"Dinner's ready!!"
With Sato's loud announcement, a flock of Starly burst out of the trees, and all of their Pokémon began gathering eagerly around the table.
After setting out a meal for each Pokémon, Sato took off his apron and finally let out a relieved breath.
Moments like these always reminded him of the days when Joseph was still around…
But everyone had their dreams. Sato couldn't possibly hold his brother back from chasing his future just because they were short a cook.
"Umbree!"
Umbreon had returned with Glaceon at some point and, as usual, came over to rub against Sato's pant leg, snapping him back to the moment.
"Go eat. Today I made your favorite: Rawst Berry-flavored dried silverfish." Sato knelt down to rub the clingy Umbreon with a smile.
"Umbree~"
Umbreon happily nodded, then followed the scent to its personal food dish.
Then, they watched as Umbreon picked up the dish, carefully moved it next to Glaceon, and nudged it affectionately.
"Umbree~" 'You eat~'
Glaceon closed its eyes in delight, then rubbed against Umbreon and nudged the dish right back.
"Glay!" 'You eat too♥!'
Sato scratched his nose and looked away, deciding not to keep watching the two of them.
Being forced to watch your own Pokémon show off their relationship… a little sour, a little proud.
"Have you seen Heatran and the others?"
Suddenly, Cynthia frowned and asked Sato.
Sato scanned the area and quickly noticed that Houndoom and the other two Pokémon were missing.
"Lucario, track them down!"
Meanwhile, Cynthia had already taken action. Her Lucario activating its Aura immediately.
"Lucar!"
Three seconds later, Lucario opened its eyes and, without a word, took off in one direction.
"Something's wrong… Garchomp, let's go!" Cynthia said as she climbed onto Garchomp's back and sped off after Lucario.
"Sharpedo, take me. Honchkrow, scout from the air. I've already called for backup, so have the rest of the team hold position here."
As soon as Sato finished speaking, he hopped onto Sharpedo and followed. The remaining Pokémon were left standing around in confusion.
Now what? Were they supposed to eat or not?
When it came to short-distance burst speed, Sharpedo was unmatched among Sato's Pokémon.
With Aqua Jet, Agility, and the Speed Boost Ability, it caught up to Garchomp with ease.
Up ahead, Lucario darted through the dense and complex forest with its eyes closed, its speed matching that of Garchomp and Sharpedo without the slightest lag.
Aura guiding the way, Extreme Speed paving the path!
Like most of its kind, Cynthia's Lucario was usually quiet and unassuming. But once it moved, just its travel speed alone could outpace 99% of all Pokémon.
Even flying ones!
Before long, Sato could hear strange noises coming from ahead. Before he could even warn Cynthia, Lucario had already launched an Aura Sphere forward.
Clean, precise, without a moment's hesitation!
BOOOM!
"Stuuuuuuunk~"
A shriek followed, and a bulky purple Pokémon was blasted out of the underbrush.
"Skuntank!"
Cynthia immediately recognized the Pokémon, and at the same time, the sounds of intense battle nearby became clear.
Just as she was about to move forward, a Hyper Beam suddenly sliced horizontally through the air toward both of them.
"Protect." "Protect!"
The green energy barriers sprang up instantly, successfully blocking what would have been a lethal blast.
"Awooooo!"
"Awoo!"
Two familiar howls echoed through the forest; Sato and Cynthia immediately recognized them as Houndoom and Arcanine.
But… where was Heatran?
"Garchomp, Sandstorm sweep!"
"Gar!"
Soon, the smoke and debris stirred up by the Hyper Beam explosion were cleared by Garchomp's rapid winds, revealing the battered forms of Houndoom and Arcanine in front of them.
Meanwhile, an armored vehicle was speeding away in the opposite direction.
"It's a Hunter Guild truck!" Sato immediately recognized it.
"Lucario, Aura Sphere. Lock on and destroy that vehicle!"
"Lucar!"
In an instant, over a dozen Aura Spheres were formed and launched by Lucario, all soaring toward the fleeing truck.
But the next second, another terrifying Hyper Beam rained down from above, blasting away all of Lucario's Aura Spheres.
"Can't have you damaging the truck! You kids shouldn't interfere with my work~"
Across from them, a man in Hunter Guild combat gear stepped out slowly. His harmless appearance stood in stark contrast to the towering, intimidating Elite Four level Metagross beside him.
"Be careful! That's Hunter X. He specializes in disguise and deception!"
Cynthia immediately identified the enemy and warned Sato.
"Oh! You know me? So, you're with the League, huh?" Hunter X's expression shifted with a sneer.
"In that case, you definitely can't leave! Metagross, use Psychic!"
"Arcanine, Extreme Speed!"
"Houndoom, Dark Pulse."
Sato and Cynthia both issued commands instantly. Cautious, they didn't send out Garchomp or Sharpedo just yet.
They had come in a rush and hadn't brought many Pokémon along, assuming Heatran and the others had just encountered a few tough wild Pokémon.
But they never expected to run into Hunter X in such a remote location!
And by the looks of it… Heatran had already been caught?
By now, Metagross had already pinned down Arcanine with Psychic, but Houndoom's Dark Pulse was too effective, it immediately broke Metagross's concentration.
"This two cute little Pokémon won't stop my Metagross! Meteor Mash!"
Hunter X stayed completely calm, launching another counterattack. It was clear he was buying time so his men could get away with Heatran.
"Meta…"
Metagross let out a low growl, then swung its four massive, gleaming steel fists straight at Sato's Houndoom!
"It can't take that hit! Houndoom, Substitute, then, Mega Evolution!"
Facing an Elite Four level pseudo-legendary Metagross using its signature Meteor Mash, Sato didn't hesitate to call for retreat.
He clutched the Key Stone hanging around his neck and immediately activated Mega Evolution.
Meanwhile, Cynthia had already recalled Arcanine to let Garchomp fight with full force.
Taking advantage of the Mega Evolution window, Cynthia discreetly instructed Lucario to circle around the battlefield and go after the poaching truck.
Up in the sky, Honchkrow and Togekiss had already located Cynthia and Sato. The two birds exchanged a look… then made their move.
Togekiss immediately used Extreme Speed, turning back to summon reinforcements.
Honchkrow, on the other hand, dropped to a lower altitude, using the forest canopy as cover and preparing to strike at any moment.
On the other side, Hunter X realized that Sato and Cynthia weren't ordinary Trainers. So he didn't hesitate to send out two more Pokémon!