Chương 32: Pokemon: I Transmigrated Twice [32]

"Uh… Mr. Giovanni, where exactly are we headed?"

After walking for a while, Will couldn't hold back his curiosity and asked.

"Don't rush, we're almost there."

Giovanni's tone was calm, but there was an undeniable trace of excitement in it.

This is a perfect opportunity to take advantage of their actions, Giovanni thought.

Let's see how well I can use this against the Pokémon League.

As they continued walking, Will noticed they were heading toward the outskirts of the city. However, he couldn't figure out what Giovanni wanted to show them.

"Could it be a rare Pokémon he's discovered?"

Will wondered.

Suddenly, the sound of rumbling machinery grew louder as they neared the city limits.

"Is this… a construction site?"

Looking around, Will saw excavators, cement mixers, and large trucks—equipment typical of a construction zone. Felled trees lay scattered about, but strangely, there wasn't a single worker in sight.

As they moved deeper into the area, someone finally stepped forward to stop them.

"Hey, hey, hey! You can't—oh, Mr. Giovanni!"

A middle-aged man wearing a hard hat, clearly a foreman, was about to halt them but immediately recognized Giovanni.

Giovanni smiled faintly and said, "I'm an old acquaintance of President Ritsuki. I heard he's facing some trouble, so I came to check it out."

"Oh, I see! Thank you for coming, Mr. Giovanni. But it should be resolved soon," the foreman said hastily, stepping aside to let them pass.

As they walked on, Giovanni explained, "This is part of the Cianwood City expansion project, undertaken by Sandslash Real Estate Company. You remember Mr. Ritsuki, don't you, Stephen-kun?"

Stephen thought for a moment before replying, "The guy who sold us our house?"

"Exactly," Giovanni nodded.

"The Pokémon League is growing rapidly, and with the population increasing, there's a greater demand for housing. That means cities need to expand."

He paused for a moment before adding, "We're here."

Stephen and Will stopped and looked ahead.

"What… are those Pokémon doing?"

Will's eyes widened at the sight. Before them, a chaotic battle was unfolding. League trainers were commanding their Pokémon to fight against a group of wild Pokémon—clearly defending their territory.

The wild Pokémon included Houndoom, Ursaring, Murkrow, and Donphan.

"It's the wild Pokémon whose habitats are being taken over," Stephen observed.

"Exactly," Giovanni replied with a faint smile.

"Humans expanding their territories inevitably encroach on the Pokémon's land, and conflicts like this arise."

"Couldn't they just relocate the wild Pokémon? Or maybe have trainers catch them?"

Will asked.

Stephen countered with a question of his own, "If someone barged into your home and told you to leave and find another place to live, would you accept it?"

Will was speechless for a moment.

"Besides, moving to a new environment would mean facing new enemies," Stephen continued.

"Pokémon fights over territory can be as brutal as they are simple."

He mentioned examples like Zangoose and Seviper, or Pidgeot and Fearow, known for their fierce battles over territory.

"For these wild Pokémon, it's better to fight the humans stealing their home than to move and risk fighting other wild Pokémon."

"And capturing them?"

Will pressed.

"That's even less likely," Giovanni explained.

"The moment the League decided to take over their land, these Pokémon were destined to see humans as enemies. How could they then be expected to become a trainer's companion?"

Suddenly, Will pointed out, "Wait! That Donphan stopped fighting!"

One injured Donphan had ceased its attacks, turning to softly call out to a few Phanpy behind it.

The younger Pokémon, less injured but still battered, drooped their heads as if reluctant to leave.

The Donphan led the group away, heading back toward the forest without a glance behind.

"Looks like they've given up," Stephen remarked, observing the scene.

Nearby, an injured Houndoom growled in their direction, barking furiously at the retreating Donphan.

"Houndoom's furious," Will muttered.

Another Houndoom, possibly its mate, approached and tried to calm it down, glancing at the Donphan group with visible hesitation.

It seemed to suggest that maybe they should leave too.

But the injured Houndoom snapped at its mate, clearly furious. It then raised its head and let out a howl.

"Rrrooooarrr!"

"The move Howl," Stephen noted.

"It's boosting its and its allies' attack power."

The wild Pokémon's morale surged, and they launched a frenzied counterattack. The League trainers and their Pokémon were overwhelmed, their temporary defense lines breaking apart.

Not only that, but the wild Pokémon began destroying the construction site, smashing walls and barricades to rubble.

"What a bunch of ungrateful beasts," a voice muttered nearby.

It was President Ritsuki, the real estate company's president. He sighed and rubbed his temples, turning to a tall man standing behind him.

"I'll have to trouble you, then."

The man, nearly two meters tall with slicked-back blue hair and wearing sunglasses despite the bright daylight, stepped forward silently.

"That's… Aldus, one of the Indigo League's Elite Four?!"

Will's voice was almost a squeak.

Stephen quietly observed the man, noting his composed demeanor.

Given that Ash's journey was still years away, it wasn't surprising that there were other Elite Four members before Lance and the others took their positions. But why wasn't Aldus serving as an Elite Four member when Ash started his journey?

As Stephen pondered this, Aldus calmly retrieved a Poké Ball from his belt and tossed it into the air.