Just as Kashiwagi had seen in the simulator before, the hot springs were everywhere in Lavaridge.
Whether inside the town or out in the wild, as long as you followed the heavy scent of sulfur, you'd stumble upon spring pools of various sizes.
The people of Lavaridge Town hadn't completely monopolized this natural resource; they left many undeveloped springs for the wild Pokémon—some large, some small, some deep, some shallow.
Kashiwagi intended to take Raikou to a larger, secluded wild spring where it could fully submerge its massive frame.
However, after circling the outskirts, he found that the prime spots were already claimed by local herds. If it wasn't a group of Numel and Camerupt, it was a mountain full of Spoink or Mankey.
Solitary Pokémon took the small springs; social ones took the big ones.
Raikou could have easily claimed a spot if it wanted to, but how could a "Beast of Justice" allow itself to bully weaker Pokémon for territory? Besides, it considered its injuries mostly healed—even if Blissey and Kashiwagi vehemently disagreed.
"No choice then. You'll have to come into town with me. We'll check your recovery at the Pokémon Center first, then I'll find a hot spring hotel near the edge of town... I hear there's one that specializes in letting you soak alongside wild Pokémon."
Kashiwagi rested one hand on Raikou's back while scrolling through his phone with the other.
On the side, Blissey was curiously peering at the town in the distance.
A few days ago, Kashiwagi wouldn't have been able to get this close unless they were at a complete standstill at camp.
The big cat was always on guard.
But after countless interactions, while the beast still kept a bit of distance on the road, it rarely moved away if he approached it proactively.
Except for the head, belly, and "lower half," he had basically touched it everywhere else.
Yesterday, he had even managed to squeeze the paw pads on its forepaws. Raikou's claws were thick and large, pushing the pads further back under a layer of yellow fur. They were springy and soft, though Kashiwagi found it a bit of a shame they were black.
A majestic Raikou really ought to have pink paw pads, he thought.
Of course, his reckless touching had earned him a fierce Thunderbolt. Now that Raikou's internal electrical reserves were nearing their peak, it had moved past "low-level" methods like biting or scratching.
Electricity was better—it didn't cause lasting damage, but it definitely kept people at bay.
Raikou usually dealt with stubborn Trainers this way. Even if it didn't aim at the person, blasting a crater into a nearby rock was usually enough to send them running.
It was a tactic that never failed.
"Roar..."
Raikou, now accustomed to being "managed," glanced at Blissey and didn't refuse. It had finally understood that this kid was more interested in its body than its combat prowess. It sounded strange, but it was the truth.
Heaven only knew why this kid was so obsessed with petting it, always trying to go for the belly or the head.
Strange.
Just strange.
Raikou's evaluation of Kashiwagi remained unchanged.
As for Blissey... it felt like she was its natural nemesis. What kind of Pokémon gets hit by a bolt of lightning and acts like nothing happened?
Originally Raikou had only meant to scare her, but it ended up being the one spooked by her indifference.
It was a massive headache.
They bypassed the town's outskirts and arrived at the park connecting to the outside world. Blissey and Raikou were asked to wait in the grass.
Moments later, Kashiwagi reappeared pushing a large flatbed cart from who-knows-where.
"Get on!"
"..."
Raikou slowly climbed onto the cart. Immediately, Blissey draped a large white cloth over its body. With its vision completely obscured by white, Raikou decided to just lie flat.
"Don't worry, I won't let you be exposed."
Kashiwagi and Blissey pushed the cart toward the Pokémon Center.
Pedestrians they passed just assumed it was a statue and paid no mind, much to Kashiwagi's relief.
Legendary Pokémon were magnets for attention; a Raikou—a creature recorded in ancient texts across multiple regions—would easily attract the wrong kind of eyes if paraded around.
A bit of camouflage was necessary.
Soon, he and Blissey arrived at the back door of the Pokémon Center. Another Blissey nurse had been waiting there for some time, constantly checking the surroundings to ensure the coast was clear.
"Happy~"
Blissey nurse waved to Kashiwagi and Blissey, urging them to hurry up.
"Coming, coming!"
The two pushed Raikou into the Pokémon Center, the second the cart cleared the threshold, the Blissey nurse slammed the door shut.
Luckily, it was a quiet time of day, or their suspicious behavior would have drawn a crowd.
Inside the medical room, Raikou maintained its sphinx-like pose but scanned the room. It had been to a Pokémon Center once before when it was first attacked by the "Miracle Crystal System." Back then, it had blown a hole through the wall to deal with the machines, and it had taken a few more visits to get used to the place.
But it noticed something very strange. Even though it visited different Pokémon Centers, the person taking care of it was always the same woman.
"I'll leave him in your hands, Nurse Joy," Kashiwagi said.
The pink-haired woman in white smiled as she took over the cart.
It's her!
Raikou stared at Joy's face. Hearing the name confirmed it—this was the same person it had seen several times before. How do I run into her every single time? Truly miraculous.
