While Peter was still thinking, Salamence had already dragged Regice into the airship.
The cargo bay doors were slowly closing.
"Not enough time!"
Peter immediately threw out a Poké Ball.
"Lopunny! Use Agility repeatedly, then Baton Pass!"
As Lopunny began boosting its speed, Peter grabbed Whitney's hand.
"Babe, stay here with Mira. Don't worry—I'll be back before nightfall!"
Before she could reply, Lopunny tossed a glowing baton into the air and nodded firmly.
"Mi-lo!"
Peter instantly threw two more Poké Balls.
"Go—Rufflet and Slaking!"
Rufflet spread its wings and shot into the sky, catching the baton in its beak.
Six bursts of light flashed around its body.
Speed boosts.
"ROOOAR—!"
Slaking leapt high into the air, grabbed Rufflet in its massive hands—
Then hurled it forward with terrifying force.
WHOOSH!
The sound of air ripping apart echoed through the sky.
Rufflet's sharp eyes gleamed.
Blue flames ignited around its body as it transformed into a streak of light and shot toward the nearly disappearing airship.
Brave Bird!
THUD!
Inside the ship, Hunter J frowned slightly.
"What was that?"
Her deputy checked the monitors quickly.
"Report: no abnormalities detected. Likely snow from the mountain striking the hull."
"Hmm."
Hunter J turned away.
"Continue. Reach the delivery point as quickly as possible."
"Yes, ma'am."
…
Hitching a Ride
On the ground, Peter saw Rufflet wedge itself into a narrow gap along the airship's hull.
He let out a sigh of relief.
"Babe—I'm going!"
Just as he turned to leave, soft hands grabbed his.
Whitney stood there, her beautiful face full of worry.
Peter smiled gently.
He lifted her chin and kissed her soft lips.
Only briefly.
"Relax. You forgot?"
"I can come back anytime."
Whitney's pink eyes trembled slightly.
She hugged him tightly, burying him in a warm embrace.
"Just come back quickly… I'll worry."
"Mmm…"
Peter nodded, his voice muffled.
Ignoring Mira—who was covering her face in embarrassment—he dashed into the forest.
A flash of teleportation light appeared.
The next moment—
He stood beside Rufflet on the airship's hull.
"Great job, little guy."
Peter rubbed Rufflet's head and returned it to its Poké Ball.
The airship was accelerating rapidly.
Its outer surface was sleek and smooth, leaving Peter stuck in a small depression at the top.
Fortunately, he had received the Blessing of the North Wind earlier.
Otherwise the freezing high-altitude wind alone would have been unbearable.
…
Infiltration
Peter activated his Summoner Skill Stone – Insight.
Since Hunter J's new airship had a structure almost identical to her previous one, he directly locked onto the control room.
His consciousness shifted.
The scene inside appeared instantly.
Surprisingly—
Hunter J wasn't there.
Only several Pokémon hunters chatting idly.
"Whoever hired us must be insane… paying 500 million just to capture a Legendary Pokémon."
"Yeah… but if they already knew where the Legendary was, why didn't they capture it themselves?"
"Maybe they're not as strong as Lady J?"
"Come on. With 500 million, you could hire three or four Champion-level trainers."
"Cough."
Someone at the doorway coughed sharply.
Everyone shut up immediately.
A moment later, Hunter J entered the room.
She held a phone and had a faint smile on her face.
Clearly she had just finished reporting to the client.
Peter was about to end the Insight skill—
But then Hunter J's words caught his attention.
"The delivery point has changed."
"To the eastern outskirts of Eterna City."
"It's close. Maintain steady flight speed."
"Avoid large air currents to reduce the chance of detection."
"Yes, ma'am!"
Peter blinked.
Eterna City's eastern outskirts?
That close?
Combining that with the hunters' earlier conversation—
The mysterious employer was probably nearby.
For a moment, Peter grew curious about who exactly was behind this.
But he shook his head.
"First things first… rescue Regice."
-----
Inside the Cargo Hold
Peter activated another Summoner Skill Stone – Insight.
A flash of golden light.
He appeared inside the cargo warehouse.
Rows of stone statues lined the corridors.
All of them were petrified Pokémon.
Some radiated powerful energy.
"Prinplup… Roserade… Haunter… Medicham…"
"Tangrowth… Rhyperior… Mr. Mime… Hippopotas… Lickilicky…"
He suddenly stopped.
"…Whoa. There's even a Milotic here."
He stared at the beautiful serpentine Pokémon.
Enchanting eyes.
Flowing pink hair.
A long tail covered in rainbow scales ending in elegant fan-shaped fins.
Milotic was widely known as the most beautiful Pokémon in existence.
Peter whistled softly.
"Not bad."
Hunter J clearly had serious resources.
Then he grinned mischievously.
"…What if I just release all of them?"
"A full-scale riot would be pretty entertaining."
Peter had absolutely no goodwill toward Hunter J.
Unlike most villains in the Pokémon anime—who often had tragic backstories or comedic personalities like Team Rocket—
Hunter J was different.
She used any means necessary.
Polluting water sources.
Burning forests.
Destroying ecosystems.
Even in the original anime, the writers seemed to want her gone.
During the Lake Trio arc, her ship was destroyed by Future Sight attacks from the lake guardians and sank into Lake Valor.
She never appeared again.
Clearly—
Even the writers thought she deserved that ending.
As a lifelong Pokémon fan, Peter felt grateful just to exist in this world.
Seeing someone destroy it so recklessly?
He couldn't let it slide.
…
The Ice Titan
At the deepest part of the warehouse stood a massive statue.
Peter pulled away the dust-covered tarp.
The frozen form of Regice appeared.
Regice — Lv.66 (Elite Four tier, heavily injured, petrified)
Description:
Guardian of the Iceberg Ruins, servant of Regigigas from the Snowpoint Temple.
Its duty is to stabilize the icy layers of Mount Coronet and prevent disasters.
Currently in a severely weakened state after being attacked during its slumber by explosions and coordinated assaults.
…
Peter frowned.
In this condition—
Even if Regice escaped, it would probably be captured again.
"Too bad I already used my healing spell today…"
After defeating Mira earlier, he had casually used it.
Now he had nothing left to restore Regice.
Peter scratched his chin.
"…Should I pull a Goh and take advantage of the situation?"
If he captured Regice himself—
He could teleport away immediately.
He glanced at the window.
There was no time left to hesitate.
"Alright."
"That's the plan."
Peter clapped his hands decisively.
Then he disabled the petrification device holding Regice.
The rescue—
Had officially begun.
--------------
T/N:
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