Pokemon Paldea [140-142] (Patreon)

Chapter 140: Anabel’s Confidence

Energy cubes, made from nourishing berries, are incredibly tempting for Pokémon like Snover, who love berry-based food—especially now, when this Snover is hungry.

Ever since its Abomasnow parents disappeared, it’s been living on edge near the peak of Glaseado Mountain, surrounded by powerful wild Pokémon. It hasn’t had a proper meal for who knows how long.

Though these are only pre-prepared food items, the aroma of the energy cubes had been sealed inside the container until now. Even Lucas can still catch a faint scent, not to mention a Pokémon’s keener nose.

Snover quietly swallowed, still keeping a wary eye on the three humans, but its little gaze kept drifting toward the energy cube in Lucas’s palm.

What is that? It smells so good. I want to eat it!

 But that big cat is scary. I don’t dare go over.

With a glance from Lucas, Luxray reluctantly lay down, using its body language to show Snover it meant no harm. Only then, driven by hunger, did Snover take timid little steps toward Lucas.

“It really works!”

Anabel covered her mouth, whispering in surprise.

Tront stroked his Delibird’s feathers and smiled. “Although Abomasnow looks fierce, they rarely attack humans first. They typically live quietly in the depths of snowy mountains, far from people. They only act out to protect young ones like Snover.”

“And Snovers are curious about many things—including humans. After a while, they often become good friends with people. They especially like kids around their own size.”

Anabel suddenly understood, impressed by Tront and Lucas’s knowledge of Pokémon.

Her only impression of Abomasnow was news about them sometimes coming down to attack villages—she never expected the real story to be so different.

While they talked, Snover had already come up to Lucas. Sensing no ill intent, the always-tense Snover finally plucked up the courage to carefully take the energy cube from Lucas’s palm.

Snover’s pine-shoot-like fingers brushing against Lucas’s palm made his arm twitch, but he managed not to react too strongly.

Just a bit of tickling—he could bear it. The important thing was not to scare off the hard-won trust of this hungry Snover.

The blizzard outside was getting worse. If Snover went out again, it could be dangerous.

After taking the energy cube, Snover seemed to confirm Lucas meant no harm. Rubbing its rumbling belly, it looked at Lucas with bright, eager eyes, as if asking permission to eat.

Lucas nodded kindly. “Go ahead, it’s for you. But in exchange, is it alright if we stay in your cave for a while to wait out the blizzard?”

Snover paused, but hunger came first. It nodded, agreeing to the deal.

With the trade settled, Snover no longer held back. Grateful, it popped the energy cube into its mouth, savoring it in small bites, as if cherishing this rare treat.

Unfortunately, the cube was small, and it finished quickly. Eating the last bite, Snover felt a little disappointed.

It had traded a night’s shelter in its cave for a single piece of food, and with nothing else to barter, it would probably go hungry again soon.

But suddenly, a warm rush filled its belly—Snover’s eyes widened. For the first time since its parents left, it felt full!

How could it be? Just one small cube and it was satisfied?

 Snover touched its belly, its expression lively and animated.

Lucas smiled even more, waving to Tront and Anabel behind him, signaling that the negotiation was complete.

Tront stroked his chin as he entered the windproof cave, teasing, “I thought trainers would always solve things with Pokémon battles, no questions asked. You’re the first one I’ve seen who thinks so flexibly.”

Anabel quietly entered the cave and crouched down to organize her pack, glancing at Lucas, who was now interacting warmly with Snover, feeling a little defeated inside.

She’d boasted before, “Leave all the trivial matters along the way to me, you just worry about the battles.” Yet she’d been the one coasting along the entire time.

Still, at least she knew the equipment in their packs well enough to handle setup and adjustments. If they wanted to detect Hunter J’s whereabouts, they’d have to rely on her environmental monitoring gear.

That thought gave Anabel a bit of comfort.

By the time the campfire was lit, Anabel had just finished installing her devices and was beginning to calibrate them.

