W-What… what is this Pokémon?!
Watching their Mightyena get knocked down in an instant, the two Pokémon hunters finally realized something was wrong.
They looked up at the same Pokémon that had silently appeared in front of them. The fierce expressions on their faces instantly twisted into fear.
N-No—this wasn't normal!
They tried to turn and flee—but it was too late.
The burly men were each grabbed one-handed by Bewear as if they were baby chicks.
As they struggled in its grasp, their fear exploded into frantic begging. "P-Please! Spare us! We get it—we were wrong!"
They had no doubt—if this Pokémon so much as tossed them casually, they'd be crippled for life… if not dead.
"Wait, Bewear." Kawaki finally spoke, having watched the whole thing unfold.
Hearing his voice, Bewear paused and turned back to look at him.
The two men seized the moment, as if grasping their final hope of survival.
"Don't hit us! Let us go! We—we'll give you all the rare Pokémon we've captured!"
Rare Pokémon?
Kawaki blinked.
But before he could respond, April's voice rang out from the stairs.
"No! You can't let them go!"
April rushed down the steps holding Bagon tightly. "Mr. Kawaki, you absolutely can't do that! If they get away, they'll just capture even more Pokémon!"
Kawaki naturally understood the danger of releasing the wolves back into the wild.
He also didn't want his own daycare to become a future target of revenge.
But… from what they were saying, it was clear they were still holding a number of captured Pokémon.
After a brief moment of thought, Kawaki asked, "Where are those Pokémon being kept?"
At that, the men's eyes lit up—they thought they still had a chance.
One of them quickly pulled a key from his pocket and handed it over.
"They're in the sewer system under Rustboro City! At the far end of the tunnels, there's a hidden prison for Pokémon! That's where we locked them up before shipping them back to HQ. This key opens it!"
April stared in disbelief as Kawaki took the key.
"Mr. Kawaki… no, you can't…" she tried to stop him, worried.
But the next moment, Kawaki said calmly, "Tie them up."
April blinked.
The two Pokémon hunters were also stunned.
Then it hit them.
They'd been played.
The smug little brat had never planned to let them go. He just tricked them into giving up the location.
Their faces twisted with rage. "You little bastard! We'll never let you get away with this—!"
SMACK.
One punch from Bewear, and the room went quiet.
April's eyes widened as it all clicked.
Kawaki had only pretended to consider a deal so they'd reveal the location of the hidden Pokémon prison!
She had misunderstood him.
Just then, a police siren blared outside.
Officer Jenny had arrived, riding her majestic Arcanine.
She entered, took one look at the two unconscious men and their fainted Pokémon, and froze.
"Kawaki, what the…?"
"Officer Jenny, these are the two Pokémon hunters," Kawaki said with a smile, quickly explaining everything that had happened.
After listening, her expression softened—but she still gave a stern warning:
"Next time something like this happens, the first thing you do is keep yourself safe. Leave the rest to us."
"Yes, ma'am," Kawaki replied obediently.
Jenny nodded, then ordered the officers to haul the hunters and their Pokémon away.
She herself stayed behind with Arcanine, holding the key in hand.
"Rustboro City…" she murmured. "I'll report this to Officer Jenny stationed there. In the meantime, could your daycare accommodate the rescued Pokémon?"
"Of course," Kawaki nodded. "But some of them might belong to other trainers."
"Don't worry about that," she replied. "We'll separate the ones with trainers and post notices at Pokémon Centers across the region so their owners can reclaim them."
"I see," Kawaki said.
"By the way, what's going to happen to those hunters?" April asked, still worried. "If they only get a short sentence, they'll just go back to what they were doing…"
Jenny gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. We'll charge them based on the number of Pokémon they've captured. If it's excessive, they'll be sentenced to life in prison."
Then her expression turned cold.
"And if the number exceeds a certain threshold… under League law, the punishment could be the death penalty."
"…"
April went quiet. Those two words—death penalty—sounded harsh. But after a moment, she nodded firmly.
"Thank you, Officer Jenny. I understand."
Jenny gave a small nod, then turned to Kawaki. "I'll be heading back now. We need to interrogate those two. If they reveal the location of the Pokémon Hunters' HQ, we might be able to wipe them out entirely."
Unlike Team Rocket's base, which Kawaki knew about, he had no idea where the Pokémon Hunters' headquarters was.
So he simply said, "I hope it all goes well."
Jenny nodded and left the daycare, riding off on her powerful Arcanine.
Growlithe watched the majestic Fire-type with admiration.
One day, it wanted to be just like that—strong enough to carry Kawaki on its back and run across the land.
Just imagining it made the little pup wag its tail like crazy.
Kawaki noticed the look in its eyes. He crouched down and patted its head.
"Don't worry. You'll get there—and who knows, maybe even stronger than that Arcanine."
Growlithe didn't evolve by level. To become an Arcanine, it needed a Fire Stone.
Kawaki didn't have one yet—but he made a mental note to ask Steven if he could trade for one.
"Woof woof!" Growlithe barked excitedly.
With the Pokémon hunter crisis finally resolved, April and Bagon prepared to leave.
The girl hugged her Pokémon tightly and turned to Kawaki.
"Thank you for everything, Mr. Kawaki!"
He smiled. "No need to thank me."
He looked toward Bagon, who stared back with a fierce determination in its eyes.
It had made up its mind—
It would become strong, so it could protect April.