Author's Note:

Here it is, the second part of the Mother's Day arc. Now that this arc is going, I want to say that the main point of this was to establish J as a proper threat. I mean, a complaint I received from the Pokémon Hero's arc was that she didn't really do anything or didn't match her threat level from the anime, so that's where this arc came in. She didn't get her target, or really damage anything and lost in the end so, lets fix that. Last time, she: burnt down a forest, killed a ranger & took her only Pokémon, killed three men who unintentionally got in her way... and she is still after the initial target. Needless to say, this arc will be getting dark, just like last chapter. Again, it is also short chapters because I'm working on the league battles as well. So, let's see what she'll do. Before I forget, whilst writing this chapter the series which inspired me to start (The Road to become a Pokémon Master) was discontinued. This was very upsetting, obviously but I fully support the author's decision. I know he didn't want it to be adopted and my series was never meant to do that. I just wish him luck in all his future endeavours and if he reads this, then know you still inspire me with every word I write in my series. Don't forget to vote in the poll and with that, let's begin...

P.S. Last chapter had an issue when it was updated. It wasn't just my story either, but many uploaded around the same time. It should still be visible now so make sure to check it out if you haven't already.


Chapter 87: Mother's Day P II

Dragonite roared as she shot across the sky, raindrops skipping off her scales. As the blue dragon came into view, she felt dragon type energy surround herself. A dark blue flame blurred her vision as she slammed into the red winged beast.

Closing her eyes, she felt the impact and grunted. Opening her wings - she stopped mid-air. Taking a look, her Dragon Rush ended and Salamence flew.

He quickly wobbled but with a flap of its wings, Salamence gained the lost height. Swirling around - it launched a Flamethrower at her.

Swirling on the spot, her tail became coated in water. A whip of water shot out and collided into the flames. Cancelling each out, a mist of steam remained.

Trying to see through cloud, she soon found herself knocked sideways. By the time she regained her sense of direction, she was being dragged along by her opponent. Rushing around the air, in a clear attempt to disorient her.

Winding her fist back, she slammed him straight into the face. He was momentarily stunned, allowing her to break out of his grip - if only slightly.

A sharp claw slashed down on her shoulder. The glimpse of a blue flame disappearing. Hissing in pain, she closed her eyes.

Her antenna's shot up - moments later a massive bolt of lightning struck them. Energized, she looked at the beast who took the initial blast.

Grabbing his arms, she used her full strength to throw him downwards. He slammed straight into the earth and she charged down.

Entering another Dragon Rush - she slammed into him.

Everything went black as she forced herself up into a standing position. A quick blur of dark blue flames enters her vision as something came down hard on her shoulder. With vison returning, she found Salamence partially body slamming her whilst using Dragon Claw.

With a mighty roar, she forced them both forward. A fresh Dragon Rush engulfing her as they picked up speed.

Slamming him into some nearby trees, she shot off back into the sky. Rain still batting against her scales.

Another roar echoed and a glance down showed the other dragon climbing after her. Clenching both fists, they were coated in ice.

U turning in the air, she shot straight down and collided into her opponent. Taking his pause as a chance, she began beating on him with Ice Punch assault.

Swinging her fist around, aiming to land the next directly on his head. She saw a flicker of flames ignite in his mouth. He bites down on her frozen fist with his fire fangs. She cried out in pain as a painful numbness overtook her hand as her whole arm was shot with pins and needles.

Tensing her head, it was coated in metal as she slammed the Iron Head into Salamence, forcing him to let her hand go. She caught the glimpse of his metal covered tail swinging around as it struck the middle of her back, right between the wings.

With her flight unstable, she began hurdling towards the ground. Almost sensing her opponent pursing her, she closed her eyes and felt her antennas tingle.

Crashing onto the dirt, she glanced up to see Salamence struck by a lightning bolt. Struggling to her feet, she saw the blue beast land a little bit away.

Standing up, she roared as her dazed opponent shakily stood up. Salamence also struggled back upwards. Taking a deep breath, she launched out a powerful Dragon Pulse. The red winged beast matched this and the two dark blue flaming balls smashed into each other.

The explosion pushed her back. Crossing her arms across her chest, she tried to remain standing as a cloud of smoke settled in.

Watching through the flames, Salamence jumped through with glowing claws. He swiped the Dragon Claw down on her.

Ducking out of the way, she coated her tail in water and slammed it against his stomach. She ended up on all fours as she faced off against her opponent.

Up above, she noticed the rain clouds she previously summoned weren't starting to part. Rays of sunlight shining down on the graveyard that use to be the forest reserve. Closing her eyes, she attempted to resummon her preferred weather.

She was knocked back by flames as she lost concentration. Peering out of the flamethrower, she saw Salamence charging towards her once more.