Luxray watched the cave entrance on guard, while Lucas brought Snover—still wary of the fire—over to Anabel, both of them curious about the high-tech gear.

“Anabel, what are these for?” Lucas asked.

Anabel paused from syncing her system with other colleagues scattered across Glaseado Mountain. “Environmental monitoring devices. Together with the devices my colleagues have, we’re temporarily building a surveillance network across the mountain. Hunter J’s team loves using high-tech weapons—this gear will detect anything that doesn’t belong to these mountains.”

“There’s also radar for scanning the skies. If Hunter J’s coming in by airship, the radar will pick them up.”

Her voice was calm, but her face brimmed with confidence.

This was Interpol’s cutting-edge gear. Anabel was proud of its advanced technology.

Snover, finally relaxing, wanted to poke at the strange black devices, but Anabel’s guard-dog protectiveness made it hesitate. After some wavering, Snover didn’t dare get closer.

“What if Hunter J’s ship is invisible? Can your radar still catch it?” Lucas asked, seemingly offhand.

Anabel paused, then replied confidently, “I thought you’d ask something difficult. Don’t worry, this is Interpol’s best equipment. There’s no way Hunter J’s gang of shady hyenas can match it.”

“Is that so?” Lucas’s words slipped out as he saw Anabel’s changing expression: “Then how come, even with all this gear, Hunter J is still at large?”

Chapter 141: Dragonite’s Attack and Speed Hit Thirteen Thousand

Anabel’s face flushed, her voice trembling. “That’s just because she’s been lucky! If we were fully prepared, someone like Hunter J wouldn’t be a problem!”

Lucas didn’t argue, just nodded indifferently. “Let’s just say that’s true, then.”

Anabel: ???

For some reason, even though Lucas agreed with her, she felt a ball of frustration she couldn’t let out.

Tront quietly added more firewood and set a pot to boil soup.

The night was still young, and they couldn’t sleep. If Hunter J arrived soon, it’d be fine; if late, they’d need to stay alert and eat to maintain their strength and warmth.

Glancing at Lucas—who had completely failed to realize he’d pushed Anabel to the brink of rage—Tront shook his head, sighing to himself, “Ah, to be young. Just say whatever you want—such spirit.”

Outside, the storm howled, but inside the cave was peaceful and calm. Sensing the safety Luxray brought, Snover slept soundly next to Lucas.

Anabel, having finished with the equipment, sipped hot soup made from plants Tront had gathered, watching the data intently and exchanging information with her colleagues across the mountain.

Her earpiece crackled with wind-distorted voices as Anabel mapped out the current situation on Glaseado Mountain in her mind.

Looker was coordinating all the forces tracking Hunter J and her crew.

Tyme’s sector near Montenevera Town reported nothing unusual.

Lyme’s section on the mountain’s mid-levels was clear.

Grusha’s area around the mountain’s Pokémon Gym was fine.

Rika’s area at the mountain’s base was normal.

Around the peak, where Anabel was stationed, nothing abnormal had been detected.

That meant Hunter J hadn’t arrived yet—or hadn’t made a move.

Unable to sleep with the wind howling, Lucas buried his face in Luxray’s thick fur, taking a few deep breaths before sitting up and telling Tront the story of Delibird, who had been found by Luxray.

Delibird listened wide-eyed, moved and admiring the tale of its kin who had challenged nature, and now sought new adventures.

Though it might be older than Lucas’s Delibird, that didn’t stop it from admiring its courage.

Tront, cuddling his longtime partner, smiled. Lucas’s stories reminded him of his own youthful dreams: to travel the world as a ranger, fighting evil and becoming a legend.

Dreams are dreams because they’re hard to reach, which gives people something to chase.

But now, with ties that bind him, those dreams are no longer his top priority.

Still, maybe this young man before him could realize that dream in his own way.

After the stories, the cave fell silent except for the wind and the beeping of Anabel’s equipment.

