"Hold on, I really do have something to tell you."
Sitting in her office chair, Cynthia had been troubled lately by the situation with Team Galactic.
How should she put it?
That organization had started to feel strange to her recently.
On the surface, it looked normal, but she kept getting the feeling that it had lost sight of its roots.
And by losing sight of its roots, she didn't mean that it was trying to steal Pokémon.
It felt more like it was preparing to do something big.
All the signs pointed to Team Galactic hiding something.
But Team Galactic had contributed enormously back in ancient Sinnoh, in other words, the Hisui era.
That made it different from organizations like Team Rocket or Team Plasma.
At least in Cynthia's understanding, the Galaxy Team from the Hisui period had been a proper, upright organization.
If you really counted it up, it could even be considered a precursor to the Pokémon League.
"Go ahead, Miss Cynthia. Tell me what it is."
Grey was interested now.
He wanted to hear what Cynthia wanted to tell him.
"It's about Team Galactic. Sinnoh has an organization, I don't know whether you're familiar with them, but they were passed down from ancient Sinnoh. Lately, though, they seem to be showing signs of criminal intent. Quite a few trainers have already been harmed by Team Galactic."
Cynthia laid it all out.
If Grey had still only been a trainer whose ace was Champion-level, Cynthia would have had to think carefully about whether involving him might put him in danger.
But things were different now.
Too many people already knew that Grey had Reshiram.
One person told ten, ten told a hundred.
With how developed the internet was now, it probably would not take long before trainers all over the world knew Grey had Reshiram, one of Unova's major Legendary Pokémon.
So telling Grey about Team Galactic would not put him at risk.
"Team Galactic, yeah, I know about them. Back when I was streaming, I saw viewers saying Sinnoh had an organization that needed to be taken down too. So what, are Team Galactic's members about to get arrested?"
"How much is the bounty, roughly? Once the Gym ranking battles are over, I can head over and help you round them up."
Grey wanted some extra income.
And the fastest way to make extra money was to arrest criminals.
That was why Grey loved arresting criminals.
"No, not that. I just wanted to ask that if you come to Sinnoh later, keep an eye out for them for me if you can. Naturally, all your expenses during that time will be covered by the Sinnoh League."
Something like this obviously had to go through official funding.
Cynthia was only suspicious of Team Galactic right now. She had no intention of openly declaring war on them yet.
"Oh, if that's all, then sure. No problem."
Grey waved it off. If it was only that, then it was fine.
"Then I'm hanging up."
As he spoke, Grey was about to end the call.
"Wait, there's one more thing."
Cynthia's voice came through the phone again.
"What now?"
Grey paused and did not hang up.
"Well, I really appreciate everything you did regarding Caitlin. Thanks for all your hard work these past few days. Next time you stream, I'll get you an annual Governor-tier membership."
"Oh damn, thanks, boss! Boss, you're incredible!"
The moment Grey heard that, he started thanking her all over again.
As expected, the Champions really were rich.
An annual Governor-tier membership, just like that.
Unlike him.
Even buying a Captain-tier membership made him pinch pennies.
"You're welcome. Just remember to treat Caitlin a little better from now on. I'm sure you know what I mean."
Cynthia stopped there.
Grey just chuckled cheerfully.
After agreeing several times, he hung up.
On Cynthia's end, she put down her phone and felt much lighter.
"To celebrate Caitlin becoming one of the Elite Four, today's work... hmm, I'll leave it to Aaron."
Aaron.
...
...
Another day passed.
Unova Region, Nimbasa City, Day Care.
"Gym Leader Grey, this is the biggest and best Tepig breeding center in all of Unova."
A pretty young receptionist led Grey into the Day Care in Nimbasa City.
Grey did not really understand why Nimbasa City was supposed to be the best place for raising Tepig.
But he did not think too much about it.
As long as there were Tepig here, that was enough.
The main thing was whether one of them clicked with him.
Shiny or not, perfect stats or not, none of that mattered.
All of that was secondary. The most important thing was whether they felt right.
Aside from that, Grey was not asking for anything else. As long as there was one he liked, that was enough.
A very laid-back approach.
"Thanks for showing me the way."
Grey stepped into the Tepig area, where dozens of Tepig were gathered.
The moment they noticed him arrive, the Tepig all started snorting and rushed over at once, begging for food.
Clearly, they had mistaken Grey for a new caretaker.
"Hello, everyone. I'm here today to take one of you with me. So, is there anyone here who'd like to come with me?"
Grey asked with a smile.
The Tepig around him instantly began promoting themselves with all their might.
Inherited moves, signature tricks, whatever they had, they showed it all off.
Their performances were impressive enough that Grey found himself suffering from choice paralysis.
They all seemed pretty good, so which one was he supposed to choose?
"Tepig."
(A human? Forget it. Probably just another human obsessed with talent.)
"Hm?"
Grey looked up and swept his gaze across the area.
In the end, his eyes landed on a Tepig lounging by itself in the corner against the wall, lying on the ground and rubbing its belly.
