They'd catch the Finizen and sell them for a fortune to rich ladies who liked pretty Pokémon, then retire!
With Hunter J sentenced to life in prison and locked away, she'd likely never get out.
They'd do this last job, then vanish and live quietly.
The five quickly used the tools on their small ship to capture the unsuspecting Finizen, who had no idea of the world's dangers.
With the job done, they relaxed.
The island had plenty of resources: wild animals like rabbits and pheasants, and lots of Berries.
They could even have a farewell feast before leaving.
After a big meal and some hidden beer, they were tipsy and dreaming of a bright future.
Just then, the youngest spotted something at the lagoon: "Is that… Wailord?"
The others immediately sobered.
"Is someone coming?"
"No way, this island is far from Paldea. What are the chances?"
"Yeah, that Wailord only stayed for a bit before leaving."
"Too bad we've only got this small boat left. If J and the airship were here, maybe we could catch Wailord for a fortune."
They sighed, and continued eating as the Finizen's cries echoed in the background.
Suddenly, an angry cry rang out as a Finizen, wrapped in water, leapt from the water and charged at them.
As Pokémon hunters, they recognized the move—Aqua Jet. Fast, but not very strong.
They didn't panic. The leader laughed, raised a net gun, and fired at Finizen.
Bang!
The net automatically caught Finizen, who struggled helplessly.
Number Two sauntered over, lifted the net, and poked Finizen. "A stray fish delivered itself to us?"
Finizen was furious. It had returned to find its pod captured. It wanted to be Falafin Hero and save them, but the humans were cunning and used ranged weapons.
Even so, Finizen wasn't afraid. It knew Falafin Hero would save it! It glared at Number Two: justice was about to arrive!
Number Two didn't like that look and frowned. "You—"
Boom!!
Before he could finish, a loud explosion came from behind. The others cried out in pain.
Number Two spun around—his companions were soaked and the campfire was out, clearly the work of a water attack.
"Damn…"
The leader, teeth bared, pulled out an electric weapon. The others drew their weapons, ready to fight.
Then they saw their attacker—Swampert.
The leader froze. A Swampert—the iconic Hoenn Pokémon? Why was it in Paldea?
And as luck would have it, Swampert was part Ground-type…
Swampert glanced at the captured Finizen, then at the netted, hyper Finizen, its calm eyes burning with anger.
It despised Pokémon hunters!
Swampert didn't hold back. Water swirled around it as it used Liquidation, gathering water with terrifying force to smash the enemy!
Some Pokémon, like Samurott, channeled Liquidation into a single limb for physical attacks, but Swampert's was a pure, overwhelming force.
No matter how they fired their electric weapons, nothing could break through the water shield around Swampert.
With a crash that shook the island, the four men, unable to resist, were knocked out cold!
Like a true superhero, Swampert fixed his cold stare on Number Two.
Number Two, shaking, grabbed Finizen and ran for the boat.
He started the engine and sped away, heart pounding but finally calming as the boat pulled away.
He didn't know why Swampert wasn't chasing, but as long as he escaped, the others could fend for themselves. At least he could sell the Finizen he caught.
"Who said you could leave?"
A calm voice came from behind. Number Two turned, face pale. A man on Dragonite hovered nearby, smirking.
…
"Fin~!" ("Thank you for saving my pod, Falafin Hero!")
Finizen immediately started circling Swampert again.
The rescued Finizen stared at Swampert in awe.
Its strength was obvious—surely, this was the mysterious Falafin Hero Finizen had spoken of!
Seeing the whole pod fooled by hyper Finizen, Swampert covered its face in despair—at this rate, it would lose its species name.
Lucas and Dragonite tied up the five men with vines from the island. The poachers, realizing their fate, looked utterly defeated.
Dusting off his hands, Lucas muttered, "Better call the League president to send someone for these five. Dragonite, you could fly them back, but that'd be too much work."
"Drago!"
Dragonite nodded in agreement.