Lucas, sneaking his cold hands into Luxray’s warm belly for heat, was met only with a glance—Luxray let him be, as if to say, “Well, I chose you after all.”

Soaking up the warmth, Lucas poked at the system in his mind: “Has Hunter J arrived yet?”

[Not yet]

Lucas frowned. “Say it clearly.”

[She’s entered the Paldea region, but hasn’t reached Glaseado Mountain yet.]

“Oh, let me know when she does.”

[Okay.]

…

Paldea region, above Los Platos.

A cloaked airship crossed into Paldea from the nearby sea, flying past Los Platos and into its outskirts.

Long hours in the cockpit had left the crew tired, but no one dared doze off—Hunter J was ruthless enough to throw them out if they slacked. They forced themselves to stay alert, eyes on the data screens.

One of them, needing distraction, switched the monitor to view below the airship.

Spotting the scene, he whistled. “Wow, what a big wheat field down there. Too bad it’s night now—bet it looks golden and beautiful in the day.”

The others looked over, bantering.

“Looks like a bumper crop.”

“These Paldea villagers have it easy. Good weather, good land—don’t even need to try to get a harvest.”

“So annoying.”

“Why don’t we drop an incendiary and torch the place?”

“Great idea, I can already see the owner bawling his eyes out!”

Just as they were plotting, Hunter J’s icy voice cut in: “Don’t do anything extra to expose us, or I’ll feed you to the Sharpedo.”

They promptly shut up and returned to their stations. The airship sped away from Los Platos’ outskirts, heading straight for Glaseado Mountain.

A while later—

Hunter J, sitting at the head of the ship, propped her chin on her hand, watching the snowy weather outside.

Seeing the blizzard, she couldn’t help but smile.

The storm would hide their ship, and her Pokémon targets preferred to travel in weather like this!

She stood up, her voice sharp as she donned her gear: “We’re entering the target zone—everyone, stay sharp. This mission must succeed. Failure is not an option!”

“Yes, ma’am!”

Her command was met with a chorus of firm responses.

….

Lucas, asleep in the cave, was woken by the system’s alert. Opening his eyes, the cold wind snapped him fully awake.

Seeing the message, Lucas’s gaze sharpened. Even Luxray, lying beneath him, sensed the change and opened its alert, watchful eyes.

Scanning the cave, Lucas saw that Anabel was on night watch, Tront was dozing lightly, and Snover was sprawled out fast asleep.

Lucas stood, putting on his clothes and gear, making sure everything was ready for the cold.

His movements caught Anabel’s attention—why was he getting up before his shift?

Once dressed, Lucas whispered to Luxray to watch the ground, then grabbed Dragonite’s Poké Ball and summoned it.

Dragonite’s orange form filled the cave, waking Tront.

Lucas ordered, “Dragonite, Dragon Dance!”

Dragonite, knowing this meant a showdown, immediately began a fierce Dragon Dance, ramping up its power to the maximum—six times boosted.

Now, Dragonite’s attack and speed stats soared to thirteen thousand!

Lucas turned to his companions. “Alert everyone—get ready to intercept Hunter J’s crashing ship!”

Chapter 142: Dragonite Breaks the Sound Barrier

“What do you mean?”

Anabel stared, bewildered by Lucas’s sudden urgency.

The monitors showed nothing—no unknown tech or vehicles anywhere on the mountain.

Lucas didn’t answer. With Hunter J so close, now was the moment to strike.

Fully equipped, he climbed onto the steaming, supercharged Dragonite, who surged out of the cave and rocketed into the sky.

Back in the cave, Snover woke up confused by the commotion and peered outside behind Luxray.

“Maybe he’s spotted Hunter J,” Tront tried to sound serious, but couldn’t hide his smile at Lucas’s bold tactics.

He’d once worried Lucas would insist on honorable one-on-one Pokémon battles with Hunter J. He never expected this level of creativity—powering up Dragonite pre-battle. Brilliant!

