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"Qika~"
The 'lights' on Regigigas's body flashed rapidly, and its massive size exuded an astonishing sense of oppression.
"Salamence, let's go."
Hunter J called out to the Salamence beneath her. She wasn't planning on wasting time with Regigigas here.
After all, there was no point. With such a massive body, her petrifying gun wouldn't be effective at all.
Moreover, with this Regigigas's power, this land wouldn't be enough for it to rampage in. Snowpoint City, which was nearby, would probably be in trouble.
However, Hunter J didn't care about that.
Salamence turned its head upon hearing her, ready to leave.
"Boss, the seventh team has lost contact. How are things on your end?" A subordinate's voice suddenly came through the communicator.
"The plan has changed, everyone retreat. The target is out of control."
Hunter J replied indifferently. As for her subordinate's report of 'the seventh team has lost contact', Hunter J didn't take it to heart.
Subordinates were expendable tools to her, and she had no shortage of them. Due to Hunter J's reputation, there were countless Hunters who wanted to work under her.
But just then, a strong sense of dread instantly struck her—the threat of death.
That chilling sensation, which even gave her goosebumps, she had experienced it several times when she first started as a Pokémon Hunter.
Hunter J immediately turned her head, only to see a massive yellow beam of light rapidly tearing through the air, heading straight for her and Salamence!
It was Regigigas's Hyper Beam!
"Salamence!"
Hunter J's scream was incredibly sharp at this moment.
Salamence also sensed it and immediately tried to dodge, but it was too late. There wasn't enough time to even activate a Protect barrier.
Boom!
The Hyper Beam heavily struck Salamence, the violent roar deafening, and a powerful wave of air accompanied by shockwaves spread out.
And Salamence, struck by Regigigas, fell towards the ground like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily and its Aura Heart clearly weakened to the extreme.
Hunter J also fell from Salamence as it hit the ground, blood spilling from the corner of her mouth, lying on the ground with only a faint breath.
Although most of the Hyper Beam's damage was blocked by Salamence, she still suffered very severe injuries.
Hunter J's pupils were already somewhat unfocused at this moment. Perhaps she was about to die.
"Look what I see, how pitiful. That amount of bleeding is a bit exaggerated."
A voice, whether gloating or playfully teasing, suddenly entered Hunter J's ears, who was now a bit disoriented.
But at this moment, she couldn't move her entire body, and even turning her head became extremely difficult.
"Mammon, jokes like that aren't appropriate at a time like this."
Cynthia frowned slightly, saying to Mammon helplessly.
As she spoke, Cynthia quickly walked to Hunter J's side and crouched down, checking Hunter J's injuries.
Their location was still covered in a layer of snow, but the white snow beneath Hunter J was gradually turning red.
This was also why Mammon said the bleeding was a bit exaggerated.
Cynthia noticed that Hunter J's left abdomen was already a bloody mess, clearly impacted by the explosion of the move.
Cynthia immediately took out a bottle of Super Potion spray. Although Potions were far less effective on humans than on Pokémon.
But in an emergency, they could still be used to alleviate wounds.
"Cynthia, you truly are a great person. This person is Hunter J, and you're actually preparing to save her."
Mammon slowly walked behind Cynthia, marveling.
"The crimes she's committed are probably enough to get her locked up for life, right?"
"That's another matter, Mammon. She's also a human."
Cynthia's exquisite face was calm, and she replied clearly with a magnetic voice.
"No matter how many bad things she's done, I won't stand by and watch her die when it's within my power to help."
The evil committed by Hunter J was one thing, but her being severely injured and on the verge of death was another.
Saving her was Cynthia's conscience, but how to deal with her after saving her was another matter entirely. Cynthia understood this very clearly.
"That's why you people are like this." Mammon couldn't help but chuckle upon hearing this.
This was also why he admired Champions like Cynthia and Steven; they genuinely held goodwill towards this world.
If Mammon were in Cynthia's position, he probably wouldn't be able to do something like this. A heinous criminal like Hunter J, the sooner she died, the sooner she'd be reborn.
Hunter J's unfocused pupils had dimmed a lot at this moment, but she also heard the conversation between Cynthia and Mammon. Her pale face showed an unreadable expression.
"You can't save her, Cynthia. Her injuries are too severe," Caitlin suddenly interjected.
"The Hyper Beam just now should have shattered her internal organs. Super Potion can only treat her external injuries."
Caitlin was a Psychic. She could sense Hunter J's general physical condition at this moment.
Unless she was rushed to a top hospital for emergency treatment right now, she might be saved, but the probability was very low.
Cynthia was silent.
"However, Mammon's Sacred Ash should be able to save her," Caitlin added.
The Sacred Ash was the most effective medicine Caitlin had ever seen, and importantly, the Sacred Ash was also extremely effective on humans.
Perhaps it was because the main ingredient of Sacred Ash was Ho-Oh's feathers?
"You don't need to look at me. I have no obligation to save her."
Mammon raised an eyebrow and replied with a smile to Cynthia, who was looking at him.
"And look closely, Cynthia. Do you see that Pokémon going berserk in the distance?"
Mammon pointed towards the 'giant' in the distance that was like a mountain—it was the legendary Regigigas.
Although it had struck down Hunter J and Salamence, Regigigas was still in a rage, constantly swinging its arms, and massive Hyper Beams were wildly attacking its surroundings. There was no mention of the usual post-Hyper Beam paralysis.
This was exactly like the anime; clearly, Regigigas was still furiously out of control.
The violent roars of Hyper Beam came one after another, smoke and dust filling the air, and the area around Regigigas was already a mess.
Mountains, ground, and the temple, all suffered destruction.
