{Time until Dawn's turn - 28:42}
Ash, Dawn, and Verity were still sitting around Cresselia, waiting for it to be fully healed enough to go on its way.
Cresselia had actually woken up 30 minutes ago, and it was feeling much better, even gaining the ability to hover again. However, anything more than 10 feet off the ground was out of the question. It still needed time to recover before they could let Cresselia go on its way.
And now, there were only about 10 more minutes until, by Ash's estimate, Cresselia would be back to 100%. Yeah, whatever it had been hit with had really messed Cresselia up, but hey, 10 more minutes, and they were good to go.
Dawn was gently rubbing Cresselia on the head, "You've gotten so much better!"
Cresselia leaned into her hand, seemingly enjoying the attention.
Verity watched the interaction with a small smile, "You two have gotten pretty close, haven't you?"
Dawn blinked, "Huh? Well...I guess."
"Considering it nearly tried to run away when we first found it, that's quite the improvement," Ash commented.
"Hey! I was the one who calmed it down!"
"Yeah, yeah. You're quite the Pokémon whisperer."
Dawn puffed out her cheeks, "You're making fun of me again!"
"Would I ever?"
"Yes!"
"Fair enough."
Verity giggled while Cresselia tilted its head, seemingly trying to understand their conversation.
Ash leaned back against a nearby tree, taking a moment to stretch his arms. As he did, he looked up at the sky and saw the beacon of light coming from the town. That was probably for the Contest. People were likely already entering and preparing, but Dawn's turn specifically was after Zoey's, and Zoey would be going on in about 25 minutes or so. So they still had time to make it, as long as Ash used Dragonite to fly there.
As Dawn and Verity were playing around with Cresselia, Ash pulled out his phone and checked something. In case you were wondering what Ash had done when he went for that walk earlier, well, Gary had texted him something, and he needed to call him personally.
Remember, Gary was currently doing research here in Sinnoh, and he was investigating none other than Hunter J.
When Gary contacted him, Ash went into a separate area to call him and ask if he needed any help. But obviously, Gary refused. What did you think? That he'd accept help just like that? Nah.
But he did tell Ash the general gist of things, and Ash also shared the locations of some of Hunter J's bases that he knew about because he had that tracker on her.
But there was one problem with the tracker. You see, unlike Lily, who was basically a mindless robot who would work, eat, and sleep in the same clothes, Hunter J wasn't a mindless robot. She would change her clothes and wash them. Sure, eventually she'd put them on again, but because of that, Ash didn't have a complete read on where she was 100% of the time. On the upside, though, he did learn where the main base was.
But yeah, the reason he brought this up was because he had a pretty good feeling he knew who had done this. Unfortunately, on his tracker, the one he had put on her wasn't moving. Sure, he could have put one on her gauntlet instead and let her get away with it, but why would he do that instead of keeping the petrifying thing in his greedy little hands?
He still had that, by the way. He had just made some much-needed modifications and added it to the Snag Machine he kept under his sleeve.
He just leaned back against a tree and closed his eyes. But of course, things were never that simple. While it looked like he was napping, he had actually sent his Aura out. He'd been doing this the entire time to get a radar of the area, just in case anyone was there. For the past minute, there hadn't been anyone, but that had just changed.
Around the area, eight figures were approaching on the ground. It looked like they were setting up traps in case they tried to make a run for it. But when he compared those Auras, none of them matched Hunter J's. Now, he couldn't tell if these were regular poachers or Hunter J's grunts, but did you really think he would risk that?
Ash stood up and stretched as he pulled out his notebook and walked over to them, "Yo, Dawn! What cool things are you thinking of doing in the Contest?" Ash said a little too joyfully.
Dawn and Verity turned their heads toward him. Verity raised an eyebrow at the way Ash said that because it was slightly weird and not how he usually talked. Dawn, on the other hand, looked like she was about to go on a tangent. But then they both stopped when they saw the notebook in Ash's hands.
On it, it said, 'We're being watched.'
Immediately, they understood and gulped. Ash looked at Pikachu and gestured with his eyes. Pikachu got up and stretched his back as he walked over and climbed a tree. Then he began stringing up some [Electro Web]. Vee watched him and sighed before going to the other side of the tree and beginning to prepare the same.
