----
After sending Gengar off, Kai pulled out his phone and shot a quick message to Looker, briefing him on the situation.
When he looked up again, he noticed Jimmy and Marina staring blankly in the direction Gengar had vanished.
"What is it?"
"Your… your Gengar can talk!?"
Kai had seen this reaction more times than he could count and simply waved it off with a short explanation.
While the two of them were still marveling over it, something else came to mind, prompting them to dash toward Raikou.
Raikou now lay weakly on the scorched ground. The earth beneath it was charred black, burned by its own reflected lightning.
Clearly, it had been struggling desperately throughout the battle earlier; how much pain had it endured while they were busy fighting?
The sight reminded Kai of what happened back on Shamouti Island, how a so-called collector had used advanced tech to torment the Legendary Birds.
It was a harsh truth: even Legendary Pokémon were helpless before the cutting edge of human technology.
Just as Kai took a step toward Raikou, his phone buzzed again.
Ding!
A reply from Looker.
He was currently on another mission too far away to make it in time. However, he had already contacted another international agent to rendezvous with Kai and assist in the situation.
Another Interpol agent?
Kai frowned. Honestly, aside from Looker, he didn't enjoy working with the others. Whether it was dealing with Rocket or being a Pokémon Trainer himself, Interpol always seemed to complicate things.
Just then, a weak but fierce growl echoed from ahead.
Kai looked up.
Jimmy had barely taken a few steps when Raikou growled at him, halting him mid-stride.
Clearly, Raikou didn't trust humans.
It struggled to its feet, cast Jimmy a dismissive glance, and slowly turned toward the forest, staggering with each step.
Jimmy froze, unsure of what to do.
From his expression, it was clear he didn't want to catch Raikou. He simply looked at it with a complex mix of admiration and worry.
Born and raised in Johto, Jimmy had grown up hearing the legends of Ho-Oh, Lugia, and the three Legendary Beasts. His awe toward them was closer to reverence than ambition.
Kai, on the other hand, did want to catch Raikou, but doing so right now, after everything, would only provoke hostility. And with Jimmy and Marina nearby, it wouldn't sit right to swoop in and snatch credit for the discovery.
No better to let Raikou leave and track it down later alone.
As Raikou limped farther away, Jimmy couldn't hold back anymore.
"Raikou! You're badly hurt, where are you even going!?"
He took a few steps after it, clearly wanting to help.
But Raikou whipped around.
Zzzap!
A bolt of lightning erupted from its forehead and blasted directly into Jimmy!
Caught in the flash, Jimmy let out a pained groan.
"Jimmy!!"
Marina panicked and tried to run to him, but Erika quickly grabbed her wrist.
"Don't! It's too dangerous!"
Thankfully, Raikou's strength was severely depleted. The electric shock only lasted a few seconds, and once it faded, Jimmy collapsed backward onto the ground.
Once she was sure there was no more danger, Erika let go. Marina dashed to Jimmy's side, clearly shaken.
But before she could even help him up, Jimmy pulled a kip-up and shot to his feet again, charging straight after Raikou.
Kai blinked in disbelief.
That kid just ate a bolt of lightning… and shook it off?
That kind of resilience, yeah, it reminded him of Ash.
Man… this must be the magical biology of a shonen protagonist.
Electric shocks only seem to zap idiots more determined.
Kai could only watch, a bit jealous not of their pig-headed stubbornness, but of their ridiculous physical toughness.
"Raikou!" Jimmy shouted again, his pride bruised probably more from the embarrassment in front of Marina than the attack itself. "I was just trying to help, you know!"
But Raikou wasn't in the mood for kindness.
Another crackling bolt hit the ground just inches in front of Jimmy, scorching the earth.
He froze, cold sweat trickling down his face.
Even he could see it now, Raikou's eyes were icy, unyielding.
But then… its gaze shifted.
It looked past Jimmy and locked eyes with Kai.
The moment their eyes met, Raikou's expression changed, sharpened with recognition.
Kai instantly realized it.
This Raikou… It's the one I fought before in the Greenfields. The one I defeated!
A jolt of panic flashed through Raikou.
It remembered.
And it knew it couldn't beat Kai, not after all it had endured.
Without a second thought, Raikou turned to flee, but its wounds flared up.
Its body gave out, and it collapsed sideways into the grass, unconscious.
The last thing it saw before blacking out… was Kai, calmly walking toward it.
---
Pokémon Center – Emergency Wing
Kai sat on a bench outside the emergency room, polishing off a burger in just a few bites.
He'd earned it after all that running around, his energy was running low.
Beside him, Erika and Marina whispered quietly to one another. Though Kai couldn't hear the words, Marina kept sneaking flustered glances at Jimmy, which told him all he needed to know.
While the girls relaxed, Jimmy was pacing nonstop like a father waiting outside a delivery room.
The reason was obvious: they had brought the unconscious Raikou to the Pokémon Center and handed it over to Nurse Joy for immediate treatment.
The red emergency light above the treatment door had been glowing for a while now.
"Let us in! We want to see Raikou too!"
Voices echoed from the hallway. Word had gotten out.
Since Raikou had to be briefly placed into a Poké Ball for transport, its arrival at the Center caused a stir. Trainers gathered from all over just to catch a glimpse of the Legendary Pokémon.
If it weren't for the sturdy door and the Chansey guarding it, there would've been a stampede by now.
Still, more and more trainers were piling up outside, refusing to leave.
Click-clack.
Footsteps echoed from the treatment room.
The door opened, and Nurse Joy stepped out.
Jimmy's eyes lit up, and he rushed forward immediately.
"Nurse Joy, how is Raikou?!"
----
Don't forget to drop some PowerStones!💎💎💎
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