Chương 5: Chapter 5: I Have a Friend...
The guy called Takehara gulped and asked, "What do you want to know?"
Hayato could tell the other man was terrified of him. Though he had never been in such a situation in his past life, he had seen enough TV dramas to play the role effortlessly.
With an expressionless face, he asked, "What region is this?"
Takehara looked at the stern-faced boy before him and recalled the horrifying scene from earlier. He answered truthfully, "The Hoenn region." After a pause, he added, "This is Petalburg Woods, west of Petalburg City."
Hayato secretly sighed in relief. It seemed the man wasn't the type to resist stubbornly. He continued his interrogation:
"Who are you people?"
Takehara: "We're Pokémon Hunters."
Pokémon Hunters—a criminal organization that captured rare wild Pokémon for underground trade.
Unlike teams like Team Magma, whose goal was to expand landmass, their motives were purely for money.
In another world's terms, they were poachers of the Pokémon world.
As long as the pay was good, they'd hunt anything—lions, tigers, even dinosaurs.
Recalling the mention of an "auction" from their communication device earlier, Hayato deduced that they had been trying to capture Ralts to sell it.
After piecing things together, Hayato quickly understood the whole situation.
In his past life, he had been fortunate enough to stay far away from crime. Now, facing it for the first time, he wasn't sure how to deal with these two.
After some thought, Hayato asked, "How long does it take to get to Petalburg City from here?"
Takehara didn't know what he was thinking, but he sensed that the boy was considering how to handle them. He swallowed hard and answered, "O-On foot… it takes about two hours."
"Hmm." Hayato nodded. It seemed Greedent had pointed him in the right direction. He stood up and began gathering the items on the ground.
Takehara watched in disbelief as the boy pocketed his wallet, boat ticket, and Poké Balls.
"Th-Those are mine!"
Hayato glanced at him and smirked. "Your Mightyena injured me. These are compensation for medical expenses and emotional distress."
Takehara was stunned. He was used to robbing others—when had he ever been on the receiving end?!
He wanted to argue, but one look at the dopey bird made him back down.
Without another word, Hayato finished packing and prepared to leave.
Seeing him turn away, Takehara panicked again. "You can't just leave us here!"
By nightfall, they'd be torn apart by wild Pokémon!
Hayato reassured him, "Relax, someone will come for you."
This was a matter best left to this world's police.
Without waiting for a response, he walked away.
Perhaps because they were near the forest's edge, the ecosystem here had changed.
The larger, more cautious Pokémon had disappeared, while weaker ones like Caterpie and Weedle, which had little aggressive drive, became more common.
As he walked, Hayato observed their detailed information and emotions.
At this moment, he finally understood why there weren't many professional Trainers in this world.
The journey was just too damn tough!
Most Trainers started their travels at just ten years old—kids with little life experience or survival skills.
It went without saying that many who dreamed of becoming Trainers either gave up due to the hardships of travel or were repeatedly defeated in Gym challenges.
Only a handful persisted long enough to compete in the League, and even fewer stood out among them.
The road was winding, but the future was bright.
---
Two hours later, Hayato finally stepped out of the dim forest. Seeing the open road and the bright world ahead, he let out a long sigh of relief.
Finally!
At the forest entrance stood a warning sign: "Please ensure your Pokémon is with you before entering."
Hayato adjusted his bag, licked his dry lips, and felt a surge of excitement at the sight of living people on the road.
The excitement pushed away his exhaustion, and he followed the wooden signposts straight to Petalburg City.
Standing on the bustling streets, watching humans and Pokémon coexisting in harmony, he felt so moved he could almost cry.
He was hungry and exhausted, but business came first. Summoning his energy, Hayato asked a passerby for directions to the police station.
Instead of looking disgusted at his disheveled state, the passerby kindly said, "Are you a traveling Trainer? You should rest at the Pokémon Center!"
A Trainer? Not yet.
It suddenly occurred to Hayato—if he had truly body-transmigrated, then he might be an undocumented person in this world.
Head aching, Hayato bid the passerby farewell and headed to the police station with Cramorant, reporting the presence of Pokémon Hunters in the forest.
Officer Jenny worked efficiently. After confirming the location, she hopped onto her black-and-white police motorcycle with her Growlithe and zoomed off.
Before long, she returned with the two wailing men in custody.
After verifying the details, another Officer Jenny sincerely thanked Hayato.
That was it? Hayato was disappointed. He had expected some kind of bounty for catching criminals.
Before leaving, he asked, "Excuse me, where should someone go to replace lost identification documents?"
Officer Jenny: "Are you a traveling Trainer?"
Hayato wasn't—but he could pretend to be.
Assuming he had lost his Pokédex, Officer Jenny didn't think much of it. "No need for replacements. You just need to show the badges you've collected and your name to enter the League."
Hayato understood. But in this world, only those affiliated with the League or children of notable figures received Pokédexes. They were known as Pokédex Holders.
Pokédex Holders helped regional professors gather data on wild Pokémon and enjoyed free access to Pokémon Center facilities.
Ordinary Trainers, however, had to pay for those services.
Hayato hesitated before asking, "What about regular people?"
Officer Jenny was puzzled. "What do you mean?"
"I have a friend. He grew up in the forest with his parents and never left home."
Now she understood. Undocumented cases weren't unheard of—she had even heard of humans raised by Pokémon.
After some thought, she replied, "It's simple. His parents just need to accompany him to the station for identity registration. We'll upload his details to the network."
Hayato sighed in relief and pressed, "What if his parents… passed away?"
Officer Jenny answered seriously, "Then he'll have to register himself."
(End of Chapter)
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