"One punch per kid" was being demonstrated to absolute perfection at this very moment.
Every Pokémon sent out by the poachers was utterly incapable of withstanding even a single exchange against the Mega Kangaskhan.
Some didn't even manage to force it to throw a second punch.
There were even those that, intimidated by the terrifying aura radiating from Mega Kangaskhan, couldn't muster the slightest will to resist at all.
Before combat had even properly begun, they stiffened up and collapsed straight to the ground.
The battle unfolded with overwhelming, crushing momentum.
By the time the three poachers attempted to flee the cave amid the chaos, the outside was already littered with Pokémon sprawled everywhere.
Mega Kangaskhan fixed its gaze on them menacingly, its sandbag-sized fists glowing with a blazing white light.
"Gulp—"
The sound of frantic swallowing rang out as the three poachers retreated in fear, their legs giving out as they fell to the ground.
"Rioolu—"
At some point, the blue puppy had appeared behind them.
Hearing the voice, the poachers turned around—only to be greeted head-on by Riolu's small fists.
A flurry of punches rained down like a storm, and in the blink of an eye, three pairs of panda eyes were proudly on display.
The poachers collapsed with groans, knocked completely unconscious.
"Riolu!"
Watching from the side, Korrina shouted in joy when she saw the blue puppy and hurried over.
"Rio~"
The girl and the Pokémon hugged each other tightly, pouring out everything that had happened since they were separated.
"Minccino, I'll leave it to you to bring out all the wild Pokémon that were locked up,"
Silas said as he scratched Minccino under the chin, casually assigning the task.
When it came to interacting with unfamiliar wild Pokémon, sending Minccino was absolutely the right call.
That cute, sweet appearance was naturally disarming, making it easy to earn trust without effort.
"Min~"
Minccino nuzzled Silas's palm and then scampered off into the depths of the cave.
As for Silas, he still had some cleanup to take care of.
He removed the Poké Balls from the poachers' waists, recalled all of their Pokémon, and pressed the central buttons, locking them securely inside.
Just as he finished doing this, a rustling sound came from deeper within the cave.
Minccino was the first to run out, followed closely by a group of Pokémon behind it.
Eevee, Vulpix, Marill, and other small Pokémon—clearly, the poachers had been deliberately targeting easy prey. No wonder Pyroar hadn't discovered them.
The freed Pokémon quickly dashed into the forest, disappearing in moments, though not before waving goodbye to Minccino as they left.
There were also some more hot-tempered Pokémon that lingered near the poachers.
Like the puffed-up Marill in front of them, swinging its round tail and repeatedly smacking the poachers to vent its anger.
After getting it all out of its system, it rubbed cheeks with Minccino and left alongside the others.
Watching the wild Pokémon depart, Silas raised his head and shouted toward the sky, "Chatot, please let Pyroar know it can stand down now."
"Cha—"
A distant cry answered, startling a flock of birds into flight.
After waiting patiently by the cave for a while, a Growlithe burst out of the grass, followed closely by Officer Jenny.
"Officer Jenny, these are the poachers who've been active in the area,"
Silas stepped forward and gestured toward the three men tied up like dumplings.
Officer Jenny saluted him solemnly and offered her sincere thanks. "Thank you, Trainer Silas."
"No problem. Just doing what needed to be done."
After collecting evidence inside the cave and confirming everything, Officer Jenny released a Dodrio, which used its three heads to each grab one poacher and carry them away.
Barring a miracle, the rest of their lives would be spent behind bars.
Within the League, crimes involving Pokémon poaching were treated on par with child trafficking—extremely severe offenses.
Once caught, sentences were almost always handed down at the maximum level.
Five to ten years at the minimum—twenty years wasn't uncommon.
Watching Officer Jenny leave with the criminals, Silas was just about to have Kangaskhan destroy the cave when—
Minccino's large ears twitched on his shoulder. "Min!"
"Kangaskhan, wait!" Silas hurriedly stopped it, then lowered his head and asked, "Are you sure? There's still a sound coming from inside."
Minccino replied firmly: There's no mistake.
Leaving Korrina outside the cave, Silas entered with Kangaskhan.
Under the dim, weak light were rows upon rows of cold iron cages.
All of them had already been opened, and every Pokémon that had been imprisoned had escaped.
Guided by Minccino, Silas soon found the source of the sound.
It was a miniature communicator, continuously receiving incoming communication requests from the other end.
Silas raised his hand and tapped it. A translucent screen unfolded before his eyes, and a cool, icy female voice came through the device.
"Report on how your development in Kalos is progressing."
"They've got free prison meals now. No need to worry about them."
"Who are you?"
"Does it matter who I am? If you've got the guts, come to Kalos. I'll knock your helmet clean off and scatter it all over the ground."
"A bunch of skulking cowards hiding their heads, stinking rats—how dare you bark so loudly here."
Before the other side could respond, Silas snapped the communication shut and gestured for Kangaskhan to crush the device.
So satisfying!
He'd cursed them out and vanished, and they couldn't even find him.
Just imagining the poachers seething with rage made the smile on Silas's face grow even brighter.
As Silas had guessed, somewhere within the Hunter organization's base in the Sinnoh region—
The repetitive "beep, beep, beep" echoing in the room made Hunter J's face alternate between pale and livid with rage.
Before she could erupt, a subordinate rushed in frantically with another report.
"Boss, bad news! That executioner with the Garchomp has destroyed two more of our bases. This is the only one left!"
"This is going too far! Do they really think the Hunter's Union is made of clay?"
Their Sinnoh headquarters, their very nest—was on the verge of being wiped out.
That trainer from Celestic Town was pursuing them relentlessly, as if they had a blood feud, determined to eradicate them completely.
As for resisting her—Hunter J wasn't unfamiliar with the idea.
She had fought her before.
She had nearly been captured, barely escaping alive.
The difference in strength was insurmountable. The other party was an absolute monster—completely impossible to oppose.
Now, the plan to relocate to Kalos had fallen through. The annihilation of the Hunter's Union was only moments away.
After a long silence, Hunter J finally spoke. "How's the airship preparation? Can it take off now?"
"Boss, the test flights are complete," a subordinate replied shakily.
"Good, then—"
Before she could finish, another subordinate burst in, shouting, "They've broken through! That trainer with the Garchomp is right outside the base!"
"Damn it," Hunter J cursed. The enemy had arrived too quickly—there was no time left to prepare.
"You go organize manpower to hold them off. The rest of you, come aboard the airship with me."
"Boss, what about us?"
Hunter J released a Pokémon without even turning her head. The meaning was obvious.
To Hunter J, subordinates were nothing more than expendable tools. Their lives were of no concern to her.
At the base entrance, a girl with long golden hair covering one eye and a cool, detached aura stood with her head lowered, torn between choosing strawberry-flavored ice cream or vanilla.
Such a difficult decision!
Well then—
Let's battle first.
(End of Chapter)