[Pokémon: Tepig]
[Type: Fire]
[Level: 5]
[Ability: Reckless]
[Moves: Omitted.]
Unlike the others, this Tepig had the Ability Reckless.
And it did not seem especially friendly, either.
It was just lying there by itself in the corner, all alone, occasionally puffing sparks out of its nose.
When it noticed Grey looking at it, it only gave a small nod, then turned its body and put its back to him.
"Oh, now this one has personality. I like it."
This Tepig was way too distinctive. Out of all the Tepig here, it was the only one that seemed determined to keep its distance from him.
But Grey did not sense much hostility from it.
So the little guy just did not want to deal with anyone.
Thinking that, Grey gently waved away the other Pokémon.
Then he walked over to that Tepig, crouched down, and smiled.
"Hi, I'm Grey. Mind if we get acquainted?"
"Tepig?"
(Me? What's there to know about me? I don't have inherited moves, and there's nothing special about me. I'm the kind of Tepig who'd disappear in a crowd of Tepig. What's there to get acquainted with?)
The Tepig stood up, shook the dust off its body, and twitched its snout.
The smell coming off Grey was strange.
He was clearly a physically frail human, yet he carried an unprecedented amount of powerful Fire-type energy.
What in the world?
This human was completely different from every human it had ever seen.
Wait.
Fighting and Fire?
A dual type?
What?!
As a faint trace of Aura stirred, Tepig actually sensed the type attributes of the energy in Grey's body.
They were perfectly compatible with its own final evolved form.
How weird.
How could a human have types?
At least in Tepig's understanding, humans were just a bunch of weak little creatures who fed them every day and were only somewhat useful when it came to giving commands.
"Tepig..."
(This really makes no sense. But if you want me to go out with you, forget it. This pig has no ambitions of seeing the outside world. I just want to stay here and sleep in peace.)
Tepig yawned and lazily waved its forelegs, as if trying to shoo Grey away.
"What, you were only born not long ago and you're already planning to coast through life?"
Grey could not help laughing.
The little guy reminded him of a certain character from his previous life.
Pigsy, the second disciple.
"Tepig."
(This isn't coasting through life. This is striking when the moment calls for it. The rest of the time, this is conserving strength.)
The yawns just kept coming.
Talking this much to Grey today had probably already used up half a month's worth of words for it.
"No, no, that's where you're wrong."
Grey turned Tepig around to face him, then looked at its sleepy eyes and could not help saying, "How about coming with me to Kanto? You can lie around for as long as you want there. Even if all you do is sleep, that's fine too."
Leveling could wait.
Anyway, his system could let Pokémon practice Sleeping Arhat Fist, and for a Tepig like this one, if it slept right after eating, its strength would probably rise very quickly.
That was not a joke. He meant it.
"Gym Leader Grey, are you thinking of taking this Tepig?"
The receptionist, who had heard Grey talking to this Tepig for so long, finally came over to ask what he was thinking.
"Yeah. I think this little guy is pretty interesting. If I can take it with me, that'd be great."
Grey answered honestly, without hiding how much he liked this Tepig.
"Gym Leader Grey, there's something I should tell you. Come with me, let's talk over there."
The receptionist leaned close and whispered a few mysterious words into Grey's ear.
Grey raised an eyebrow, then glanced back at the Tepig.
In the end, he nodded and followed the receptionist to a spot farther away.
"That Tepig was actually very motivated half a month ago."
The receptionist looked over at Tepig, and there was real regret in her voice.
"Oh? So what happened? Something turned it into this?"
The moment Grey realized there was drama to hear, he quickly pulled over a chair and gestured for the receptionist to sit and talk.
The two of them sat down.
The receptionist began explaining, "Half a month ago, that Tepig was pursuing another Tepig. But then the Tepig it liked got noticed by a different Tepig too. The Tepig you want challenged that other Tepig for the right to pursue the one they both liked, and it lost."
Her explanation was a little tangled.
But Grey got it.
If he sorted it into One, Two, and Three, then it went like this:
Tepig One liked Tepig Two, but Tepig Three also liked Tepig Two. Once Tepig One found out, it fought Tepig Three.
And then it lost, along with any chance it had with Tepig Two.
In short...
It failed to get the girl, then gave up on life.
"Ohhh, so that's what happened."
Grey understood.
Heartbroken, and so it decided to lie flat.
That was all it took to explain the whole thing.
"So if I want to convince it, I need to help it get over its heartbreak?"
"Exactly."
The receptionist nodded hard.
"Tch. These Tepig are tiny and they're already playing games like this."
Grey rubbed his chin, amused by the whole mess between these little brats.
Still, he understood.
He remembered that back in elementary school, there had been boys who got into fights over girls too.
This Tepig situation was about the same.
As long as he could solve the heartbreak problem, taking it away would not be an issue at all.
Grey pulled himself together.
Then he walked over to Tepig.
"Hey, kid. I don't know exactly what happened to you, but there's one thing I can tell you for certain."
Grey crouched halfway down and said in a firm voice, "In this world, strength isn't everything. But without strength, you can't do anything. You won't get anywhere."
