Chapter 5: Aron's Confusion

While the poacher was still reeling from the boy's superhuman display, the Aron had already slipped away unnoticed. Realizing this, the man's expression grew even uglier.

Forget it! That Aron's badly injured. It can't have gone far. Right now, the priority is dealing with this brat.

With that thought, his eyes turned dangerous. "Raticate! How long are you going to keep messing around with that low-level Pokémon?"

Hearing its trainer's scolding, the Raticate's plump body trembled. With a forceful twist, it finally shook Hei off its leg. It quickly turned around, its small, sharp eyes glaring at the Poochyena. Hei, not backing down, growled back.

"Hei, don't engage. Run at full speed toward the trainer," Kazuki's command came before the two Pokémon could clash again. Without hesitation, Hei turned and charged straight at the poacher.

"Heh, you learn fast…" the poacher sneered. "But did you really think a mere Poochyena could outrun my Raticate? Raticate, get back here!"

Indeed, as a fully evolved Pokémon, Raticate was much faster than a Poochyena. No matter how talented Hei was, it couldn't bridge the vast gap between their species.

However, after initially closing the distance, Raticate only managed to maintain a gap of about an arm's length. It seemed like it just needed a little more effort to catch up, but despite giving it its all, Raticate couldn't close the final gap.

Seeing the Poochyena about to pounce on him, the poacher finally lost his composure. He reached behind his back with his uninjured left hand, trying to grab another Poké Ball, and barked impatiently:

"Raticate! Use Quick Attack to catch it!"

Hearing the command, the already fast Raticate was enveloped in white light. Like a bolt of lightning, it shot forward, appearing above Hei in an instant. It slammed its head downward, hitting Hei's lower back.

The move wasn't particularly powerful, but it successfully halted Hei's advance. Raticate's entire body pressed down on Hei, and it bared its sharp white teeth again.

"I see now. Your Poochyena has the Run Away ability, doesn't it?" the poacher said, calming down now that the immediate threat was gone. 

"A Pokémon with Run Away moves significantly faster when not using moves. That's why you didn't let your Poochyena keep attacking. Combined with Raticate's injured leg slowing it down, if it weren't for Quick Attack, you might've actually pulled it off."

The poacher's gaze shifted to Kazuki, who was struggling to hold on. With a sudden burst of strength, the Graveler flung the boy to the ground.

"But this is as far as you go…" The poacher raised his hand, showing off a third Poké Ball he had just retrieved. "Since you've fought so hard, I'll let this one be the end of you."

With a cruel smile, the man pressed the button on the Poké Ball… or at least, he tried to. Before he could, a silver-white figure leaped onto his left arm from behind!

A loud crunch echoed, followed by a scream that pierced the sky. The Poké Ball fell from his hand, and the man, who had been so confident moments ago, collapsed to the ground. His left arm, now limp, was clamped in the jaws of the Aron.

As the Aron released its grip, blood gushed out like a fountain. The pale-faced poacher trembled, his lips quivering as he tried to use his other hand to stem the bleeding… but he forgot that his right arm had already been disabled in the same way.

Seeing their trainer in danger, the Graveler and Raticate tried to rush back to his aid. But the Aron's fierce blue eyes made them freeze. At this distance, their trainer's throat might be torn out before they could reach him.

While the two Pokémon hesitated, Kazuki and Hei had no such reservations. Despite their injuries, they slowly made their way to the Aron's side.

"Thank you," Kazuki said sincerely, bowing his head to the Aron. For a moment, he had genuinely worried that the Aron would just run away.

The Aron, however, simply turned its head away dismissively, keeping its wary eyes on the two immobilized enemies.

Well, at least it doesn't seem to hate me anymore… Kazuki didn't mind the Aron's attitude. He crouched down and began searching the poacher's backpack.

Anesthetics, special ropes, capture nets… the bag was fully stocked with equipment for both Pokémon and humans.

While the poacher, now with both arms disabled, was no longer a threat, Kazuki decided to play it safe. He used the rope he had found to tie the man's hands and feet securely.

"It's getting late," Kazuki muttered, looking up at the sky, which had now darkened completely.

