There were quite a few people in Helvetia Town who owned cars, but only Officer Jenny could drive one this wildly…
Without breaking any traffic rules, every acceleration, turn, and brake Officer Jenny made gave the others the feeling of riding a roller coaster.
Thanks to her wild driving, the vehicle moved fast, and before long, they reached the outskirts of Helvetia Town.
SCREEEEEEEECH!
A harsh braking sound rang out, and everyone inside the car lurched forward, only to be yanked back by their seatbelts.
"W-We… w-we made it?" Mark asked, face pale. In response, the car door opened.
"Get out. The exchange site is nearby. If you see a suspicious vehicle, intercept it immediately!" Officer Jenny said briskly, as if she hadn't just been the one driving like a maniac…
The four of them got out one after another. Mark and Joseph supported each other, utterly drained, like they wanted to throw up but couldn't.
Even Cynthia looked a bit worse for wear. She barely managed to smooth out her long hair before standing firm and quietly trying to regain her composure.
It took another five minutes before they finally recovered a bit. Under Officer Jenny's directions, each of them found a place to hide.
The morning on the outskirts of Helvetia Town still carried a slight chill, and for a while, not a single car passed by the road. It was eerily quiet.
Mark had been assigned to stay with Sato, but he kept glancing around curiously, unable to stay still.
Finally, Sato lost patience. He hooked an arm around Mark's neck and forced him down into cover, holding him still.
"Bo… boss, boss! I was wro… W-WRONG!" Mark choked out with difficulty, but Sato didn't let go right away.
"Still gonna move?"
"NOOO… I won't move…!"
"Really not moving?"
"Not moving… Wait, boss, a car's coming!" Mark exclaimed just as a medium-sized truck slowly came into view from the distance.
The truck was covered in dust and grimy black sludge. It wasn't moving fast and barely shook; clearly carrying a heavy load.
Officer Jenny instantly made her judgment. She signaled to everyone lying in wait with a quick "get ready" gesture.
Everyone tensed, waiting for the truck to enter the ambush zone so they could strike together.
…But the truck seemed to have noticed something. It moved slower and slower… until it stopped completely on the road not far ahead.
Then… the hazard lights turned on and it started reversing!
They had been discovered!
"ATTAAAAACK!" Officer Jenny didn't hesitate and rushed out immediately, tossing the Poké Balls for Electivire and Arcanine.
"Arcanine, Extreme Speed! Electivire, Thunder!"
Sato and the others reacted just as quickly. Cacturne, Gogoat, Togekiss, and Roserade appeared on the road instantly.
Cacturne raised its hand(?). Cotton Spore burst out in waves, instantly spreading across the road and onto every part of the truck before charging in with coordination.
Joseph's Gogoat and Cynthia's Roserade both used Vine Whip, clearly aiming to restrict the truck's movement.
Mark's Togekiss, using its flying advantage, zipped in front of the truck in the blink of an eye. Magical Leaf activated, slashing through all four tires with a sharp swish~ swish~ swish…
It sounded like it took a while, but Sato and the others had executed all of that in just a single moment.
Cries began echoing from inside the truck. After hearing so many Piloswine cries over the past few days, they immediately recognized it.
This truck… was the one the Pokémon Hunters were using to transport Piloswine!
Seeing that they couldn't escape, three burly, muscular men jumped out of the truck and, without saying a word, sent out their Pokémon to start the fight.
Ursaring, Carnivine, Abomasnow!
As Pokémon Hunters, their strength wasn't bad. All three Pokémon had reached Peak Elite, and their aggressive auras made it clear they were seasoned veterans.
Unfortunately, they ran into Sato's group… every one of whom was just as strong, if not stronger.
The battle started immediately. Against enemies like these, there was no need to talk about fairness.
Five Trainers, six Pokémon, all charged at once!
Sato, who had the sharpest eyes, quickly noticed that one of the Hunters was holding a communicator, clearly calling for backup.
Sato smiled faintly. If they were only here to capture these three Hunters, deploying this many people would've been overkill.
Perfect~
Let more Hunters come as reinforcements, and then capture them all in one sweep!
6v3.
The battle was one-sided from the start. But now that Sato knew they were making moves, he quickly told the others to slow the pace.
They were here to catch a big one!
Sato and the others deliberately held back, which gave the three Hunters the illusion that they still had a chance to survive.
Although a small part of them suspected their opponents might be going easy on them, in moments like this, people only believe what they want to believe.
6v3… the battle was intense, but despite all the action, neither side had taken much damage.
Awkward, wasn't it?
Maybe they were holding back too much, because later on, one of the Hunters even started to believe they could actually win.
"…" x6
Then, even though Ursaring had been sticking with the other two for support, it was suddenly ordered to chase after Cacturne, leaving its original position.
That was the last straw for Sato. '…Can't you just play the decoy properly? Why do you have to make it all dramatic?'
"Cacturne, Focus Blast."
"Togekiss, Aura Sphere!"
One white and one blue energy sphere shot out from tricky angles, both slamming into the slow-moving Ursaring, knocking it out cleanly.
"I really can't keep pretending anymore! Let's just finish them off," Officer Jenny said, unable to hold back any longer after seeing Ursaring go down.
Shortly after, Carnivine and Abomasnow also lost under the team's relentless assault.
"Roserade, use Vine Whip!"
Cynthia ordered Roserade to tie up the three burly Hunters. Only then did the group quickly approach the truck and rip open the tarp in the back.
As expected, the truck was full of "freshly" poached Piloswine, many of which were still ramming against their cages, trying to escape.
These Piloswine had clearly just been captured. Their resistance was still at its peak, so releasing them without caution could result in them turning on Sato's group.
…And this was exactly the moment for Joseph to shine.
Sato: Viridian Power, I choose you!
Just then, the sound of rotating propellers echoed from above. The roar of a helicopter rapidly closing in on their position.
"These Pokémon Hunters are truly reckless!" Officer Jenny's face turned pale with rage. They hadn't even fully left the boundaries of Helvetia Town, and the scumbags was already brazenly coming in for a rescue.
Clearly, they didn't take her seriously at all!
"Electivire, hit it with Thunder!"
"VIIIIIRE!"
Electivire let out a loud roar as a fierce bolt of electricity shot into the sky, followed by an even more violent lightning strike aimed straight at the helicopter.
Buzz~
A Bronzong suddenly appeared above the helicopter and forcibly took the full brunt of Electivire's Thunder.
The sparks faded…
And Bronzong looked completely unscathed!