Grabbing his capture styler, Tront considered which wild Pokémon to recruit, shouting to Anabel, “Just trust him!”

Anabel, jolted into professional calm, immediately contacted her team across the mountain, ordering everyone to level-one alert. Prepare for a crashed airship—don’t let a single criminal escape!

She’d worked with strong trainers before—including a certain red-headed Dragonmaster from Kanto—whose Dragonite dominated ocean smugglers like a force of nature.

Perhaps, as Paldea’s rare Champion-level trainer, Lucas had his own ways of tracking Hunter J.

Anabel glanced at her monitors—no response except for the chaos after Lucas and Dragonite left. She tried to reassure herself.

…

In the howling blizzard, a mighty dragon shadow soared, its energy vaporizing the wind and snow itself.

[Isn’t this a bit too flashy? Won’t you expose yourself? What comes next is—]

Lucas’s face didn’t change, eyes locked on the blizzard.

“As long as you’re strong enough, no matter how unreasonable your actions, you don’t need to explain. People will just make up reasons that fit your strength.”

[...]

“As long as the results are good, no one will care about the process. Where’s Hunter J’s ship?”

[Arriving at the mountain peak. Ready to act.]

“Mark it. Before they react, let’s bring their ship down in one blow!”

[Understood.]

…

Inside the ship—

“Target locked: Frigibax, Arctibax, and Baxcalibur distribution points on Glaseado Mountain marked!”

On the shrinking holographic map, red dots lit up all over the vast mountain. Hunter J smiled coldly.

Not bad. This expensive new tech, custom-built by that scientist, was worth it.

There were flaws—only one evolution line could be tracked at a time, and nothing else—but with this, even Legendary Pokémon weren’t out of reach.

She picked the nearest target. “Team A, prepare to deploy!”

Her fully armed squad rushed out.

Suddenly, an ear-splitting alarm blared. The red warning lights bathed the cabin.

“Report! High-energy signal detected below—Pokémon approaching fast, heading straight for us!”

The monitoring crew panicked.

“Exposed already?” Hunter J bit her lip, replaying every step—how had they been ambushed here?

Still, finding the traitor could wait. The attacker was the top priority.

Hunter J’s gaze, hard as steel behind her visor, was ice-cold. “Regret your arrogance. Anti-air energy cannon—charge up!”

Hidden panels on the ship slid open as weapons powered up, gathering blinding energy.

“Charged and ready!” came the reply.

“Lock on and fire—take them down!”

“Yes, ma’am!”

But they couldn’t.

On the screens, the operator cried out, “Can’t lock on! Their speed—already supersonic and still increasing! Energy spike incoming—they’re almost here!”

Hunter J’s face changed.

And then—a deafening sonic boom exploded all around. Not even the blizzard could block the blast. All across the mountain, Anabel, Tront, Grusha, Tyme, Lyme, and Rika looked up in shock.

“Wow. No matter how many times I see it, that sonic boom is incredible.”

Riding Dragonite, wrapped in protective energy, Lucas looked back.

Dragonite was now surrounded by a conical cloud from its supersonic flight, rocketing straight for the massive—yet invisible—airship.

Dragonite sensed a faint threat and flew even more erratically.

Logically, Lucas should have been suffering severe side effects from the speed and cold. In reality, he felt fine—the mystical energy surrounding Dragonite kept him safe.

With the system marking the ship’s floatation drive, Lucas gave the order: “Aim there—Dragon Rush!”

“Bwooom!”

Dragon energy surged, and in a blink, a massive spectral dragon appeared amid the storm, Dragonite roaring as it smashed into the ship’s weak point!

A huge explosion lit up the sky. The floating and cloaking systems went down, and the powerless vessel plummeted—right into view of Anabel and Tront, ready below.

Inside the ship, alarms wailed:

[Floatation system damaged. Cloaking system damaged. Irreparable. Warning: ship will crash.]

[Repeat: Ship will crash.]

[Repeat: Ship will crash.]