. With Ursaring and Dewott now joining the battle, Scizor, Umbreon, and Arcanine pushed harder against Drapion and Ariados, forcing them on the defensive. Their defeat was only a matter of time.
As for Salamence, despite its sheer strength, it was now cursed, injured, and facing a three-on-one battle against Dragonite, Gengar, and Electivire. It was on the verge of collapse.
Hunter J was no fool. She quickly assessed the situation and realized the battle had turned against her.
This wasn't how it was supposed to go.
Instead, she was now facing:
A Sinnoh Elite Four-level trainer from Snowpoint City.
Red, a trainer capable of commanding six Pokémon to suppress Regigigas in battle.
Paul, whose Pokémon had undergone such intensive training that they could now challenge Elite-class opponents head-on.
In short, she was up against the equivalent of three Elite Four-level trainers at once.
Her plan had completely fallen apart.
Hunter J immediately made her decision.
Retreat.
Her Pokémon? If she survived, she could rescue them later. If necessary, she could always train more.
"Where do you think you're going?"
A silver-white figure suddenly appeared in front of Hunter J. Sitting atop it in a half-crouch was Paul, his cold gaze locked onto her.
"You little brat... you're really asking for it."
Hunter J's eyes narrowed with caution, her body shifting slightly.
"Is that so?"
Paul let out a cold smirk and pointed straight at her.
"Metagross, Flash Cannon!"
Though Metagross was a recent addition to his team, the number of trainers and Pokémon it had injured in the wild was countless. At this moment, it showed no hesitation.
"Grrooo~!"
The instant Paul gave the order, Metagross swiftly gathered energy and fired a powerful beam of light straight at Hunter J.
BOOM!
Hunter J had already tensed her muscles. The moment the attack was launched, she executed a tactical roll to evade and immediately raised her arm, firing a Petrification Beam in response.
The beam shot toward Paul, yet he made no effort to dodge.
Just as it was about to hit him, a green protective barrier materialized in front of him, effortlessly blocking the attack.
It was Metagross' Protect!
"Psychic!"
This time, Hunter J had no chance to react. Metagross' powerful psychic force took hold of her, suspending her midair in a rigid "X" shape above the ground.
"What?! Damn it—let me go, you little—!"
Realizing she had no chance of escape, the usually composed Hunter J finally lost her cool, shouting furiously.
"Is that all the strength you've got? She can still talk?"
Paul landed back on the ground, his expression cold as he glanced at Metagross.
"Grrroo!"
Understanding his intent, Metagross increased the force—who knows by how many times.
In an instant, Hunter J was completely immobilized. Her mouth clamped shut, her eyes forced closed, even her breathing became labored.
"Villains should be prepared to face the consequences of their actions."
Paul walked up to Hunter J and removed both her earpiece and petrification device.
Meanwhile, Dick had already subdued Hunter J's three Pokémon and was fully focused on fending off the approaching airborne Pokémon in the sky.
Electivire and Dragonite unleashed electric attacks, striking down groups of enemies at once, while the other Pokémon held their ground firmly.
As for Red...
As his battle against Regigigas raged on, Red's Pokémon were growing stronger with every passing second.
Their power had evolved beyond their limits, nearing Champion-level strength.
What had started as a hard-fought battle had now turned into a completely one-sided beatdown—Red's six Pokémon effortlessly overwhelmed Regigigas.
At the very moment Hunter J was captured, Lapras froze Regigigas' body halfway solid with its Ice Beam.
After its body temperature dropped drastically, the seven red lights on its torso dimmed, and the six "eyes" stopped glowing.
It was clear—Regigigas had finally come to its senses.
Seeing this, Red chose to halt his attack.
He made no attempt to capture Regigigas—perhaps because he never intended to in the first place, or perhaps because he hadn't truly defeated it in a one-on-one battle.
(After all, the initial capture attempt was purely out of necessity.)
Aboard the Airship
"Boss got caught! What do we do?!"
"Damn it! Those damn brats!"
"...…"
The remaining members on the airship were stunned as they looked down at the battlefield.
"The situation isn't in our favor. We should retreat now and look for an opportunity to rescue boss later."
One of the hunters suggested, and the majority quickly agreed.
In response, the airborne hunters began recalling their Pokémon and retreated toward the distant airship.
"They're trying to escape!"
Dick growled.
"Dragonite, use Rain Dance! Then, let's hit them with Thunder!"
Paul noticed that the airship wasn't quite inside the clouds yet, so he acted immediately.
"Good. Dragonite, fly closer, summon the rain, and then strike with Thunder! Gengar, follow up with Thunderbolt!"
As soon as Dick gave the command, Dragonite soared high into the sky, summoning storm clouds that darkened the battlefield and sent heavy rain pouring down.
"...…"
Red, though silent, seemed to have said a lot.
He nodded toward Paul.
Paul understood immediately.
"Electivire, take Pikachu with you!"
"Viree~!"
"Pika~ Pika Pika!"
Electivire rushed to Pikachu's side, grabbed it with one hand and carried it onto its shoulder as it charged toward the stormy sky.
"Fwooo!"
With the storm clouds above, Dragonite let out a mighty roar—and in an instant, bolts of lightning surged through the sky.
"Kekeke~!"
Gengar cackled and fired a Thunderbolt into the storm clouds, further amplifying their electric charge.
Moments later, Electivire and Pikachu arrived.
Together, they unleashed a devastating barrage of Thunder, turning the storm clouds into a golden sea of electricity.
BOOM!
A colossal lightning bolt—like a judgment from the heavens—split the sky and struck the airship.
The moment the golden lightning made contact, every system on board short-circuited instantly.
Smoke burst from various parts of the airship, and it spiraled downward toward an uninhabited wasteland.
"Regi...Giga...Gigas..."
As the storm settled, the light surrounding Regigigas dissipated, eventually condensing into a single orb that floated back into the temple. The Colossal Pokémon returned to its deep slumber once more.
Not long after, Officer Jenny arrived at the crash site with a squad of police officers, arresting all surviving members of the hunter group.
Upon reaching the temple, they took Hunter J into custody.
However, after enduring prolonged Psychic assaults from Metagross, Hunter J had suffered severe injuries. She was immediately stretchered into an ambulance and later transferred to the hospital.
And after that… even if she pulled through… there was no future left for her.
Thus, the curtain fell on the reign of a feared and ruthless hunter.
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