Raikou let out a roar, leaped down from the cliff, and landed in the clearing.
It turned its head and looked at the fallen Electric-type Pokémon around it, then roared again. The sound was deafening, piercing straight to the heart, and instantly woke all the Pokémon. As they came to their senses, they scrambled to their feet and fled as if their lives depended on it.
It was clear that Raikou had appeared specifically to rescue them!
But little did it know, these Electric-type Pokémon were merely bait to lure it out.
After the Pokémon had left, Raikou moved on all fours and ran to the front of the Team Rocket members, biting and shattering the clawed arm of the shark robot, rescuing a Mareep.
Despite the Electric-type Pokémon escaping and facing the menacing glare of Raikou, the two Team Rocket members showed no signs of panic. Instead, they were analyzing Raikou's power.
"Buson, what was the power output of Raikou's burst just now?"
Buson, the blonde man, glanced at the data on the machine and said unhurriedly, "The electric energy is incredibly strong, and its bite force is also very high. But don't worry, although its power is immense, it's completely within a controllable range!"
"I see. Well then, we'll investigate the detailed data after we capture it."
Because they were so close, Natsui's group heard their conversation clearly.
In fact, the two spoke without any restraint, as if they didn't take Raikou seriously at all, as if it were already in the bag!
This naturally infuriated Raikou. So, when Buson controlled the shark robot to extend six mechanical claws and attack Raikou, it leaped high into the air and used Thunder!
CRACK!
Raikou's power was already formidable, and under the cloudy sky, the power of Thunder was further enhanced.
A thick bolt of lightning shot towards the shark robot at extreme speed.
But just like with Raichu earlier, before the lightning could even reach halfway, its direction was changed by the crystal, and it was forcibly pulled towards it!
"Don't waste your energy," the silver-haired man said to Raikou in a soft, effeminate tone. "This crystal system can absorb all kinds of electric energy. No matter what kind of electric shock it is, it cannot escape its capture!"
Raikou was not one to be easily fooled by his words. Seeing its attack being absorbed by the crystal, it simply changed its target and focused its attention directly on the crystal.
ZAP!
Another dazzling bolt of lightning shot out.
But as expected, this attack was also completely absorbed by the crystal. However, perhaps because it had stored too much energy, a purple light flashed on the crystal, forming a circular barrier that trapped Raikou inside.
Buson laughed loudly, "Good, it's fallen into the trap!"
The barrier was a faint purple, with electric currents occasionally surging across its surface, looking quite dangerous.
Raikou paced around inside the barrier for a few circles, then fired a discharge at the crystal. But after the electric spark hit the barrier, it was reflected back at Raikou with even greater force.
The electricity exploded and crackled on Raikou's body. Although Electric-type attacks dealt halved damage to Raikou of the same type, this one was so powerful that it still made Raikou show a pained expression.
Undeterred, Raikou turned to attack the crystal again, trying to break the barrier from the inside, but was once again injured by the reflected lightning.
It was clear that, like the crystal, this barrier was specially designed to deal with Electric-type Pokémon!
But it was, after all, one of the three Legendary Beasts of the Johto region. Even in immense pain, it stood its ground, gritting its teeth and not making a sound!
"How utterly foolish," the silver-haired man shook his head, seeing Raikou's futile struggles. "The more you resist, the more damage you'll take. Can't you see something so simple? Never mind, I can't blame you. I overestimated you. Although you're called a Legendary Beast, in the end, you're just a Pokémon."
Raikou let out a weak roar at them. The sound was not loud, but its defiant meaning was very clear.
You can trap me, but making me surrender is absolutely impossible!
Seeing Raikou still trying to struggle in vain, the two Team Rocket members sneered.
On its own, Raikou had no way of breaking free from this barrier. Barring any surprises, once Raikou's stamina was depleted, they would easily capture it. All they had to do now was wait!
Buson was even thinking that if they could capture Raikou, their status within Team Rocket would surely surpass that of the Four Executives!
But surprises always happen.
"Stop!"
From the forest, Kenta could no longer stand by and watch. He rushed out and ran straight up to the Team Rocket members.
"You two, release Raikou immediately!"
Hearing the voice, the two were startled. They hadn't expected anyone else to be in such a remote place. But when they turned and saw it was just a teenage boy, they relaxed.
"Where did this kid come from?"
Before he could finish his sentence, he suddenly saw three more people emerge from the woods.
These three were, of course, Natsui, Erika, and Marina.
Since Kenta had already rushed out, there was no point in them hiding any longer, so they all showed themselves.
The silver-haired man snorted, "So it's just a few sneaky rats!"
Ignoring his taunts, Kenta repeated, "Hey, you two, release Raikou now!"
"Don't be naive," Buson scoffed, as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world. "What nonsense are you talking about? This is a precious treasure that we spent a great deal of effort to lure out. Why would we just let it go!"
Kenta also understood that it was impossible to make them give up Raikou with just a few words. So he steeled himself and said in a low voice, "In that case, don't blame me for using my Pokémon to stop you! Go, Typhlosion!"
Typhlosion took a step forward and let out a threatening roar at the Team Rocket members.
"Well, well," the two Team Rocket members were naturally not intimidated by a single Pokémon. "Since you want to play so badly, we'll indulge you a little!"
With that, they both took out their Poké Balls. As the blue light flashed, a Steelix and a Skarmory appeared before Natsui's group.
Looking at these two Pokémon, Natsui raised an eyebrow.
Faced with Kenta's heroic intervention, he had expected Team Rocket to send out Pokémon to fight back, but he really hadn't expected them to send out these two.
These two were both weak to Fire!
Both Steelix and Skarmory possessed the Steel type, and most Steel-type Pokémon were weak to Fire-type Pokémon!
He couldn't believe that with Kenta having already sent out a Typhlosion, and the Pokémon type being clear, they would still send out two Pokémon that were at a disadvantage!