Torch watched in disbelief as the trap he had worked so hard to set up was destroyed by Ekans, a Pokémon that appeared out of nowhere. Blood rushed to his head.
"It's a ghost," he muttered. "Fearow is clearly controlling the surrounding Pokémon. What's going on with Ekans?"
It was impossible for a Pokémon to fall from the sky. Yet, that's exactly what Ekans had done, thrown by Ashborn from a kilometer away.
Torch's trap was filled with explosives, and while Ekans wasn't directly killed, it was bruised and battered.
"Spare your life?," Torch said, glaring at Ekans. He didn't want to kill him, but the explosion had likely attracted the woman who was pursuing him.
Originally, Torch had had a chance of winning with and his traps. Now, with the traps destroyed, he had to get out of there quickly.
"Fearow, let's go!"
As he spoke, Lancy, who had been searching for him, was rushing towards the sound of the explosion.
"Bullet Punch!"
Just as he was riding Fearow, a gust of wind came from behind. Torch ducked instinctively, feeling a punch that could have shattered his skull.
Cold sweat broke out on his forehead. This was the closest he had come to death since becoming a Pokémon hunter.
Without waiting for Torch's orders, Fearow's long, white beak pecked at the attacker.
"Meteor Mash!"
Metagross remained silent, its massive metal claw glowing with colorful light.
A deafening explosion followed as the two moves collided. Fearow used its wings to protect Torch, shielding him from the blast.
The wings were damaged, feathers scattered, and blood flowed freely.
"Hypno!"
Torch, who had finally recovered, sent out his second Pokémon. Fearow was level 65, Hypno level 67.
The captured target was no ordinary pseudo-Elite but close to the peak. However, Hypno's condition was not good, as evidenced by the occasional flashes of light indicating paralysis.
Ashborn quickly understood the situation. Someone was still pursuing the target, but they had been cut off.
The fact that the target had come to White River Forest and the explosion indicated that they was a trap set by Torch.
He had to deal with the target before their captors arrived. Without hesitation, Ashborn focused on completing his task.
"You're from the Metagross Zovic Family," Torch said, recognizing Ashborn's identity. However, he showed no fear. Few people could intimidate a vicious criminal like him.
Ashborn, a half-sized boy, was of no concern to Torch.
He looked at Ashborn with excitement. If he captured him and threatened the woman, she would surely be afraid of Ashborn's identity and let him go.
Torch's plan coincided with Ashborn's. They both wanted to eliminate each other before Lancy arrived.
Although Ashborn had a pseudo-legendary, he hadn't yet reached pseudo-Elite level. However, he was approaching the peak.
The outside world had a common understanding of pseudo-legendaries: they could easily defeat Pokémon of the same level and fight beyond their weight class.
However, for senior trainers, this understanding was too simplistic. While pseudo-legendaries were powerful, they could be defeated through level suppression, combat experience suppression, or even if the Pokémon's condition was not optimal.
"Hypno, Psybeam!"
"Fearow, Hyper Beam!"
Wild fights were brutal and without rules. Anything was fair game, except for using guns and bullets.
Torch had already taken out a gun and demanded Ashborn's surrender.
Metagross stood in front of Ashborn, using Protection to block both moves.
"This is impossible!" Torch yelled, looking at Metagross in disbelief.
He had seen pseudo-legendaries before and even defeated some. But this Metagross was defying all logic.
Although Protection could block moves with a relatively high power limit, the Pokémon levels of both sides had to be similar.
Torch's pokemon were more than ten levels above Metagross. And yet, Metagross had blocked two powerful moves with Protection.
"Lucario, use Close Combat on Fearow!"
"Metagross, use Shadow Ball on Hypno!"
"Gengar, sneak attack the Trainer from behind!"
Ghost Pokémon were known for their assassination skills and were essential for any assassin.
Torch had a Gengar, and upon hearing the command, he immediately took out his Poké Ball and turned around.
However, instead of seeing Gengar, he saw another Pokémon he had never seen before.
"Meltan, Thunder Shock!"
Meltan's small body was perfect for hiding in the darkness. Ashborn had released it earlier, and it had sneaked behind Temple.
Under the Thunder Shock, Torch was instantly stunned. Ashborn had told Meltan to hold back, otherwise Torch would have died.
Without their Trainer, Fearow and Hypno were quickly defeated by Metagross and Lucario. Ashborn took back Torch's unconscious Pokémon and began searching for loot.
The system prompted him that the task was complete. As a Pokémon hunter who broke the law, Torch had many valuable items.
There were five advanced evolution stones alone, and there were secret treasures for Ground and Rock Pokémon, including soft fine sand, which was worth 100 million pokes.
While Ashborn didn't need these items, the thrill of searching kept him going.
After searching for a while, Ashborn took all the valuables and tied the unconscious Temple to a tree.
Hearing footsteps nearby, he realized that Torch's pursuers had arrived.
"Dragonair, let's go!"
Dragonair soared into the air, carrying Ashborn away. Lancy's Electivire looked up at the night sky, noticing something flying past.
"What happened, Electivire? The explosion sound came from around here. Let's be careful," Lancy said.
It didn't take long for her to find the site of the explosion and the bound Torch.
Lancy: "It's so easy to get the 100 million bounty."
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Ara ara ~~ Sayo nara ~~