A Legendary Pokémon—one of Ho-Oh's legendary beasts, Raikou—had appeared in the Hoenn region.
This was something Kashiwagi had never expected.
Even more surprising was the fact that this majestic creature hadn't just been targeted by a group of ruthless Pokémon Hunters; it was actually injured!
"Why would Raikou come all the way to Hoenn?"
He tried to get an answer out of the Ranger.
Unfortunately, the man didn't know either. He only knew that when Raikou first arrived, it was already suffering from unhealed wounds. It had taken up residence on the highest peak in the vicinity to slowly nurse itself back to health.
Somehow, these Pokémon Hunters had caught wind of it and swarmed the area to track it down.
When their initial searches failed, they had the sheer audacity to attack the Ranger Station, attempting to beat the location out of the Ranger.
The Ranger knew where Raikou was, but there was no way he would ever tell those scumbags. No matter how much they tormented him, his lips remained sealed. Frustrated, the hunters eventually tossed him aside to leave him to his fate.
The Ranger had assumed they would leave once they couldn't find the beast, but instead, they seemed to become certain of its location and began poaching wild Pokémon across the forest in the meantime.
The Ranger's heart bled as he watched the destruction. He mourned for the desecrated woods and the stolen lives of the wild Pokémon.
This morning, through a haze of pain, he had overheard them discussing their plan to capture Raikou. He realized with horror that they had finally pinned down its location.
He was desperate to help, but he couldn't even save himself.
Trapped in mental agony, the Ranger could only hope that his prolonged silence would eventually trigger a search party. He never expected that in this desolate wilderness, help would come in the form of the heroic Kashiwagi.
Had it been anyone else—someone who preferred to mind their own business—they likely would have never even discovered him.
"I understand."
Kashiwagi nodded. Looking at the Ranger's pale face, he knew the man had suffered greatly. "Stay here and contact Officer Jenny. I'm going to head over and scout the situation."
"Wait! It's too dangerous for you to go alone!"
The Ranger tried to push himself up, but his legs were shaking so violently he couldn't even straighten them. He reached out a trembling hand. "I'm going with you!"
"Bringing you along would probably make it more dangerous. Don't worry, I'm just going to take a look."
Kashiwagi pressed a hand onto the man's shoulder. "Besides, you're responsible for those two hunters outside and all those captured Pokémon. There's a lot of work to be done here."
The Ranger looked at Kashiwagi's serious expression, heard the chaos outside, and remembered the hunters currently pinned down by the Drifloon. He was finally convinced. "Alright... be careful. Don't get too close. It's best to wait for Officer Jenny and her team to handle it."
It seemed his logic had returned. A moment ago, he was screaming for someone to stop them at any cost.
Kashiwagi nodded in agreement, asked for the specific peak where Raikou was hiding, and inquired about the hunters' capture methods.
Learning that the Ranger was also in the dark regarding their tech, Kashiwagi stepped outside and dragged one of the hunters away.
...
By the creek, he splashed water onto the hunter's face to choke him awake.
"Gah—! Cough, cough cough! Who the hell are you?! You'll regret this— ugh glub, glub, glub..."
A few seconds later,
Kashiwagi pulled the man's head back out of the water. "Clearer now? Or do you want another drink?"
"I'm awake! I'm awake!" the man screamed, water dripping from his chin. His eyes were filled with pure terror.
"I ask, you answer. Cooperate, and I let you go. Don't, and you deal with the consequences. Understand?"
Kashiwagi patted the man's cheek. When the hunter hesitated, Kashiwagi made a move to dunk him again.
"I understand! I understand!" the man shrieked, fully compliant.
Unfortunately, Kashiwagi didn't get much useful intel. This guy and the other one were just "interns" in this poaching syndicate. Not long ago, a large portion of their main force had been busted while trying to fence stolen goods.
This left only a few "small fry" behind.
The small fry had recruited this guy and another "tiny fry" to help them capture Raikou, hoping a Legendary catch would help the syndicate make a comeback. Beyond that, he knew nothing.
The others didn't truly trust them; otherwise, they wouldn't have left them to guard the base instead of using every capable hand for the hunt.
"Busted while fencing goods..." Kashiwagi curled his lip.
He suspected this group might be "victims" of the upheaval in Pyrite Town. They were likely used to selling their hauls in the Orre region, but their information hadn't been updated in time to realize the region was no longer a criminal haven.
From this man's mouth, he also learned that the poaching world was currently in chaos, with many hunters fleeing to different regions to avoid crackdowns.
Seeing that time was of the essence, Kashiwagi gave up on squeezing more info. He stripped the man of his outer jacket, put it on, and mounted the mountain motorcycle.
While Aggron was fast, he couldn't beat the speed of a high-powered bike. If he dawdled any longer, it would be too late.