Building up the power in her mouth, she used a weak Dragon Breath to clear the way of flames. As she watched her opponent jump over it.

His wings were coated in metal as he soared over to her. The Steel Wing struck her neck and knocked her down as Salamence skidded to a stop.

With her wings aching and exhaustion taking over, she knew that she couldn't win now. When she had the weather on her side, it boosted her fighting style and weakened Salamence but this dragon, as much as she hates to admit it, is clearly a superior fighter.

Letting her body relax, she felt the healing abilities of Roost take over. Seeing the opponent charge towards her, Dragon Claws ready, she shot off.

Water engulfed her body as she shot through the charred trucks of trees. Her Aqua Jet keeping her scurrying around the battle ground. Once she felt her body was strong enough, she made a sharp turn and charged straight into the blue beast.

Crashing into his stomach, they charged across the destroyed reserved and smashed through a couple tree trunks. She came to a standing stop.

Salamence went crashing across the ground, skidding, and turning as he ended up on all fours again. He roared in anger and launched a Dragon Pulse.

Entering an extreme speed, she charged to the side and avoided the exploding dragon type attack. Clenching her fist, it was coated in ice once more.

Charging to the side, she suckers punched the red-winged menace straight in the face. Stopping by his side, she followed up with an Aqua Tail.

With one final swing, she kicked him for good measure. Breathing heavily, she watched as he spat some blood onto the ground. Her eyes narrowed.

The Dragon Pokémon had a ball of blue psychic type energy form on his forehead. Charging forward, Dragonite flinched as she felt herself fall back. Slamming against the floor. Peeking out she saw the blue beast straddling over her with flaming fangs.

He bites down on her shoulder, causing her to cry out in pain. Re-activating her Iron Head, she attempted to knock him away.

Salamence growled in annoyance as he raised a claw, swiping it down with dragon type energy infused. She closed her eyes as the painful slash stung across her chest. She expected him to finisher her off, but a different battle cry came.

Opening her eyes, she looked up to see Salamence still on top of her but his head looking off into the destroyed forest. With another cry echoing from the distance, his wings beat down and he took off over the graveyard of wildlife.

Rolling over onto her stomach, she snarled. Her arms reached out to push herself up, but all energy had been drained. Closing her eyes, she let the roost work its magic once more and pushed herself up onto her feet. Panting, she began to run after the blue beast. Her was already starting to spin her around but she shook it and refocused. With the little energy recovered, she began flapping her wings and taking off after Salamence.

She is a queen, and no rightful ruler would leave someone at the hands of a menace like that thing. Sure, he almost killed her just but whilst there is breath in her body, she shall protect those who cannot protect themselves. If she did any less than she would be disgracing her royal bloodline.

Scanning the reserve, or what was left of it as she gained altitude, she looked for whatever could be causing those cries. A powerful Hyper Beam shot into the sky, grabbing her attention. Turning towards it, she continued to fly towards the source as she scouted the ground, she finally found what she was looking for as a group of humans pushed a large green caged Pokémon into the back of a truck. Salamence stood beside them, watching with a smirk on his face.

Taking a deep breath, she let a Dragon Pulse build up. Swivelling her head, she fired it down on the red-winged menace.

Salamence must've seen it as he launched a Flamethrower into the sky. It intercepted her blast and exploded mid-air.

He reappeared through the explosion, fly straight at her. She didn't have time to react as he slammed into her, sending them both down onto the ground.

She caught sight of the truck driving off as she slammed down on her stomach. The blue beast landed in front of her, looming over her with a fierce expression. "Get up!" he growled.

Slowly, she struggled to her feet, "why are you doing this? What do you get out of it?"

"You wouldn't understand," he snarled, "just know I haven't killed you yet because you could be profitable."

"Try me and don't think I'd let myself get sold like some piece of meat," she growled.

"As if you'd have a choice," he smirked, "you see, my partner gives me power. True power. I already beat you; I can see you're on your last legs and I could take you down again. Three times over."

"I won't ever stop," Dragonite declared.

"Pathetic," he snarled, "unlike you, I don't get paraded around for sport or entertainment. I have true power and I don't need support. You left your trainer alone and you've barely survived our clash even when I was holding back. I know my mission and I've fulfilled it, even with your distractions."

"So, your just some goon?" she snarled.

"Better than being a pet," he roared, "hanging of a child's every word. While I am superior in every sense."

"Your nothing but a bully and coward," she declared.

"I am the top of the food chain. I don't concern myself with those I capture and sell," he replied, "if they wanted a better life, they should've been strong enough to take it for themselves. Like I was."

"That's horrible!" Dragonite roared.

"That's how life works," Salamence declared. Turning to left, she followed his gaze and saw another truck identical to the first pull up. A human women who appeared to be covered in tech and a long flowing purple coat jumped out approaching.

