Chapter 27: Help
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Upon hearing Bruce's response, the Pokémon hunter smiled, "I don't know what to do."
"Go and take care of them," he said, raising his hand and throwing another Pokéball.
When a red beam of light landed, a massive Pokémon crashed onto the ground with a 'boom.'
It had a body of dark red and black, with yellow pupils, purple circular markings, purple and red antennae, and a dark grayish belly.
[Pokémon: Scolipede (Bug/Poison)
Ability: Poison Point
Qualification: Gym Trainer
Level: Lv36 (Professional)]
The Professional Scolipede was even more powerful than the Toxicroak by its side.
Though Scolipede appeared somewhat heavy, it was fast and highly agile. It could chase its opponent at high speeds, attacking with the horns on its head, and never stopping until the enemy was down.
Toxicroak launched the first attack. Although its fighting condition had greatly weakened, it still had the strength to battle.
In the face of a significant level difference, Combusken had to be cautious not to get hit by Toxicroak's attack.
"Be careful," Bruce said to Combusken with a solemn expression.
"Comb!"
Combusken's eyes were sharp, watching Toxicroak charge toward him with fighting spirit.
At the same time,
Scolipede charged at Bruce with terrifying speed, a fierce look on its face, exuding an intense sense of pressure as the two prepared to clash.
"Emboar, Flamethrower."
Just as Bruce's right hand reached for the Pokéball on his waist, a deep and powerful voice suddenly echoed in his ears.
In the next instant, a blazing column of fire swept across the field, hitting Scolipede head-on and exploding in its chest.
Boom!
Scolipede, highly susceptible to fire moves, took considerable damage in that instant from the powerful flames.
Bruce was momentarily surprised, then looked up to see two figures appearing in his line of sight: the tall and muscular Thomas and the lean Oliver.
Beside Thomas stood a hefty Pokémon with a ring of fiery flames around its neck, raised black eyebrows, two thick, black arms, and a red ring around its wrist.
[Pokémon: Emboar (Fire/Fighting)
Ability: Blaze
Qualification: Master
Level: Lv37 (Professional)]
Emboar, one of the three starters from a certain region.
"Bruce, are you alright?" Oliver called out loudly.
"I'm fine." Bruce exhaled a quiet sigh of relief upon seeing them.
"Damn it, more brats here," the Pokémon hunter cursed under his breath, casting a ferocious gaze at Thomas and the others before focusing on the sturdy Emboar.
This Emboar wasn't weak; Scolipede probably wasn't a match.
Meanwhile, Combusken was engaging Toxicroak with its own [Speed Boost] ability, continually wearing down its stamina.
Finally, when Toxicroak was exhausted, a Flamethrower finished it off.
After Toxicroak lost its fighting capability, Combusken gained a substantial amount of experience, leveling up directly and nearing the next level.
Technically, Bruce was responsible for at least three-quarters of the credit for defeating this Toxicroak, while Combusken, belonging to Macy, was effectively carried along by Bruce.
Seeing the fallen Toxicroak, the Pokémon hunter's eyes flashed with a barely hidden intensity, realizing he was at a severe disadvantage.
"Did Combusken defeat the Professional Toxicroak alone?" Seeing this, Oliver secretly swallowed hard and spoke in a hoarse voice.
"Bruce, this man's a Pokémon hunter. Let me deal with him first," Thomas said to Bruce in a deep tone.
"Alright." Bruce nodded.
"You three brats think you can handle this? Scolipede, stop them!" the Pokémon hunter shouted, extending his arms with a grin.
Roar!
Scolipede let out a surprised roar and confronted the advancing Emboar head-on.
When two champions meet, a battle is inevitable.
Seeing Thomas fully focused on Emboar, the Pokémon hunter quickly reached for his waist, where a smoke bomb was kept.
But just as his right hand reached for his waist, a sharp pain shot through his mind, like a knife piercing his scalp, and an endless pain spread throughout his body.
"Argh!"
The Pokémon hunter let out a pained groan, prompting Thomas and Oliver to turn and look.
Bruce's eyes glowed blue, gazing at the anguished Pokémon hunter and calmly saying, "You know I'm a Psychic, yet you still try little tricks in front of me."
Hearing Bruce's voice, the Pokémon hunter clutched his head in agony, but the pain didn't cease.
*Scolipede roared angrily, realizing its Trainer was in trouble, and attempted to turn around to assist him.
