Seeing Gengar leave, Natsui took out his phone and sent a message to Looker, briefly telling him what had happened here.
When he came to his senses, he saw Kenta and Marina staring blankly in the direction Gengar had left.
"What's wrong?"
"Your... your Gengar can talk!?"
Natsui had seen this reaction from people so many times that he was no longer surprised. He just gave a casual explanation. After exclaiming in wonder for a while, Kenta and Marina remembered something and hurriedly ran towards Raikou.
At this moment, Raikou was lying weakly on the ground. The earth beneath it was scorched black.
This was all caused by its own reflected electric shocks. It was clear how long it had struggled and how much it had suffered while Natsui and the others were battling.
This couldn't help but remind Natsui of the time on Shamouti Island, when the collector had also used technological means to toy with the three Legendary Birds.
It just went to show that even Legendary Pokémon were powerless against humanity's top-tier technology.
Just as Natsui was about to step forward, his phone beeped.
Ding-dong.
It was a text from Looker. He was currently on a mission and was too far away to get there in a short time, but he had already contacted another International Police officer to meet up with Natsui and handle the matter together.
Another International Police officer?
Who could it be?
To be honest, besides Looker, Natsui didn't really want to deal with too many International Police officers. Whether it was for evil organizations like Team Rocket or for trainers like himself, these guys were a handful.
At that moment, a weak roar came from ahead. Natsui looked up and saw that Kenta had only taken a few steps before being stopped in his tracks by Raikou's shout.
Raikou clearly had no fondness for humans. It struggled to its feet, glanced at Kenta, then turned and staggered towards the forest.
Kenta stood there, at a loss.
From his expression, it didn't seem like he wanted to capture Raikou. He just looked at it with a complicated expression.
As a native of the Johto region, he had grown up listening to the stories of Ho-Oh, Lugia, and the three Legendary Beasts. Therefore, besides wanting to capture them, he held a sense of faith and admiration for these Pokémon.
Unlike him, Natsui very much wanted to capture this Raikou. However, capturing it in this opportunistic manner would surely be met with resistance. Besides, Kenta and Marina were right there, and they had discovered Raikou together. He couldn't just disregard their feelings.
The best way was to wait for Raikou to leave and then find it on his own to capture it.
Seeing Raikou getting further and further away, Kenta finally couldn't help but shout at it, "Raikou! You're so badly injured, where are you going!?"
With that, he took a few more steps forward, as if wanting to chase after it, but was met with a sudden attack from Raikou.
ZAP!
Raikou suddenly turned its head, and a bolt of electricity shot out from its forehead, heading straight for Kenta!
The bolt of electricity hit Kenta squarely, and amidst the blinding light, Kenta let out a pained groan!
"Kenta!"
Marina was shocked and wanted to rush forward immediately but was held back by Erika.
"Don't go, it's too dangerous!"
Fortunately, Raikou's power had been greatly weakened, so the electric shock only lasted a few short seconds. When the current disappeared, Kenta's body involuntarily fell backward, and he collapsed to the ground.
Seeing that the danger had passed, Erika let go, allowing Marina to run to Kenta's side. From this, it was clear that the two of them had very strong feelings for each other.
But before Marina could get close, Kenta performed a kip-up and ran towards Raikou again.
This burst of energy left Natsui stunned. To be unaffected by an electric shock—this constitution was in no way inferior to Ash's!
Sigh, this must be the unique constitution of hot-blooded youths...
Electricity can't kill a fool...
But after his sigh, all he had left was envy.
Of course, he wasn't envious of their simple-minded stubbornness, but purely envious of their physical constitution.
"Raikou!" Perhaps it was the unprovoked attack, or perhaps it was the embarrassment of being shown up in front of a girl he liked, but Kenta was furious. He clenched his fists and shouted at Raikou's back, "I was just trying to be nice!"
Clearly, Raikou didn't need his kindness.
Another bolt of lightning flashed, but this time, it only left a scorched mark on the ground in front of Kenta!
Kenta stood rooted to the spot, cold sweat trickling down his temples.
Even if he was slow, he could see the cold indifference in Raikou's eyes!
But then, it saw Natsui behind Kenta. As man and Pokémon met each other's gaze, its eyes suddenly widened in recognition, as if it remembered something!
And from its reaction, Natsui also realized that this Raikou was the same one he had battled and defeated in the green fields before!
This realization startled Raikou. Knowing it was no match for the three Legendary Birds, it didn't hesitate and turned to run!
But as it moved, the movement immediately aggravated its wounds. Its consciousness instantly blurred, and its body uncontrollably collapsed to the side!
And as it fainted, it struggled to turn its head. Its closing eyes just managed to see that man slowly walking towards it!
...
Pokémon Center, outside the emergency treatment room.
On a bench in the hallway, Natsui sat there, devouring a hamburger in just a few bites.
This was an extra meal for him. After all, he had just exerted himself so much, and the food he had eaten earlier was long gone.
Beside him, Erika and Marina were talking in low voices. He didn't know what they were saying, but from the shy glances Marina occasionally cast at Kenta, he could guess.
Compared to the relaxed state of the three of them, only Kenta was constantly pacing in the hallway, like an anxious father waiting outside a delivery room.
The reason they were here was, of course, because they had brought the unconscious Raikou back and handed it over to Nurse Joy for emergency treatment.
At this moment, the red light above the treatment room had been on for a long time.
"Let us in too! We want to see Raikou too!"
A commotion could be heard from outside the hallway door. This was because bringing Raikou, even in a Poké Ball, to the Pokémon Center had inevitably caused a sensation.
Trainers with various motives all wanted to get a glimpse of Raikou. If it weren't for the door and the Chansey guarding it, these guys would have definitely forced their way in.
But even so, more and more trainers were gathering outside the door, with no one wanting to leave.
Clack, clack.
Footsteps came from the treatment room, and as the door opened, Nurse Joy walked out.
Seeing her, Kenta's eyes lit up, and he was the first to approach her.
"Nurse Joy... how is Raikou!?"