On the outskirts of Songzao City, the next afternoon—
At the crash site of Hunter J's airship, Red brought everyone back to investigate, just in case any survivors had slipped through.
Looking at the wreckage—now little more than debris—Red sighed helplessly.
"Honestly, the tech tree in the Pokémon world is really strange. Even a villain organization can build something like a cloaked warship, yet the League has nothing similar."
He instructed Gary and the others to search through the wreckage for survivors or any useful discoveries.
Although the explosion had been devastating, there was always a chance that someone had survived.
Meanwhile, Red focused on what interested him most—
Hunter J's petrification device.
He was also worried about one thing—
What if Hunter J wasn't dead?
Although his Viridian Power and psychic abilities each had their strengths, they shared one flaw:
Neither was good at locating things.
So he handed the task over to Xiaowen, who possessed Aura Power.
Hearing this, Xiaowen looked speechless.
"Gym Leader… that's not really what Aura Power is for."
Even so, she still began searching for the device.
Thanks to Aura Power's powerful detection ability, she quickly found something. Pointing at a pile of wreckage, she frowned.
"Gym Leader, it should be here."
Red had Marshtomp and Larvitar clear the debris—
And what he saw was the last thing he wanted.
Salamence… lifeless.
Red sighed with regret.
But then—
He noticed something in Salamence's arms.
A stone statue.
Red froze.
"Hunter J… turned herself into stone? She actually survived like this?"
He walked over, removing the green device from the statue's hand.
"Let's see how this thing works."
After putting it on, he found a control slider.
With a simple motion—
Hunter J returned to normal.
"Well, your vitality is impressive. You survived that?"
Hunter J looked at Red—and at Salamence's corpse beside her.
Pain filled her face as she closed her eyes.
Seeing this, Red sneered.
"Now you feel pain seeing your Pokémon die?"
"What about the Pokémon you stole from their trainers?"
"People like you don't deserve to live in this world. What a waste—Salamence died for someone like you."
"Enough nonsense. Do it."
Hunter J spoke coldly.
But Red shook his head.
"Don't worry—you'll live."
"Just inside a League prison."
"And recently, the League developed a mind-reading technique."
"It causes unbearable pain—like poison tearing through your heart."
"But if it helps return all the Pokémon you stole back to their trainers…"
"Then maybe you shouldn't die just yet."
"Stay alive—and suffer—until every Pokémon is returned."
Hunter J's face turned deathly pale.
She couldn't accept such a fate.
Instinctively, she tried to kill herself—
But in the next second—
Red activated the device again, turning everything except her head back into stone.
"Your life was saved by Salamence."
"How can you throw it away so easily?"
"Hand her over to the League. The International Police—especially Lance's division—will be very interested in her."
"Understood, Gym Leader," Xiaowen nodded.
Hunter J's expression turned ashen.
She knew exactly what awaited her.
After dealing with her, Red's mood grew complicated.
Although he had obtained the petrification device, the sight of so many dead Pokémon weighed heavily on him.
At that moment, Ash and Gary brought good news.
"Master, come quick! We found their storage!"
"Storage? Then there should be plenty of valuable items inside."
Red stepped forward and opened the already-damaged warehouse door.
But what he saw—
Was not treasure.
It was a warehouse filled with petrified Pokémon.
"…You guys really got lucky," Red muttered.
He tapped the walls and realized—
The structure was extremely sturdy.
That prison had ironically protected them from the explosion.
"The cage that trapped you… ended up saving you."
"Don't worry."
"I'll make sure all of you return to your trainers."
At his words—
The petrified Pokémon trembled slightly.
Clearly, they could hear him.
Just then, a voice sounded behind him—
"Don't worry. I'll help with that too."
Red turned around—
To see Professor Oak standing there, full of guilt.
"I'm really sorry. The League suddenly recalled me yesterday, so I wasn't in Songzao City when this happened."
"But don't worry—the mastermind has already been dealt with."
"This won't happen again."
Clearly, after Red's father stormed the Indigo Plateau—
Red was no longer just an ordinary Gym Leader.
He had become someone backed by Champion-level power.
On top of that, Tyranitar had been taken away, and even the most stubborn figures within the League no longer dared to trouble him.
Seeing Professor Oak, Red spoke bluntly:
"In that case, I'll leave returning these Pokémon to their trainers to you."
Professor Oak patted his chest firmly.
"Of course!"
At that moment, Gary and Ash stepped forward.
"Grandpa / Professor Oak."
Though their tone wasn't exactly warm.
Professor Oak could only smile awkwardly.
"Oh right, Professor Oak—about the attack on Songzao City."
"Wasn't there supposed to be additional compensation?"
"Can I see what exactly the League is offering?"
Lowering his voice, Professor Oak said:
"I have the list here. Everything on it is top-tier—you can pick anything, and it'll be valuable."
"This is the general list. Take a look. If you want something else, just tell me."
He handed Red a document.
After reading it—
Red couldn't help but exclaim:
"Damn… the League really is loaded."
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