"Well, well, well, what have you got here for me, Salamence?" she smirked.


Ash pushed his legs to run as fast as he could, he noticed Serena was able to keep up which was surprising until he saw the hint of ESP pushing her. Exiting the treeline, or what remained of it, Ash gasped at the sight in front of them.

Dragon was down on one knee, breathing heavily and covered in sweat. While across from her was a Salamence, stood tall and proud with a confident smirk spread across his face. Stood to the side of the blue dragon was Hunter J in the same purple coat as last time and the same metal device on her arm which froze Pokémon in place. He locked eyes with the huntress.

"I thought I dealt with you kids back in Alto Mare," J scoft, "haven't you learnt not to get in my way?"

"Not when your taking innocent Pokémon from their homes and friends and selling them to who-knows," Ash shouted, stepping up in front, as Pikachu jumped in front of his feet, cheeks sparking. Serena stood by his side with balls of ESP surrounding her hands as he felt the literal army of Pokémon appear behind.

"Tsk," she mumbled, turning to her red-winged beast, "we don't have time to waste capturing all these and sorting through which are worthwhile or not. Do with them as you wish."

J walked back towards her truck as Salamence took a deep breath. He quickly launched out a powerful beam out of his mouth.

Dragonite roared and dove in front of the blast. It exploded and threw her back. She landed in front of Ash on her stomach with swirls in her eyes.

He quickly pulled out her Ultra Ball and recalled her.

"Ash, I'll get J," Serena explained through her ESP. He soon found a series of Pokéballs over by him, "you keep the fight on Salamence and try to defeat it. These are my teams Pokéballs, recall them if they faint or don't want to fight. I've still got Furret on me though."

"Got it," Ash replied, using the same method as he also used it as a way to talk to his other friends, "Brock, you set up a shelter for those injured or who don't want to fight."

Salamence roared as he stepped through the smoke. Ash watched as Serena snuck away.

Pidgeot shot into the sky, ready to stop him should he try to escape as Beedrill shot forward.

Ash caught sight of Brock surrounded by Bonsly, Delibird, Marill, Phanpy and Larvitar. With his Stantler setting up an illusion to make the disappear.

Turning back to the fight, he watched Beedrill swerved around the dragon, stabbing him with his stingers every chance he got.

Salamence flexed his wings and used them to knock Beedrill of course. He landed in front of Salamence as a Flamethrower struck him.

Ash recalled the burnt bug.

"Explosion!" Misty shouted.

Poliwrath charged forward with Forretress under his arm. With a mighty launch, the bagworm Pokémon was launched and exploded in the dragon's face.

A red light shot out from behind Ash and Forretress was quickly recalled. Salamence looked dazed as he emerged from the smoke.

Several tentacles shot forward and wrapped around his long neck. Tentacruel crawled closer and released a barrage of Poison Stings straight to his face. As it struggled against them, Poliwrath charged and began punching him in the chest with Ice Punches.

Salamence roared and thrashed around, throwing Tentacruel off balance. Spinning his head, he sent her flying and caught Poliwrath up in her tentacles.

With them piled to the side. He took a deep breath and launched a powerful Dragon Pulse directly at them. Misty quickly recalled them both.

"If we go a few at a time then we can stop him!" Ash shouted, "Croconaw, Golduck, Vaporeon and Corsola, get him as wet as possible!" he shouted.

Misty's two larger water types stepped forward and unleashed two Hydro Pumps. They struck Salamence's chest as he reared, flapping his wings for balance.

Croconaw was quick to join them, as Corsola opted to use Bubble beam instead.

Ash's best buddy seemed to get the plan and charged forward, leaping high over the blue beast, he unleashed a massive Thunderbolt. It struck Salamence head on, but his eyes widened as he revealed in the shock.

Coating his wings in metal, they became charged by the Thunderbolt. Having to land, watched as the dragon slammed down on all fours again.

Running forward, he whipped his electrified Steel Wings around and knocked the three larger water types away. On the twirl, his tail caught Corsola and sent her flying too. Both Ash and Misty acted as quickly as possible to recall them all.

"What can we do now, Ash?" Misty asked, "nothing seems to work. Even Dragonite could stop him!"

"We don't give up, even if he doesn't show it, these attacks must be doing something to him," Ash declared, "maybe if we can set up some more permanent effects to wear him down! Muk! Sylveon, Murkrow! It's your turn!"

A shadow slide across the ground and Muk leaped out at amazing speed. He landed on Salamence's back and excelled waves of sludge from his body.

Sylveon danced forward and used her feelers to dance around, not allowing Salamence to target her. Hearts popped out of her and struck him.

Focusing solely on Sylveon, he shook his head in place as Murkrow flew close, releasing a thick white haze around them. Clearly trying to remove any buffs he could've got during his battle with Dragonite.

