Chapter 42: Inducement (Patreon)

The battle ended quickly.

From the moment Renan got off the motorcycle, to his approach to the cave, to the three little ones knocking out the Squirtle Squad members, to the five empty Poké Balls flying out and capturing every last Squirtle, the whole thing took less than a minute and a half.

Only once every Squirtle had been caught did Officer Jenny Hong walk over.

The green-haired policewoman glanced at the three Poké Balls still lying on the ground. The other two had been teleported back to the Blazing Town Pokémon Center, as they'd been set up to do. A flicker of bewilderment crossed her face. "Didn't you say you were going to have a good talk with the Squirtle? Why did you just start fighting?"

Renan gave her an odd look in return. "Yeah, that's the plan. I have to beat them into submission first. Only then can I persuade them."

Officer Jenny Hong: "←_←"

She sighed. "Forget it. Do it your way. I only care about the results."

…

It was already midday when they got back to Blazing Town.

Renan went to the Pokémon Center first and handed the five captured Squirtle over to Nurse Joy, asking her to use the machine to heal them. Their Poké Balls were in a fully locked state.

Then he took the three little ones to the police station for a pretty decent meal of pork chop rice.

After a short rest, he had Officer Jenny Hong retrieve all the Poké Balls he currently held, the three little ones plus the five Squirtle, from the Pokémon Center.

Then they went to an empty lot behind the station.

"Come on out, Squirtle."

Renan threw the Poké Ball of the Squirtle Squad's boss.

The other four Poké Balls, each holding a Squirtle, he left for the moment in the keeping of Officer Jenny Hong, who stood nearby.

The instant the Squirtle appeared, it puffed out its cheeks, ready to use Water Gun on the human boy who had caught it.

But Renan, who came from the DanMachi world, was nothing like Ash, whose gentle nature meant he'd never fight back even when a Pokémon attacked him.

A smile sat on his face, but his eyes were suddenly filled with a brilliant azure light.

The next second, the Squirtle was hauled off the ground by an invisible, overwhelming force. Using a move was out of the question. It could barely move an arm.

"Squir… Squirtle…"

Of the four worlds Renan could currently reach, the Pokémon world was without a doubt the closest thing to a utopia.

But at its core, it still couldn't escape the fundamental law of the strong preying on the weak.

In the wild, Spearow hunted Pidgey. After Pidgey evolved into Pidgeotto, they turned around and suppressed Spearow. Once Spearow evolved into Fearow, they were stronger than Pidgeotto again. Only when Pidgeotto evolved into Pidgeot could they truly lead a Pidgey flock to a secure existence.

And on the menus of both kinds of bird Pokémon, there were always traces of weaker creatures like Caterpie and Weedle.

These thoughts flashed through Renan's mind, and he spoke. "Squirtle, you and your underlings were all abandoned by Trainers, weren't you?"

As he asked, he loosened his Confusion a little.

The Squirtle knew when to bend. It understood it was no match for the black-haired boy a short distance away, so it nodded obediently. A flash of hatred for its former owner crossed its sunglasses-wearing face.

Seeing that it was willing to talk, Renan's smile widened. He knew most of the next part of his plan was already in place.

He raised a hand and pointed at Officer Jenny Hong, who stood to one side. "Officer Jenny is planning to set up a fire brigade of Water-type Pokémon in Blazing Town. Given what you've all been through, being abandoned, she's decided to hire you as the first batch. If you agree, the Blazing Town police station will provide your three meals a day. Most of the time you'll only do some firefighting drills, and you'll only be dispatched when a fire breaks out in town or in the nearby forest."

"So, what do you say? Want to think it over?"

Since Officer Jenny Hong meant to use Blazing Town as the pilot site for her "Released Starters Reintegration Plan," the terms she was offering the Squirtle were never going to be poor.

Case in point: when the Squirtle heard Renan's words, it plainly froze for a moment.

After all, it was a Pokémon that had lived among humans. It knew exactly how much difference there was between being cared for and struggling to survive in the wild.

But…

"Squir… Squirtle?"

Renan currently knew only two Psychic-type moves, Meditate and Confusion. Still, by projecting his mental power outward, he could faintly sense the emotions of people and Pokémon.

Take the Squirtle, for example. As it answered, hesitation, doubt, and a trace of fear surrounded it.

Combined with its history of abandonment, it was easy to guess what the little guy was trying to say.

"You're worried that you and your underlings will be released again someday?" Renan asked.

The Squirtle didn't deny it. It nodded obediently.

Renan had caught the Squirtle Squad, but he was going to transfer their ownership to the Blazing Town police station. He wasn't about to stupidly pound his chest and make promises he couldn't keep himself, so he turned to look at the green-haired policewoman standing nearby.

If you asked which families in the League were relatively clean, the people of the Pokémon world would surely answer without hesitation: the Jenny family and the Joy family.

Officer Jenny Hong had some small schemes of her own, but having decided to give the Squirtle Squad official positions, she had never once thought about dumping them back in the wild.

Seeing the human and the turtle turn their eyes to her, she thought for a moment and gave her answer. "It's only five more Pokémon. The Blazing Town police station can afford that. Even if my superiors transfer me to another town someday, I can file a report and take you all with me."

She sounded completely sincere.

But the Squirtle, perhaps heartbroken by its former Trainer, still hesitated after hearing this.

Standing to the side and watching the standoff, Renan found himself a little envious of Ash.

In a situation like this, Team Rocket would usually barge in and give things a push. Human and Pokémon would fight side by side, and a basic friendship and trust would form easily.

With that wistful thought, he offered, "Officer Jenny, Squirtle, how about this?"

"Squirtle, the reason you and your underlings worry about being abandoned again is that, in the end, you aren't strong enough to survive in the wild."

Why had the Squirtle Squad chosen to linger around Blazing Town?

Besides having been abandoned and wanting to get revenge on humans through pranks, the more fundamental reason was that they'd been in a League breeding facility since birth and had hardly any experience surviving in the wild.

On top of that, their levels had been low when they were abandoned. Only by banding together could they barely stay alive.