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"Oh, you're a Pokémon Ranger, and this Riolu is royalty~" Dawn replied in surprise.
In the forest, after encountering Riolu, the three then immediately met Souichi, the chief of the Pokémon Rangers.
After a simple introduction and explanation, they learned that this Riolu was a being with royal blood.
Its innate Aura was incredibly powerful, capable of using Aura Sphere, a move only Lucario could unleash.
Souichi's mission was to bring Riolu back to its homeland to take on the responsibility of protecting its kingdom.
"That's right~" Souichi nodded, then knelt down in front of the wary Riolu, pulling out a Riolu-style wooden carving. "This seems to be yours!"
"Riolu~"
Riolu immediately nodded excitedly, its wariness completely gone. It took the wooden carving and held it in its palm as if it were a priceless treasure.
"That's great~"
Dawn was happy that Riolu got its important item back; Ash and Brock felt the same.
But the next second, Ash frowned slightly, as he felt a strange Aura rapidly approaching.
Boom boom boom~
Within a few seconds, accompanied by several loud bangs, two massive armored vehicles emerged from the bushes.
Following them were five middle-aged men dressed as Pokémon Hunters.
"Riolu, we finally found you!"
The five men simultaneously threw out Poké Balls, and fully evolved Crobat flapped their wings neatly in mid-air.
These Crobat flapped their "X"-shaped wings, their sharp teeth gleaming with purple light, and charged directly towards Riolu's location.
"Pikachu, Thunderbolt~"
Accompanied by crackling golden currents, these Crobat were directly hit. The type advantage combined with the power gap caused the struck Crobat to immediately fall to the ground.
"..."
This scene made Souichi, who was preparing to help with a Capture Styler, silently put his hands away and quietly observe Ash's battle.
"You annoying brat~"
The leader cursed angrily, preparing to send out Pokémon with his teammates again.
"Pikachu, Quick Attack~"
However, Ash noticed this in advance and quickly gave the command.
Pikachu instantly transformed into a yellow lightning bolt, and just like last time, it tackled the men's vulnerable spots one after another.
"Ah~"
"Ah~"
…
Accompanied by screams, the middle-aged men instantly collapsed to the ground.
"Uh, Ash… you really have a way with dealing with bad guys!"
Such a chilling scene made even Ranger Souichi, upon seeing it, praise Ash and Pikachu's efficiency.
Pika!!
Ignoring the awkward expressions of Ash and his companions, Pikachu puffed out its chest, indicating that it was all its credit.
"Ahem, let's find somewhere else to stay!" Ash replied with a serious expression, looking at the proud Pikachu.
This was not only to divert attention but also for the safety of this forest.
Because he knew Hunter J was on her way, and if they continued to stay in this forest,
He believed that to force Riolu out, she would definitely choose to set the forest on fire.
"Okay~"
Souichi, Ash, and their companions, along with Riolu, ran wildly towards the grassland outside the forest, moving to an area with a relatively open view.
They planned to take a waterway to transfer Riolu to another area.
Although Ash believed that with his strength, there was no need for such a grand display,
This seemed to be Souichi and the Rangers' plan, and he couldn't directly object, so he could only follow along.
However, along the way, Souichi received a call from another Ranger, Hinata.
She was currently pursuing the organization that took Riolu with Jenny, and would then head towards Souichi. Riolu's safety would be entrusted to Souichi and Ash's group.
"Wow, I didn't expect you to know other Rangers, Ash!"
Dawn didn't think much about the beautiful Ranger lady, only speaking in an admiring tone.
Because this profession is quite special in the Pokémon World, almost dedicating their youth to rescuing Pokémon.
"Brock and I met Miss Hinata in Hoenn!" Ash explained, recalling past memories.
At that time, they relied on the special nature of the Capture Styler to rescue Celebi, who was trapped on Cycling Road, and later there was even a Deoxys.
But Ash didn't explain much about these, because now was not the time to talk about them.
"Ah, the beautiful Miss Hinata, I really wish to be captured by her!"
However, there are always exceptions, like Brock, who was already lost in the memories of meeting Hinata in the past.
"Idiot, don't be a pervert at a time like this!" Dawn covered her face, unable to help but complain.
And Ash's action was even more direct, silently pulling Dawn and himself away from Brock.
Simply because Brock's behavior was too embarrassing, and there was a Ranger watching!
Souichi saw Brock's expression, and his mouth couldn't help but twitch slightly.
But his excellent professional ethics made him realize that now was not the time to worry about this issue; transferring Riolu was the most important thing.
Suddenly, a huge figure flew over them, a pair of blood-red wings slowly descended, finally stopping in front of them.
Upon seeing the newcomer, it was the silver-haired Hunter J, wearing sunglasses, glaring through gritted teeth at Ash and Pikachu.
"Why is it you again, you annoying brat~"
Every time she encountered Ash, her probability of completing a mission, Hunter J, directly dropped by 80%.
Last time, she even lost her veteran Ariados and Drapion.
"Come out, Aerodactyl, Steelix!"
Ash didn't bother with idle chatter, directly releasing two large Pokémon, preparing to use force to drive the opponent away.
After all, the prey was right in front of her, Hunter J would definitely not let Riolu go, and a battle was inevitable.
"Hmm?"
Seeing the nearly ten-meter-long steel snake and the ancient overlord Aerodactyl, Hunter J couldn't help but frown.
She had seen Aerodactyl once before, so its appearance was still within her expectations.
It was the presence of Steelix that gave her a headache.
Because after losing Ariados and Drapion, she replenished her team's missing members, but they were still only Poison-type.
They were Toxicroak and Skuntank, which had no advantage against the massive Steelix, and the probability of winning instantly dropped to only 10%.
What's more, the opponent's Pikachu was watching menacingly, she was afraid…
"Salamence, let's go!"
Under the slightly bewildered gazes of Ash's group and Souichi, Hunter J actually fled without a fight.
"Is Ash that amazing?" Souichi looked at Ash for confirmation.
"Of course, Ash easily repelled Hunter J twice~" Dawn shouted, craning her neck, explaining past stories to Souichi.
But Ash was not in the mood to listen, regretfully recalling Aerodactyl, who had become a loyal follower, and the honest Steelix.
He wore an expression like a duck that had flown away, looking at Hunter J disappearing into the sky.