Reinforcements really had arrived.
But their strength made Officer Jenny frown.
Even if Bronzong had the highest defense. Taking a full-power Thunder from Electivire without a scratch? That was just too fake.
But soon, Officer Jenny's expression shifted, and she couldn't help sneaking a glance at Cynthia beside her.
Because the Bronzong in front of them had already reached Low Ace level. No wonder it could easily resist Electivire's full-power Thunder.
Whup~ Whup~ Whup…
The strong winds stirred up by the helicopter forced everyone to squint and made their clothes flap wildly.
The only one on the field lacking confidence was Officer Jenny who happened to be the weakest in terms of combat power.
Helvetia Town wasn't big, but it bordered Jubilife City. So while it benefited economically, it didn't face major security issues, drawing envy from others.
But who would've thought… a massive tumor had long been parasitizing Helvetia Town, with Piloswine meat disguised as a local delicacy. It was an outright mockery of the League's regulatory authority.
Even worse, when the tumor finally burst into the open, Officer Jenny -supposedly the town's strongest- couldn't even face it head-on and had to rely on outsiders for help.
It was humiliating…
Requesting official reinforcements was now too late. Fortunately, she had met Cynthia.
And fortunately, the enemies were Pokémon Hunters.
Which meant Sato's group had stepped in!
To avoid scaring off the enemy, they didn't send out any stronger Pokémon before the helicopter landed. And seeing that Sato's group still dared to stand there with their current lineup, it was clear they were extremely confident in their own strength.
'Ace opponents!'
That thought made Sato a little excited. If the matchup was right, maybe -just maybe- Cacturne would break through as well.
Soon, three men and one woman stepped off the helicopter. Though they wore identical uniforms, each carried their own distinct style.
It felt just like one of those big organizations where every mini-boss had their own story but never too much screen time…
As they slowly approached Sato and the others, Officer Jenny gritted her teeth and spat out two words: Hunters Guild!
'A profession hated by all -Pokémon Hunters- had actually formed their own guild?'
Officer Jenny might've only been furious at their arrogance, but Sato saw right through the deep web of interests behind the Hunters.
----
For Pokémon Hunters to form a guild… for them to one day even obtain the "Petrification Beam" -Hunter J- that not even the "Legends" could fully control… if someone wasn't backing them, Sato wouldn't believe it even for a second.
More likely, many, many people were backing them…
Training successors, expanding clans, recruiting talent, building organizations… even for live experimentation and scientific research, Pokémon were an irreplaceable resource.
It wasn't hard to imagine just how enormous the profits involved were.
Even Sato, back when he was just starting out, had taken on a few capture missions just to scrape through the toughest times.
But the Hunters Guild was different. They were "pure" to the point of being terrifying.
Their targets ranged from tiny Caterpie to the legendary Champion-potential Pokémon. As long as the client paid enough, they'd hunt anything!
And of course, they didn't care whether the target had a Trainer, whether it was on the brink of extinction, or even if it was… their own partner.
----
The wind had stopped. Cynthia was already stepping forward to meet them, with Sato, Joseph, and Mark close behind, each calling their own Pokémon.
Perhaps to ensure these Hunters wouldn't escape, Cynthia recalled Roserade and sent out Garchomp instead.
In front of Sato stood his Cacturne, while Mark surprisingly didn't recall Togekiss either; clearly planning to imitate Sato and attempt a breakthrough mid-battle.
Joseph not only didn't recall Gogoat, he even sent out Meganium. Though Meganium wasn't standing in the front lines, it was undoubtedly the strongest support among the four Pokémon.
Seeing that Sato and Mark hadn't sent out the Ace Pokémon she had expected, Officer Jenny grit her teeth and was about to join the fight.
Only to be stopped by Meganium.
By then, the battle had already begun.
In Pokémon battles, more doesn't always mean better. With a quick resolution in mind, the enemy only sent out four Pokémon as well.
Bronzong: Mid Ace.
Honchkrow, Magnezone, and Magmortar: all Low Ace.
Garchomp was the strongest, so naturally it went straight for the already dominant Bronzong.
Mark's Togekiss and the enemy's Honchkrow seemed to lock eyes the moment they met, immediately engaging in aerial combat.
Joseph glanced at Sato and, without a word, had his Gogoat face the type-disadvantaged Magmortar, leaving Magnezone to Cacturne.
Sato pursed his lips and didn't reject Joseph's "goodwill". Having Cacturne fight above its level was already tough enough, no need to be reckless.
"Hey! You kiddo! That Cacturne of yours is a Shiny, right? Must be worth a lot!"
Across from Sato, a pale-faced middle aged man gave a nasty grin. As soon as he finished, Magnezone suddenly charged at Cacturne, clearly aiming for a surprise attack.
"Cotton Spore."
At Sato's command, Cacturne swept its hand, instantly filling the field with a flood of Cotton Spore.
With nowhere to hide, Magnezone was engulfed in an instant. Already slow, it now moved like a snail.
"Hmph, sneaky brat! Magnezone, use Discharge! Show him that in the face of overwhelming strength, all tricks are just paper toys!"
'…Chunibyo or worse… young master.'
Bee-beep-beep!
Magnezone beeped out and unleashed a massive Discharge in all directions. The surrounding Cotton Spore was instantly reduced to ash, completely obliterated-
BOOOOM!
A pure white energy blast suddenly slammed into the now "liberated" Magnezone, knocking it clean off balance.
Focus Blast, direct hit!
"You little punk, YOU'VE MADE ME ANGRY! Magnezone, use Lock-On!" the pale-faced man growled viciously.
'Young -old- master…'
Sato was speechless. Magnezone with Lock-On and Zap Cannon again? Had this guy no originality?
He wouldn't say he knew a hundred ways to counter that combo, but he definitely had at least seventeen or eighteen…
"Cacturne, rush in and use Drain Punch."
This time, Sato chose to fight head-on. Hard enough to make his opponent doubt himself!
Lock-On connected, placing a red target mark over Cacturne's head. Magnezone was already powering up for Zap Cannon.
But by then, Cacturne had already closed the distance.
Drain Punch landed!
"Magnezone… ZAAAAAP CANNON!"
The pale-faced man shouted excitedly. He'd won countless battles with this very combo!
"Substitute. Keep using Drain Punch!" Sato, however, remained completely calm.
Substitute block the Zap Cannon, and Cacturne didn't even glance, just followed up with another Drain Punch.
"LOCK-ON, ZAP CANNON!"
"Substitute, Drain Punch."
"…Lock-On, Zap-"
"Substitute, Drai-"
"L-Lock-"
"Sub-"
"IMPOSSIBLE! How can your Cacturne use Substitute a fifth time?!"
"Talk less. Cacturne, Drain Punch."
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250 PS = Extra chap…