He began thrashing around as Muk went flying off his back. Launching a Flamethrower onto the sludge monster, he exploded with his sludge wave left over the red-winged menace setting himself alight. Muk landed on Sylveon and took her out in the explosion.

Murkrow was also caught up in the fire. Ash was quick to try and minimise the damage by recalling Muk first and then Serena's two Pokémon.

Salamence continued to thrash around among the flames. Ash looked at the remaining Pokémon to see who could help out with this mess now.

"Golem, Dugtrio! Get these flames under control!"

The pure ground type shot in and began speeding around the ground. Throwing up sand through his movements, it quickly began extinguishing the flames.

Golem rolled forward as well, but much slower. He slammed into the dragon and knocked him off balance as he continued to roll, helping with the fire

Hitmontop charged out from behind him and slammed a fist into Salamence's face. Landing on his head, he began spinning and kicking the dragon repeatedly.

Salamence appeared to be close to falling. He wasn't as quick to respond to the onslaught from the fighting type, and even if he isn't as powerful as some of the others who attacked before him. The blue beast was actually reacting to these hits. Sweat covered his forehead and his breaths were staggered.

With a swipe of his claw, Salamence sent Hitmontop flying. He slammed into Dugtrio and the two stumbled around.

With an angry roar shaking the world around them, Salamence launched a Dragon Pulse at them. Exploding both Pokémon landed nearby - knocked out.

He spread his attack across the ground, and it hit Golem who had built up more Rollout speed and was going in for another hit. Golem went flying.

"This isn't good Ash," Misty told him, "Salamence looks close to fainting but we only have Pikachu left. I don't know what else we could do!"

His electric type had charged in with speed to disorientate the dragon, using any opportunity he could to hit him with a Thunderbolt. It wasn't strong enough to do any real damage as he never had chance to build up his charge. The red-winged menace would thrash around and try to hit him with either claws, tail, or mouth. Luckily, he was more than quick enough to keep out of range, if only because of the dragons' fatigue.

"I don't know either, Misty," Ash admitted, "this Salamence is on a whole different level. Like Claire's Ampharos!"

"Yeah, but at least she knew restraint," Misty growled.

A familiar voice shouted from behind. Ash barely had time to look before the source revealed himself. Serena's small green rock skin Pokémon ran out in front of them. He stood in front of Salamence, in what appeared to be a battle stance.

"Larvitar?" Ash questioned, "you want to help?"

"Yeah," he nodded.

"Alright, while Pikachu keeps him distracted, we can try and get some good shots in. Let's start with Smack Down!

Larvitar nodded and reached into the ground. Picking up two chunks of earth, he ran forward and threw them at Salamence.

The dragon turned around as the rocks hit his body, clearly more focused on Pikachu. The rock skin Pokémon continued his run while throwing more rocks. He was knocked sideways by Salamence's tail, who still didn't appear bothered by his attacks.

"Hey Larvitar, your hidden power attack appeared to be ice type, right?" Ash asked.

"Yeah," he shook his head as he pushed up from the flight.

"Then let's use that instead!" he suggested.

Nodding, the little green Pokémon pushed himself up. Running around counter to the movements of the dragon, he formed a ball of white energy in his hands.

When the dragons head was within range, he launched the hidden power. It slammed into Salamence's face, who promptly turned towards him. Nostrils flaring. A loud, angry, roar echoed around them once more.

Charging forward, the blue beasts claws glow with a dark blue flame. Larvitar closed his body down and hardened as he took the blow.

Sent flying, Serena's young Pokémon began to glow white. Landing flat on his stomach, he pushed himself up as his body began to change. His body grew and almost became a circular plate without any limbs. When the light faded, Ash took in the new appearance. He was now a sort of greyish-blue plate. His eyes were red and could be seen through two holes, making him believe that it was like Larvitar was stuck inside the new shell, with two more holes directly above resembling eyebrows. The upper portion of its body was covered by a mask-like plate with four large spikes on either side. Three additional spikes protrude from his forehead.

"You evolved?" Ash questioned, almost scared because Serena wasn't here to witness this special moment for one of her own Pokémon.

"I don't know how, I'll be honest," Pupitar admitted.

Salamence roared once more, as a red outline surrounded him. Pikachu, who was currently under his legs, was kicked. Sent flying.

Landing in front of Ash, he struggled to get back up. The red-winged menace launched out a flamethrower all around, the outrage still surrounding him.

With flames stopping them from getting closer, he flapped his wings and took off.

Ash caught sight of his Pidgeot, preparing for their encounter. Smirking, he felt his heartbeat hard against his chest. He focused his attention on the dragon, who was not flying nearly as smoothly as before.


