Chapter 158: Appearance of Pokémon Hunters

Su Yi carefully put away the badge case.

Although, with his current full strength, challenging gym badges should not pose much resistance, these badges were nevertheless the essential credentials required to enter the League Conference.

Moreover, they were items of significant commemorative value.

Su Yi himself quite enjoyed collecting such things.

Even in video games, it was just like completing achievements: sets, rare items, accessories—he might not necessarily use them, but he had to own them.

Me, Su Yi, the collector.

……

In Eterna Forest, the Kulu-Ya-Ku traded a Leaf Stone to Eevee, and subsequently, Eevee evolved into Leafeon using it, confirming Professor Rowan's hypothesis.

Professor Oak brought out his instruments and equipment, collecting the energy extracted by the Kulu-Ya-Ku, and traded a whole box of egg-flavored Pokéblocks for the Leaf Stone that the Kulu-Ya-Ku had dug up.

"Very well, the research materials have been collected," Professor Oak said with satisfaction.

"Ms. Cynthia, if you are still undecided, you can come with us to Snowpoint City. Around that area, there is the Moss Rock, which is our next target for research."

"That is a place where Eevee can evolve into Glaceon. We still have another Eevee that needs to evolve, so you can make your choice then," Professor Rowan said.

"Then I'll trouble you both." Cynthia thought for a moment and accepted the invitation.

"Vee-ee~" Cynthia's Eevee waved its paws to bid farewell to the wild Leafeon.

Right at that moment, a sudden gale surged, and with a whoosh, a burst of Flamethrower roared through the air.

"Vee!"

The two Leafeons were instantly heavily injured and collapsed to the ground.

"Who is it?!" Cynthia's brows furrowed as she turned her head to look.

"It seems there is an unexpected harvest after all." In the sky, a woman wearing goggles stood on the back of a Salamence, slowly descending in altitude.

"Vee-vee!" The two Leafeons scrambled up in a panic and fled toward the depths of the forest.

"Don't even think about running. You two are valuable merchandise."

As she spoke, the woman raised her left hand, and the device on her wrist fired a beam of light that accurately struck the two Leafeons.

"Vee?!" Amidst the Leafeons' terrified cries, within a few seconds, they were transformed into motionless bronze-colored statues.

"What?!" Professor Oak was greatly shocked.

"Are they Pokémon hunters? Such a cruel method!" Professor Rowan said angrily.

"Target acquired."

The Pokémon hunter deployed two base platforms, which flew beneath the statues of the Leafeons, and then glass domes emerged to trap them inside.

At that moment, the Leafeons looked just like specimens locked inside containers.

"Don't even think about taking them away! Garchomp, Dragon Claw!" Cynthia's expression turned stern as she abruptly waved her hand.

"Roar!" Garchomp bared its sharp claws, leaped into the air, and surged toward the Pokémon hunter like a jet fighter.

Salamence immediately gained altitude, dodging Garchomp's Dragon Claw.

"Garchomp, what a rare Pokémon too. Once captured, I won't have to worry about finding a buyer."

Seizing the opportunity, the Pokémon hunter aimed her restraint device at Garchomp.

"Dragon Pulse!" Cynthia commanded.

"Roar-gh!" Garchomp let out a furious roar, unleashing a surging wave of dragon-type energy.

"Tch!" The hunter retracted her device, and Salamence executed a swift sideways dodge, narrowly avoiding the Dragon Pulse.

At that exact moment, from beneath Salamence, a sharp, rushing whistle echoed.

A hard energy stone hurtled through the air at high speed, slamming into Salamence's abdomen with a loud thud before shattering into pieces.

"Roar-gh!" Salamence roared in agony, its furious gaze shifting downward.

"Gaa-ah!" Kulu-Ya-Ku showed no fear toward that glare and once again materialized a hard stone.

"Oh? What kind of Pokémon is this? It must be very rare too; perhaps it can fetch a good price." The hunter said as she tossed two Poké Balls.

A spider Pokémon and a scorpion Pokémon landed on the ground.

"It's Ariados and Drapion," Professor Rowan noted.

"Ariados, String Shot; Drapion, Cross Poison," the hunter commanded.

Cynthia's beautiful eyes narrowed slightly as she said, "You dare to divide your attention in battle? You clearly aren't taking me seriously!"