Dawn gulped again and tried to play it cool, "U-Um, yeah, Ash. I thought I should do a Fwoosh, then tell Piplup that he can do a cool spin and end it with a bam!" she said.
"Yep, and maybe after that, you could add a twirl," Verity nodded along as her eyes quickly scanned the area.
Ash nodded along as Cresselia's expression changed. It looked nervous and uncomfortable, as though it also sensed who was coming, and it knew they were the ones who had done this to it.
Ash reached over and rubbed its head, trying to soothe it, as he sent out another pulse of Aura to look around again. They spent a good five minutes setting up traps just to make sure that they couldn't run. Which, unfortunately, made sense. If they wanted Cresselia, they'd be stupid not to set something up so that it couldn't run away again.
They just needed five minutes for Cresselia to be healthy enough to fly away and/or fight back.
But that's when Ash felt something finally enter the range of his Aura sense. Exactly what he expected: a plane flew in and quickly headed toward them. As it did, he felt someone jump out and call out a Pokémon to fly on ahead. And this time, he could tell that it was Hunter J.
Ash expected as much, but unfortunately for them, they had given him five minutes, during which Ash had been able to explain a plan to Dawn and Verity. And while they both seemed very nervous, they still nodded and agreed, so the stage was set.
Then, after just a moment, a Salamence flew over them in the sky and hovered. Standing menacingly on its back was Hunter J, while the jet flew in behind her and shone a spotlight down onto them.
Hunter J spoke, looking down at them, "You there, step away from the Cresselia. We're in a good mood right now, so if you leave now, you can keep your pathetic Pokémon," Hunter J sneered.
After all, when their target was a Cresselia, why would she care about Pokémon she thought were just normal? She had her men in the forest report on what they were talking about, and she had heard all about Contests. Why would she want a Pokémon like that? There's no way a Pokémon that trains for Contests is of any value, right?
But Hunter J was still ruthless, "But of course, if you try to play the hero, then…" She snapped her fingers, and from the forest, the eight men stepped out, all holding Poké Balls or whips.
Hunter J smirked as she stared down at them. She still thought they were just kids trying to play hero. After her recent losses, she was finally going to get a win.
Dawn and Verity took a cautious step back, unconsciously standing a little closer to Ash, while Ash stayed still, watching for a moment as the grunts slowly stepped closer. He just needed them to cross a certain threshold.
Then they crossed it. On the ground, there was a thin string that the men tripped over. Suddenly, the strings that Pikachu and Vee had set up over the course of the last five minutes tightened.
All across the ground, lines shot up and tangled around each of the men. First loosely, then Pikachu and Vee jumped out of the trees, pulling on the strings as they did. The strings tightened, catching them all and wrapping around their waists, shoulders, wrists, and other parts.
"Wait, what's this?!"
"The hell?!"
"Get this off me!"
The grunts started shouting all at once, and then Ash didn't give them a chance. Without breaking eye contact with Hunter J, he snapped his fingers, and Pikachu and Vee ignited the strings with electricity, shocking all of the grunts.
They screamed in agony, but they were knocked out soon enough, leaving them hanging and unconscious.
Ash spoke calmly, "Funny, but I don't think you understand how this negotiation is going to happen. So, either you give up now, or I knock you out and turn you in afterward."
Hunter J flinched, but then she gritted her teeth, "You brat!" She swiped her arm, "Burn it all!"
Salamence opened its mouth and began taking a deep breath. Hunter J didn't care about burning a forest down. All she cared about was collecting Cresselia. Who cared about burning a forest down? If the Rangers came, let them. They had to protect the forest. She could get away. She'd done this before.
But Ash wasn't really in the mood. He spun the ball on his finger, then threw it up, and it opened in the air. In a burst of light, Dragonite appeared. Then, as Salamence blasted fire and it approached Dragonite, she swiped the fire with the back of her hand, dispersing it. Then Dragonite flew directly toward Salamence.