Serena hugged a metal pole on the back of the truck as she used her powers to keep her stable. She knew that it was dangerous, but she didn't have much choice in the matter. The bumpy ground was making it difficult to keep holding on as she tried to think of what to do.

The world was passing by without her able to take in any sort of sight. How she was able to keep her eyes open for even a second was anyone's guess. She felt a bump and a force trying to throw her off but luckily her ESP bubble kept her still. Biting on her inner cheek, she knew time was running out.

Realising she'd need to get inside if she wished to not be discovered, she took a deep breath. Closing her eyes, she tried to focus on the sliding door that blocked her entrance. With all her might, she let out a silent scream which was lost in the wind. A metal ruckus shook as she peaked her eyes opened. The metal sliding door was high above and she could look inside the truck finally.

Six henchmen were sat down, three on either side as they stared back. It was hard to tell if their expressions were that of surprise, terror or just shock but ultimately it didn't matter as all of them reached for their weapons.

Squeezing her eyes shut once more, she released another wave of ESP. It shot inside and dragged all the weapons out of the vehicle, crushing them and leaving the remains scattered around the ground once more. Letting go with one hand, she reached inside the vehicle and filled it with psychic type energy.

Clenching her fist, she pulled it out and the guards along with it. They rolled across the ground and couldn't really get up as she used another boost of ESP to push herself into the vehicle. Not missing a beat, she used her powers once more to pull the door down once more. Sighing in relief, she relaxed her posture as she tried to calm down her heartbeat. She never really thought that through, as the truck was quickly leaving so she had to act fast.

Taking out her only Pokéball, she released her Furret. The normal type appeared looked around the grey-metal container they were currently in with a confused expression. Turning her attention to the honey-blonde girl, she stood on her back legs as she kneeled down, so they were a similar eye-level.

"We need to be careful Furret, we're in Hunter J's truck," she explained through her mental messages, "at the moment we have the element of surprise but I'm gonna need your help if we can break Larvitar's mother out."

"What about the others?" Furret asked.

"It's just us," Serena replied, "the others stayed back to help handle Salamence. It won't be easy but at least we won't need to face that dragon."

Furret nodded and lowered back down onto all fours. Quickly running around, she leaped up to one of the benches. Standing up, Serena took a step back as the truck turned. Almost falling over, she was able to use her powers to balance herself once more. Waiting a moment, she walked to the far back of the truck.

Reaching the glass container, she kneeled down once more. She looked at the dials and smiled, they hadn't changed them since last time, so it was easy for her to figure it out. She reached down and pulled down the main leaver. The glass casing faded down and as it did, Croconaw returned from his statue. His large jaw wrinkled up from his nose as he corked his head. His eyes narrowed as his breathing began more visible. A ridged cord pulsed through his neck.

"Croconaw?" she asked, out loud before going back to her mental messages, "what's the matter?"

"That women," he snarled in response.

"Hunter J?" Serena asked.

"Yeah, she... she killed Mason," he explained, tears forming in his eyes.

"Ranger Mason is dead?" she gasped, covering her mouth with her hand. Her eyes widened as she took a step back, forcing herself down onto the bench next to Furret. She felt her brows pull close together as tears formed in her eyes.

She may not have known her well but to think J just casually killed a ranger of all people... its unsettling, to say the least.

Wiping her eyes, she glanced down to see the water type approaching her. He still looked angry, understandably so, and took a deep breath as he forced his expressions back to normal. It was easy to see the anger still present in his eyes, however.

"So, how did you do that?" he asked, "how did I hear your voice in my head?"

"I have psychic abilities, but I'm not properly trained with them," she explained, "just got the basics from Delphox and Ash's Alakazam. Main this communication trick and some telekinesis."

"So, we're not totally defenceless," Croconaw mused, "I assume this truck is going to that hunter's base?"

"Yeah, I jumped on board to hopefully try to free Tyranitar," Serena explained, "I didn't know you was here but I'm happy I can help you too. Even if Tyranitar isn't the mother of my Larvitar, she doesn't deserve to end up in the hands of J."

"Glad to know I have the back up," Croconaw replied, "after what she did, I want to take her down. I want her to pay for Mason's murder!"

"We'll be glad to help," Serena smiled, "but we need to play it smart. Once we get to base, we lay low and wait for them to leave. Then we can sneak out, find Tyranitar and all of us together can take them by surprise."

"Do you really think it will be that easy?" Furret asked.

"No," she admitted, "but it'll be easier, the more of us there are. And if we can free Tyranitar, Salamence should be too tired from its battle with the others to stand much chance. Assuming he's returned at all."

"And then we take down J?" Croconaw asked.

"Right," she smiled, "she has already hurt to many people already! We can't let her keep this up! We won't give up until it's over!"