"And I'm a trainer with strength. Do you have someone you want revenge on, or something you still want to chase after? If you do, then come with me. I can promise you that in less than three months, I can help you get your revenge."
"Tepig..."
(Human... I don't want to win by relying on a human's commands. To me, that's no different from borrowing outside help. What I want is to win fairly, through my own effort.)
A faint glimmer appeared in Tepig's eyes.
But only a faint one.
That battle with Tepig Three had worn down most of its spirit.
And more than that, it did not want a human interfering in this matter.
Thunk, thunk.
Two Poké Balls hit the ground.
Annihilape and Blaziken appeared.
The pressure from their overwhelming auras was so intense that Tepig could barely breathe.
"Tepig?"
(Such incredible power. How many years of hard training would it take to reach that level?)
With Annihilape and Blaziken standing before it, it felt as though two mountains had risen up in front of it. It wanted to climb them, yet the more it looked, the more painfully aware it became of its own helplessness.
That sense of weakness hit it hard.
"Annihilape."
(Years? Reaching Champion level only took five months, didn't it?)
"Blaziken."
(More or less. It only took me three months to hit Elite Four level.)
Annihilape and Blaziken chimed in one after the other, and Tepig's eyes lit up.
Elite Four in three months, Champion in five.
This human had to be the real deal.
Normally, reaching Champion-level strength required countless days of accumulated training and constant victories.
But clearing that whole road to Champion in five months was something Tepig found completely unbelievable.
At the very least, it had never seen a trainer in Unova smart enough to create such a perfect training plan.
"Tepig."
(Human, you're not lying to trick me into leaving with you, are you?)
Tepig still found the whole thing hard to believe.
After all, none of it had happened to it personally. Everything Grey said was just his side of the story, and Tepig had no idea what the actual results would be.
"Well, how will you know unless you try? How about this, get in the Poké Ball first, then come stay with me for one night after you come out. If it doesn't work, you can leave after that."
Grey spoke earnestly.
After hearing that, Tepig nodded.
Fine.
It would try.
...
...
On the other side of the sea, in Kanto Region, Saffron City, at the Fighting Dojo.
"So this is Grey's headquarters? Doesn't look all that big. Why are there so many girls here? Don't tell me they're all Grey's wives. How can that brat live like this?!"
Terrakion spoke bluntly and snorted out two streams of white vapor, making Bumiao hurriedly explain.
"Terrakion, I'm just an employee at the dojo, not Grey's girlfriend."
"Oh, I get it. You're Grey's accomplices."
Terrakion nodded, like a lion patrolling its territory.
Bumiao: "..."
Accomplices, headquarters, wives...
Why did it feel like not a single decent word ever came out of Terrakion's mouth?
"Everyone, may I ask whether your Kanto Region has any truly vile humans? Since we have come all this way, it is time for us to do our humble part and help Kanto cut down evil."
Cobalion looked proudly around him. As a Pokémon filled with justice and a lone swordsman at heart, he felt he ought to do his part for the local region.
"It's okay, really. Most of the members of the evil organizations here have already been arrested personally by Gym Leader Grey. So even if you go out looking, you might not find any villain team members."
After Bumiao said that, the three swordsmen were all shaken.
"I never expected that sly, underhanded human to have such a good side too."
Terrakion smacked his lips.
Then Virizion kicked him.
"Grey is only underhanded during battles. Can you stop acting like he's some fundamentally underhanded human just because he fights that way?"
Virizion said that irritably.
Terrakion laughed awkwardly.
Then he turned and found himself staring at Scraggy and the two Kubfu, who had come over at some point without anyone noticing.
"Scraggy?"
"Kubfu?"
"Kubfu?"
The three Pokémon all made puzzled little sounds at the same time. There was not much meaning behind it, they had just collectively gone, "Huh?"
"Scraggy?"
(You were caught by Grey too?)
Scraggy asked the new arrivals.
"Kubfu."
(Yeah, yeah, we're all Pokémon Grey caught, right? Speaking of which, how come Grey isn't here?)
Kubfu Number One was the friendly type. The moment Scraggy started talking, it slung a paw around him like they had known each other forever.
"Scraggy?"
(Grey? I haven't seen him in a really, really long time. Last time was about half a month ago, I think. Other than that, I haven't seen him at all.)
Scraggy scratched his head and tugged up his loose pants.
"Kubfu?!"
(Half a month ago?! Then have we been exiled?!)
Kubfu Number One felt like the sky had just collapsed.
It had never imagined that Scraggy had been caught for so long and had still only seen Grey once.
"Kubfu!"
(Waaah, I suddenly miss the island. At least our old trainer was there!)
Kubfu Number Two was starting to think about running away.
Pranks were not the issue here. The problem was that a trainer could not just catch you and then disappear.
"Arti?"
(Hm? Are there newcomers here?)
At that moment, Articuno flew over.
It had just finished patrolling its territory, only to discover that Grey had gone and caught so many more Legendary Pokémon.
Good grief.
Its status was in danger now.
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