Hunter J flinched, then gritted her teeth and pointed forward, "Don't let up! Attack!" she said. She instinctively shot her hand forward to try and turn Dragonite into a statue, but then she saw her wrist again, where she didn't have her gauntlet. She cursed in her mind.
The airship charged up a railgun and fired it, but it was too slow. Dragonite noticed it and dodged easily, then flew back up as Salamence quickly flew toward the sky. But Dragonite was hot on their trail.
The airship tried to move, but then suddenly, two more strings shot up from the forest. It was Pikachu and Vee again. They used the strings to grab the jet's wings, then held on, pulling against the strength of the jet so it couldn't try to run away or chase after Hunter J to help her.
Just then, Ash looked at Dawn and Verity and gave them a look and a small nod before turning and starting to run. As he did, he pulled out another ball and threw it. Out came Slaking. He immediately jumped up and got on its back, and Slaking stood up and began running through the forest, chasing after Hunter J's path.
{Meanwhile in the Contest}
Zoey was sitting in the locker room, already in her Contest outfit. She tapped her foot on the ground, looking around and trying to find Dawn. Meanwhile, outside, she could hear Marian announcing the Contest and doing all the things she needed to, while all the other contestants were already here, waiting for their turns.
She looked at the schedule again and saw that Dawn should be going after her, and yet she wasn't here.
Zoey lowered the list and muttered under her breath, "Dawn, where are you?"
{Time until Dawn's turn - 23:42}
—
Hunter J was holding on to Salamence for dear life. She didn't know the last time she'd held onto Salamence like this, because right now, a Dragonite was chasing after them like a wild predator that had found its prey.
Dragonite opened her mouth and fired a [Hyper Beam], and Salamence lowered itself. It just barely missed Hunter J's head.
She took this opportunity and called out, "Quick, while it's recharging, [Dragon Pulse]!"
Salamence spun around and immediately fired a blast of purple energy toward Dragonite. But as the attack came, Dragonite turned into an afterimage, dodging the attack and appearing right in front of them.
Hunter J flinched and wanted to call out to Salamence, but it was too late. Dragonite raised her arm and brought it down like a sledgehammer onto Salamence's head, causing them to start falling.
Hunter J and Salamence spiraled out of the air, falling like a plane that had lost its wings. Hunter J could barely open her eyes. She reached up and started trying to slap Salamence to get it to focus, "Come on, fly! Fly, you dumb lizard, because both our lives depend on it!"
Salamence blinked and got back into it, realizing they were falling. It extended its wings and managed to flap again before they crashed into the ground. Then, slowly, they landed, and Hunter J decided to jump off Salamence's back before she felt sick.
Just then, from the forest, a shiny Slaking swung in and landed heavily in front of Hunter J. On its back, she saw that boy again, as the Dragonite flew down slowly, standing behind him.
But now she actually got a good look at him. Yeah, it turns out that when she looks down at someone from hundreds of feet in the air, it's hard to see details. But now that she was face-to-face with him, she realized why she recognized that face. That was Ash Ketchum.
She cursed under her breath. Of course she had to run into him. But she took a breath. Maybe it wasn't so bad. Based on the public records available for Ash, his strongest Pokémon should be high Gym Leader rank, and as for that Dragonite, he must have trained it specifically to get it up to Elite Four rank.
But that meant, in her opinion, she might have a chance. After all, by her generous and humble estimation, she was an Elite Four-level Trainer. Of course, that was just her opinion. Whether it was true was up for debate.
Ash noticed her thinking and smirked, "What's wrong? You aren't scared of little old me? I'm just a kindhearted Trainer passing by, so how about this: I'll give you a chance to walk away. Surrender now and come with me to the International Police, and I'll even put in a good word for you. How about that?" Ash said with a big old smile.
"Are you insulting me?" Hunter J saw no sincerity in Ash's offer to negotiate.
Ash tilted his head, "Insult? I think it's quite the offer. If I take you as a prisoner, now that would be a different story altogether."
In truth, Hunter J was right to sense his lack of interest in negotiation. Ash really wasn't planning on putting in any good word for her, but they might as well try.
But when she heard what Ash said, a flame of anger ignited in Hunter J's eyes, "Don't get too cocky!"