Locking her eyes on the door, she narrowed her eyes. Her fingers twitched, tingling with psychic type energy. Her heart was pounding against her ribs, but a deep breath help keep it under control. As soon as the vehicle stops and turns off, they will be able to listen for when they'd be alone... she could even search for any nearby minds with her powers although that's risky as it could alert them to her presence. She hasn't properly learnt to search without masking her own voice. At least Furret has good hearing so she should be able to do this without that risk.


She frowned as her eye glanced to towards the back of the truck. Of course, no such window existed as she never had reason to speak to her soldier on the move. They already knew the mission - but something was off.

Hitting the button on the side of her visor, it lowered down, and several statistics came up. She used her eyes movement to control and skim through the different options. Soon the security camera feed from the truck appeared in front of her. Her eyes narrowed as she watched that blonde brat and her pet sat with her guards no-where to be seen.

Colress already cancelled his request for her to be brought to him. Of course, she made it clear he had to still uphold his end of the deal regardless but maybe this isn't such a bad thing and more of an opportunity.

Scanning through the settings once more, she started a call with one of the soldier from the containment team. She could make out a cage being unloaded with her original target trapped inside. It was crying out and trying to break free but those cages we're specifically designed to hold even the strongest of Pokémon, so she wasn't concerned. She focused her attention on the henchmen.

"Sir!" he saluted, "we've arrived at base and are unloading the merchandise as we speak."

"Excellent," she smirked, "we're on route. Prepare for take-off the moment we arrive and have Drapion waiting in the loading bay."

"Sir!" he saluted once more, as the video feed faded. The visor raised up and she turned towards her driver.

"Sir, can I ask why you're having Drapion meet us?" he asked.

"Certainly," she smirked, "I just checked our security feed, and we have some unwanted stall ways. He'll be the security detail for her."

"What about the men?" he asked, "shouldn't they already have them tied down?"

"They are no-longer on board," she informed, "this stall way, she's a psychic. Hence Drapion. And she tossed the men out with her abilities."

"Should we go back for them?" he asked.

"No," she shook her head, "we've already wasted enough time. Even if the little additions along with the intended target are nice compensation for it, time is not something we can afford with this Hoenn job upon the horizon."

"Of course," the driver agreed. A moment of silence filled the front of the truck as J glanced up at the ceiling. Her Ariados was positioned above her, with a mildly bored expression.

Understandably so, she never intended to kill that ranger and only restrain her with Ariados' webs but after the interference from those brothers, plans needed to change. At least a ranger trained Croconaw shall bring a nice price tag for her trouble. Such a shame those idiots used tech over Pokémon, it could've made their interference actually worth something... never mind, they paid the price for ruining her mission. Water under the bridge.

"Sir?" the driver asked.

"What?" she asked.

"May I ask about this Hoenn Job?" he asked.

"Permitted," she accepted.

"Is it true that we're working for a pirate?" he asked.

"Firstly, I don't work for anyone," she reminded, "but yes, our client is a, pirate, as you so kindly put it. And I'll tell you something else, they have required assistance in acquiring a rare water type legendary. Hence the large price tag that has come with the job."

The driver nodded in understanding, refocusing on the road. Glancing out of the window, she saw the greenery and wildlife slowly returning as they left the burnt down reserve curtsy of her Salamence. Not that it really matters, they did what was necessary to obtain the merchandise, nothing more, nothing less.

Using her visor to re-activate the security footage for the back of her truck, she watched as the blonde brat stroked that brown and white rat whilst waiting for the inevitable. She had also freed the ranger's Croconaw, who was stored in the back. Zooming in, she watched that Pokémon with interest... a smirk forming over her lips. She has proven to be a pain to deal with throughout her Johto interventions so perhaps it's time she made it clear to this girl and the rest of her friends why you don't mess with Hunter J.


Ash squinted his eyes as he watched the battle above him. Pidgeot was swirling around Salamence, unable to launch any proper attacks. A near constant flamethrower was spewing out of the red-winged dragon and keeping her at bay. Any long-ranged attack she could launch had had the power built up to match Salamence and she couldn't get close enough for her close combat attacks.

Muk's poison should be wearing the dragon down but the fact he's still going is both impressive and terrifying. How J got the unflinching loyalty from such a strong Pokémon is beyond anyone's guess.

His eyes widened in fear and froze open. His bottom lip quivered, and his teeth sunk in to try and tame it. A cold sweat travelled down his forehead. With his breathing stuck in his throat. All feeling in his hands lost as a single thought echoed in his head.

How will Serena escape? She is heading back to J's main base with no-one except Furret!

With his heart rapidly beating against his chest. He placed two fingers in his mouth and gave a loud whistle. Pidgeot seemed to notice as she drove straight down, leaving Salamence. He could only watch the blue beast stop his flamethrower and fly off, even if not as fast as what they saw before.

