The tranquilizer darts worked perfectly—Dratini and Dragonair had no chance to resist.
Just as the capture net was about to be thrown, one of the Pokémon hunters suddenly shouted,"Boss! Look over there!"
The man in the trench coat frowned and followed his subordinate's pointing finger. In the distant sky, a small black dot was quickly growing larger—something was flying rapidly toward them!"What is that?"
A flicker of doubt crossed the trench-coated man's face.
He clearly remembered having cleared out most of the Flying-type Pokémon in the Safari Zone earlier. The few remaining had been scared off long ago. There shouldn't be any left in the vicinity—so how could something be flying toward them now?
Sensing something was off, he grew alert and gestured to his men.
At once, the hunters gripped their Poké Balls and took up defensive stances.
In just a few seconds, the dark silhouette in the sky became clearly visible.
A figure was riding atop a Metagross, soaring through the air and swiftly closing in. The steel titan halted above Dragon Valley, its gaze coldly fixed on the hunters below.
"Metagross!?"
The trench-coated man's pulse quickened as he stared at the trainer standing on its back.
He felt a flash of caution—but even stronger was excitement.
Could it be that fortune was smiling on him today? He'd just captured both a Dragonair and a Dratini, and now a Metagross was practically flying into his lap. If he could seize that Metagross from its trainer, he'd strike it rich for sure!
As for whether that trainer might pose a threat…
The moment he saw Nozomi's young face, he dismissed that thought completely.
He'd been a Pokémon hunter for nearly ten years and had never seen someone that young possess any serious power.
Even if the kid had a Metagross, his team outnumbered him dozens to one!If he couldn't handle a single boy despite having ten times the manpower, he might as well quit hunting and start farming Miltank instead!
With that thought, his confidence returned.
As the man sized up Nozomi, Nozomi was also calmly observing the hunters below.
"Over forty people… equipped with flight units and tranquilizer darts. A professional Pokémon hunting squad," Nozomi muttered, raising an eyebrow.
He had thought it would just be a few small-time poachers taking advantage of the lull after the League's recent war with Team Rocket—never expected to run into a full professional team.
"The current League Inspectors are a disgrace," he thought darkly. "What are they even doing? To let a group of forty fully armed Pokémon hunters sneak into Kanto without anyone noticing… pathetic."
Nozomi genuinely felt embarrassed on behalf of his former colleagues.
This group clearly wasn't native to Kanto. The fact that so many armed hunters could infiltrate the region undetected said everything about how useless the League's current Inspectors were.
He sighed inwardly. At this rate, I'll be ashamed to even call myself a former Inspector.
"Hey," Nozomi called down coolly, his voice carrying across the valley. "Was all that noise earlier your doing?"
He already knew the answer—it was a mere formality. His eyes were fixed on the tranquilized Dragonair and Dratini lying motionless below.
But the moment he seemed distracted, the trench-coated man barked, "Attack!"
At once, the hunters behind him released their Pokémon and launched a barrage of attacks skyward.
Nozomi's brow arched. "A sneak attack?"
It had been a while since anyone had tried that on him.
As he thought about it, he snapped his fingers. In that instant, both he and Metagross vanished from their spot—reappearing a short distance to the side.
Teleport!
The range was just enough to evade the hunters' assault.
"Metagross, full power—use Psychic!"
The moment they dodged, Nozomi gave the order.
Hum—!Metagross unleashed a wave of psychic energy with flawless control. The telekinetic force crashed down on the hunters and their Pokémon below.
"Ahhh!"
"My head—it hurts!"
The cries rose at once as though invisible hammers had struck their skulls.
The hunters and their Pokémon alike clutched their heads, writhing in pain.
Nozomi didn't bother holding back. After all, even within Team Rocket there might be the occasional person with a conscience—but among Pokémon hunters? There were no innocents.
Every single one of them was guilty of countless crimes.
But not all were paralyzed by Metagross's Psychic.
"Crawdaunt—Crunch!"
Gritting his teeth against the pain, the trench-coated man hurled a Poké Ball. From it emerged a blood-red Crawdaunt with savage eyes and enormous claws that snapped open menacingly before lunging at Metagross.
"Crawdaunt," Nozomi murmured with mild surprise. "A Hoenn Pokémon, huh?"
His tone was calm, but his command came instantly.
"Send it flying, Metagross—use Bullet Punch!"
Boom!Metagross swung its arm like a massive steel hammer, colliding with Crawdaunt's claws.
Crash!The force of the impact sent Crawdaunt tumbling backward, crashing hard into the ground. It struggled, clearly injured and at a disadvantage.
Still, its attack had broken Metagross's concentration, disrupting the Psychic hold.
Seizing the chance, the other hunters began shouting fresh orders. Their Pokémon attacked again—but this time, they were cautious. They didn't rush in all at once.
Instead, they attacked in coordinated waves, ready to adapt if Nozomi dodged again.
Nozomi let out a faint chuckle. "You really think that'll work on me?"
He reached to his belt and pulled out another Poké Ball.
Bang!
"Dra-gon!"
Dragonite burst forth with a thunderous roar!
"If you're attacking in waves," Nozomi said coolly, "then I'll just add another Pokémon."
Did they really think Metagross was his only powerhouse?
The combined presence of Metagross and Dragonite sent waves of intimidation rolling over the hunters below. Many froze, sweat trickling down their faces.
For the first time, they began to realize something was very wrong.
Two pseudo-legendary Pokémon… Could this boy really be just an ordinary trainer?
(End of Chapter)