Her response was a swift, direct attack meant to catch Ash off guard.
"Salamence, [Dragon Pulse]!"
"Ariados, [Pin Missile]!"
"Drapion, [Cross Poison]!"
Hunter J released her other two main battlers in an all-out assault on Ash. And no, she didn't mean Ash's Pokémon. She was making her Pokémon attack Ash directly.
Ash tapped his chin unseriously, "Hmm, interesting. Looks like those three are high Gym Leader level. No wonder you've escaped the police so much. You might be able to beat almost anyone."
Then he smirked and snapped his fingers, "Too bad you're facing me. Dragonite, [Reflect]!"
Dragonite flew in front of Ash and raised her hands, creating a protective barrier. The [Pin Missile] and [Cross Poison] hit the [Reflect], leaving only faint, web-like cracks and failing to shatter it, while Dragonite just shrugged off the [Dragon Pulse].
Ash shook his head, "Too weak. Your Salamence isn't even in the top five I've seen."
Ash waved his hand, and immediately Dragonite and Slaking dashed forward. Dragonite went after Salamence, while Slaking went after Ariados and Drapion.
Salamence flinched and tried to fly backward, raising up a [Protect]. Dragonite clashed against it, but she didn't stop. She kept pushing, causing Salamence's unprotected back to crash into a tree. Meanwhile, Ariados and Drapion tried to move out of the way, but Slaking just grabbed them both by the head and slammed them into the ground.
Hunter J took a step back as she felt a cold sweat trickle down her head. She looked up and saw this red-eyed boy-no, he looked more like a red-eyed demon in the dark forest, with his eyes shining faintly red, as Ash gave her a grin, his pure white teeth shining through the darkness.
—
With Dawn and Verity, they were standing ready. They knew what to expect. Ash had told them that they would need to stay here and protect Cresselia while he took on the actual threat.
And even though they were nervous, Ash knew their strength better than they probably did. He told them that as long as they worked together and locked in, they could take on the henchmen.
And just like Ash said, as soon as he left to take on Hunter J, the henchmen began vaulting out of the plane. Pikachu and Vee couldn't help them because they had to hold onto the strings keeping the jet in place. Oh, but don't worry about them. If any of those grunts were stupid enough to try to attack them...good luck.
Dawn and Verity watched as the first few grunts landed on the forest floor, their boots crunching against the fallen leaves. More followed behind them, quickly spreading out and surrounding the clearing.
One of them looked toward the two girls, then toward Cresselia, who was hiding behind them.
"Well, well. Looks like the boss left us with the easy part," he said, grinning as he pulled out a Poké Ball, "Hand over the Legendary, girls. We don't want to hurt you."
Verity narrowed her eyes, "That's funny. Because I don't remember asking for your opinion."
Dawn swallowed, glancing at the growing number of grunts. There were eight of them in total. Even if they weren't particularly strong, that was still a lot of opponents.
"Verity…" she whispered.
"Yeah?"
"There's quite a few of them…"
"I noticed."
"Do you think we can handle them?"
Verity glanced at Dawn, then gave her a confident smile, "Well, Ash seems to think we can."
Dawn looked down at her Poké Balls. She still felt nervous, but she remembered what Ash had told them and the way he had said he believed in them. She took a deep breath and nodded, "Right. We can do this!"
One of the grunts scoffed, "Are you two seriously planning on fighting us? You're just kids!"
Verity stepped forward, crossing her arms, "And you're a grown man working for a poacher. I don't think you're in a position to judge anyone."
Dawn blinked, then covered her mouth to hide a small giggle.
"Why, you little—"
"Enough!" another grunt interrupted, "Just take them down already! The boss wants that Cresselia!"
The grunts began moving forward, several of them releasing their Pokémon at once. A Mightyena, a Golbat, two Houndoom, a Rhydon, and three other Pokémon appeared in bursts of light.
Dawn and Verity immediately reached for their own Poké Balls.
"Piplup, Budew, let's go!"
"Piplup, Buneary, you too!"
The four Pokémon landed on the ground and got ready. The battle began.