Chapter 41: Catching Squirtle (Patreon)

Officer Jenny Hong froze. Her mouth opened on instinct, ready to say that she had caught Water-type Pokémon before, so there was no need.

But she had climbed the ranks of the League's internal police track to Superintendent. Claiming she had no political instincts at all would have been a joke.

Right then, a flash of insight struck her.

She asked hesitantly, "What do you mean?"

Renan set his feet back on the ground and smiled faintly. "I haven't done any formal research, but I'd guess that every year plenty of starter Pokémon get ruined by rookie Trainers on their debut journeys, then released or abandoned. And that causes all sorts of problems, big and small, right?"

Officer Jenny Hong nodded. It wasn't something that needed hiding, or rather, it couldn't be hidden anyway.

Renan went on. "Every region's starters are Water, Grass and Fire types. I'll skip the Fire types. Honestly, I haven't come up with a good solution for them yet. But once the Water and Grass starters are released, the League could offer them a chance to earn their own living with a job."

Officer Jenny Hong was no fool. After a moment's thought, she picked up where the boy in front of her left off. "For example, we could organize those Squirtle into a fire brigade?"

Renan nodded. "You could run a pilot program here in Blazing Town. And Grass starters like Bulbasaur could be sent to mid-sized and large cities like Cerulean City or Saffron City and formed into dedicated landscaping crews. Whenever there's reforestation work in the wild, or large-scale land to be cleared for farming, you could send them out too."

"If the League worries that the abandoned Pokémon are unstable and hostile toward humans, you could also add a few human positions to the fire brigades and work crews. For one thing, that creates jobs in every town. For another, spending a long time together would help heal the wounds in the Pokémon's hearts."

Officer Jenny Hong narrowed her eyes as she listened.

If Renan's proposal really was workable, then she, as the one to submit the plan up the chain, would naturally earn no small merit for it.

Maybe in a few years she'd make Chief Superintendent, or be transferred to a big city.

And even if her superiors studied it and shot it down in the end, she still had enough authority here in Blazing Town to at least solve the Squirtle problem that was plaguing the townspeople.

Win or lose, she had nothing to lose.

So, thoroughly convinced, Officer Jenny Hong made her decision on the spot. "All right, I'm adopting your plan!"

…

Every Officer Jenny in Kanto is assigned a Growlithe with solid potential from headquarters when her internship begins.

By the time she becomes a full Superintendent, her Growlithe has usually reached veteran level. Some even evolve into Arcanine and step into the elite tier.

Officer Jenny Hong was no exception.

Back when the Squirtle Squad first arrived near Blazing Town, she had already used her Arcanine's keen nose to locate the little troublemakers' hideout.

But like most Trainers who took the quest and then gave up, Officer Jenny Hong hadn't caught the Squirtle herself. She had posted a quest on the League forum asking for help instead.

Nobody does anything that doesn't benefit them.

Even a member of the Jenny family, supposedly the most righteous people in the League, was no exception.

But times had changed.

If those five Squirtle could help her earn a promotion, then a lot of things were suddenly open to negotiation.

An hour or so later, in a valley east of Blazing Town.

Looking at the cave not far ahead, Renan asked softly, "Is this the place?"

Officer Jenny Hong nodded. "I'll leave the talking to you."

Renan raised a hand and made an OK sign, then walked step by step toward the cave.

The Squirtle Squad was made up of abandoned starters. They didn't harbor fierce hostility toward humans, but they certainly didn't like them either.

In fact, the Squirtle had spotted the two of them the moment they rode up on the motorcycle.

Now five bald, pale-blue little heads lay on the cave mouth. Every turtle wore sunglasses, and a closer look showed their cheeks puffed out slightly, ready to attack at any moment.

Renan advanced slowly. The mental power he had projected told him that the ground in several spots ahead had been hollowed out from underneath and disguised on the surface with sand and soil.

One step. Two steps. Three steps…

Soon Renan reached a pit trap about ten meters from the cave.

He lifted his foot, about to step onto it.

Far off, the Squirtle were already showing expectant looks, faint as they were.

But just then…

Renan suddenly hurled a Poké Ball toward the Squirtle's position, shouting orders.

"Charmeleon, Thunder Punch!"

"Roar!"

The dragon beast with skin as red as flame burst out, still wreathed in the thick Dragon-type energy left over from two Dragon Dances inside its Poké Ball.

Once it appeared in the real world, it let out a low growl.

Its hands were anything but slow. Yellow arcs of electricity crackled and hissed across both claws.

By the time the Squirtle reacted and tried to fire off Water Gun, Charmeleon had already vanished, leaving only an afterimage. Its real body was in front of the Squirtle whose sunglasses were a different style from those of its underlings.

With a thud, the Squirtle dropped into a sleep as deep as a baby's.

Renan threw two more Poké Balls.

"Nidoran, Peck. Pidgey, Quick Attack."

If Charmeleon had been fighting alone, then even with combat power rivaling a veteran-level Pokémon, two fists couldn't beat so many claws, and it would have gone down under the Squirtle Squad's volley of Water Guns.

But with Pidgey and Nidoran added, the fight became 3 vs 4.

They were still outnumbered, but with the speed and attack power of a Charmeleon that had already used Dragon Dance twice, that was more than enough to win.

What's more, Renan, though a step slower, had by now reached the cave's entrance.

The moment any Squirtle tried to attack, he would use Confusion to support his Pokémon.

This wasn't a wild capture battle bound by one-on-one rules.

So far the Squirtle Squad had only pulled harmless pranks around Blazing Town. But to make them rein in their wildness and be willing to talk with humans again, or at least not say yes to a person's face and defy them behind their back…

A little well-placed violence was without doubt the best option right now.

Thoughts churning, Renan fired off a burst of Confusion and locked down one of the four remaining Squirtle, the one about to spray Water Gun.

The three little ones moved at the same time. Charmeleon landed one punch per turtle, and with two sharp smacks, it knocked two more Squirtle out cold.

Pidgey and Nidoran teamed up for the moment and attacked the last Squirtle still able to move.