"Garchomp, Dragon Dive!"

The next moment, Garchomp, enveloped in a murderous and intimidating aura of dragon-type energy, charged straight at Salamence.

"Tough opponent!" the hunter gritted her teeth.

On the other side, facing Ariados and Drapion, Kulu-Ya-Ku swiftly scooped up a large chunk of energy rock.

"Gaa-ah-ah!" Kulu-Ya-Ku craned its neck, letting out an angry roar as it fiercely clutched the heavy stone and leaped high into the air, hurling it down toward the two Pokémon.

The battle instantly intensified. Garchomp launched a ferocious onslaught.

Salamence's special attacks failed to stop it, and in close-quarters combat, it had to constantly look out for the hunter riding on its back.

Meanwhile, the hunter realized that this Garchomp was exceptionally powerful, suppressing them to the point where they could barely breathe, and defeat was only a matter of time.

On the other side, Kulu-Ya-Ku used Brave Bird to shatter Ariados's web, locked in a contest of strength with Drapion, and gradually gained the upper hand.

Ariados attempted to launch a sneak attack on Professor Oak and his group to use them as hostages, but was instead hammered flat onto the ground by Kulu-Ya-Ku with an angry, heavy-stone strike.

Furthermore, Drapion could no longer cope alone against Kulu-Ya-Ku, which possessed both offensive and defensive capabilities while wielding its stone, and looked as though it would be defeated very soon.

"Ran into a tough wall!" the hunter muttered resentfully.

"Gaa-roar!" Taking advantage of the hunter's momentary lapse in concentration, Garchomp pressed the attack relentlessly, delivering a powerful claw swipe. Salamence took the hit, throwing its head back in agony, and the hunter almost tumbled off its back.

"You...! Looking closely, are you the Sinnoh Champion?! No wonder you're so strong!"

While marveling at Garchomp's formidable strength, the hunter stared closely at Cynthia's face and finally recognized her.

Cynthia let out a cold chuckle. "Only recognizing me now? Isn't it a bit too late?"

With a grim expression, the hunter declared, "I have no interest in people who cannot generate profit!"

"It's over! Garchomp, Dragon Dive!" Seizing the opportunity, Cynthia launched her finishing blow.

"Tch!" The hunter pulled out an object and hurled it downward violently. With a loud bang, it exploded, and a thick cloud of smoke filled the air, obscuring everyone's vision.

Shortly after, the buzzing sound of engines echoed from not far away.

"Cough, cough! How are the Leafeons?" Professor Oak waved away the smoke and asked with deep concern.

Cynthia looked at Garchomp, which was carrying the two containers holding the Leafeons back, and said, "They're fine. The Leafeons have been rescued."

As the smoke cleared, the group saw an airship rapidly retreating into the distance.

The technology that turned Pokémon into statues seemed terrifying, but reversing it was not particularly difficult; one simply had to flip the switch on the base of the container to release them.

After Professor Oak gently instructed the shaken Leafeons to leave the area, he sighed and said, "I never expected we would run into such Pokémon hunters."

Not only did the adversary possess the horrifying technology to turn Pokémon into statues, but they also operated a large aircraft capable of transportation. This was far beyond the scope of ordinary poachers.

"This is a serious matter; it must be reported to the League immediately." Professor Rowan's habitually stern face became exceptionally grave.

Right at that moment, Professor Oak's phone rang—it was a call from Su Yi.

"Hey, Professor Oak, Kulu-Ya-Ku hasn't been causing any trouble, has it?" Su Yi's cheerful voice sounded.

Professor Oak glanced at the still energetic Kulu-Ya-Ku and said, "Kulu-Ya-Ku has been a tremendous help. It saved us from the attack of a Pokémon hunter."

Su Yi: "Huh?!"

I never imagined that an allergy could be so severe that it required hospitalization. This is only the second time in my life I have ever been this worried; the first time was when my father was admitted to the intensive care unit.

I heard severe cases carry the risk of going into shock, and these past few days I simply haven't had the energy or the state of mind to write.

I originally wanted to post a formal notice, but actually, I wanted to drop a chapter and notify everyone in the author's note section, just like this.

Updates might be unstable for the next few days. I'll wait until my mother's condition improves before resuming properly.

(End of this chapter)