Kashiwagi noticed Raikou's intense gaze and guessed what it was thinking. He couldn't help but let out a weird smirk.
The mystery of the Joy and Jenny families was one of the world's greatest enigmas; not even a Raikou could penetrate that secret. Distinguishing between them was a Brock exclusive "Special Skill".
A short while later,
Raikou's physical condition had been thoroughly examined.
"The wounds are indeed almost fully closed. The hairline fractures have healed, and fortunately, there's no major bone breakage or large-scale muscle tearing. The electrical organs are functioning normally—"
Nurse Joy's expression suddenly turned stern as she looked at the report. "Injuries this severe are rare. Was this the work of Pokémon Hunters?"
In her experience, only the notorious hunters would use such destructive weaponry on a Legendary. Trainers used Pokémon, and ordinary Pokémon were rarely a match for a Legendary.
"I'm not sure," Kashiwagi shook his head. "I've asked, but he won't say."
Just as he hadn't been able to touch Raikou's head, he still hadn't learned why the beast had come to Hoenn or how it got so badly hurt.
"He won't say..." Nurse Joy blinked. She had assumed Raikou was Kashiwagi's Pokémon. Legendaries usually kept their distance from humans unless they truly acknowledged someone.
She didn't pry further. "Just rest a bit longer. A few soaks in the Lavaridge springs will finish the job. It won't be long."
"Great!" Kashiwagi pushed the cart back out. "Let's go, big guy. Time for that hot spring."
"..."
Raikou lay on the cart, letting itself be pushed around without protest. It just let out a bored yawn, wondering if this "hot spring" was actually as good as everyone said.
Unable to put Raikou into a Poké Ball was indeed more troublesome than expected.
But trouble as it may be, Kashiwagi felt it was better than getting shocked himself.
If he revealed his intention to capture this guy, he would definitely get shocked; the big cat was quite sensitive in this regard, even to the point of being rebellious.
...
Finding a hotel near the wild area wasn't as hard as expected.
After a bit of maneuvering—booking the room, scrubbing the Pokémon down to get the trail dust off—Raikou finally entered the long-awaited Lavaridge Hot Spring.
Most of its body was submerged in the steaming, white-misted water. Only the top of its head poked out, its eyes narrowing into blissful slits.
Traveling with this kid for days had been a trial for its iron will—constant delicious food, a comfortable environment, and constant pampering. But at this moment? It was worth it.
"Pulu-pulu-pulu..."
Raikou blew bubbles silently, not even caring that the tub was now packed with other Pokémon.
"Good thing I asked for the biggest bath, or we wouldn't all fit," Kashiwagi remarked. He squeezed in next to Aggron and had to hold down Zweilous's two rowdy heads. "Soak properly! If you start howling, I'm tossing you out!"
"Zwai..." "Zwai..."
The two heads settled down, sinking deep into the water with white towels balanced on its heads, falling into a state of total zen.
After a while, Kashiwagi looked over at his Shiny Feebas. The poor fish was looking a bit flushed and dizzy. He immediately scooped her out and plopped her into a nearby bucket of cool water.
Splash!
The drop in temperature cleared Feebas's eyes instantly. She looked at the steaming spring with a mix of longing and fear. Despite being a Water-type, her heat tolerance was actually lower than Aggron's, who was weak to water but loved the heat.
"I guess you'll have to wait until you evolve to fully enjoy this," Kashiwagi patted Feebas's head.
He hadn't expected that Feebas, a Water-type Pokémon, would be the one to retreat the fastest.
"Boop~" the fish blew a bubble and settled in the bucket.
"Ah..." Kashiwagi looked up at the blue sky, sinking deeper until his foot kicked something round. He reached down and pulled up Galarian Corsola. "Why are you at the bottom of the pool?"
"...Pfft."
Corsola didn't answer. She just hit him in the face with a Water Gun. The spring water was so comfortable she was too lazy to float.
"You win," Kashiwagi gave a thumbs-up and let her sink back down. He then leaned against Porygon, who had transformed into a duck-shaped lifebuoy. "How did you even think to turn into a rubber duck for the hot spring? Tell me your logic."
"Pah-ree~"
Porygon just shifted back to its normal shape. Kashiwagi felt his Porygon might be a little "special," but he wasn't sure.
Suddenly, Blissey's voice chimed in. "Happy~"
He turned to see a giant egg being pushed toward him. The top had been sliced open, and a small spoon was tucked inside. "...A Hot Spring soft-boiled Egg?"
"Happy~"
Blissey was delighted he understood.
"This is huge! I can't finish this alone. Everyone, dig in!"
Kashiwagi waved the others over. He began scooping out the soft-boiled egg, feeding the other Pokémon mouthfuls. When it was Raikou's turn, they locked eyes.
"Want some?"
"Roar—"
Raikou barely opened its mouth before the spoon was shoved in. By the time it could react, the egg was already down.
Left with no other choice, it swallowed.
I'm used to it.
I'm just used to it now,
Raikou told itself. After all, this was just how life was these days.