His Pidgeot landed close by and he broke out into a sprint. Looping an arm around her, he jumped onto her back and kicked her side, signalling a take-off.

"Quick! We need to follow Salamence to find out where J's base is!" Ash instructed as they shot off into the sky. Salamence being nothing more than a small dot in the sky.

"Hold on," she instructed.

Locking his arms and legs in place, he held on tight. Moments later, his vision was blurred as a strong wind threatened to blow him off. He never enjoyed riding Pidgeot when she used Quick Attack but right now, Serena needs them.


Serena felt the truck come to a stop. Standing up, her Furret dropped to her feet. Mason's Croconaw stood in front of her, in a sort of starting stance down on one knee, ready to attack. Raising her arms in a defensive position, she was ready to blast whoever opened the door with a massive ESP wave.

Feeling vibrations through the metal walls surrounding her and the roar of an engine, she gulped. Remembering the airship that J used previous in Alto Mare, she realised that returning would be a lot harder, especially since she only has these two Pokémon with her. Even when she breaks Tyranitar out, it would be difficult to help the large Pokémon down to the ground safely... but she can worry about that once she has her Pupitar's mother by her side.

Two grey claws appeared on either side of the metal door, crunching it as beams of light shone through. With a mighty roar, the door was torn off and the metal plate thrown across the wide metal bay. In front of her stood Hunter J, with a smirk and an army of soldiers pointing guns at them.

A new Pokémon also stood right in front of them all. It was a large, purple, scorpion-shaped Pokémon. Its eyes were pointed shape, with blue-coloured upper portions. It had two small, pointed protrusions between its eyes, and one on the back of its head. It also had protrusions on its jaws, two on the upper and three on the lower, with large white fangs extending out of its mouth. Its body is composed by many violet-to-lavender body segments which ends with a tail with two stingers. It had four segmented legs with pointed toes. Its most terrifying feature, however, were the two large arms which each held huge claws.

"Hello again," J smirked, "you didn't think you could sneak aboard my ship for a second time? Fool me once, and all that."

Forming balls of ESP around her hands, she launched them forward. The large purple Pokémon extended its arms and took the blasts which appeared harmless, as it flexed both arms and let out another roar. She took an apprehensive step back at this.

"I see you've met, Drapion, he's part dark type in case you didn't know," J explained, "which means your little mind blasts won't affect him. Naturally, he'll be your escort whilst aboard my ship."

The two arms shot forward as Serena attempted to run back. Caged in the truck, she was helpless as the cold claws wrapped around her. Being lifted into the air, she desperately attempted to force them off her but to no-avail. Drapion, as he was called, let out another loud roar right in her face, making he stop her fruitless escape attempts.

Watching helplessly, she saw Croconaw jump forward and launch a Hydro Pump. It shot out of the truck, but J rolled underneath it as it hit the back wall. She pointed her arm at him and fired another beam, turning him back to stone. Standing up, she dusted herself off.

"You got off lucky last time, I let you live because you were off value to me," she explained, "but since that meeting, your father seems to have had a change of heart. I don't know what came over him but, naturally, he will still need to up-hold his end of our deal since he was the one to break it. I can't help but think that you had something to do with it, however... and I don't like those that interfere with my business arrangements."

"Your angry with me?" Serena asked.

"Don't flatter yourself," she dismissed, "anger... it's a paralyzing emotion... you can't get anything done. People sort of think it's an interesting, passionate, and igniting feeling - I know it's not any of that - it's helpless... it's the absence of control - and I need all of my skills, all of my control, all of my power... and anger doesn't provide any of that - I have no use for it, whatsoever."

"So, what do you want?" she asked.

"Simple, to make as much money as possible, in the most efficient way I know how," J explained, "I already have more power than any individual on this planet. So, what else is there for me to do than profit of this accumulated power?"

"And how do you recon that?" Serena asked, "I could think of many other people more powerful than you. Just of the top of my head, Lance or any other elite four or champion."

"You really think that?" she asked, "if I called up Lance and told him my next target and when I'd take it. He'd roll out the entire armada of the G-Men to try and stop me. Not even the president of the Pokémon league has that sort of call power. When they run at my word, it's a show of who has more power."

"Your horrible," Serena spat.

"Maybe," she shrugged, "but in a cruel world, only the cruel survive."

J turned around back to the truck and stepped inside. She loomed over Furret, who had taken shelter under a bench. Squatting next to her, she grabbed the normal type by the scruff of her neck. Standing up, Serena's long body Pokémon tried to wiggle free against the iron grip.

"Leave her!" Serena called out.

"You're in no position to make demands," J rolled her eyes, turning her attention fully to Furret, "and you're in luck. Normally, your species aren't worth the fur on your backs but considering you've been trained by a top coordinator, it raises your value immensely."

