Chapter 299: New Members, Dialga & Palkia
Platinum looked at the scene before her and couldn't help but say, "These Pokémon..."
"That's right, they were all captured by Pokémon Hunters."
As he spoke, Asahi stepped forward and picked up a Poké Ball from the rack.
A label was affixed to it, detailing the Pokémon's species, gender, and capture location...
Just like the one in his hand:
[Species: Glameow]
[Gender: Female]
[Ability: Limber]
[Capture Location: Route 218]
Opening the Poké Ball, a Glameow with its tail coiled like a spring appeared before Asahi.
This Glameow was obviously captured through illegal means.
The moment it was released, it arched its back, unsheathed its claws, and let out a low, threatening growl from its throat, glaring at both Asahi and Platinum.
Platinum flinched in surprise, her entire body tensing up.
But Asahi, who had been dealing with Pokémon Hunters for years, was already used to this kind of reaction.
"Don't be afraid..."
Asahi activated his Viridian Aura and reached out to touch Glameow.
Feeling the calming energy of the Viridian Aura, the agitated Glameow gradually relaxed. It sat on the ground, putting on an adorably obedient expression, its tail swaying lightly.
Such a pity... its evolution, Purugly, was just too ugly.
After feeding Glameow a few Pokéblocks, Asahi turned his attention to the Pokémon trapped in cages deeper inside the warehouse.
Platinum, wanting to mimic Asahi, carefully reached out to pet Glameow.
However, just as her fingers got close, the seemingly docile Glameow instantly bared its claws again.
That's when she suddenly remembered—Glameow was known as the "Pretender Pokémon."
Its obedience earlier had been completely an act. In reality, Glameow had a naturally aggressive temperament.
Platinum quickly withdrew her hand and followed behind Asahi.
Her gaze followed his, landing on the caged Pokémon. "These Pokémon... are they...?"
"They're all ones that are difficult to tame, locked up by the Pokémon Hunters..."
As soon as Asahi and Platinum approached, the captured Pokémon in the cages glared at them with hostility.
Being stared down by so many aggressive Pokémon, Platinum instinctively grabbed Asahi's arm and pressed tightly against him.
Platinum: "..."
Realizing what she had done, Platinum immediately let go, her face flushing red. She quickly turned her head away, pretending nothing had happened.
Asahi: "..."
Why are you blushing?! You're only making it more obvious!
Forcing himself to ignore the urge to comment, Asahi refocused on the caged Pokémon.
Having dealt with Pokémon Hunters for years, he was well-versed in handling situations like this.
The first step was to ease the Pokémon's hostility.
He signaled Gardevoir to use wide-range telepathy, letting the Pokémon know they were here to help.
Next was freeing the Pokémon from their cages.
With a snap of his fingers, Gardevoir swiftly followed his command, destroying every single cage with a burst of psychic energy.
The final step was calming the newly freed Pokémon.
Asahi unleashed his Viridian Aura while taking out a bag of Pokéblocks, distributing them to the Pokémon drawn to his aura.
Platinum watched the harmonious scene before her, her eyes filled with admiration.
---
To others, soothing Pokémon that had been mistreated by Hunters might have been extremely difficult.
But for someone like Asahi, who possessed the Viridian Aura, it wasn't even a challenge.
With just one bag of Pokéblocks and a little bit of his aura, he was able to completely ease their hostility.
However, when Platinum heard Asahi's plan to release all these Pokémon back into the wild, she was surprised.
"Asahi-san, you're not going to catch them?"
She had thought Asahi would take this chance to capture some of these Pokémon.
"I always respect a Pokémon's own choice," Asahi said with a serious expression.
At his side, Gardevoir rolled her eyes.
But Platinum clearly believed him, nodding in admiration.
Still, she was a little hesitant.
"Then... is it okay if I catch one?" Platinum looked down at the Leafeon in her arms.
This Leafeon had grown very close to her.
But since Asahi wasn't catching any of them, would it be right for her to?
Hearing Platinum's words, Leafeon nuzzled against her arm affectionately.
"As long as the Pokémon agrees, of course, it's fine," Asahi reassured her.
---
Under Harumi's shocked gaze, Asahi left the restrained Pokémon Hunters and the task of releasing the remaining Pokémon entirely to her.
She glanced at the hunters sprawled all over the ground, then at Asahi, her expression filled with disbelief.
["So this is what you meant by 'using restraint,' Asahi-san?"]
Just thinking about dealing with the wealthy individuals who had been colluding with these hunters was already giving her a headache.
Asahi simply shrugged. "Don't look at me like that—I was already being very careful."
If this had been back when he was a ranger, at least a third of these Pokémon Hunters would've ended up with broken arms or legs.
He'd already been very restrained this time.
As for the buyers who had been working with these Hunters...
"Don't worry about them. I've already sent their names to Cynthia. The Sinnoh League will handle them, so they won't have time to come after you," Asahi reassured her.
Hearing that, Harumi let out a relieved sigh.
She was just a poor, weak intelligence officer—there was no way she could go against the rich and powerful alone.
"By the way... did you find the people I asked you to look for?"
At his question, Harumi immediately nodded. "I did!"
She then pulled out two tickets and handed them to Asahi.
Platinum took a peek. "These are... for a comedy contest?"
Aside from Platinum, the other two protagonists of Pokémon Diamond and Pearl were Diamond and Pearl.
Since childhood, the two had dreamed of becoming comedy performers, and they were working hard to achieve that goal.
"Hello, everyone! We are Contestant #1, the comedy duo from Twinleaf Town—Pearl and... Diamond!"
