Chapter 134: Poachers
In an open space in Petalburg Woods, Ryan and Ruby were freeing a group of Cascoon trapped in iron cages. Watching the slowly crawling swarm of Cascoon, Ryan called out, "Hurry up and leave! We don't want you to be caught by poachers again."
"These poachers are so shameless! They're using guns against Pokémon," said Sapphire.
"It can't be helped. Where there's light, there's darkness," Ruby shrugged.
"I've already notified Officer Jenny. They'll be here soon," Lillie said, putting down her phone.
Ryan slowly restored the area back to its original state and said, "Let's set up an ambush here. Since the poachers have left the Pokémon here, they'll definitely come back to get them. We'll wait and see. If the danger isn't too great, we'll capture them. If it's too dangerous, we'll wait for Officer Jenny and the others to arrive."
Sapphire nodded eagerly. "Agreed! We'll absolutely defeat them."
With that, the four of them found their own hiding places, awaiting the poachers' arrival. Ryan and Lillie hid in a densely leafed tree, while Ruby and Sapphire took shelter in a bush.
After waiting for nearly an hour, Ryan and the others finally saw an off-road vehicle, towing a large cage of Cascoon, approach the clearing. The vehicle stopped in front of the camouflaged cage, and a muscular man jumped out. He was dressed in camouflage gear, with a bandolier draped from his shoulders to his chest, holding six Poké Balls. He frowned, took two steps forward, then quickly stepped back and removed two Poké Balls from the belt.
Then, a Fearow and a Crobat appeared in the clearing. He immediately called out, "Crobat, Supersonic! Fearow, go scout from the sky!"
Ryan thought to himself, "This is trouble." Sure enough, the next second, the man pulled out a pistol from his waistband and fired directly at the treetops where Ryan and the others were hiding, and at the bushes where Ruby and the others were concealed.
Ryan immediately jumped down from the tree with Lillie, while Ruby, holding Sapphire, rolled to avoid the bullets.
"Mightyena, Roar!" Ruby yelled.
"Metagross, Gardevoir, restrain him!" Ryan shouted, simultaneously unleashing his own Psychic abilities. Three sources of psychic power instantly restrained the man.
"Sapphire, take his pistol and Poké Balls!" Ruby called out.
Ruby and Sapphire then moved over and snatched the man's pistol. Just as they were about to collect the Poké Balls, Ryan yelled, "Get back immediately!"
He then lunged at Ruby and Sapphire, pushing them aside. Then, a Poké Ball from the man's bandolier fell, rolling in front of Ryan. A massive explosion from a self-destructing Electrode sent him flying like a ragdoll.
"Ryan!" Lillie screamed in horror. "Alolan Ninetales, Ice Beam! Gardevoir, Shadow Ball!"
Lillie immediately sent out Alolan Ninetales and Gardevoir, aiming directly at the man. A cold glare flashed in Lillie's eyes; she had snapped!
"Hehe, the price of underestimating me will be severe!" the man said, twisting his still-mobile neck.
He then flung a Poké Ball directly at Lillie. Lillie looked at it and realized it wasn't a normal Poké Ball, but contained a Voltorb that would Self-Destruct! And it was another Voltorb that had just blocked the explosion, protecting the man.
"Boom!" An explosion erupted, sending dust flying into the air.
But when the dust settled, Metagross stood protecting Lillie. A massive Explosion was nothing to a Steel-type Pokémon.
Ryan wiped the blood from his mouth and stood up. His abdomen had been blasted, but his Healing Power had already restored him, stunning everyone.
"Even though it heals quickly, it really hurts!" Ryan said coldly. "I won't give you another chance!"
In an instant, he vanished from the spot. The man stared at the scene in shock, then immediately released Pokémon to block him: an Aggron and a Tyranitar. But the next second, Aggron was sent flying by a Blaze Kick from Blaziken, and Tyranitar was struck by Hariyama. Then, like a flash of green light, Grovyle's dual Leaf Blades slashed at Tyranitar.
Ryan, using Shave for acceleration, instantly reached the man, thrusting his fist upward with an uppercut that stunned him. The shockwave from striking the jaw would instantly reach the brain, causing a momentary loss of consciousness.
Ryan then grabbed his right arm and twisted it behind his back, dislocating his shoulder, which hung limply at his side.
The man let out a scream of agony, but the next second, Ryan repeated the same move, dislocating his left arm as well. The pain was unbearable, and he collapsed to the ground, his eyes rolling back.
"Phew," Ryan exhaled. The combat techniques Norman had taught him were indeed very effective.
But before he could finish his thought, someone lunged at him from behind. Lillie clung to Ryan tightly. He could clearly feel her body trembling.
"It's okay, it's okay," Ryan said, turning around and hugging Lillie.
Ruby rubbed her cheek and walked over. "I knew you'd be fine. Ryan's healing ability is insane. How could anything happen to him?"
Ryan rolled his eyes at Ruby and said, "Just because it heals doesn't mean it doesn't hurt, okay? Next time, please think carefully before you act. You could have used your Gardevoir to telekinetically remove his weapon!"
Ruby rubbed her cheek and said sheepishly, "Sorry, I forgot."
"By the way, what's wrong with your face?" Ryan asked.
There was a clear handprint on Ruby's face. Then, looking at Sapphire, who was blushing and approaching, and the two muddy handprints on her chest, Ryan understood instantly.
"It's all your fault," Ruby said helplessly.
Although grateful to Ryan for saving their lives, Ruby felt the slap was unfair. It was clearly Ryan who pushed them, and their hands landed where they landed. It was force majeure!
Lillie turned to look at Ruby, her darker side clearly visible. Her message was clear: Say another word and I'll deal with you!
Ruby quickly backed down—after all, an angry Lillie was not someone to mess with.
Ryan had Grovyle find thick vines and securely bind the man. He then collected the six defeated Pokémon into their Poké Balls and disabled the release mechanisms, preventing them from escaping.
"Leave it to Officer Jenny and the others," Ryan thought after releasing the caged Cascoon. His priority now was to quickly clean up. After all, he was covered in dust and blood, his clothes tattered, and he looked terrible.
A little later, Officer Jenny and her team arrived and apprehended the man. They also stated that this poacher was extremely dangerous, using firearms and Pokémon to harm people. He wouldn't see freedom again for the rest of his life.
After consulting with Ryan and the others, Officer Jenny and her team departed. Ryan and his group quickly found a stream to wash up. Lillie saw that Ryan's torso was indeed completely healed, so she and Sapphire went upstream to clean themselves.
(End of Chapter)
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