Tossing her back to the ground, J quickly fired her beam at her. Furret had no time to react as she turned into stone, just like Croconaw.

She turned towards Serena as one of the henchmen ran in front of her. J shot the honey-blonde girl a smirk before speaking to her soldier, "take these two to the vault and put them under lock and key. And get message out to the usual cliental about our new assets for sale."

"Sir!" the soldier saluted as more piled into the truck. Drapion turned and began to walk away with J.

Serena could barely make out the truck through the corner of her eye as they moved the two Pokémon out on those pad-glass cases. She tried to break free as she kicked her legs around, even hitting the poison dark types chest, "FURRET!"

Drapion shook her around, forcing her to stop. As the daze came to an end, she watched as the one Pokéball on her belt rolled off. It stopped by J's foot.

"It really was a shame you left your other Pokémon to burn against Salamence," she sighed, slamming her foot down on the device, crushing it, "they could've been very profitable indeed but nothing can be done now."

J turned around and continued to lead the way. She pressed a button on the side of her head and a visor came down over her eyes. She couldn't make out what was being shown on the visor, but she could hear the conversation, "Sir. Salamence is on course for the ship and all is ready for departure."

"Start ascending, I want to leave as soon as he's on board," J commanded, "and have the Tyranitar brought to the control room for inspection."

They continued across the loading bay before stopping on a circular pad. Drapion turned around and offered one last look as Furret was pushed out on a trolly with Croconaw. As the circle lifted them up as and out of the loading bay, several floors passed in quick succession. None long enough for Serena to see any particular details on the floors but they all appeared to have the same bland, metal designs.

Coming to a stop, she found herself in a large control room with several henchmen, all dressed in the same grey uniforms at rows of computers. J walked over to a seat that overlook them and sat. Drapion moved to her side and continued to hold Serena tight. It was the same control room that she escaped through back at Alto Mare. With the large glass window now fixed, she could watch as they raised up higher and higher through the sky.

A sickening pit formed in Serena's stomach.

To the side of the large open space in front the rows of computers, a pair of double doors opened as several more henchmen rolled out a metal cage. The mother Tyranitar was trapped within, unfrozen, and desperately trying to break free but to no-avail. While the guards left through the same doors without a word. She continued to thrash around in the cage, with loud roars echoing out in the large room.

Serena gasped at the sight. As J leaned in closer.

"What is that mark on its stomach?" J asked, to seemingly no-one imparticular.

"It was already present when the containment squad encountered it, Sir," one of the computer soldiers explained, "it's believed to have been caused by those poacher brothers you encountered long before today. It's an old injury but doesn't seem to affect its battling ability."

"I don't care about its battling ability, that mark makes it lose its value," J screeched, leaning back in her seat, "guess we'll need to acquire another Tyranitar for the collection."

"Collection?" Serena asked.

"I already have a Larvitar and Pupitar in my vault," J explained, a smirk forming on her lips, "while individually they are worth something. When put together as a complete evolutionary line, they easily exceed their own individual values. But that mark has made this particular asset a waste of time. At least the other merchandise obtained shall make a small way to repaying the time wasted here."

The huntress leaned back in her chair and casually flicked open a clear glass container at the end of one of her arm rests. It released a giant red button and she casually pressed it like it was some sort television remote.

Serena could only watch as the floor began to slide away revealing the large fall down to the ground. Reaching the metal cage, it dropped out of the ship and began turning as it fell through the sky. Tyranitar's roars were silenced by the raging winds - not that any of the henchmen or J were concerned.

"You could've just let Tyranitar back into the wild, safely!" she cried, thrashing around once more.

"And waste more time?" J asked, "I don't think so. Now Drapion, its time we tossed the rest of our unwanted cargo."

The large poison dark type began walking across the control room, seemingly unfazed by the whirling winds. She frantically looked around for something, anything to help her escape this mess but to no-avail. Her heart began racing as the wind continued to suck on her. Her hat flew off and out into the grey-burnt landscape below. Water formed in her tear-ducks as tried to use her ESP to support herself like last time, but she couldn't focus enough.

Each of Drapion's steps seemed to echo above the whirlwinds. With them signally a second close to the end result. Struggling best she could, she was soon held over the open floor as a sucking feeling dragged on her legs. Her breaths stuck in her throat, like a vacuum preventing her from breathing. She desperately tried to hold onto the arms that restrained her, knowing what was about to come.

In an instant that seemed to take forever to arrive, Drapion smirked as released his grip. Her mind went blank and her skin fell cold. She continued to stare ahead but all sight disappeared. Everything went silent despite the raging winds whacking against her. Her previously throbbing heart stopped beating.

She fell.


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