"Caw! Caw!"
A cry came from above.
Hayato raised his arm, and Chatot landed neatly on it.
"Got it. Pyroar has already received the news too, right? Then let's move out."
The latter half of his words were directed to Kangaskhan , who was carrying him.
"Rooaaar!"
Kangaskhan responded. Its eyes slowly narrowed as the immense power hidden within its massive body began to release.
The ground trembled with deep vibrations.
Kangaskhan suddenly burst into motion.
Faster and faster it ran—its speed no slower than Chatot flying overhead.
Its charge was downright savage, like a fully loaded freight truck tearing across the road.
Anything that stood in its path was sent flying.
Nothing could stop Kangaskhan's advance.
"Korrina, this is the right direction, correct?"
Korrina, who was sitting safely inside Kangaskhan's pouch, nodded.
"Yes, big brother. It's this way."
"Good. We'll rescue Riolu and the other Pokémon soon. You don't need to worry."
After reassuring her, Hayato fell silent again.
Above them, the flock led by Chatot circled in the sky.
Near Coumarine City, Pyroar was already blocking the route.
Those poachers had nowhere left to escape.
"Big brother… why don't I feel any wind at all?" Korrina asked after calming down.
The scenery rushed backward rapidly, yet not even a breeze touched her.
Hayato stared straight ahead while absentmindedly touching the Key Stone on his wrist.
"Kangaskhan is using Normal-type energy to shield us from the wind."
At the speed Kangaskhan was running, it would easily surpass even the fastest racing cars from Hayato 's previous life.
The terrain was uneven and rugged.
Most people wouldn't be able to endure it.
This was simply one way Pokémon utilized their internal energy.
"So amazing!"
Korrina nodded, half-understanding but full of admiration.
In her eyes, Kangaskhan was only slightly weaker than her grandfather's Lucario.
Route 12 – Midsection
Unlike the forest at the beginning of Route 12 or the grasslands near the end, the middle section was filled with steep, rugged mountains.
Only Pokémon like Skiddo could comfortably live in this terrain.
Inside a hidden cave somewhere in the mountains—
Panicked cries of Pokémon echoed constantly.
They were trapped inside cramped iron cages, stacked together like merchandise waiting to be sold.
Among the many frightened Pokémon, one blue canine Pokémon stood out.
Its expression was determined and its gaze sharp as it carefully observed its surroundings, searching for a chance to escape.
At the cave entrance, several men walked in while grumbling angrily.
The bearded man leading them pointed at the other two and cursed loudly.
"Hunter J sent us to Kalos to establish an outpost, and before we even got started, you idiots got spotted! Just wait until punishment comes down!"
The two men's faces turned pale.
Remembering the fate of members who had been punished before, chills ran down their spines.
One of the skinny men rolled his eyes and quickly tried to appease him.
"Boss… didn't we catch a Riolu?"
"That's a rare Pokémon. The two of us won't tell anyone. You can raise it as your own Pokémon."
"Not reporting it upward… might be possible," the bearded man muttered.
Greed flashed across his eyes.
Riolu's final evolution was Lucario, an incredibly powerful Pokémon.
If he could train one himself, he might even climb into the upper ranks of the organization.
Maybe he'd even get a code name.
When that time came—
Hunter J, that damn woman… I'll make her kneel and beg.
The other two exchanged glances before nodding eagerly.
"Don't worry, boss. We never caught a Riolu."
"Yeah, yeah. What Riolu? All we saw was a Caterpie."
"That's right! Just a Caterpie!"
The three of them decided to embezzle the rare Riolu for themselves.
Would the organization find out?
Who cared.
They were far from headquarters.
If Hunter J had the guts, she could come all the way to Kalos to catch them.
BOOM!
Just as the three of them finished their discussion—
A thunderous crash echoed from the cave entrance.
It was accompanied by the miserable scream of a Golbat.
A charred black object rolled to the men's feet.
It was the unconscious Golbat.
Taken down in one hit.
"Who's there?!"
The bearded man reacted instantly, throwing out two Poké Balls.
A Skarmory and a Mightyena appeared.
Almost like the standard Pokémon used by villains.
But before the two Pokémon could even steady themselves—
Two beams of energy shot in from outside the cave entrance.
Both attacks struck perfectly.
Skarmory and Mightyena were blasted backward, smashing into the rock wall behind them.
Both were defeated instantly.
In the blink of an eye, three Pokémon had lost the ability to battle.
Yet they hadn't even seen their opponent.
Even fools would realize at this point—
They couldn't win against the enemy outside.
Run!
They had to run!
But trapped inside the cave like fish in a barrel, where could they go?
"Don't just stand there!" the bearded man shouted with a pale face.
"Release all your Pokémon and charge out together! Otherwise none of us are escaping!"
The other two snapped out of their shock and began throwing Poké Balls one after another.
They ordered their Pokémon to charge forward as shields while they hid behind them and ran toward the cave entrance.
As long as they escaped the cave, they could use Flying-type Pokémon to flee.
But would Hayato give them that chance?
The answer was obvious.
No.
"Whew…"
Hayato exhaled slowly.
"Kangaskhan , are you ready?"
"Roooaaar!"
"Then—"
"Mega Evolve! Kangaskhan !"
The Key Stone on Hayato 's wrist suddenly erupted with dazzling rainbow light.
The radiance was brilliant and mysterious, containing the secrets of evolution itself.
Kangaskhan responded.
Light burst from its body as well.
The two lights extended outward and intertwined with each other.
Moments later—
The glow completely enveloped Kangaskhan .
The power known as Mega Evolution merged fully into Kangaskhan's body, awakening the ancient strength hidden deep within its bloodline.
"ROOOAAAR!"
At that moment, Kangaskhan seemed to break free from a genetic restraint.
It let out an uncontrollable roar toward the sky.
Just as the poachers' Pokémon rushed out of the cave—
They were struck head-on.
Three Ninjask were instantly slammed to the ground.
They collapsed after a single exchange.
Not even a trace of resistance remained.
At that moment, the radiant light surrounding Kangaskhan slowly faded and fully merged into its body.
Standing before Hayato and Korrina now—
Was a transformed Kangaskhan .
Hiding behind a tree, Korrina covered her mouth to keep from making noise. Her eyes widened in shock.
"M-Mega Evolution… just like Grandpa's power…"
"Big brother is amazing…"
For both Hayato and Kangaskhan , this was their first Mega Evolution, and the sensation was completely new.
Through the connection of the Key Stone, Hayato could clearly feel Kangaskhan's condition.
Their bond had gone beyond simple understanding.
At this moment, it felt as if they were one and the same.
It was an indescribably mysterious experience.
Hayato looked toward Kangaskhan's body.
"Just like I thought… only the baby Kangaskhan receives the full power of Mega Evolution."
Unlike other Pokémon that drastically changed appearance after Mega Evolution—
Mega Kangaskhan looked almost identical to its normal form.
The only difference was that it seemed slightly more wild and primal.
But appearances didn't matter.
The power of Mega Evolution had truly fused into Kangaskhan's body.
Hayato raised his head and looked toward the cave entrance.
A group of Pokémon stood there snarling at them.
Perfect.
A good opportunity to test their strength.
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