"No need to even think about it, Regigigas going berserk must be this woman's doing, and now she's just suffering the backlash. She deserves it."
Mammon's voice was full of mockery.
"Of course, as long as you ask me, I can give you the Sacred Ash to save her life."
The black-haired young man curled his lips, full of malice.
"But Cynthia, you need to think carefully. Do you really want to save such a heinous person? And ask me for her sake?"
Caitlin's exquisite brows furrowed slightly, but she still didn't say anything.
She probably guessed Mammon's thoughts; it was nothing more than a test of Cynthia's resolve.
If Cynthia gave up on saving Hunter J because of Mammon's words…
Once a crack appears in humanity, it becomes truly difficult to mend it.
"…Mammon, I beg you, save her."
However, Cynthia didn't hesitate much. She lowered her stance and pleaded with Mammon.
She still adhered to her principles; she couldn't bear to watch a human life slip away before her eyes.
"You really are…"
Mammon couldn't help but smile at this, saying it was expected. But this was what made it interesting; this was Cynthia.
Mammon took out the Sacred Ash from his backpack and walked in front of Hunter J.
"Consider yourself lucky today, but from now on, your life belongs to Team Rockets."
Mammon crouched down, looking at Hunter J's pale face.
He first sprinkled half a bottle of Sacred Ash on Hunter J's wound, and the other half he poured into a bottle of water, stirred it well, and fed it to Hunter J.
Mammon was not polite at all. He was different from Cynthia. Since he saved Hunter J, she should be prepared to contribute her talents to the prosperity of Team Rockets.
As for handing Hunter J over to Cynthia? Not a chance.
Upon hearing Mammon's words, Cynthia's expression changed slightly, but in the end, she hesitated to speak, sighing inwardly.
What could she say?
And undoubtedly, the effect of the Sacred Ash was immediate. Hunter J's wounds healed significantly almost instantly, and her complexion also improved.
"This medicine?"
Witnessing this scene, Cynthia was shocked by the healing effects of the Sacred Ash.
"If it were true Sacred Ash, it could bring the dead back to life and regrow flesh on bones. However, this Sacred Ash isn't that exaggerated in its effect, but it can save a dying person."
Mammon stood up. He estimated that in less than half an hour, Hunter J's injuries should recover mostly, at least she would definitely be out of life-threatening danger.
"Where did this come from?"
"My company developed it. Don't even think about it, the miraculous healing effect of this Sacred Ash is mainly due to its main ingredient, and that stuff isn't so easy to obtain."
Mammon knew what Cynthia was thinking without even needing to. Such an exaggerated healing effect, and most importantly, it was so effective on humans.
It could practically be called a miracle drug.
But the raw material for Sacred Ash was Ho-Oh's feathers, which meant that Sacred Ash could not be mass-produced.
Otherwise, they couldn't just pluck Ho-Oh bald, could they? If that happened, even Ho-Oh would get angry.
Hmm, although Mammon thought that with Ho-Oh's self-healing ability, growing a new set of feathers shouldn't take too long.
"…" Cynthia was genuinely curious about what the raw material for this Sacred Ash was.
But she also received a piece of information: Mammon's company, were their scientific achievements that exaggerated?
"Then next, it's that big guy."
Mammon looked far into the distance at Regigigas. This big guy was still rampaging and destroying its surroundings.
"So big~"
Mammon couldn't help but exclaim. From his perspective, Regigigas's size was like a massive mountain.
It was at least twenty to thirty meters tall, which was completely different from the anime, but it seemed to be true.
In reality, according to Pokedex data, Regigigas's size is only about 3.7 meters, and in the anime, it's roughly that size too.
But Mammon was sure these data were problematic. Take Groudon as an example: the Pokedex data states regular Groudon is 3.5 meters, and after Primal Reversion, it's 5 meters.
But in reality, based on the anime, Primal Groudon's size should be at least over a dozen meters.
And Mammon had truly seen Primal Groudon. He could be very certain that Primal Groudon's size was about fifteen meters or more.
Because Primal Kyogre's length was already nearly twenty meters.
"If this continues, it will probably affect Snowpoint City very soon," Cynthia said worriedly, looking at the gradually moving Regigigas, her lips pursed.
Because Snowpoint Temple was not very far from Snowpoint City to begin with, and with Regigigas's destructive power, Snowpoint City would definitely not be able to withstand Regigigas's rampage.
"Definitely. Why are you looking at me?" Mammon looked at Cynthia with interest.
"Mammon, please stop it," Cynthia once again pleaded with the leader of Team Rockets.
"Ha~ Cynthia, what do you take me for?"
Although he originally came here for Regigigas, Mammon certainly wouldn't say that at this moment.
"This doesn't benefit me at all."
"But you can capture Regigigas, right?"
"First of all, what use would I have for this slow-starting thing? Cynthia, a legend of this caliber isn't going to follow you just because you want to capture it."
Mammon scoffed. He was indeed quite interested in Regigigas, but whether Regigigas was willing to follow him was another matter.
Cynthia took a deep breath, her gaze gradually firming.
She knew that she couldn't stop Regigigas on her own; she didn't have that power.
But Mammon could. Mammon was capable of it, if he was willing to act.
"As long as you can stop Regigigas from destroying Snowpoint City, Mammon, I can grant you one request that doesn't cross my bottom line."
"Are you sure?"
Mammon looked at Cynthia with interest.
"Join Team Rockets? Or have a child with me?"
Cynthia's breathing became rapid. Good heavens, either join Team Rockets or have a child? Is that how you give someone a choice?
Most importantly…
Cynthia could already feel the sharp gaze from a certain blonde best friend.
Cynthia was starting to sweat.