Not far from where Ash and his friends were having lunch, there was a high plateau.
Atop the plateau stood a small courtyard, belonging to a young girl nad lodi. She had grown up alongside her two closest companions—Gardevoir and Kirlia.
Today, lodi was watering the flower fields with Gardevoir.
"Gardevoir, seeing this garden thrive makes so happy. It feels like these flowers are our family," she said warmly.
"Garde... Gardevoir~"
Gardevoir nodded with a gentle smile.
lodi and Gardevoir both loved flowers, so they had cultivated a vast flower field near the courtyard. They tended to it daily, making sure each bloom flourished.
At the sa ti, they also looked after the younger Kirlia.
However, today, their peaceful routine was about to be shattered.
In the distance, a Salance was soaring toward the flower field.
Perched atop its back, Pokémon Hunter J adjusted her specialized visor, a device equipped with various advanced functions.
"Perfect, the location has been confird. This is the place."
"Salance, descend. That Gardevoir is right there."
"Roar!"
Just as Salance began its descent—
A powerful presence surged toward them at an astonishing speed!
Sensing the disturbance, Hunter J swiftly turned around.
A trainer wearing a cap was racing toward them atop a Pidgeot, moving with blinding speed!
"Hmm? Who is this?"
Hunter J's mind imdiately analyzed the situation, scanning for potential threats. However, she found no imdiate records of the trainer.
Her visor's auto-search function kicked in, referencing recent tournant data from the Hoenn League Ever Grande Conference.
"Ha! Just a Top 8 finalist?"
Upon seeing this, Hunter J dismissed the trainer without a second thought.
Since Hoenn was geographically closer, the visor had pulled up information from the Ever Grande Conference. Had she continued searching, she would have discovered that this sa trainer had conquered the Battle Frontier, and she might not have underestimated him so easily.
"Pidgeot, Hurricane!"
"Salance, Flathrower!"
Hunter J clicked her tongue in irritation. She had anticipated a smooth operation, but now an unexpected obstacle had appeared.
She had no interest in negotiating.
Anyone who stood in her way was an enemy!
Whoosh!
Pidgeot flapped its wings powerfully.
Salance unleashed a roaring stream of Flathrower, but before the flas could even reach Pidgeot, the sheer force of Hurricane blew them away!
"What?!"
Hunter J was montarily stunned.
She had miscalculated—this Pidgeot was far stronger than she had anticipated!
Without hesitation, she made a decision.
This was what made Hunter J one of the most formidable Pokémon hunters—her powerful Pokémon, her ruthless efficiency, and most importantly, her ability to judge a situation instantly.
If a mission beca unfavorable, she would retreat without hesitation.
"Mission compromised. A powerful trainer is obstructing . All units, prepare for evacuation!"
J's no-nonsense approach was what had kept her at the top of the Pokémon black market.
She never engaged in unnecessary fights.
A flick of her boot, and Salance imdiately adjusted its flight path to retreat.
But—
Would Ash let her escape so easily?
It wasn't about ddling in others' affairs.
Ash simply hated Pokémon hunters.
Any respectable trainer despised people like J.
"Hunter J, I've heard all about you." Ash's eyes sharpened. "I have a Pokémon here that might be very interested in eting you."
"Co out, Tyranitar!"
"BAN!!"
Tyranitar roared as it erged.
Ash used his Aura Of Vison - Salance's level—65.
It wouldn't be easy to take it down in one hit.
So why not gang up on it?
"You little brat, mind your own business!"
Hunter J hated these types—idealistic trainers who stuck their noses where they didn't belong.
Her own strength was at the Elite Four level. Outside of battling actual Champions, she rarely t opponents who could trouble her.
"Tyranitar, that woman is a Pokémon poacher."
Ash's words had an imdiate effect.
Tyranitar's crimson eyes locked onto Hunter J with seething rage.
"BAN-ROAR!!"
For Tyranitar, the word 'poacher' was a declaration of war.
"Damn it. Drapion, get out here and hold off that Tyranitar!"
Realizing she was up against a monster, Hunter J released her Drapion.
At the sa ti, she sent out a distress call to her invisible airship, ordering it to co pick her up.
The mont Drapion appeared—
BOOM!
It was instantly blasted away by Tyranitar's Hyper Beam!
"Salance, Hyper Beam!"
Hunter J quickly ordered a counterattack.
But—
"tagross, use Psychic to interfere with Drapion!"
A new voice entered the battlefield.
Anabel had arrived.
As a Frontier Brain, her strength was close to an Elite Four mber.
Against Hunter J's Drapion, she could hold her own.
tagross's Psychic locked Drapion in place.
At the sa ti, Tyranitar let out a deafening roar before unleashing Earth Power—
BAM!
Drapion was launched into the air—right into Salance's path!
Before Drapion even hit the ground, the system notification in Ash's mind confird:
[Opponent's Drapion has lost the ability to battle.]
"Damn it... How much longer until extraction?" Hunter J snapped.
anwhile, up above—
Her invisible airship was arriving at terrifying speed.
"Aim at those two girls and fire!"
"Understood!"
Hunter J knew exactly where to strike.
Her instincts told her those two girls were important to this interfering brat.
So, she ordered the airship to target Anabel and Dawn.
As expected—
Ash's gaze imdiately flickered toward them.
"Tyranitar, protect Anabel and Dawn!"
At that mont—
A powerful gust swept through the air.
Salance had launched Hurricane!
Although Pidgeot had the level advantage, it hadn't reached the Champion threshold (Level 70 ).
Hurricane hit!
Right as Salance's attack connected—
VROOOOM—
Hunter J's airship arrived in a flash, covering the battlefield in its massive shadow.
She recalled Drapion and jumped aboard.
But before leaving, she cast a final look at Ash.
Who was this trainer?
A Top 8 finalist shouldn't have had this much power.
Was he hiding his true strength during the Ever Grande Conference?
...No matter.
With soone this strong interfering, the mission was already a failure.
As for the airship's cannon—
Hunter J had never actually intended to fire it.
She had simply tested Ash's reaction to gauge how much he cared about his companions.
Provoking a Champion-level trainer?
Only an idiot would do that.
And she was no idiot.
(Author's Note: Hunter J is like a mini-boss. She won't go down so easily. Consider this a prelude to a bigger confrontation!)
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