The phrase "one punch per opponent" was perfectly demonstrated at this moment.
Not a single Pokémon sent out by the poachers could withstand even one move from Mega Kangaskhan .
Most of them couldn't even force it to throw a second punch.
Some were so overwhelmed by Mega Kangaskhan's terrifying aura that they lost the will to resist.
They collapsed before the fight even began.
The battle unfolded with overwhelming force.
By the time the three poachers tried to flee the cave amid the chaos, the cave entrance was already littered with fallen Pokémon.
Mega Kangaskhan stood there glaring at them.
Its sandbag-sized fists glowed with a blazing white light.
"Gulp…"
The sound of swallowing echoed as the three poachers stepped back in fear.
Their legs gave out, and they fell to the ground.
"Rio!"
At some point, the blue canine Pokémon had appeared behind them.
The poachers turned their heads—
Only to be greeted by Riolu's tiny fists.
Punches rained down like a storm.
Moments later, all three men had identical black eyes.
They collapsed unconscious.
"Riolu!"
From the side, Korrina rushed forward the moment she saw the blue Pokémon.
"Rio~!"
Trainer and Pokémon embraced tightly, excitedly recounting everything that had happened since they were separated.
Meanwhile, Hayato turned to the Pokémon on his shoulder.
"Cinccino, could you help bring all the captured wild Pokémon out?"
He scratched under Cinccino's chin while giving the task.
When it came to approaching unfamiliar wild Pokémon, Cinccino was perfect.
Its cute and gentle appearance naturally inspired trust.
"Chi~chi~"
Cinccino rubbed against Hayato 's palm before trotting into the depths of the cave.
As for Hayato , he began handling the aftermath.
He removed the Poké Balls from the poachers' belts and recalled all of their Pokémon.
Then he pressed the center button on the Poké Balls, locking them to prevent release.
Just as he finished, rustling sounds came from deeper inside the cave.
Cinccino ran out first.
Behind it came a group of Pokémon.
Eevee, Vulpix, Marill, and many other small Pokémon followed.
Clearly, the poachers had deliberately targeted the weak and defenseless ones.
No wonder Pyroar hadn't noticed them.
The rescued Pokémon quickly ran into the forest, disappearing one by one.
Before leaving, many of them waved goodbye to Cinccino.
Some Pokémon, however, had much worse tempers.
For example, the Marill in front of them puffed up angrily.
It swung its round tail and repeatedly smacked one of the unconscious poachers.
After venting its frustration, it rubbed cheeks with Cinccino before leaving with the others.
Watching the wild Pokémon disappear into the forest, Hayato looked up at the sky and shouted,
"Chatot! Please tell Pyroar it can withdraw now."
"Caw!"
A distant call responded, startling flocks of birds into flight.
After waiting patiently outside the cave for a while—
A Growlithe burst out of the bushes.
Behind it was Officer Jenny.
"Officer Jenny, these are the poachers who have been active in the area."
Hayato stepped forward and pointed at the three men who had been securely tied up.
Officer Jenny saluted Hayato seriously.
"Thank you for your assistance, Trainer Hayato ."
"No problem. Just doing my duty."
After collecting evidence inside the cave and confirming everything, Officer Jenny released a Dodrio.
Each of Dodrio's three heads grabbed one poacher.
Then they departed.
Unless something unexpected happened, those men would likely spend the rest of their lives in prison.
The Pokémon League treated poaching crimes as seriously as human trafficking.
Anyone caught committing such crimes faced extremely severe punishment.
Five years.
Ten years.
Most likely—
Twenty years or more.
After watching Officer Jenny leave with the criminals, Hayato prepared to have Kangaskhan destroy the cave.
But at that moment—
Cinccino's large ears twitched.
"Chi!"
"Kangaskhan , wait!"
Hayato quickly stopped it and looked down at Cinccino.
"You're sure? There's still something making noise inside the cave?"
Cinccino nodded firmly.
Letting Korrina wait outside, Hayato and Kangaskhan entered the cave again.
Inside the dim cavern stood rows of cold iron cages.
All of them had already been opened.
The Pokémon once trapped inside had escaped.
Following Cinccino's guidance, Hayato eventually located the source of the sound.
It was a miniature communicator.
Someone on the other side was repeatedly sending communication requests.
Hayato tapped it.
A semi-transparent holographic screen appeared.
At the same time, a cold female voice spoke from the other side.
"Report the progress of your expansion in Kalos."
"The three of them are enjoying free prison meals now," Hayato replied calmly.
"No need to worry about them."
"…Who are you?"
"Does it matter who I am?"
"If you've got the guts, come to Kalos yourself. I'll knock that helmet of yours clean off."
"You cowardly rats hiding in the shadows," Hayato continued coldly.
"Sewer vermin barking from the gutter."
Before the other side could reply—
Hayato ended the call with a sharp tap.
Then he gestured for Kangaskhan to crush the communicator.
Crunch.
"Ah… that felt good."
Insulting the enemy and hanging up before they could respond—
And they couldn't even find him.
Just imagining the poachers raging in frustration made Hayato 's smile widen.
Meanwhile—
In a hidden base somewhere in the Sinnoh Region, inside the Hunter Organization's headquarters.
The communicator emitted an endless beep… beep… beep…
Hunter J's face shifted between green and pale with anger.
Before she could explode, one of her subordinates rushed into the room.
"Boss! Bad news! That lunatic with the Garchomp has destroyed two more of our bases! This is the last one left!"
"This is outrageous!" Hunter J snapped.
"Do they think the Hunter Organization is made of clay?!"
Their Sinnoh headquarters was on the verge of being wiped out.
The Trainer from Celestic Town had been chasing them relentlessly.
As if determined to exterminate them completely.
It wasn't as if Hunter J hadn't fought that Trainer before.
She had nearly been captured.
She barely managed to escape alive.
The difference in strength was overwhelming.
That Trainer was a monster.
With the Kalos relocation plan ruined, the destruction of the Hunter Organization seemed inevitable.
After a long silence, Hunter J finally spoke.
"How is the airship preparation going?"
"Boss… the test flight has already been completed," the subordinate answered nervously.
"Good. Then—"
Before she could finish, another subordinate burst into the room.
"He's here! The Trainer with the Garchomp has reached the base!"
"Damn it."
Hunter J cursed.
The enemy had arrived too quickly.
There was no time left to prepare.
"You two go gather everyone and stall him. The rest will board the airship with me."
"Boss… what about us?"
Hunter J released a Pokémon without even turning her head.
The meaning was obvious.
To her, subordinates were merely disposable tools.
Whether they lived or died meant nothing.
At the base entrance—
A young girl with long golden hair covering one eye stood quietly.
Her cold and elegant aura made her look completely out of place.
She lowered her head in deep thought.
Strawberry ice cream…
Or vanilla?
Such a difficult choice…
After a moment, she sighed.
"Well… I guess I'll battle first."
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