Considering that this guy had finally confessed everything honestly, Maki decided not to bury him alive. However, he still tied him securely to a tree with strong vines.
He also stripped him of anything that could help him escape, just to be sure. As an extra precaution, she had Charmeleon carve "Dangerous Individual—Do Not Approach" into the ground nearby, completely eliminating any possibility of escape.
"You just sit tight here and wait for Officer Jenny."
Satisfied with his handiwork, Maki grinned. Cerulean City wasn't too far from here, and there weren't any wild Pokémon in the immediate area—maybe a couple of Caterpie might crawl onto him, but that was hardly a big deal. He could wait right here.
The man's face fell into utter despair. Did he really have to go this far? He had planned to escape as soon as he left, but now there was no way out!
Meanwhile, Maki was still holding the Mawile in his arms, keeping an eye on its condition after administering the medicine.
So far, things seemed stable, but he still needed to get it to a Pokémon Center as soon as possible.
Luckily, this Mawile was relatively small, making it easy to carry. The only inconvenience was its large mouth, which drooped to the side awkwardly.
He wondered if people ever misunderstood how a Mawile actually looked. In the games, its back-facing mouth was always shown to players, leading him to believe for the longest time that the big mouth was its real face.
In reality, the small yellow doll-like body in the front was the actual Mawile, while the massive mouth in the back—though functional for eating—lacked taste receptors. It was primarily used to consume unpalatable food.
Mawile was classified as the "Deceiver Pokémon" because of its innocent appearance, which lured unsuspecting prey.
Now, as if sensing the warmth of being held, Mawile instinctively wiggled slightly in his arms.
"Don't worry, you'll be okay soon."
Maki wasn't sure if the little Pokémon could hear him, but he spoke soothingly anyway.
"Ma...wile..." Mawile made a faint sound, as if it recognized his voice. It soon stopped struggling and rested quietly in his embrace.
What Maki didn't notice was that Mawile's nose twitched slightly, as if trying to remember his scent.
Once he was sure Mawile's condition had stabilized, he returned it to its Poké Ball—after all, being inside the ball should be more comfortable for it.
Securing the Poké Ball to his belt, he also recalled Charmeleon and Cottonee before taking off at a sprint toward Cerulean City. Once there, he wasted no time hailing a taxi to the Pokémon Center.
"Ms. Joy, these Pokémon are seriously injured. Please treat them as soon as possible."
She handed over the Poké Balls belonging to the thief. Regardless of the circumstances, the Pokémon needed to be healed first. Leaving them unattended wasn't an option, especially since the Pokémon League would undoubtedly investigate this incident.
"Understood."
Nurse Joy took the Poké Balls with a serious expression. Seeing the sweat on Maki's forehead, she could tell right away that the injuries must be severe—otherwise, he wouldn't have rushed in like this.
As Nurse Joy passed the Pokémon to the Chansey behind her, Maki followed suit, retrieving Mawile's Poké Ball.
"This little one seems to be sick. I gave it some medicine earlier, but I'm not sure how effective it was."
After releasing Mawile from its Poké Ball and conducting a quick examination, Nurse Joy smiled reassuringly.
"Don't worry, it's just a mild fever. The medicine you gave it was quite effective. Even if you hadn't brought it here, it would've recovered after some rest."
Human and Pokémon physiology were vastly different—what might be a severe condition for a human could be a minor inconvenience for a Pokémon. Many injuries that would take humans weeks to heal could be resolved by Pokémon in a matter of hours. Otherwise, people would already be making funeral arrangements.
"That's a relief." Maki let out a small sigh.
"But… the Weezing and Machoke you brought in—they're not your Pokémon, are they?"
Nurse Joy frowned slightly as she examined the information displayed on the monitor.
"No, none of those Pokémon, including Mawile, belong to me," Maki answered honestly.
She briefly recounted her encounter with the Pokémon hunter in the outskirts, though he conveniently left out some details. Instead of mentioning that he had just come from a Team Rocket base, he framed it as a simple search for a new Pokémon to add to his team. No need to offend someone by bringing up their, uh, 'occupation.'
"I see… I'll inform Officer Jenny right away."
At first, Nurse Joy had been worried upon hearing that Maki had been attacked, but after listening to how he had dealt with the thief, she realized that concern was unnecessary.
This kid was even more ruthless than the criminal. A thief robbed by another thief—classic case of 'fighting fire with fire.'
"This Mawile probably belongs to a Pokémon Breeding House. Once it recovers, I'll have it sent back there."
"Thank you very much."
Nurse Joy nodded. After all, Maki could have easily kept Mawile for himself—no one would've been able to trace it back to him if he had chosen not to speak up.
But he had done the right thing anyway, which gave Nurse Joy the impression of a model Pokémon Trainer. This was what a true League-certified Trainer should be like!
After entrusting the Pokémon to Nurse Joy, Maki didn't linger. He completed the necessary registration and then headed straight to his room to rest.
The thief would soon have Officer Jenny and her team to deal with. Mawile and the other Pokémon would be handled by the League, so there was nothing for Maki to worry about.
As for himself…
Even though he hadn't gained anything tangible from this incident, he had at least earned some favor with the Pokémon League. That alone was worth it.
Besides, he had no interest in the thief's Weezing or Machoke—those Pokémon had already reached their potential limits. Even if he sold them on the black market, they wouldn't fetch a high price.
Not that it mattered. Even as just a "surface-level" League Trainer, Maki was far from short on money.
That's what it meant to be a high-level Breeder, after all.
After waking up early, catching a flight to Cerulean City, and riding Dragonite through the skies for what felt like forever, even with Dragonite's expert flying skills, Maki couldn't help but feel a bit exhausted.
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