Professor Oak's Lab, Pallet Town
"Ahh, today's three-delicacy hotpot is just perfect!"
Professor Oak inhaled deeply, savoring the rich aroma wafting from the pot.
Ding-ling-ling…
Just then, the Pokémon transfer machine rang out sharply.
Still holding his steaming bowl of hotpot, Oak frowned and headed to the transfer room.
"Oh? A new Pokémon from Kazuki?"
"Let's see what rare Pokémon he's sent back this time…"
But the moment the Poké Ball materialized, Oak froze in place.
"…Wait, what's that smell?"
"Oh no—NO!"
Before he could even finish yelling, the Poké Ball opened.
PLOP!
"AAAGH! Blergh—Kazuki, why did you send me a Muk?!"
"My—ugh—my hotpot!"
"BLAUGH—"
"URRRGH—"
Meanwhile, somewhere on the road, Kazuki suddenly sneezed. Twice.
It was a perfectly clear day, and he figured the only reason for that double sneeze was because Professor Oak had just received his Muk.
Kazuki chuckled. "He's probably singing my praises right now."
With that, he continued heading toward the Fuchsia Gym, nestled deep within the mountains.
—
After leaving Gringey City, Kazuki, Misty, and Suzie officially entered a long forest route.
But this leg of the journey wasn't entirely remote—several buses and dump trucks were still busily traveling back and forth along the road.
[Ding! Mission triggered: Protect Diglett's habitat! Stop the dam construction!]
[Mission reward: Speed Boost Potion – Increases speed by 20% upon use!]
[Heartfelt Reputation +1]
Seeing the mission alert, Kazuki immediately understood what the constant flow of trucks was about—they were near Diglett Tunnel.
According to the original script, the Diglett here were unique. Unlike others of their kind, they didn't sneak into farms to steal crops, nor did they go around damaging buildings. Quite the opposite—they actively helped reforest the area.
Some researchers even theorized that the surrounding forest was mostly cultivated by these Diglett over time.
They'd essentially created a thriving ecosystem for countless Pokémon.
But a construction company had blindly started work here without any environmental surveys, planning to build a massive reservoir.
If completed, the reservoir would flood the entire area—displacing, or even drowning, thousands of Pokémon.
They hadn't weighed the pros and cons at all. All they cared about was completing a massive, record-breaking project to cement their name in history.
Under normal circumstances, stopping a construction project like this would be well beyond what a Pokémon Trainer could do.
But since the mission offered a reward—and a good one, at that—it was worth figuring out a plan. Especially when compared to saving an entire resort town, this seemed like a piece of cake.
This involved Pokémon ecology and a rare, large-scale social behavior among Diglett. If Kazuki could gather enough data and send it to Professor Oak, the professor's obsession with Pokémon anomalies would kick in, and he'd rally grad students and researchers to halt the construction from the inside.
Problem solved.
With a clear plan in mind, Kazuki waited for a dump truck to pass, then led Misty and Suzie onward.
"Kazuki, I think there's some kind of big construction project up ahead. Are we really going through this way?" Misty squinted at the dust clouds ahead, looking uncertain.
"There's a hot spring town just past here. We've been hiking for days—don't you two want to soak a little?"
"Hot springs?!" Both Misty and Suzie's eyes lit up instantly.
"Yes, please! Let's go soak in the springs!"
"My back's been killing me from all the walking!"
The thought of a hot bath instantly rejuvenated the girls, and they cheerfully followed Kazuki forward.
BOOM!
A loud crash rang out a few steps ahead.
The trio jogged over and found a chaotic scene—trucks and buses lay overturned along the roadside.
A foreman wearing a yellow hard hat crawled out from the wreckage, pounding the ground in frustration.
"Damn it! Not again! Those blasted Diglett!"
"Diglett?" Suzie blinked and looked around, just in time to see a tiny, adorable Pokémon pop up from underground nearby.
"Aww! It's so cute! That's exactly the kind of Pokémon I've been wanting to catch!"
Up until now, she hadn't had any urge to catch any of the wild Pokémon they'd seen—Spearow, Caterpie, even Muk didn't stir anything in her. But the moment she saw this little Diglett, she felt a rush of excitement.
"Go! Vulpix! Help me catch that Diglett!"
Imitating Kazuki's usual style, Suzie tossed a Poké Ball.
