I Have a Friend...

The man called Takehara swallowed and asked, "What do you want to know?"

Hu Yang could tell that the other man was terrified of him. He had never encountered a situation like this in his previous life, but he had watched plenty of TV, so playing this sort of role came naturally enough.

With a blank expression, he asked, "What region is this?"

Takehara looked at the stern-faced boy before him, recalled the terrifying scene from earlier, and answered honestly, "Hoenn." After a pause, he added, "This is Petalburg Woods, west of Petalburg City."

Hu Yang secretly breathed a sigh of relief. The man did not seem like the type who would rather die than submit, so he continued his interrogation.

"Who are you?"

Takehara said, "We're Pokémon Hunters."

Pokémon Hunters were a criminal organization that captured rare wild Pokémon for underground trade.

Unlike organizations such as Team Magma, whose goal was to expand the land, they were motivated purely by money.

In terms from another world, they were poachers in the Pokémon world.

As long as the price was high enough, never mind lions or tigers—even dinosaurs, they would dare to capture them.

Thinking of the "auction" he had heard over the communication device earlier, Hu Yang realized they had captured Ralts in order to sell it.

After sorting through it all, Hu Yang quickly understood the entire situation.

Perhaps because he had been relatively lucky in his previous life, crime had always been far removed from him. Now that he had encountered it for the first time, he did not know how to deal with these two men.

After thinking seriously for a moment, Hu Yang asked, "How long does it take to get from here to Petalburg City?"

Takehara did not know what he was thinking, but he keenly sensed that Hu Yang was considering how to deal with them. He swallowed and answered, "If... if you walk, it takes two hours."

"Mm." Hu Yang nodded. It seemed Skwovet had pointed him in the right direction. He stood up and began gathering the things on the ground.

Takehara watched helplessly as Hu Yang stuffed his wallet, ferry ticket, and Poké Balls into his own pocket. His eyes widened in disbelief.

"Th-Those are my things!"

Hu Yang glanced at him with a faintly amused smile. "Your Mightyena injured me. These things are the medical expenses and emotional damages you owe me."

Takehara was dumbfounded. He had always been the one robbing others. When had he ever been robbed himself?

He tried to argue, but when he saw that bird that looked like an idiot, he lost his nerve.

Hu Yang said nothing more. Once he had packed everything up, he prepared to leave.

When he saw Hu Yang turn to go, Takehara panicked again. "You can't leave us here!"

By nightfall, wild Pokémon would tear them to pieces!

Hu Yang reassured him, "Relax. Someone will come save you."

This sort of thing was better left to the police of this world.

With that, he ignored the man's reaction and walked away.

Perhaps because he had reached the edge of the forest, the Pokémon ecosystem here had changed as well.

The larger, more wary Pokémon had vanished, while weaker Pokémon with little aggression, such as Caterpie and Weedle, became more common.

As he walked, Hu Yang observed their detailed information and emotions.

At that moment, Hu Yang finally understood why there were not that many professional Trainers in this world.

Because traveling was fucking hard!

Children set out on their journeys at only ten years old. At that age, with neither social experience nor worldly knowledge, simply surviving alone in the wilderness was already a problem.

There was no need to think about it to know that many people who aspired to become Trainers gave up after leaving home because they could not endure the hardships of travel, while many more suffered repeated setbacks while challenging Gyms.

In the end, only a tiny minority persevered to participate in the Pokémon League, and even fewer managed to stand out.

The road was winding, but the future was bright.

Two hours later, Hu Yang finally emerged from the dim forest. Looking at the open road before him and the light-filled world beyond, he let out a long breath.

Finally!

At the forest entrance stood a warning sign: "Please bring your Pokémon before entering the forest."

Hu Yang adjusted the bundle on his back, licked his lips, and grew excited when he saw living passersby along the roadside.

His excitement made him forget the exhaustion from the journey. In one burst of effort, he followed the wooden road signs and arrived in Petalburg City.

Standing on the bustling street and watching people and Pokémon living together in harmony, he was so moved that he almost wanted to cry.

He was hungry and exhausted, but business came first. Hu Yang pulled himself together and asked a passerby where the police station was.

The passerby did not show any disgust at his bedraggled appearance. Instead, they warmly said, "You're a Trainer traveling outside, right? Go get some proper rest at the Pokémon Center!"

A Trainer? He was not one yet.

Hu Yang suddenly realized that, since he had transmigrated bodily into this world, he seemed to be an undocumented person here.

With a headache coming on, Hu Yang bid the passerby farewell, found the police station with Cramorant, and told Officer Jenny about the Pokémon Hunters in the forest.

Officer Jenny was extremely efficient. After confirming the location, she immediately rode off on a black-and-white police tricycle with Growlithe, disappearing down the road in a flash.

Before long, she returned successfully with the two men, who were crying and wailing.

After verifying the situation, another Officer Jenny responsible for the interrogation solemnly thanked Hu Yang.

That was it? Hu Yang was deeply disappointed. He had thought catching criminals would earn him a reward.

Before leaving the police station, he asked Officer Jenny, "Hello, may I ask where I should go to replace lost identification documents?"

Officer Jenny asked, "Are you a Trainer traveling outside?"

Hu Yang was not, but he could pretend to be.

Officer Jenny assumed he had lost his Pokédex and did not think much of it. "There's no need to replace it. You only need to show the badges you've collected and your name at the Pokémon League to participate in the tournament."

Hu Yang understood. However, it seemed that only children from the Pokémon League's direct line or families with status could obtain a Pokédex. They were also called Pokédex holders.

Pokédex holders took on the responsibility of helping local Professors collect data on wild Pokémon, while also receiving the privilege of using Pokémon Center facilities for free.

Other civilian Trainers did not enjoy that treatment. They had to pay to use Pokémon Centers.

Hu Yang paused, then asked, "What about ordinary people?"

Officer Jenny did not understand. "What do you mean?"

"I have a friend. He has lived in seclusion in the forest with his parents since childhood and has never left home."

Officer Jenny understood this time. Undocumented people were not unheard of. She had even heard of humans being raised by Pokémon before.

After thinking for a moment, she answered, "That's easy. Have his parents accompany him to the police station to register his identity. We'll upload his information to the network."

Hu Yang sighed in relief and quickly asked, "What if his parents have passed away?"

Officer Jenny answered seriously, "Then he can only come and handle it himself."