Want to read ahead. You know where
-----
"They're all Champion-tier Pokémon..."
"And that's a rare Salamence."
"With that kind of power, why bother becoming a Pokémon hunter?"
Sam couldn't wrap his head around it.
Why would someone with such strong Pokémon choose a path that was scorned by the world?
Just with those two—Salamence and Drapion—J could easily secure a formal position in the Pokémon League.
Work a bit harder, train a few more solid team members... she might even qualify for the Elite Four someday.
Of course, the salary of an Elite was only a few tens of millions a year.
But if she managed to capture every Lapras here?
That was a hundred million in one go.
Maybe it was that greed—J's insatiable desire for money—that drove her to become a Pokémon hunter.
Sam's gaze stayed locked on J.
And J was staring right back at him.
"A Champion-tier Lucario…" she murmured.
"And a Champion-level Darkrai."
She hadn't expected a man publicly known as a history professor to be this powerful.
Even J, who prided herself on having seen it all, was caught off guard.
"They say this Samuel is Champion Cynthia's fiancé…"
"That means the League is probably already on its way."
"We have to end this quickly."
Without wasting another second, J snapped her command:
"Salamence, Flamethrower! Drapion, Poison Sting!"
"Roaaar!"
Salamence drew in a deep breath, throat glowing with searing heat.
Then it launched forward, belching out a wave of fire aimed straight at Lucario.
"Skrreeee!"
At the same time, Drapion whipped its barbed tail, scattering dozens of venom-coated spikes into the air.
The poisonous needles glinted menacingly under the sunlight as they flew toward their targets.
"Little Lapras," Sam said calmly, turning to the small one that had led him here, "take your group and stay back."
He didn't want them caught up in the crossfire.
"Woooo~!"
The young Lapras let out a cry, calling out to the others.
Even without the warning, the Lapras herd had already begun to pull back.
Danger was clear in the air—they could feel it. Survival instincts took over, and they retreated from the battlefield.
Once he was sure they were safe, Sam turned back to the fight.
His eyes sharpened.
"Lucario, Aura Sphere. Darkrai, Dark Pulse. Cancel their attacks."
"Luu-ka!"
Lucario raised both hands, spheres of glowing blue energy quickly forming in each palm.
With precise timing, it hurled them forward, straight toward the incoming Flamethrower.
A sharp hiss followed.
Darkrai, ever the master of energy-based attacks, didn't need long.
Shadows coiled and concentrated around it, forming a dense wave of black energy.
With a sound like tearing fabric, the Dark Pulse shot out to intercept Drapion's Poison Barb.
BOOM!!
BOOM!!
The battlefield erupted in twin blasts.
Waves of pressure rippled outward, dust and heat swirling in the air.
Both sides had gone all in on their first exchange.
But neither landed a decisive blow.
Evenly matched. A clean clash.
J's expression remained cold, but her brow creased.
She didn't like delays. The longer this dragged on, the higher the chance of interference.
"Tch... Change of plan."
She barked new orders without hesitation.
"Salamence, Dragon Pulse! Drapion, Fell Stinger! Focus on Darkrai!"
Her strategy was simple: take out one Pokémon, then turn the numbers game.
"Roaaar!"
Salamence reared back, energy already swirling in its mouth.
The coalescing aura took the shape of a dragon's head before launching like a cannon toward Darkrai.
Drapion followed close behind, surging forward with terrifying speed, both massive claws raised. Its Fell Stinger gleamed with a deadly edge.
Their target: Darkrai.
J was out for blood.
Drapion charged at full speed, closing in on Darkrai like a predator going for the kill.
But Sam had no intention of holding back any longer—not against someone like Hunter J.
"Luca, Mega Evolve."
At his command, Lucario's aura flared like a shockwave.
"LUKA!!"
A burst of light engulfed Lucario as the Mega stone activated.
His form shifted—fur lengthened wildly, black spikes jutted from his limbs, and his eyes turned into piercing red blades, gleaming with primal focus.
"Bone Rush. Target Drapion."
"Darkrai, intercept Salamence's Dragon Pulse with Dark Pulse!"
The moment the orders left his mouth, both of Sam's Pokémon sprang into action.
"Lu-ka!"
Empowered by Mega Evolution, Lucario's speed soared.
He moved in a blur, aura intensifying as twin Bone Clubs took shape in each hand.
He dug in his feet and launched forward like a bullet, leaving a cracked trench in the sand behind him.
At the same time—
Hiiissss…
Darkrai didn't hesitate. Waves of dark energy rippled from its body, coalescing into a massive, shadowy hand.
The dragon-shaped pulse fired by Salamence met the hand midair.
BOOM!
Dragon and darkness collided in an explosive blast.
A fierce wind ripped through the coastline.
Sand spiraled into the air, thickening into a storm that clouded the sky like a natural Sandstorm.
Within that chaos, Mega Lucario closed in.
He met Drapion head-on.
"SKREEEEE!"
Drapion lashed out, claws gleaming.
It managed to rake across Lucario's arm—two pale gashes opened on his otherwise hardened body.
But Lucario didn't falter.
With a sharp spin, he brought both aura-charged Bone Clubs crashing down—one after the other.
CRACK!!
The second blow struck Drapion square on the head.
The impact sent the massive scorpion tumbling back, skidding across the beach for over ten meters, gouging a deep trench in the sand before it finally came to a stop.
On the other side, the clash between Salamence's Dragon Pulse and Darkrai's Dark Pulse ended the same as before—neither side breaking through, both holding firm.
But it was a different story with Drapion.
The Poison/Dark-type lay dazed and groaning, visibly shaken.
That hit had hurt.
Bone Rush—a Ground-type move—was brutally effective against Drapion's Poison typing.
And thanks to Mega Lucario's boosted attack and speed, it had landed cleanly.
Meanwhile, Drapion's own Fell Stinger, meant to deliver a deadly counter, had struck Lucario's steel body—doing barely a fraction of its intended damage.
For the first time in the fight, the momentum had shifted.
J's tactics were fast and deadly, but now it was clear—Sam, through sheer precision and power, had gained the upper hand.