A powerful Kangaskhan?
Tetsuya's interest was piqued.
In the Kanto and Johto regions, Kangaskhan was among the earliest Pokémon discovered to be capable of Mega Evolution.
After Mega Evolving, its Ability became Parental Bond, meaning you'd have to deal with both the mother and child attacking in unison. In competitive battles, that gave it a major edge; Kangaskhan was a real powerhouse.
Tetsuya decided to follow. There might be some benefit to be gained from this.
The sounds of battle grew louder as he got closer.
At the foot of the hill, a young man dressed in the same uniform as Haruto was commanding a Tauros in a battle against the Kangaskhan.
But the Kangaskhan appeared to be in a near-frenzied state, and Tauros was clearly being overwhelmed.
Not far off, a boy of about ten was holding a Cyndaquil that had already lost the ability to battle. Tears streamed down his face.
Haruto sent out a Hitmonlee to assist Tauros in surrounding the Kangaskhan.
Hitmonlee moved with great speed, attacking from multiple angles. But the Kangaskhan seemed completely unfazed by the pain and continued charging straight toward the boy on the ground.
Tetsuya glanced at the Kangaskhan. Its eyes were bloodshot, and there was no sign of the baby in its pouch. And yet its entire focus was locked onto the young boy.
Tetsuya seemed to realize what was going on, but said nothing. Best to let both sides wear each other down, then swoop in and reap the rewards.
Tauros lowered its horns and charged straight at the Kangaskhan. But the Kangaskhan showed no fear at all. It raised a fist and slammed it into Tauros's head. Tauros staggered, began to sway side to side, and then ran wildly in all directions, completely disoriented.
"Quick, recall Tauros! It got hit by Kangaskhan's Dizzy Punch! It's confused!" shouted Haruto.
The other Ranger cursed under his breath and recalled Tauros.
Dizzy Punch was one of Kangaskhan's signature moves. In Kanto, Kangaskhan was the only Pokémon known to learn it, and for a long time, it was even considered an exclusive move.
Haruto's Hitmonlee continued dodging and maneuvering, taking advantage of its superior speed. It landed another Jump Kick on Kangaskhan. But now that Tauros was out of the way, Kangaskhan grabbed Hitmonlee's leg under its arm, opened its jaws, and bit down with crushing force on its shin.
This was wild combat. Wild Kangaskhan didn't fight by the book; once angered, they would seize any opportunity to eliminate a threat.
With Hitmonlee's leg caught in Kangaskhan's bite, it was effectively out of the fight. Since Hitmonlee relied primarily on its legs to attack, an injury there would make it impossible to maintain balance, let alone launch any meaningful offense.
"This Kangaskhan's gone berserk! Its combat ability is several times stronger than normal! What should we do now?" one of the Rangers asked.
Haruto was clearly troubled. "It shouldn't be like this… Kangaskhan are supposed to be gentle! What's going on today…? Why would it attack passing Trainers and their Pokémon!?"
"Tch. We don't have a choice. If a Trainer gets hurt in our patrol zone, the League will 'question' our competency. We need to subdue it first. Come out, Girafarig!"
The other Ranger sent out another Pokémon. Gritting his teeth, Haruto threw out a Poké Ball and sent out a Misdreavus.
Now, three Pokémon surrounded the lone Kangaskhan.
"Girafarig, Psybeam!"
"Misdreavus, use Perish Song. Hitmonlee, Rolling Kick."
Tetsuya glanced at the battlefield. These two Rangers were getting serious. That Kangaskhan wouldn't last much longer. If they managed to subdue it, they'd hand it over to the League without hesitation and take all the credit.
At this point, there was nothing for Tetsuya to gain. Getting into a conflict with two Rangers over one Kangaskhan would be the height of stupidity!
Just as Tetsuya was preparing to leave, the Kangaskhan fainted under the three-on-one assault.
Haruto walked over to the young boy and asked, "Hey, gaki. Kangaskhan are generally gentle Pokémon. Why did it attack you?"
The boy, sobbing, explained, "I-I don't know… I was just looking for training targets for my Cyndaquil and saw a baby Kangaskhan playing nearby!
I… I caught it, and not long after, this Kangaskhan appeared and started attacking me out of nowhere!"
Tetsuya had already guessed that was the reason. 'Sigh…these rookie Trainers always thought they could be just like Ash, didn't they?'
At that moment, Haruto and the other Ranger both looked furious. Haruto immediately began to reprimand him. "Did you even finish your basic Pokémon education!? You don't know the natural behaviors of native Kanto and Johto species? Kangaskhan have an extremely strong maternal instinct! They'd risk their own lives to protect their young.
You… you actually caught its baby!? The fact it didn't kill you is a mercy. You'd better head home! You might've survived this time, but next time? Who knows! Sigh… hand over the baby Kangaskhan."
The boy handed over the Poké Ball containing the baby. "Sub… I'm going home… I-I never want to be a Pokémon Trainer again!"
With that, he ran off.
Situations like this were common in this world. People with no grasp of how harsh reality could be, full of passion and lofty dreams… until they hit a wall, fall apart, and start blaming the world.
Haruto released the baby Kangaskhan and gave the mother some basic treatment. As expected, the mother Kangaskhan calmed down as soon as she saw her baby again.
"…So? Should we catch this Kangaskhan and report it to the League?" the other Ranger asked.
Haruto shook his head. "No need. That kid wasn't seriously hurt, and without a written statement and proper documentation, those higher-ups will just think we're faking reports."
"Haaahh… True. Let's go!"
Tetsuya watched the two of them disappear into the distance and chuckled quietly. 'Tehehe! Thanks for the donation~'
He had already estimated the value of Kangaskhan. As a rare species native to Kanto and Johto, it could easily sell for a good price.
Once he confirmed the two Rangers were long gone, Tetsuya took out Swinub's Poké Ball.
This kind of job called for a swift, clean finish.
By now, the baby Kangaskhan had already climbed into its mother's pouch, and they were about to leave when a chill suddenly ran down Kangaskhan's spine… an icy cold that pierced to the bone!
Kangaskhan realized it was under attack and began to turn, preparing to fight back. But before it could fully turn around or even see its attacker, it was engulfed by a Blizzard and frozen into a solid ice sculpture.
Tetsuya threw a Poké Ball…
And without suspense, captured the Kangaskhan.