As Tentacruel fell, a milky-white light began to shimmer around Yuga's Shroomish. When the white light dissipated, Shroomish had disappeared, replaced by a tall, straw-hatted Pokémon.
Moves: Tackle, Stun Spore, Headbutt, Leech Seed, Bullet Seed, Drain Punch, Payback, Brick Break
Before Yuga could fully appreciate the evolution, Eusine exclaimed, "Look, it's Raikou!"
Following Eusine's pointed finger, Yuga's group indeed spotted Raikou not far upstream from the river, watching them.
Coincidence? They had just been attacked by Tentacruel, and now Raikou appeared, standing in the same direction as Tentacruel had come from.
To claim that Tentacruel's attack had nothing to do with Raikou was hardly believable.
As Raikou noticed them looking, it let out a roar and walked openly out of the forest upstream, gradually approaching Yuga's group.
Upon reaching them, Raikou made no sudden moves and simply stared silently at Gon.
For about three minutes, Raikou scrutinized the situation before it approached the unconscious Tentacruel, raised one foreleg, and kicked Tentacruel into the river, then turned as if to leave.
Seeing Raikou's actions, Yuga and his team couldn't help but feel bad for Tentacruel. Not only had it been used as free labor, but it had also received an unexpected kick. If it were awake now, it might burst into tears.
However, just as Raikou was about to turn away, four black metal balls suddenly descended from the sky, enclosing Raikou.
Raikou immediately attempted to break free from the floating metal balls surrounding it, but the metal balls emitted a blue light and formed into a cube-shaped cage, trapping Raikou inside.
"Hahaha, I never expected to encounter a rare Legendary Pokémon like Raikou on this mission. I'm so lucky," a voice echoed as a tall middle-aged man with a mask appeared before Yuga's group.
"As long as I have Raikou, I won't have to stay with Team Rocket anymore. I can go wherever I want! Hahaha!" the man laughed.
Team Rocket! Yuga sensed something familiar about this man's words.
On the other side, Raikou inside the cage began to struggle fiercely, continuously attacking the light cage with its Thunder Fang, causing it to flash with golden lightning.
"Are you from Team Rocket?" Yuga asked the masked man.
"That's right, but not for long! Hahaha!" the masked man laughed maniacally.
Yuga suddenly felt that this man might have some issues. He didn't seem very intelligent and was excessively arrogant.
"I think you should release Raikou. Otherwise, it might get a little angry!" Yuga suddenly tried to reason with the masked man.
"I..." The masked man was about to speak when he suddenly heard a loud explosion. He turned to see the metal balls shattered on the ground, and Raikou, now free.
"No... this can't be... This was specially designed to capture Legendary Pokémon. How could it be destroyed so easily?" The middle-aged man was dumbfounded.
Yuga realized that this man probably had some misconceptions about Legendary Pokémon. If they were so easily captured, could they really be considered Legendary?
Raikou, now free, looked at the middle-aged man with anger. It unleashed a powerful electric attack, leaving the man scorched all over. However, Raikou showed mercy and didn't go for the kill, disappearing into the nearby forest.
Yuga shook his head, thinking that Raikou was indeed the emissary of Ho-oh, too merciful. If it were him, he would have used a powerful Thunderbolt to finish the job. What was the point of leaving this man alive?
Nonetheless, Yuga couldn't help but think that this man had some audacious ambitions, aiming to capture Legendary Pokémon and break free from Team Rocket's control.
The middle-aged man, covered in soot, climbed up from the ground, a wicked grin forming on his face. "Now that Raikou is gone, hand over that kid."
Seeing the man pointing at Gon, Yuga thought to himself, "Just as I suspected."
Their connection with Team Rocket was most likely through Gon. However, Yuga hadn't expected Team Rocket to locate Gon and his group so easily.
"I'm afraid that won't be possible," Yuga said, taking a step forward, positioning himself in front of Gon. Sabrina also instinctively stood by Gon's side.
"Well, you won't have a choice!" The middle-aged man grinned menacingly.
The middle-aged man released a Weavile and a Scizor.
Seeing Weavile and Scizor, Yuga thought, "No wonder he's so confident; these Pokémon are quite powerful."
Both of these Pokémon were close to the level of an Elite Pokémon. However, with this level of strength, trying to capture Raikou and break free from Team Rocket was overly ambitious. Even Elite Trainers would hesitate to make such claims.
Since Team Rocket had managed to operate in the Kanto region for so long, they certainly had some skilled members.
"Sabrina, I'll handle Scizor," Yuga said, turning to Sabrina.
Bug-type Scizor and Dark-type Weavile both countered Sabrina's psychic abilities, but Sabrina was stronger, and dealing with Scizor should pose no problem.
Sabrina nodded in response and summoned her Mr. Mime.
Similar to her Alakazam, Sabrina's Mr. Mime was nearly at the level of an Elite Pokémon and was one of her strongest Pokémon besides Alakazam.
Meanwhile, Yuga withdrew his Breloom and sent out his Absol.
Yuga's Absol had been growing taller lately. Originally, it only reached Yuga's waist, but now it was up to his chest and continued to grow, taking on the appearance of a giant. Despite its increasing size, Absol's body remained sleek, exuding a sense of strength in every detail.
As soon as Absol appeared, its Intimidate ability activated, causing Weavile and Scizor to feel a stifling pressure, making it difficult for them to breathe.
Weavile and Scizor exchanged wary glances, their attitudes toward Yuga and Sabrina suddenly shifting.
While the middle-aged man had a boastful personality, he still possessed some degree of insight. He had heard about the formidable Gym Trainers of Saffron Gym, but he hadn't expected that this young trainer would be just as strong.
With four Pokémon now confronting each other, the middle-aged man began to feel immense pressure. He contemplated how to escape from this situation since it was clearly unfavorable for him. While the mission was important, he wasn't the only one assigned to it. There was no need for him to stubbornly persist in a one-on-two battle.