With Litleo leading the way, these Pokémon completely dropped their guard around David and the others.
One by one, they quietly waited for David to release them, then obediently went to Kirlia for treatment.
Soon, when the last rescued Pokémon cub finished its treatment, David and his companions departed from the cave.
This dirty, smelly place—he wondered how these guys could stand being here.
The moment David stepped out of the cave, he took a breath of fresh air and immediately noticed the surrounding Pokémon gathering around him.
The Pokémon cubs David had brought out, upon seeing their parents, immediately rushed to them.
David, seeing this, stepped aside to allow them to reunite properly.
Some of the cubs here had been taken for several days, so their parents were naturally worried sick.
However, there were forty to fifty Pokémon cubs rescued from the cave, and some of them did not live in this vicinity.
They were only transported here after being captured.
Therefore, their parents naturally did not appear here, and these Pokémon could only watch with envious eyes as their "fellow sufferers" reunited with their families.
"It will probably be a difficult task to send all these Pokémon home. I estimate we'll have to trouble the local police and forest rangers then," David thought, looking at the remaining Pokémon.
For these captured wild Pokémon, the Alliance generally tries to release them back to their original habitats. Only if there is no other option are they sent to official breeding centers.
"Luca~"
At this moment, Lucario also walked over, holding a rope in his hand. David looked and saw that the other end of the rope was tied to several people.
However, these guys were all bruised and swollen, unconscious. If not for the faint signs of breathing, David might have thought these people in front of him were dead.
But looking at their appearance, even their own mothers probably wouldn't recognize them.
"Luca!"
"Luca~ Luca..."
Lucario recounted in detail to David what had happened outside.
Previously, Lucario, following David's orders, had followed the guy who went out to call for help, and when he came outside, Lucario knocked him out with a single punch.
Then, not long after, the roar of Pyroar came from the cave.
And in this cave, besides the three people dealt with at the beginning and the four people David caught, there were actually three more poachers.
However, it was clear that these poachers were not the honorable type. Upon discovering that an enemy had already broken into the deepest part where the Pokémon were held, these guys not only chose not to provide support but instead took advantage of the opportunity to gather some valuable items and planned to make a direct getaway.
However, because David had already arranged for the Pokémon following him to surround the area near the cave, these guys' escape plan naturally ended in failure, and because they were dressed the same as the poachers David and his team had dealt with earlier, after being identified by the Pokémon on guard, these guys were given a thorough beating.
If not for Lucario's intervention, these guys would probably have been long dead.
"Well done, Lucario. These guys should still be sent to prison! Their crimes are enough for a lifetime behind bars."
"Unless absolutely necessary, it's best to kill fewer people..."
"After all, I'm a law-abiding good citizen!" David thought shamelessly.
Of course, this was also because no Pokémon cubs had died. Otherwise, these guys would probably have been torn apart directly by the many Pokémon in front of them, and in that case, David might not have chosen to stop it.
A life for a life. Whether a life for a Pokémon is a life, he didn't know, but putting himself in their shoes, if anyone dared to steal his companions, David wouldn't mind sending them on a one-way trip.
Of course, it would be a one-way ticket, with delivery included, but whether they would return was not guaranteed.
"Since these Pokémon cubs have all been rescued, our mission is accomplished. At least the outcome looks good."
Watching the Pokémon reunite with their families in front of him, David felt his mood improve considerably at that moment.
However, at this time, he didn't seem to have remembered that he had forgotten something.
After a while, the Pokémon who had found their children, including Pyroar, all thanked David and then turned to leave.
Before leaving, Pyroar also took out a fiery red Berry from somewhere and gave it to David as a token of gratitude, and also invited David to visit their territory whenever he had time in the future.
After most of these Pokémon had left, David took a rough look. The remaining Pokémon cubs were not too many, probably only about ten to twenty.
Then he chose to stay here himself, looking after the Pokémon who had not found their families.
He then had the conductor and the Simisear Trainer take people back to the train. Calculating the time, the first support personnel who had set off should already be in position.
It was a good time to notify them to come over.
Not long after, the roar of a vehicle engine suddenly sounded, and only then did David suddenly remember that the enemies seemed to be more than just this current group.
According to what that person said at the very beginning, and what "Brother Quin" had mentioned during their conversation, it seemed—
"Bad, this is going to be troublesome."
Remembering this matter, David immediately directed the Pokémon in front of him to quickly hide inside the cave.
After all the Pokémon had hidden, David finally breathed a sigh of relief.
There was no time to prepare. The enemy had already arrived, and David was too lazy to think any further. Relying on Dragapult's backing, he was quite bold.
He directly had Zorua transform his appearance into that of Brother Quin.
"It's really quite sleazy."
Looking at the ugly appearance he had transformed into in the mirror, a hint of dissatisfaction flashed in David's eyes.
But it didn't matter—no one would see it anyway.
Seeing the approaching vehicle, David smiled. It turned out to be a modified double-decker bus. After the vehicle stopped steadily, a person dressed in black with a mask on his face stepped out.