Enduring the sting of a few stray attacks, the charging Ursaring leaped into the pile of enemy Pokémon.
Just as the poachers' Pokémon fell into chaotic battle, they had instinctively huddled together, forming a tight group to seek security in numbers. That dense formation became the perfect opportunity for Ursaring to launch its attack.
It was a near-perfect reenactment of the battle at the cliff base just minutes earlier. Having rushed into the fray, Ursaring unleashed an incredibly powerful Stomp without a moment's hesitation.
None of the poachers' Pokémon were Flying-types, and most were small to medium-sized. Faced with the violently shaking ground, they instantly lost their balance. Although the poachers themselves were not at the epicenter of the move's impact, they still couldn't withstand the powerful force and stumbled to the ground in disarray.
"Skarmory, use Steel Wing, now!" Kai, soaring high above, gave the decisive command. With all his opponents temporarily unable to dodge, he had no intention of missing such a rare opportunity. After all, in brutal wild encounters, there was no rule that Pokémon must fight only each other. To end a battle quickly, the most effective strategy was to defeat the trainers, seize their Poké Balls, and recall their Pokémon.
Skarmory swooped down, heading straight for the fallen poachers, who immediately realized its intention.
"Mightyena, save me!"
"Nidorino!"
Unfortunately, their Pokémon had no strength left to save them. Having lost their ability to intercept attacks, they were helpless as a storm of moves from Lanturn, Octillery, and Quagsire rained down upon them. Seeing one Pokémon attempt to struggle to its feet, Ursaring immediately stomped its foot again, unleashing another Stomp.
Above them, Thunderbolt and Water Pulse poured down, while below, the ground trembled violently. Under this double assault, many of the lower-level Pokémon lost consciousness. The higher-level ones were left disoriented and dazed.
As Skarmory dove, Kai leaped from its back, landing among the poachers with a barrage of punches and kicks. These men were so lax in training their Pokémon; there was no hope that they themselves possessed any real combat skill.
Kai subdued all eleven poachers, tore the Poké Balls from their waists, recalled their Pokémon one by one, and locked the clasps.
"Just you guys? Where are the others?" Kai asked, lifting the net bag full of captured Pokémon and turning to the owner of the Crawdaunt. That man's Pokémon had the highest combat level; he was likely the leader.
"I don't know," the man snarled. Despite being tied up, he was clearly unrepentant.
"Hmm?" Kai beckoned with a finger.
Lanturn immediately unleashed a Thunderbolt. The poacher screamed, convulsing on the ground as electricity coursed through him. It was a testament to the remarkable durability of humans in this world.
"I'll talk! I'll talk!" the poacher gasped, clearly not expecting Kai to resort to such ruthless interrogation.
"There are over twenty of us in total, split into two teams. I…"
Before he could say more, another bolt of lightning struck.
"It seems you don't intend to tell the truth," Kai said, a cold smile on his face. "Do you want me to switch to Thunder?"
The poacher leader shook his head in terror.
"We had three teams land, each with fifteen people! We were responsible for catching Pokémon near the landing point. The other two teams have already entered the island's interior to search for rare Pokémon."
Kai raised an eyebrow. The pilot on the ship had been telling the truth after all. It seemed the guise of an International Police Officer was indeed very intimidating.
"Who is the strongest among you? And what weapons did the other two teams bring?"
"Our boss is an Advanced Trainer, but he has three Elite-level Pokémon: a Rhydon, a Golem, and a Golduck. The other leader's level is similar to mine, with one near-Elite Machoke. The boss's team also carries two rockets that can be fired from a net gun."
Kai narrowed his eyes, staring at him. The poacher leader grew visibly nervous.
"I've told you everything I know. I really don't know anything else."
"What are the approximate directions of their two teams?"
"The boss led his team deeper into the forest, and the other leader went towards that rocky mountain over there."
"Alright. I hope your information is accurate," Kai said. "Poliwrath, use Surf to drench them. Quagsire! Use Ice Beam."
Poliwrath stirred up a wave that crashed over the poachers. Immediately after, Quagsire used Ice Beam to freeze their drenched bodies to the ground.
"If your information is accurate, I'll deal with them quickly and come back to unfreeze you."
The Orange Islands are hot year-round, and the poachers' clothes were thin. Now soaked and frozen to the ground, they shivered uncontrollably.
Quickly recalling his Pokémon, Kai carried the net bag of captured Pokémon and mounted Skarmory. Following the direction indicated by the poacher, he first headed towards the rocky mountain.
This recent skirmish had been fought without any real pressure. Facing Pokémon one or even two full tiers lower in strength, the only one on his team with significant stamina depletion was Poliwrath, who had used Belly Drum. He had overestimated the enemy excessively after the battle with Zapdos. In reality, a trainer's strength was like a researcher's academic qualifications; each new stage filtered out a large portion of people. Most, due to training methods and resource issues, put in their utmost effort just to train Advanced-level Pokémon.
The rocky mountain stood at the edge of the forest, its different ground color making it conspicuous, even at night. The area was quite large, but Kai no longer needed to search.
This group of poachers had already erupted into a fierce conflict with a powerful Nidoking. Seeing several captured Nidoran♀ and Nidoran♂, the Nidoking had fallen into a complete frenzy, recklessly unleashing powerful moves and creating a massive commotion. It was a near-Elite wild Pokémon, clearly the overlord of this area, guarding its entire tribe.
The poachers could only temporarily avoid the brunt of the attack, daring not to retaliate. Their leader hid behind a rock, his gaze fixed on the raging Nidoking.
Kai had already arrived by air.
"Brave Bird!"
***
(End of Chapter)
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