Pokémon: Trail of Ultimate Champion

"Bang!"

A loud noise erupted from outside.

Jenny quickly took out her walkie-talkie to inquire about the situation. "What's going on?"

"Officer Jenny, this is Team Two. We have discovered a near Champion, a near Champion!"

"What?" Officer Jenny was shocked. "There's a near Champion?"

"Hurry, you need to evacuate! A near Champion is not something you can handle. Get out quickly, don't take unnecessary risks!"

"Understood!"

Jenny ended the walkie-talkie call and turned to the others with a serious expression. "Everyone, gather up. We're going to take down this near Champion Trainer together."

"Yes!"

Toshi was quite shocked. If Jenny didn't have a near Champion herself, did she really plan to rely on their numbers to achieve victory?

Didn't she see the dire situation here?

He couldn't understand.

"Toshi Trainer," Jenny said to the group after giving orders, "the appearance of a near Champion suggests that we may not even be able to ensure our own safety, so it would be better if you waited outside for the results."

Toshi shook his head. "No, Officer Jenny. Since I'm here, I must do my part. Even if my Butterfree's strength is low, it can still create some distractions from a distance. Plus, having an extra person can help, right?"

"Alright then, but please don't push yourself. Your safety comes first."

Since Toshi had said this, Jenny decided not to insist further. Given the urgency of the situation, she couldn't afford to delay any longer, so after giving Toshi a quick reminder, she hurriedly called for everyone to set off.

"Hahaha, so you're the League's lapdogs!"

Even before they reached the scene, the voice had already reached their ears.

Toshi recognized that it was the same woman he had seen before. 

"Could that near Champion be that woman?"

Toshi was startled, not expecting that just a small Inkoutou would have three near Champion Trainers present!

Even if the Inkoutou were a dominant force in the Petalburg City underground, they shouldn't have the ability to cultivate so many near Champions.

"Officer Jenny, we can't hold on much longer!"

The voice from the walkie-talkie came through again.

"Damn it, can't they evacuate?" Jenny couldn't help but curse.

"Just hang on a little longer; we'll be there soon!"

"Arcanine, you go ahead and help everyone hold them off."

Arcanine responded and then quickly disappeared from everyone's sight.

"That's Arcanine for you! With Extreme Speed, it has such terrifying speed!"

Toshi exclaimed, watching where Arcanine had vanished.

Two minutes later, the group finally reached the location of Team Two.

However, at that moment, all five members of Team Two were already severely injured on the ground, surrounded by more than twenty severely wounded and dying Pokémon.

Even Jenny's Arcanine was no exception.

"Arcanine!"

Jenny rushed over to Arcanine and quickly took out healing potions and repellents from her bag to treat Arcanine's injuries. At the same time, she instructed the others, "You all go help the others!"

"Yes!"

Toshi immediately helped the others treat the injuries.

After about twenty minutes, they finally stabilized everyone's wounds.

Fortunately, the woman was solely focused on running away and didn't waste time finishing anyone off; otherwise, none of them might have survived.

Once they regained consciousness, the five members pulled out their Poké Balls to recall the Pokémon that had been urgently treated.

After recalling Arcanine, Jenny turned to a man in his thirties and asked, "Tomota, how are you? Are you okay?"

Tomota stood up. "Officer Jenny, I'm fine. It's just that we were too useless and let that near Champion escape through another route."

"It's alright," Jenny shook her head. "The important thing is that you all are safe. As for that near Champion, don't worry; he won't get away."

"Do you have a backup plan?" Tomota asked in surprise.

Jenny didn't answer but glanced in the direction they had come from.

"It should be about time."

At that moment, a bright voice came from around the corner.

"Officer Jenny, this person ran to the underground exit, and I just happened to bump into him. She should be one of the Inkoutou, right?"

A man in a long red-striped coat stepped forward, holding the very Mako Toshi had seen before.

"Norman, the Gym Trainer of Petalburg City!" Toshi was also startled to see the newcomer. "I didn't expect Officer Jenny to have notified Gym Leader Norman; no wonder Jenny said to let them escape earlier. She wanted Norman to take action."

Toshi quickly grasped the key to the situation.

"Norman Gym Leader, thank you for your assistance," Jenny said as she stepped forward.

Norman tossed the unconscious Mako to the ground.

"Officer Jenny, you're too polite. The Inkoutou have always been a thorn in Petalburg City, so when I had the chance to eliminate one of their bases, it was only right for me, as a Gym Leader, to contribute!"

Jenny instructed the people behind her to handcuff Mako and then said to Norman, "Norman Gym Leader, you're too kind. If it weren't for you, this person might have gotten away."

"I didn't expect that a precautionary measure would actually lead to capturing a near Champion like this."

Jenny smiled. "It's not just one near Champion; both near Champions from the Inkoutou have been caught now."

"Oh? Now that's good news," Norman nodded with a smile.

After some pleasantries between Jenny and Norman, they returned to work. She instructed her subordinates to pack up all the documents and materials as evidence and to take all the other members back to the police station.

During this time, individuals began to bring out some people wearing white coats with the Inkoutou symbol on them. After reporting to Jenny, they escorted those individuals out of the base.

…

Jenny introduced, "Norman Gym Leader, this is Trainer Toshi, who informed us of the location of the Inkoutou base."

Toshi stepped forward and bowed slightly. "Hello, Norman Gym Leader, I am Toshi."

Norman smiled and said, "Ah, a hero in youth! Officer Jenny just mentioned your actions above ground. I must say, you have courage and wit, haha!"

Toshi scratched his head, feeling embarrassed. "Thank you, Norman Gym Leader, but I just got lucky. Officer Jenny warned me not to be so reckless."

"Haha, young people should have ideas and drive; being overly cautious isn't good," Norman said, patting Toshi's shoulder. "But Officer Jenny is right; always ensure your safety before acting, and you'll be fine."

Toshi nodded. "Thank you for your guidance, Norman Gym Leader."

"Kid, I believe in you! Haha!"

Having said that, Norman left.

Officer Jenny walked away after introducing Toshi to Norman, as she had many tasks to attend to.

To her, Norman probably wouldn't pay much attention to Toshi. After all, while Toshi had some clever ideas, his strength was still low and likely wouldn't catch Norman's eye.

…

"It seems that things have finally come to an end."

After Norman left, Toshi let out a sigh of relief. After all, it was his first time facing a Champion-level powerhouse, and he felt a bit scared.

At this point, everyone except him had their own tasks to attend to, and no one was paying attention to Toshi anymore.

So Toshi began to wander around casually. Although he couldn't take or touch anything, he wanted to get a good look at what the Inkoutou base was like.

Just as he reached a corner.

"Hmm? Is that... Sableye?"