As Raikou was taken aback, it suddenly heard a splash from behind. Before it could react, it was hit by a tremendous force.
The impact sent Raikou flying a great distance, only stopping when it crashed into a rock.
BOOM!
The rock cracked in a circular pattern from the impact. As Raikou slid down from it, it looked back at the lake in astonishment and saw a massive head emerging from the water.
Residual lake water was flowing down from the huge head, and a pair of fierce red eyes glared at Raikou through the stream, looking extremely ferocious and oppressive.
It was that Steelix.
Raikou couldn't understand why the Steelix wasn't afraid of water.
And with its weight, and the muddy lake bottom, how had it managed to climb up?
Raikou tried to struggle to its feet, but a wave of dizziness suddenly hit it.
Come to think of it, it had already been seriously injured during the Team Rocket attack yesterday afternoon. Although its external wounds had healed after a night of treatment, its spirit and stamina had not yet fully recovered.
Most importantly, it hadn't eaten anything since then, only a few sips of water. Its stamina had been critically low.
Moreover, it had been trapped by the barrier for a second time just now, suffering continuous electric shocks and sustaining many new injuries. It was already a feat to have held on for so long. Now, after being rammed by Crystal Steelix, it felt dizzy, its vision turned black, and it stood there weakly.
Seeing this, Crystal Steelix naturally wouldn't give Raikou a chance to breathe. Its huge body climbed out of the water and, charging straight ahead, arrived in front of Raikou.
"It's over," Natsui said softly.
Just as he said, Crystal Steelix raised its massive tail and, using Iron Tail again, whipped it hard at Raikou.
SMACK!
Raikou was completely unable to dodge. The moment the Iron Tail hit its body, it was knocked out cold.
Seeing Raikou fall to the ground, Natsui took out the already-prepared Ultra Ball and threw it forcefully.
The Ultra Ball flew in a perfect arc through the air. As it got close, a red light shot out from it, enveloping Raikou.
The red light was like a large net, pulling Raikou into the Ultra Ball. The next second, the Ultra Ball shook violently a few times, but the shaking became weaker and weaker, until finally, with a soft 'click,' it stopped moving completely.
"Alright!"
Seeing Natsui catch Raikou, Erika was also genuinely happy for him from the bottom of her heart.
Natsui also couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Originally, after missing out on it in Greenfield, he had given up hope of catching Raikou. He never thought he would meet it again.
While feeling that his luck was off the charts, he also had to admit that this was a huge step forward for him.
He remembered that from the first time at the Power Plant, where he had needed a terrain advantage and all his Pokémon to besiege Zapdos, to later catching Articuno with only a few Pokémon, and then using Zapdos and Articuno to battle Moltres, he had almost always relied on outnumbering his opponents.
Now, to be able to catch a legendary Pokémon in a one-on-one situation, how could that not be considered growth?
Of course, although this battle was ultimately won because Raikou was not in good condition and he had a type advantage, he believed that as his Pokémon's strength continued to grow, one day he would be able to catch them with even greater ease.
But even so, he still felt it was a bit too dreamlike.
Just a few days ago, he had sent away the three legendary birds, freeing up a few slots, but he never thought he would catch Raikou so quickly.
Although catching Raikou was a great thing, he now only had one slot left on his belt, which made things tight again…
…
Olivine City.
A port city with the scent of the sea breeze.
It was located in the central-western part of Johto, near Ecruteak City and Cianwood City, facing the sea, and was one of the important tourist cities in the Johto region.
In the port, there was a cruise ship called the S.S. Aqua, which made a round trip to Vermilion City in the Kanto region every month. Compared to other routes, because one could enjoy a leisurely vacation at sea, besides planes and the magnet train, taking the S.S. Aqua was also the third choice for many travelers going to Kanto.
But for some reason, whenever Olivine City was mentioned, Natsui always thought of Farfetch'd. Although there was no connection between the two besides the similar-sounding character for 'leek' in their names, Natsui always thought of it.
At this moment, Natsui and Erika were walking along the coastal avenue of Olivine City, heading for the Olivine Gym.
They had arrived last night. After resting for a night at the Pokémon Center and having breakfast, they didn't wander around other places but went straight to their objective.
The Olivine Gym was the official gym here. It was located in the northwest of the city. The Gym Leader was Jasmine, who specialized in using Steel-type Pokémon. After defeating her, one could obtain the Mineral Badge.
On the side of the road was Olivine City's pier. Walking along, even though it was blocked by tall buildings, the two could still occasionally see the city's landmark—the Glitter Lighthouse.
It was said that an Ampharos lived at the top of the lighthouse, and every night, it would use its electric light to guide the passing ships. This Ampharos had also become a part of this place, protected by the people of Olivine City.
The two stood by the railing and looked at the lighthouse from a distance for a while before continuing towards the gym.
After passing through half the city, they finally arrived at their destination.
In terms of appearance, the Olivine Gym was four stories high and had a flat-topped, trapezoidal structure, a bit like a pyramid without its top corner. The walls were all made of huge, single panes of glass, giving it a very modern look.
Entering the gym, Natsui stated his purpose to a staff member and was then led to the battlefield here.
Compared to the exterior, the battlefield was much more spacious, somewhat like a huge warehouse. Not only were there no contraptions, but the ground underfoot was also just an ordinary field made of packed earth.
The two stood on the empty battlefield and waited for a few minutes before finally seeing Jasmine.
Jasmine was not very old, only about 17 or 18. She was quite petite and rather pretty, with long, flaxen hair that fell down, tied into two buns on either side of her head, like a pair of small wings.
As for her attire, she wore a light blue long dress with a large bow tied at her chest, looking a bit childish.
But it was hard to imagine that such a young girl with a pure impression would like Steel-type Pokémon.
What for? Is it because she likes steel pole dancing?
Seeing the two of them, a smile appeared on Jasmine's face. "Welcome to the Olivine Gym."
Natsui took a step forward. "Hello, Ms. Jasmine. I'm here to challenge the Olivine Gym."
"I know who you are," Jasmine said, walking up to Natsui and extending her hand in a friendly manner. "The Indigo Conference champion. I saw your matches."