"Ariados, use Poison Sting!" "Weezing, use Sludge Bomb!"
Seeing Hakuya and the others ready for battle, Hunter J's subordinates commanded their Pokémon to attack in unison.
"Piplup, use Bubble Beam."
Seeing the cold-glinting Poison Stings flying towards them, Dawn issued a decisive command.
"Piplup~"
Piplup took a deep breath, spraying a stream of bubbles that completely blocked the Poison Stings, then continued towards the Ariados who couldn't dodge in time.
Officer Jenny also looked serious, commanding her Pokémon to duel with several poaching gang members.
Facing the Mightyena, which looked fierce but was weak inside, the well-trained Growlithe was obviously superior.
Before long, Growlithe, skillfully using Flamethrower, knocked a Mightyena unconscious.
Judging from Jenny's side of the battlefield, the situation seemed to be in their favor.
However...
The tall, green-haired beauty looked worriedly at Hakuya, who was confronting Hunter J on the other side.
Although she sent her real-time location to headquarters the moment she discovered Hunter J, in reality, it would take at least twenty minutes for League investigators to arrive.
During this time, Hakuya would likely have to face J, known as Sinnoh's strongest hunter with strength comparable to the Elite Four, alone.
On the other side.
"Roar~"
Consecutively dodging the Shadow Balls gathered by Miss Gardevoir, the Salamence, usually known as the blood-colored wings, was now fleeing wretchedly in the air.
Contrary to Officer Jenny's worry, Hunter J was actually at a disadvantage in the battle before her.
Taking advantage of Drapion blocking Milotic's Water Pulse with Knock Off, amidst the smoke raised by the explosion, the silver-haired woman quietly threw a Poké Ball.
This is getting tricky.
Hunter J looked at her Salamence, already scarred above, and frowned slightly.
If her Salamence hadn't undergone special endurance training, it would have lost combat capability long ago under that wave-like offensive.
But if she ignored the opponent's Pokémon and chose to attack the Trainer directly, the freed-up Gardevoir would definitely lock onto her with psychic powers, and defeat would come even faster.
Beside her, Dawn, who was commanding Piplup to repel Weezing with Water Gun and still worried about the other battle, turned her head. She saw the shadows of the tree canopy twisting and writhing under the heavy snow, and withered leaves and debris suddenly exploded outward.
Catching a glimpse of the emerging black shadow, the energetic blue-haired girl widened her eyes subconsciously.
"Big Brother Hakuya, behind you!"
Accompanied by her shout, an Ariados pounced down from a five-meter-high giant cedar, the sharp claws on its forelegs suddenly glowing with a cold black-purple light.
The cross-shaped claws cut through the dim green shade before her eyes, wrapped in an even fiercer snow tide, rushing towards Hakuya's back.
[Cross Poison: A slashing attack with a poisonous blade that may also poison the target. Critical hits land more easily.]
Like an ancient swordsman wielding dual blades—no, more like an assassin hiding in the dark wielding dual daggers.
With a moment of carelessness, the distracted Trainer would be cleanly sliced in half by that sharp weapon.
Got him?!
Ariados looked at the black-haired youth close at hand, a ferocious and smug smile appearing on its face.
At this moment, two poison-quenched blades splitting the fine snow had revealed their edge, crashing down with unstoppable momentum.
But faster than it was Hakuya's hidden hand—Mienshao, who suddenly appeared from a Poké Ball.
"Mi-no~"
Like a giant hand descending from the sky, she struck first, squeezing and slapping the ambushing Pokémon fiercely from both sides.
[Fake Out], a priority move that causes the opponent to flinch!
"Ari-hiss!!!"
Completely unprepared for this, Ariados, whose Cross Poison was forcefully interrupted, narrowed its eyes.
Aside from watching helplessly as the agile figure approached, frozen in place unable to move, it was instantly hit head-on by a High Jump Kick.
Assassins are only suitable for hiding, waiting for the perfect moment to kill with one blow.
But if detected in advance, the essence of sharpness is actually fragility.
"I still underestimated you; you're no ordinary passerby Trainer."
Watching Ariados being blasted several meters away, knocking down all the human-waist-thick trees in its path and finally falling unconscious, Hunter J's face turned completely dark.
This was the backup plan she deliberately left by throwing a Poké Ball in secret during the explosion's aftermath. She didn't expect that although the Ariados, hiding in the shade for a long time, found the timing, it didn't truly succeed.
She had to take back her previous words—it wasn't just tricky; the black-haired youth before her was like a towering mountain. Neither frontal attacks nor sneak attacks worked.
She had only seen this deep sense of powerlessness in the Sinnoh Champion, Cynthia...
No... stronger than the Champion!
"Thanks for the compliment."
Hakuya, completely controlling the rhythm of the battle, looked at the silver-haired woman before him and replied calmly.
Because he left in a hurry, he actually only brought three Pokémon—Gardevoir, Milotic, and Mienshao.
However, dealing with Hunter J before him was more than enough.
After a telepathic communication, Hakuya suddenly rushed forward.
You like no-rules battles, right?
Then let's fight!
With extremely strong learning ability and having previously received special training from Senior Sister Cynthia, Hakuya knew the essence of no-rules battles like the back of his hand.
Boom—
A clenched fist raised a gale as he closed in like a ghost.
Hunter J, who always hid behind her Pokémon and tried her best to avoid Gardevoir's psychic lock, blocked subconsciously. But she barely blocked the hook, and the following whip kick, wrapped in powerful wind, blasted her away forcefully.
Combat often happens in an instant.
"Cough-cough~"
Leaves and dust flew. The silver-haired woman embedded in the tree trunk spat out a large mouthful of blood.
She watched Hakuya approaching slowly, an incredulous expression on her face—this black-haired youth, who wasn't muscular and didn't seem good at close combat, actually rushed up and caught her off guard with a hook + whip kick combo.
With the boost of attributes, Hakuya's physical fitness had been enhanced in all aspects.
Although he might not compare to the Fighting-type Elite Four of the Kanto region, Bruno, who could punch Machamp and kick Onix, ordinary Trainers were no match for him in a single round, not even Hunter J, the leader of a poaching group.
"Roar~"
Salamence, completely locked on by Gardevoir, soared in the sky, exhausted from dodging compressed Psycho Cuts one after another.
And Drapion, watching its Trainer blasted onto the tree trunk, roared in anger but was powerless to help.
Whenever the scorpion Pokémon prepared to step forward to assist, surging streams of Hydro Pump would block it.
Enraged, it turned around, using all its skills to defeat the opponent before it. Cross Poison fell continuously like terrifying blades, but Milotic, like a swimming dragon, dodged them one by one. Her tail, glowing with blue-purple light, whipped fiercely in the moment of dodging.
[Dragon Tail: The target is knocked away, and a different Pokémon is dragged out.]
Hit head-on, Drapion wailed and fell to the ground, losing consciousness directly under Milotic's accumulated attacks.
So, next, only...
"Sa~" "Milo~"
At this moment, fine snow fell like willow catkins.
Bathed in the snow-filled sky, the already beautiful Gardevoir and Milotic were undoubtedly coated with an even holier light.
But in the eyes of the opposing Salamence, a palpitation surged in its heart for no reason.