The Youngster, Felix Ford, was startled and took a step back, then he hastily stuffed the money into his pocket. He said warily, "My Pokémon is almost out of stamina! I can't battle right now!"
Caleb lowered his gaze to the other Poké Ball at Felix's waist.
Felix immediately covered it and shouted angrily, "You shameless jerk! You're already an adult, and I'm only ten! This isn't fair!"
Caleb let out a dry laugh. He thought about it and realized the kid had a point.
If the Infinite World awarded him some weird achievement again when the mission concluded, he'd be publicly humiliated... And by the next day, his reputation would be ruined.
People would probably say things like: "Caleb Chase? Oh, that guy's just a psycho who bullies kids."
With this in mind, Caleb's expression turned serious. Under Felix's nervous gaze, he spoke, "Fine, I won't battle you. But you have to do me a favor."
"What favor?" Felix instantly relaxed. As long as it didn't involve losing his hard-earned cash, he was willing to listen.
Caleb looked toward Littleroot Town and asked, "Today's the day new Trainers start their journeys, right?"
Felix nodded, "Yeah. The League gives starter Pokémon to ten-year-olds every year around this time."
Caleb: "Simple. I need you to stop them and bring them to me." He paused, then asked, "If they lose a battle, can they still keep traveling?"
Felix shook his head and replied, "Nope. The wilds are dangerous... Pokémon jump out of the grass all the time. If a Trainer doesn't have any Pokémon left, they'll get knocked out. So usually, they go back to Littleroot to heal up before trying again."
Hearing this, Caleb's eyes lit up like stars.
He could practically see Gardevoir waving at him from the end of a golden road.
This was the perfect opportunity to farm points!
Clearing his throat, Caleb put on his most serious expression and said to the Youngster, "Go guard the other route then. Don't let them sneak past. Bring every single one to me, and we'll split the winnings 70-30!"
Felix's eyes sparkled, "Really?!"
"A real man never lies!" Caleb coaxed.
"Liar gets nothing!" Felix glared, scrutinizing Caleb's face for any hint of deception.
Caleb spread his hands in agreement, "Of course."
It wasn't like he could take the League money with him anyway. Giving Felix a cut was basically hiring a minion to do his dirty work.
"Deal! I'm on it!" With that, little Felix sprinted off without a backward glance...
...
Meanwhile, in Littleroot Town, a large group of new players opened their eyes...
Gasps and exclamations erupted:
"Holy crap, did I just isekai?!"
"Aaaah! Look at that!" A newbie pointed excitedly at the red-and-white spheres on the table in Professor Birch's lab, "Are those Poké Balls?! Am I seeing this right?!"
"Wait… does that mean this is the Pokémon world?!"
Just then, Professor Birch walked in, dressed in his signature researcher outfit.
He smiled warmly at the crowd of 'new Trainers' and said, "Congratulations on reaching the age where you can journey with Pokémon! I am Professor Birch, and I'll be providing your starter Pokémon. Now, come forward and choose a Poké Ball!"
The newbies were so excited they nearly fainted.
Nearby, a man with a buzzcut rolled his eyes and scoffed, "Pathetic."
The man, Terrence Jones, was a veteran who had already completed three Instances.
His companion, Miles Quinn, deadpanned, "Who are you to judge? You were flopping around like a Magikarp when you first got here. I thought you were having a seizure."
Terrence: "...."
His face flushed with embarrassment, and he quickly changed the subject, "This seems like the Hoenn region. Professor Birch… wasn't he in the Pokémon games? Miles, didn't you play them before coming here?"
Scanning their surroundings, Miles nodded and said, "This is Littleroot Town's Birch Lab. We're in a Large-scale role-playing mission. Our identities are rookie Trainers just starting their journeys."
Terrence thought for a moment, then murmured, "So this follows the game's storyline."
Miles hummed in agreement. His eyes flicked over the new players as they collected their starters. He silently counted them.
'Twenty-three newbies... Plus five veterans, making twenty-eight in total. The competition's gonna be rough…' he thought.
Once the newbies had their Pokémon, the group followed instructions and left the lab.
Outside, a row of middle-aged women stood waiting, each holding travel bags and stacks of League money.
They zeroed in on their 'children' and said, "Be careful out there! I packed you Running Shoes, a Travel Bag, and 3 000 Pokédollars. Don't spend it all at once!"
At the same time, the new players' main missions popped up:
[Main Mission 1: Cross Route 101 to Oldale Town!]
[Main Mission 2: Obtain 8 Gym Badges (Locked)]
[Main Mission 3: Compete in the Hoenn League (Locked)]
Some newbies didn't rush to start their missions. Instead, they wandered around Littleroot, darting into cafés and peering into the forest to gawk at wild Pokémon...
...
Meanwhile, Terrence and Miles stood at the entrance to Route 101...
After exchanging a glance, Terrence asked, "Should we explore our backstory first for hidden missions, or head straight to Oldale?"
Miles considered it, then replied, "Let's go to Oldale first. We need to unlock the second mission. This world is huge... It feels like an open-world game."
Terrence nodded, "True. That means we might not have to challenge the Gyms in order, right?"
After strategizing, the two stepped onto Route 101.
After fending off a few wild Poochyena and Zigzagoon, they spotted a kid in shorts standing by the roadside.
Felix, who had been waiting forever, finally saw two fresh victims. His eyes lit up, and he jumped out to block their path, "Battle me! Right now!"
Terrence and Miles shared a look. They instantly recognized the scenario.
Just like in the games, they probably couldn't progress without defeating the Youngster.
But just as they reached for their Poké Balls, Felix said, "Follow me!"
Terrence and Miles: "???"
They trailed after Felix to another path, where they saw a guy in a straw hat holding a bug net. The guy was sitting on the ground and playing patty-cake with a little girl.
Terrence shot his partner a confused look and asked, "What the hell? A Youngster and a Bug Catcher? Are we in a Double Battle now?"