But that slight moment of distraction was seized precisely by Emboar, which charged toward Scolipede, engulfed in blazing flames!*
Scolipede couldn't dodge the searing heat and was struck hard, sent several meters back before hitting the ground with a thud, its entire body scorched and eyes spinning in circles.
"Please… let me go! Let me go!" At the same time, the Pokémon hunter dropped to his knees, his face twisted in pain, begging Bruce for mercy.
Seeing the Pokémon hunter in such a state, Thomas and Oliver felt a shiver run down their spines.
With calm eyes, Bruce gazed down at the Pokémon hunter before releasing him from Psyshock.
Just as the Pokémon hunter sighed in relief and the pain subsided, the Pokéball, smoke bombs, and other small items around his waist, and even the sunglasses on his face, suddenly floated toward Bruce.
Under the Pokémon hunter's desperate gaze, these items dropped to the ground in front of Bruce.
"Psychic powers…" Thomas murmured softly, his eyes hardening as he watched.
"Incredible…" Oliver was stunned, staring in amazement at the scene before him.
"Ralts~" Ralts peeked out from behind Bruce, first looking at the Pokémon hunter kneeling on the ground, then at Bruce, eyes sparkling.
"Psychic abilities really are too overpowered," Bruce thought to himself.
Without Psychic, Combusken would have never been able to defeat Toxicroak alone, let alone control the Pokémon hunter from a distance.
The unexpected arrival of Thomas and Oliver wasn't part of Bruce's plan, but his confidence always lay in the Pokéball on his waist.
That was his biggest assurance when venturing into Viridian Forest.
William was a powerful Gym-level Trainer, and the Pokémon inside this Pokéball was of Gym level!
This Pokémon hunter could manage with only two Professional-level Pokémon.
With William's Pokémon, Bruce could easily traverse Viridian Forest.
Plan before acting—these four words were Bruce's guiding principle.
He protected Ralts and confronted the Pokémon hunters, all thanks to William's Pokémon.
All of this had been in his mind from the start.
Many thoughts passed through his mind one by one, and Bruce first looked at Thomas and Oliver, nodding with a smile. "Thanks for your help."
"Not a problem, Bruce," Oliver said, adjusting his glasses with a grin.
Thomas's usually stern face finally broke into a smile, though he still spoke gravely, "Think about how we'll handle this guy first."
The three of them simultaneously looked around, seeing the Pokémon hunter, who had previously been so overconfident, now collapsed on the ground, tears streaming down his face.
Witnessing this, Bruce was slightly taken aback, realizing he might have underestimated the power of Psyshock.
Humans have far less resilience than Pokémon and are much more vulnerable.
Thomas and Oliver shivered as they watched Bruce, fear lingering in their eyes.
"Tell me, did you come here for this?" Bruce crouched halfway down, pointing to Ralts at his side.
It was unclear if the Pokémon hunter, still confused or unwilling to answer, remained silent for a moment.
Only Bruce's next words made the Pokémon hunter's body tremble slightly.
"If you don't talk, I can let you experience Psyshock again."
"I-I'll talk," the Pokémon hunter said hastily, looking at Bruce with bloodshot eyes, his voice hoarse.
After a moment, he sighed and spoke weakly, "This differently colored Ralts is exactly the target of our mission."
"'Our'?"
"Yes, we. I'm only one of the members searching for it. Right now, several other members are looking for its tracks."
"If I catch it alone, I can take all the credit, but I didn't expect…"
The Pokémon hunter gave Bruce a long, fearful look.
"I didn't think of it—he's just one of the members," Thomas remarked, arms crossed.
"How many members are there?" Bruce asked.
The Pokémon hunter's eyes flickered before he replied, "Eleven. They're spread across different areas of Viridian Forest, and it may not be long before they find you."
The three were silent for a moment after hearing this.
"What's their strength?"
The Pokémon hunter replied earnestly, "There are Professional-level Trainers like myself, and there are also Ace-level Trainers. This time, the team leader is a Gym
-level Trainer."
"A Gym-level Trainer?" Bruce asked with a slight frown.
"Yes, he was sent directly from the base. He's the one leading us to capture Gardevoir, but we didn't expect Gardevoir to send Ralts away in desperation."
These words held a lot of information, and Bruce's eyes flashed as his mind raced.
"Ralts!!"
Upon hearing the name Gardevoir, Ralts suddenly grew emotional, clutching Bruce's sleeve with its small hands.
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To be Continued
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