"But we can't stay here overnight. I hope the police arrive soon…" Before tying up the poacher, Kazuki had already sent out a distress signal using his Pokédex. Given that Viridian City wasn't far, Officer Jenny should arrive soon.

"As for you two…" Kazuki turned to the Graveler and Raticate, holding up two empty Poké Balls he had found. "If you don't want your trainer to be in danger, get in here."

---

"How… how could this happen…" The poacher, now lying flat on the ground, muttered weakly. He had lost so much blood that he could barely speak. If Kazuki hadn't bandaged his wounds while tying him up, he would've been dead by now.

"I… I actually lost to a kid and a low-level Pokémon?"

The man seemed delirious, but Kazuki didn't bother telling him to save his strength. He was about to open the Poké Balls when he noticed a sudden, crazed glint in the poacher's pale face. Kazuki immediately realized something was wrong.

"Graveler! Use Explosion!" The poacher's voice, filled with madness, echoed like a final, desperate cry.

The moment Kazuki saw the Graveler's body begin to glow, he knew it was too late to run. His first instinct was to grab the poacher and use him as a shield. Then, shielding the Aron and Hei with his own body, he turned his back to the impending explosion.

The quiet of the night was shattered by a deafening blast. Birds scattered from the trees, and a group of bandaged Rattata peeked out from the grass, their worried eyes fixed on the source of the explosion.

The force of the blast sent shards of rock flying in all directions, easily tearing through the first line of defense. Kazuki gritted his teeth, feeling as though his back had been ripped apart. Sharp fragments pierced his chest, and his internal organs felt like they were being tossed around.

Unable to hold it in, Kazuki vomited a mouthful of blood. A cold sensation trickled down his forehead, and his vision blurred.

"Cough…" The explosion was over, but every time Kazuki tried to speak, he coughed up more blood.

His vision was too blurry to see anything, so he relied on touch. Amidst the soft, furry texture, he felt something cold and wet.

His heart sank, and his vision cleared just enough to see his hand resting near Hei's face. Tears streamed from the Poochyena's large eyes, dripping onto Kazuki's fingers. Beside them, the Aron trembled, its silver-white body shaking uncontrollably.

Aside from his own blood, neither of them had any new injuries… Kazuki felt a wave of relief. He placed his other hand on the Aron's armor. The Aron looked up, its blue eyes filled not with fear, but with a deep, incomprehensible emotion.

Kazuki smiled. "Little guy, I guess I saved you this time. Now we're even…"

Before he could finish, his consciousness slipped away, and his head slumped forward. The last thing he heard was Hei's desperate cries…

---

When Kazuki regained consciousness, all he could see was a large, yellowish light bulb hanging in the center of a white ceiling.

"So heaven is this plain…? That old man's stories really are all lies," Kazuki muttered, not believing he could have survived a direct hit from Explosion. After all, he was just a weak human…

"This isn't heaven. It's the Viridian City hospital," a gentle voice said. Kazuki turned his head slightly and saw two women standing nearby. One had pink twin tails and wore a nurse's uniform, while the other had green wavy hair and was dressed as a police officer.

"We're just glad you woke up. Your two Pokémon have been very worried about you."

My two Pokémon…? Kazuki was momentarily confused. He turned his head to the other side and saw two familiar figures perched on the windowsill. When they noticed him looking, Hei barked happily, while the Aron lowered its head awkwardly.

"I'm truly sorry," Officer Jenny said, her face filled with guilt. "Due to some complications, we arrived very late at the scene. When we got there, your Pokémon were desperately calling for help. If you hadn't made it, I…"

"Alright, sis," Nurse Joy interrupted gently. "Let's let the boy rest for now. He just woke up and can't process too much information."

"Little ones, can you take care of your trainer?" Nurse Joy smiled warmly at the two Pokémon on the windowsill.

Hei barked softly in response, then jumped onto the bed, carefully nuzzling Kazuki's cheek. The Aron glanced at Nurse Joy, then at Kazuki, and gave a small nod.

With that, Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny left the room, leaving Kazuki alone with his two Pokémon…