"Today, we will be performing a comedy skit—'The Red Gyarados!'"
"Wow—! This is Lake Verity! I wonder if the legendary Red Gyarados is here?"
"Is it here? Is it here?"
"....."
Seated in the audience, Platinum watched the two perform. She couldn't help but turn to Asahi.
"...These are the people you were looking for, Asahi-san?"
This was a joke, right?
Platinum struggled to find a word to describe them.
After thinking for a while, she still couldn't come up with one.
"Don't underestimate them. They have a lot of potential... probably," Asahi said.
Even he sounded unsure.
Especially after watching Diamond completely forget his lines because he was too busy eating rice balls in the bushes, forcing the duo to exit the stage early.
Deciding not to dwell on it, Asahi got up. "Let's go meet our new teammates!"
Outside the contest venue, Diamond and Pearl were in the middle of an argument about their performance.
Well, to be precise, Pearl was the one fuming while Diamond happily ate rice balls with his Munchlax.
Just as Pearl was about to lose hope in his partner…
A voice suddenly called out.
"You two... would you be interested in a high-paying job with holidays, free meals and accommodations, plus extra bonuses?"
Hearing Asahi's words, Diamond and Pearl immediately perked up.
They turned to see a man holding an Eevee and an elegant-looking girl standing nearby.
Looking left, looking right.
Then, both of them pointed at themselves. "Mister, are you talking about us?"
Asahi nodded. "That's right. I saw your performance just now—you have great potential."
"I have a well-paying job for you. Interested?"
Pearl's first reaction wasn't skepticism, but—
"Mister, do you really think we have potential?"
Pearl grabbed Asahi's hand, eyes shining with excitement.
Asahi nodded against his better judgment, then turned to the still-eating Diamond. "If you join, you'll get to visit high-end restaurants and enjoy gourmet meals from all over the world."
"...We're in!"
Diamond immediately agreed, pulling Pearl along, looking even more eager than him.
Asahi: "....You're not even going to ask what the job is first?"
These two… they really didn't seem very bright.
Especially Diamond.
...
Hunter J was in an incredibly foul mood. Her deal with Team Galactic had taken a disastrous turn.
According to their agreement, she was supposed to assist Team Galactic in capturing the Lake Guardians.
However, during the operation, they were intercepted by the Sinnoh League Champion, Cynthia. Without hesitation, Team Galactic had used her subordinates as cannon fodder to stall Cynthia, while they themselves made a swift escape.
Her forces had suffered a heavy blow, her airship was damaged, and she had barely made it out alive.
If not for Team Galactic's overwhelming strength—plus the fact that they still owed her a hefty sum—she would have already cut ties with them!
Even so, when facing Team Galactic, Hunter J's expression remained ice-cold.
"Mr. Charon, I need an explanation from Team Galactic!"
Hunter J's voice was sharp and demanding as she stared at the man on the other end of the video call.
Charon, the high-ranking commander of Team Galactic, showed no hint of remorse. "Hunter J, you knew the risks when you took this job."
"You didn't think we were paying you that much just to have you play a minor role on the sidelines, did you?"
Hunter J's expression darkened.
As much as she hated to admit it, Charon wasn't wrong.
"I and my men will no longer—"
"One billion!"
Hunter J's words were abruptly cut off.
"What?"
Her face flashed with shock.
Charon chuckled. "In addition to the original reward, Team Galactic is willing to add another billion. So, tell me, can you really say no? The famous Hunter J?"
Silence.
Hunter J wanted to refuse. She really did.
But that amount was simply too tempting...
After a 'difficult' internal struggle, she finally spoke, keeping up her usual tough act. "Fine. I'll agree for now, but you can't use my subordinates as cannon fodder again!"
She wasn't one to care much about her subordinates, but they were still useful tools—and bargaining chips.
Charon remained indifferent. "Don't worry. Our executives have returned. I assume you've heard about Darkrai's attack on the Sinnoh International Police? Right now, the League is no match for us."
"Replenish your forces as soon as possible. Our next operation is about to begin."
With that, Charon ended the call.
Hunter J sat in her chair, lost in thought.
Just then, another call came in.
Glancing at the number, she saw that it was from the team she had sent to recruit new members.
However, when she answered, the face on the other side looked disheveled and panicked.
Hunter J frowned. "What happened?"
"Boss J! The Pokémon Hunter Association has been shut down by the League!"
The shocking news came out in a single breath.
"What?!"
The League had actually gone after the Hunter Association?! That meant her recruitment plans were dead on arrival!
"But I did manage to find a few skilled hunters!"
Her subordinate quickly pulled three figures into view.
Hunter J narrowed her eyes at the screen.
Two of them looked like comic relief characters, while the last was a girl in a hat who kept her face hidden.
She had a bad feeling about this.
Still, she didn't have the luxury of being picky. With Team Galactic's operation looming and a billion-dollar paycheck on the line, even cannon fodder would do.
Her frown smoothed out as she returned to her usual cold demeanor. "Fine. Bring them to Jubilife City immediately. The meeting point is..."
She rattled off an address before hanging up.
There were more important matters to deal with.
---
Asahi stared at the now-black screen, rubbing his chin in surprise.
"What a coincidence."
His meeting with Looker and Cynthia was also set in Jubilife City. Looked like everything was converging there.
That actually made things easier—less running around for him.
Meanwhile, Diamond and Pearl, completely unaware of what Hunter J represented, had already launched into their usual comedic routine.
"Speaking of Pokémon Hunters..."
"They're common villains in Pokémon journeys..."
"..."
Asahi watched the two with a deadpan expression.
Was recruiting these two really the right decision?
---