"You guys stay here and help the Ranger. I'll be back soon," he told the Drifloon that were trying to catch up. He pointed toward the cabin where the Ranger was struggling to stand.
The Drifloon chirped their acknowledgement.
Kashiwagi pulled his hat low to hide his face and revved the engine, tearing into the forest.
He had to admit, the hunters had top-tier gear. The bike's power was terrifying. He even found a gun in the storage compartment.
It didn't fire bullets, though; it fired electrified, retractable nets.
On the principle that it might come in handy, he took it with him.
Ideally, he wouldn't need it. But if he did, he wouldn't hesitate.
Though, an electric net... probably won't do much to Raikou.
For that matter, was Raikou's injury caused by these people? The intern said he didn't know much; he was only told that others will follow the leader to catch the beast.
Given how focused they were, it was possible. Who knew what kind of "Black Tech" they had? Even though Legendary Pokémon are powerful, the anime is full of instances where they are tormented by human inventions.
Even Kyogre wasn't spared.
In XY, its Primal Reversion form held its own against Steven and Groudon, even freezing vast swathes of the ocean with a single Ice Beam. Yet in Sun & Moon, it was hunted down by poachers using technology until Ash and Lana saved it.
And of course, there was the ultimate victim of "nerfing"—Suicune. After exhausting its power to purify water, it was cornered and injured by hunters. That wasn't even the ridiculous part; the part that drove fans crazy was Suicune being trapped by a common net—held by two humans without even using Pokémon.
It looked like something a Suicune could have escaped with a single kick, yet it lay there howling. It made those two hunters look like "Super Humans" from Pallet Town.
Then, out of necessity, it was "one-shotted" into a Poké Ball by a certain character who shall not be named. Theoretically, it was to save it, but ending up as that person's Pokémon was a bitter pill for many fans to swallow.
It completely broke the unspoken consensus that the North Wind's Avatar, a member of Ho-Oh's guard, might help humans but would never be "captured" like a common pet.
Regardless, the point remained: Legendary Pokémon have it rough. They are always being targeted.
...
Kashiwagi sped through the trees, gazing at the towering peak in the distance. He only hoped Raikou wouldn't end up like Suicune—trapped in a net.
Along the way, he noticed that these guys were poaching as they went. Every so often, he saw a wild Pokémon trapped in a net, struggling fruitlessly.
Initially, he thought they left them to collect later, but now he realized they were so focused on Raikou that they were just grabbing whatever they could on the fly.
Greedy bastards.
Shortly after, having pinned the throttle to the max, he reached the base of the mountain. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw two other motorcycles hidden under branches.
They left two bikes down here...
Should he wait for them to catch Raikou and then launch a sneak attack?
It was a tempting thought, but his bike was loud, and the forest was too quiet. The guys on the mountain had likely already heard him coming.
To avoid alerting them, it was better to head up immediately.
Just as Kashiwagi made up his mind, massive dark clouds suddenly swirled in the sky. Amidst a howling gale, a bolt of lightning resembling a thunder dragon crashed down onto the peak.
BOOM—!!
The terrifying vibration could be felt clearly even at the foot of the mountain. The black clouds crowning the summit felt ominous.
A second later, a roar like rolling thunder echoed from above, saturated with a rage that was almost impossible to contain.
So It's starting!
Kashiwagi's heart hammered.
I hope these guys get fried by Raikou's thunder.
He prayed silently as he twisted the throttle, racing up the mountain at maximum speed.
But on the way up, in addition to the bike tracks, Kashiwagi saw clear tread marks on the ground—the kind made by heavy machinery.
"They really brought out the 'Black Tech'..."
He recalled what the intern had said. To better capture Raikou, they had prepared parts for a large combat robot at the base of the mountain long ago, assembling it only when they were ready to strike.
A giant robot.
Kashiwagi had been momentarily shocked when he heard that, but then he remembered that these things were usually about the same quality as Team Rocket's mechs. That thought put him at ease.
He had briefly worried it would be something like a Gundam or a Transformer.
If it was just "Team Rocket trio-tier," Raikou should be able to handle it.
Still, Kashiwagi knew that if they dared to hunt Raikou, they must have some kind of ace up their sleeve—injured or not. He couldn't afford to be careless, lest he end up a casualty himself.
Halfway up the mountain, he slowed down. Hearing the thunderous roars getting louder, he carefully approached the summit.
From his vantage point, he could finally see the battle.
Suddenly, a shimmering, hemispherical purple dome came into view.
Raikou stood at the peak, but its electricity was being violently sucked away by a pitch-black, rhomboid-shaped gemstone inside the purple dome.
The Legendary Pokémon was fighting for its life.
"—The Miracle Crystal!?"
Isn't that Team Rocket's tech?! Why was it here, and why was it being used to torture Raikou for a second time?