Mega Salamence—one of the most fearsome among all Mega Evolution-capable Pokémon.
After undergoing Mega Evolution, Salamence's power becomes terrifying. With its razor-sharp wings, it flies while cleaving anything in its path clean in two.
But in exchange, its temperament turns violently aggressive. If the bond with its trainer isn't strong enough, it might even attack the one who raised it.
Because of this, people have given Mega Salamence another name: "The Bloodstained Crescent Moon."
Kawaki pictured the location of the wild Bagon's habitat in his mind, and his decision was already made.
Once the Pokémon hunter problem was dealt with, he would head to Meteor Falls and meet that Bagon himself!
Watching April and Bagon on the verge of tears from relief, Kawaki shook his head.
"Don't celebrate just yet. The Pokémon hunters are probably already on their way here."
April's joy faded instantly. She and Bagon exchanged anxious looks.
"How many are chasing you? And what kind of Pokémon do they use?" Kawaki asked after a moment of thought.
April thought back carefully. "There are two of them. One has a Mightyena good at tracking, and the other has a really powerful Aggron!"
"Mightyena and Aggron…" Kawaki glanced at Bewear and Growlithe beside him.
April nodded. "They're really strong. Bagon, my Beautifly, and I couldn't stop them at all."
"Got it." Kawaki had a plan forming. "The daycare is a ways from town. Officer Jenny probably needs time to get here. You two should head upstairs and rest for now."
April didn't argue. With their current strength, hiding was the best option.
Once they left, Kawaki returned to his post behind the counter.
About ten minutes later, the wind chime hanging at the door jingled again.
"Ching-ching!"
Kawaki paused. That sound usually meant guests had arrived.
The door opened—not to trainers, but to two burly, menacing-looking men.
As soon as they walked in, their eyes scanned the daycare, finally settling on Kawaki.
"Welcome. How can I help you two today?" Kawaki asked with a smile.
"Hey, kid. You see a little girl with a Bagon pass through here?" asked the shorter man gruffly.
His partner's gaze shifted toward the Clefairy watching TV on the couch.
His eyes narrowed. He tugged at his friend's sleeve.
Those Pokémon… were Clefairy?
In the black market, Clefairy were incredibly popular. People went wild for them, especially as adorable pets.
But their natural habitats were rare, and their numbers even rarer. These days, collectors were willing to pay millions just for one.
"One, two, three, four…"
Greed flashed in the man's eyes. Just these four Clefairy would go for at least four million.
"I haven't seen any little girls," Kawaki replied calmly, though he had clearly noticed the way the men looked at his Pokémon.
His expression darkened with disgust.
"You sure about that?" the short man growled.
The tracker said that brat and the Bagon were here.
This kid was lying to them?
A small-town daycare like this… Where did he get the guts?
If he wouldn't cooperate, they'd just take what they wanted.
Snatch the kid, grab the Pokémon, and bounce—then disappear into the Sinnoh region. There's no way Officer Jenny from Hoenn could find them there.
The man was already dreaming of lounging on a cruise ship in swim trunks, sipping wine as a gorgeous waitress served him.
"Guess you're asking for it, punk!" he snarled, pulling out a Poké Ball.
With a flash of white light, a towering Aggron with a gleaming metallic body appeared.
The other man summoned a snarling Mightyena.
Typical Pokémon hunter behavior—if their opponents were strong, they'd sneak around. But if they seemed weak, they'd just take what they wanted by force.
To them, Kawaki, who looked around ten years old, was clearly the latter.
"A smart kid would hand over the girl, the Bagon, and all these Clefairy before we get rough!" the Aggron's trainer threatened.
Kawaki: "…"
He said nothing.
But before he could speak, Bewear stepped forward. Its expression turned pitch black.
It glared at the men with an aura so intense, the temperature in the room seemed to drop.
"Grrrr…"
Did it hear right?
These scumbags wanted to hurt its little trainer?
It was like someone had stepped on its last nerve.
Bewear's huge, fuzzy paw stepped forward, placing itself in front of Kawaki.
A suffocating pressure spread through the room.
Aggron instinctively flinched. A rare twinge of fear ran down its spine.
Even the trainer behind it was momentarily taken aback by the bear-like Pokémon's presence.
But he quickly recovered and barked, "Taunt it! Aggron, give it a taste of your power!"
Aggron roared. The horn on its head began to spin as it charged straight at Bewear with full force.
Bewear's eyes remained cold.
Just as the Iron Tail-like charge was about to land, Bewear stepped sideways at an unnatural angle.
Its elbow struck Aggron square in the back.
The force of the blow knocked Aggron off balance and sent it crashing to the ground.
Before it could recover, Bewear's hammer arm came down like thunder.
With a single strike, Aggron's eyes rolled back—it was completely unconscious.
The two hunters: "!!!"
Mightyena: "!!!"
"Mightyena, Crunch it!" the other man stammered, disbelief on his face.
Mightyena trembled, but at its trainer's command, it grit its teeth and charged toward the bear Pokémon.
Its speed—normally its pride—was instantly eclipsed.
Bewear moved.
Faster than Mightyena could react, it closed the distance, grabbed it mid-lunge, and slammed it to the floor.
There was no mercy in Bewear's expression—just a cold, ruthless stillness that clashed violently with its cute, fuzzy appearance.
In that moment, Kawaki looked into Bewear's eyes and saw a clear, unspoken message:
"No one hurts my family."