On the mainland route leading to Lake Valor, a heavily armored vehicle was speeding down the road.
Paul sat in the driver's seat, focused on the road after finishing his report over the phone. Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a large aircraft appearing on the screen—right above him.
"They're here. Electabuzz, Charge up and prepare Thunder!"
Without hesitation, Paul ended the call, stowed his phone away, and pressed a button. The driver's seat of the armored vehicle ejected from the front, allowing Electabuzz to leap onto the roof.
"Buzz~!"
Electabuzz, sensing the urgency of the situation, maintained the highest level of Motivation it could muster. Landing on top of the vehicle, it immediately activated Charge causing terrifying amounts of Electric-type energy to surge within its body.
The next attack would hit with eight times its usual power!
With every ounce of energy unleashed, Electabuzz's entire body crackled with golden lightning, transforming into a massive thunder dragon that roared as it lunged toward the aircraft. The golden brilliance illuminated half the sky.
Inside the Aircraft…
"What the hell is that?! The power is insane!"
One of the grunts inside the aircraft gasped in horror upon witnessing the monstrous bolt of electricity hurtling toward them.
He couldn't help but wonder—could even Boss J's Salamence withstand that?!
"Activate the energy shield."
Hunter J gave the cold command.
"Yes, ma'am!"
A semi-transparent energy barrier materialized around the aircraft, forming a protective shield against the incoming Thunder Dragon.
As the lightning struck, the shield trembled violently, flickering as if on the verge of shattering.
Hunter J's sharp eyes glinted coldly. She had clearly undercharged for this job.
If she was going to do this, she'd have to make sure capturing Paul's Pokémon was worth it.
"First Squad, move in!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
Several hatches opened on the aircraft, releasing ten hunters clad in high-tech gear, each piloting a personal flying device as they sped toward Paul's location.
"Don't let them get close. Electabuzz, take them all down!"
Paul slammed the gas pedal to the floor while issuing the command.
"Buzz~!"
Electabuzz understood the order. Golden electricity surged around its body once again as it unleashed Thunder.
"Evade!"
The hunters, all elite operatives under Hunter J, reacted instantly, maneuvering their flying devices to dodge the massive lightning strikes.
"Hah! Is that all you got? You think you can hit us? Leave your Pokémon and your life behind, kid!"
The squad leader smirked as he rapidly closed the distance to Paul's armored vehicle.
"AAAAH!"
A sudden scream erupted through the squad's communication channels, causing the leader to glance back in shock.
One of their operatives, despite dodging the initial lightning strike, was suddenly struck by an unpredictable bolt of electricity—sending him plummeting from the sky.
"Something's wrong. Be cautious!"
The squad leader warned his team before resuming his advance toward Paul.
In an instant, another bolt of lightning shot out from Electabuzz's body.
This time, the leader dodged the attack with ease and continued pressing forward. However, as he got a closer look at Electabuzz, he noticed a gleam in its eyes and a knowing smirk on its face.
Instinctively, he turned around—and his face went pale.
The lightning bolt he had dodged earlier was now trailing directly behind him!
Realizing he had no time to react, the leader made a snap decision—he jumped off his flying device just before the lightning struck.
"RETREAT!"
He shouted as he fell.
But it was too late. The rest of the squad had already entered Electabuzz's 100-meter strike range.
"Buzz!"
Electabuzz released a massive surge of lightning, flooding the entire sky.
Every remaining hunter was struck—their flying devices short-circuited, sending them plummeting to the ground.
First Squad—annihilated!
BANG!
Hunter J's fist slammed onto the control panel.
The First Squad was her strongest unit, yet they had been utterly wiped out without achieving anything.
It was now clear—Paul and his Electabuzz were not ordinary targets.
She had no interest in wasting more manpower. Even attacking directly with the aircraft would be inefficient.
Hunter J stood up, her voice as cold as steel.
"Track him. I'll take him down myself."
"Understood!"
A hatch opened in the aircraft as Hunter J mounted on her Salamence, descended toward Paul and Electabuzz.
"Buzz~!"
Electabuzz immediately prepared another Thunder attack as soon as Hunter J appeared.
At this moment, it had reached the peak of its power, and it could even slightly manipulate the trajectory of its lightning strikes with its psychic focus.
It felt confident that this dragon-riding woman wouldn't be a problem.
However—
"Hyper Beam!"
Hunter J issued her command coldly.
"ROAR!"
Salamence unleashed a devastating blast of destructive energy, colliding head-on with Electabuzz's Thunder—neutralizing it completely.
Electabuzz knew that Hyper Beam had a recharge delay—it quickly prepared to fire another Thunder attack.
But—
"Dragon Pulse!"
A swirling, multicolored dragon-shaped aura shot out from Salamence's mouth, tearing through Thunder effortlessly.
"Buzz…!"
Electabuzz's eyes narrowed in alarm.
At its full power, it had expected to overwhelm its opponent—but this Salamence wasn't just strong… it was as powerful as Drapion or even stronger!
"Buzz~"
If this were a regular battle, Electabuzz would never back down, no matter how strong its opponent was.
But right now, Paul's safety took priority.
Lightning continued crackling around its body as it traded attacks with Salamence, but Hunter J's Pokémon continued closing the distance.
"Charge!"
Paul's voice came through the comms.
Electabuzz ceased all attacks and instead focused entirely on storing up electricity.
In that moment of hesitation, Salamence and Hunter J closed in to within 50 meters—and Hunter J raised her weapon.
A beam of Petrification Energy shot toward Electabuzz.
But before it could land, an enormous golden lightning surge erupted, swallowing the attack entirely.
"Protect!"
Hunter J commanded immediately.
Salamence deployed a barrier, shielding both itself and its rider as a blinding electric storm engulfed the entire battlefield.
When the storm finally subsided—Electabuzz was gone.
All that remained was Paul's armored vehicle, continuing down the road with its hatch sealed shut.
Hunter J's cold eyes scanned the surroundings.
"Where is the target?"
"The light was too blinding—we lost sight of him."
The scout hesitated.
Hunter J's expression darkened.
"Say that again?"
The scout gulped and corrected himself.
"The target entered the forest!"
Hunter J glanced toward the two possible routes:
A vast, endless mountain range with a mysterious cave entrance;
A dense, expansive forest.
"Retrieve the fallen operatives. I'll handle this myself."
Hunter J cast one last glance at the cave—then flew toward the forest.
She also believed that no one would be foolish enough to choose to enter a cave of unknown depth and seek death.
But if Paul wasn't in the forest, she would check the cave later.
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