Chapter 91: The 100 Million bounty

"Damn it!"

Tucker's frustration boiled over as he witnessed the trap he had meticulously set up get destroyed by the sudden appearance of an Ekans. Rage surged through him, making his blood rush to his forehead.

It was as if he were haunted; he had clearly instructed Fearow to chase away any surrounding Pokémon. How did this Ekans manage to slip past?.

It seemed nearly impossible for a Pokémon to fall from the sky.

But in reality, this Ekans had indeed been thrown from above by Julian, from a kilometer away, no less. 

Tucker had buried numerous explosives within his traps.

While the Ekans wasn't killed outright, it was now battered and bruised, clearly suffering from the aftermath of the blast.

"I will spare your life!" 

Tucker shot a furious glance at the struggling Ekans. He wanted nothing more than to finish it off, but the explosion would surely attract the attention of the woman who was after him. 

He had originally set up traps to increase his chances of escaping. With those gone, his odds of winning a direct fight had significantly decreased. He needed to get out of there quickly.

"Fearow, let's go!" 

His words rang out as he mounted Fearow. The explosion had already caught Lin Lin's attention, and she was rushing toward the sound, determined to find him.

"Bullet Punch"

Suddenly, a gust of wind swept past the back of his head, sending chills down his spine. Instinctively, Tucker lurched forward to avoid it.

He felt the rush of air from a powerful punch that narrowly grazed the back of his head, leaving him cold with sweat. 

This was the closest he had ever come to death since becoming a Pokémon hunter.

Before Tucker could give any orders, Fearow instinctively dove to protect him, its sharp beak aiming for the attacker.

"Meteor Mash!" 

Metagross stood firm, its massive metal claws glowing with vibrant colors as it prepared to counterattack.

The clash of their moves echoed through the forest as the two attacks collided. Fearow flapped its wings, shielding Tucker with its body. 

If it hadn't been for Fearow, Tucker would have certainly met his end in that close-range explosion.

However, Fearow also took damage; its wing was injured, blood staining its feathers as they fell to the ground.

"Hypno!" 

Tucker wasted no time and released his second Pokémon. 

Fearow was at level 65, while Hypno was at level 67. The strength of the target was no simple matter; it was close to the peak of the pseudo-Elite rank.

Yet, Hypno's condition was far from optimal. It flickered erratically, a clear sign that it had been affected by paralysis, likely due to previous battles.

It seemed that someone else had also been trying to capture Tucker, but Julian had interfered at just the right moment.

Realizing that he had to act quickly before that chaser arrived, Julian put aside any hesitation.

With no hint of guilt for taking someone else's prey, he focused on completing his system task before the other party arrived.

"Silver Metagross, you are someone from the Walker family!" 

Tucker quickly recognized Julian's identity upon seeing the silver Metagross. Yet, he felt no fear; rather, his excitement grew.

There were very few who could intimidate him, especially not a boy like Julian. 

If he could catch Julian and use him to threaten Lin Lin, she would undoubtedly fear for Julian's safety and let him go.

Tucker and Julian both had the same goal: they needed to deal with each other quickly before Lin Lin arrived.

'Although he has a pseudo-legendary Pokemon, it has not reached the pseudo-Elite level yet, and I am already approaching the peak of the pseudo-Elite.'

In the eyes of most Trainers, pseudo-legendaries were powerful and feared, capable of taking down opponents well above their level.

But for experienced Trainers, there were ways to overcome them.

'I surpass him in level, have more combat experience, and even if Hypno is not in optimal Condition right now, it's not something this kid can stop right now.'

"Hypno, Psybeam!" 

"Fearow, Hyper Beam!"

In the chaos of wild battles, there were no rules at all. Fighting unfairly was commonplace; unless the attacker ran out of ammunition, anything went.

Metagross stood firm, using Protect to shield Julian from the combined attacks.

"This is impossible!!" 

Tucker shouted, his face twisting in disbelief.

He had encountered pseudo-legendaries before and even defeated them, but this Metagross was defying all logic.

Though Protect could block powerful moves, it was supposed to be effective only if the Pokémon levels were similar. Tucker's Pokémon far surpassed that of Metagross.

Two simultaneous moves blocked by a single Protect? It seemed like a cheat.

"Lucario, use Close Combat on Fearow!" 

"Metagross, Shadow Ball for Hypno!" 

"Sneak attack on Trainer from behind Gengar"

Tucker knew Gengar was an essential asset for sneak attacks, especially with his stealthy nature. He quickly readied a Poké Ball and glanced back.

But instead of Gengar, he saw a Pokémon he had never encountered before.

"Meltan, Thunder Shock!"

Meltan's small frame was perfect for stealth under the cover of night. Julian had released it earlier, allowing it to sneak behind Tucker unnoticed.

With a sudden burst of electricity, Tucker was hit and instantly stunned. Julian had ordered Meltan to hold back; otherwise, Tucker wouldn't have survived the encounter.

Tucker: The basic trust between people.

Without their Trainer, Fearow and Hypno were quickly subdued by Metagross and Lucario.

After capturing Tucker's unconscious Pokémon into their Poké Balls, Julian began searching Tucker's belongings, eager for some treasure.

As a Pokémon hunter, Tucker likely carried valuable items, and Julian was more than ready to take advantage of that.

The system chimed, indicating that the task was now complete.

Julian found five good quality evolution stones, and there were some resources for Ground and Rock type Pokémon, including soft sand, which was worth an astonishing 100 million.

(T/N: not in dollars)

Although Julian had no shortage of such things, the joy of searching made him unable to stop.

After searching through Tucker's possessions, Julian collected all the valuables before securely tying the unconscious hunter to a sturdy tree.

Hearing footsteps approaching, he assumed it was the person hunting Tucker, arriving at the scene.

"Dragonair, let's go!" 

With that, Dragonair took to the skies, swiftly carrying Julian away.

Lin Lin's Electivire gazed up at the night sky, spotting something soaring past.

"What was that, Electivire? The explosion sounded close. We need to be careful," Lin Lin warned.

Before long, she arrived at the site of the explosion and found Tucker tied up to a tree.

Lin Lin: It's so easy to get the 100 million bounty.

*****

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