"Damn it! It's actually an Elite-level Gyarados! Everyone, attack together! We need to take them down first!"
Hunter K's expression darkened. His Nidoking was at a disadvantage against Gyarados due to its Water and Ground weaknesses, and their strengths were too close for comfort. If this battle continued, he would be at a severe disadvantage.
His only choice was to let his subordinates deal with Aoki first.
"Go, Beedrill!"
"Go, Pidgeotto!"
"Go, Sandslash!"
The Pokémon released by Hunter K's men were all from the Kanto region, confirming Aoki's suspicion—these poachers were likely operating out of Kanto but had ventured into Hoenn for easier targets. Perhaps they couldn't compete with the established hunters in their own region and had no choice but to seek fortune elsewhere.
However, these Pokémon were significantly weaker than Hunter K's. The strongest ones barely reached Gym level, and most were only Superior level—hardly a threat.
"Eelektross, Zebstrika, Magnemite, Emolga, I need you all!"
Kamizrai released her Pokémon as well. She had no intention of sitting this battle out—this was her chance to fight alongside Aoki and take down these criminals.
"Torkoal, you handle them with Shelgon! Greninja, you and Ursaring will take care of the rest!"
Torkoal immediately sprang into action, flames burning fiercely from its shell. Shelgon followed closely, ready to engage.
Greninja, meanwhile, narrowed its eyes.
"Greninja, let's use Bond Phenomenon!"
This was it—the moment Aoki had been waiting for. He hadn't yet tested Bond Evolution in battle.
A brilliant blue aura enveloped Greninja, shocking everyone.
Hunter K's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Impossible! Greninja has already evolved! How can it be evolving again?!"
Even Kamizrai was at a loss. She had never seen anything like this before.
The light faded, revealing Greninja in its Ash-Greninja form.
Hunter K's greedy gaze locked onto it.
"I don't know what's happening, but I don't care. That Greninja is mine!"
He was already picturing himself selling such a rare and powerful Pokémon for an astronomical price.
Aoki smirked.
"Idiot."
Then, he checked Greninja's updated stats.
• Name: Greninja (Shiny)
• Ability: Torrent → Battle Bond
• Strength: Gym level → Quasi-Elite level
• Potential: Champion-level
Aoki's grin widened. With this new power, dealing with these small-fry Pokémon would be effortless.
Torkoal had already charged into the enemy ranks, unleashing a Flamethrower, incinerating multiple Pokémon at once.
Shelgon wasn't far behind, taking out Beedrill and Arbok with well-placed Dragon Breaths.
Only Ursaring and Houndoom remained standing.
"Ursaring, Hyper Beam!"
"Houndoom, Flamethrower!"
Hunter K's men shouted frantically, trying to fight back.
Ursaring fired a golden beam of destruction, tearing through the battlefield toward Greninja.
At the same time, Houndoom unleashed a raging Flamethrower, the heat distorting the air around it.
Aoki reacted instantly.
"Greninja, dodge! Use Water Pulse!"
Greninja leaped into action, gracefully dodging Hyper Beam before forming a large orb of water in its hands and launching it at Houndoom.
The attack collided mid-air with Flamethrower, extinguishing the flames and drenching Houndoom.
Nearby, Torkoal let out a burst of flames and punched Ursaring with a Sky Uppercut, knocking it back.
Ursaring staggered, its face contorted in pain. Even though it hadn't fainted yet, it was severely weakened.
"Greninja, Water Shuriken!"
Greninja whipped out a spinning shuriken of water and hurled it at Ursaring, striking it multiple times with pinpoint accuracy.
Ursaring let out a final pained roar before collapsing to the ground, defeated.
With one last command, Aoki finished the battle.
"Greninja, Hydro Pump! Torkoal, Sky Uppercut! Aim for Houndoom!"
Greninja released a high-pressure jet of water, while Torkoal rushed forward with a powerful uppercut punch.
Houndoom tried to dodge but was too slow. The Hydro Pump hit first, drenching it and weakening its firepower. Then, Torkoal's fist connected, sending Houndoom flying into the air before it crashed to the ground, unable to continue fighting.
Aoki glanced at the battlefield.
"Greninja, Torkoal—you handle the rest."
The remaining weak Pokémon were of no concern anymore. This fight was over.
Kamizrai had also finished her battle.
"Eelektross, Zebstrika—use Discharge together!"
A massive surge of electricity flooded the battlefield, paralyzing and knocking out several of the remaining Pidgeottos.
Hunter K's face twisted in frustration as he watched his men fall so easily.
But then, he grinned.
"You think you've won?"
Aoki narrowed his eyes.
Hunter K still had four Poké Balls in hand.
"Stupid kid. Your Pokémon are strong, but you're no match for me!"
"Go, Rapidash! Go, Nidoqueen! Go, Arbok! Go, Ariados!"
Four more Pokémon appeared, each radiating power.
• Name: Rapidash
• Strength: Quasi-Elite
• Potential: Quasi-Elite
• Name: Nidoqueen
• Strength: Quasi-Elite
• Name: Arbok
• Strength: Quasi-Elite
• Name: Ariados
• Strength: Quasi-Elite
Aoki's expression hardened.
Four Quasi-Elite Pokémon at once. This was going to be tougher than he expected.
Gyarados was locked in battle with Nidoking, so he couldn't rely on it.
Boss Lairon would have to handle all four opponents alone.
But that was fine.
Aoki reached into his bag and pulled out a Luxury Ball, smirking confidently.
"Boss Lairon, let's finish this quickly! Max-power Earthquake!"
A massive, steel-armored beast emerged with a deafening roar.
As soon as it landed, it stomped its feet, sending shockwaves through the ground.
A devastating Earthquake attack rippled across the battlefield.
Every Pokémon weak to Ground-type moves—Nidoqueen, Arbok, Ariados, and even Rapidash—were instantly overwhelmed.
Their pained cries filled the air as the shockwaves sent them tumbling.
Even Elite-level Nidoking, still battling Gyarados, was badly injured by the attack.
Hunter K's eyes widened in disbelief.
His entire team was falling apart.
Aoki, meanwhile, remained calm.
This fight was already over.
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