The red light blinked once—then shut off. The Diglett ducked back underground and popped Suzie's Poké Ball right back at her.
"Uhh… thanks?" Suzie blinked and accepted the ball, giving the Diglett a polite thank-you like a total newbie.
"Ugh, Kazuki, what gives?! Did I do something wrong? Why didn't the capture work?!"
Her first attempt had failed, and the tall, cool beauty suddenly turned into an adorably confused little bundle of fluff.
Kazuki had to resist the urge to pinch her cheeks. But since her relationship meter wasn't as high as Misty's yet, he held back.
The truth was, even if Kazuki used his strongest Pokémon—Pidgeot or Bulbasaur—the result would've been the same.
These Diglett weren't acting out of malice. They were guardians of the forest, protecting the home of countless Pokémon. None of Kazuki's own Pokémon wanted to hurt them either.
He was just about to explain this to Suzie when he suddenly remembered her Romance Side Mission.
Hmm… she likes these Diglett that much?
Then maybe if I help her catch one, it'll push the mission along.
There were plenty of Diglett here. Catching one wouldn't disrupt the group, as long as it wasn't done through traditional battling.
With a new plan in mind, Kazuki changed his approach.
"You didn't do anything wrong. But not every Pokémon needs to be caught through battle."
"Sometimes, special cases call for special methods."
"Huh? Really?" Suzie had never done any proper wilderness training, so this was all new to her—stuff not covered in basic Trainer handbooks.
"Yep! Kazuki rescued Charmeleon from some jerk of a trainer before catching it."
"My Horsea was caught after weathering literal storms."
"And don't forget my dumbass Psyduck—it basically caught itself!"
"Caught itself?" Misty's first two examples had helped Suzie understand a little, but that third one made her even more confused.
"It's fine if you don't get it," Kazuki laughed. "Since you love these adorable Diglett so much, I'll help you catch one!"
"And I'll show you how to capture Pokémon without fighting."
"We just need to wait for the right moment."
"Alright! I'll wait! With a Pokémon Master like Kazuki helping me, I know I'll get one!"
A sweet, considerate, and gorgeous girl like this? Who wouldn't want to hold her close and… well, give her a deep, heartfelt "training session"?
Kazuki looked at Suzie's eager face and decided—yeah, it was time to fast-track that capture.
"Adorable?!" The hard-hat foreman overheard them and butted in, seething.
"There's nothing cute about those damn Diglett!"
"Because of them, none of our equipment's gotten through!"
"This project was my big break!"
"I hate Diglett! I hate them all!"
He practically snarled with rage.
"My dreams! My reputation!"
"Ruined! All because of these cursed little things!"
"You three—release your Pokémon and help me drive them off!"
He barked the order like they worked for him.
"Why should we listen to you?" Misty snapped, instantly irritated. She couldn't stand people who acted bossy—especially anyone who wasn't Kazuki. Not even her own sisters got a pass.
"We think Diglett are cute. What's it to you?"
"And yelling at people mid-conversation? Rude much?"
"What are you babbling about, you brat?! They're a menace! What's cute about that?! If you're not gonna help, give me back my money!"
He stormed toward Misty with clenched fists.
Before he could get close, Kazuki grabbed his wrist and flung him backward.
The foreman hit the ground hard—his wrist already swelling red.
"First of all, barging into a private conversation screaming your head off? Insanely rude."
"Second, we didn't take any money from you. And if you raise your hand again, I'll consider this me being generous."
"Lastly…"
Kazuki looked toward the construction site.
"You ever stop to ask yourself why your supplies keep getting blocked?"
"Maybe consider whether this reservoir even makes sense here? Whether the benefits actually outweigh the damage?"
Suzie rarely saw Kazuki this angry—but after all this time traveling with him, she trusted that he had good reasons.
So she stood firm beside him. "Yeah! You're being super rude!"
"This whole forest is massive—there are probably tons of Pokémon living here! Did you really do zero planning before building a water reservoir?!"
The foreman slowly stood, cradling his aching wrist.
"You kids don't know anything…" He was clearly shaken by Kazuki's strength—his tone was no longer as aggressive.
"…Didn't take my money?" He eyed the Pikachu on Kazuki's shoulder.
"Wait, aren't you the Trainers we hired for this project?"
"I'm here!"
Before Kazuki or the others could reply, a familiar voice called out from nearby—
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