Following the group into the deep mountains, Gary Oak and Janine were chatting at the back of the line.
"This place is surrounded by mountains. How did the construction team get here?" Listening to the constant rumble of machinery around them, Gary frowned and whispered.
"I think… well, I actually don't know," Janine shrugged her shoulders.
On a makeshift platform, a bearded man wearing a hard hat was excitedly shouting, "Diglet Pokémon are a disaster! Due to their destruction, the reservoir project we planned here has been unable to proceed! So, trainers, we need your help to deal with them. Whoever catches the most will be rewarded generously!!!"
"Generous rewards??? Awesome! If we finish this job, we'll have money!" Janine's eyes sparkled.
Seeing the treasure-hungry look on the female ninja's face, Gary couldn't help but laugh and ask, "What's wrong? Are you really that short on cash?"
With her hands on her hips, Janine replied confidently, "Of course! I'm currently running away from home. If I get paid, I can escape to another region. That way, my traditional dad won't be able to hand over the gym to me!"
"The gym—are you talking about the Fuchsia Gym?" Gary raised an eyebrow.
"Exactly! Dad said it's a secret and I shouldn't tell anyone…" Janine smiled brightly as she explained.
"Ah…ヾ′▽｀ゝ You let it slip…" Janine froze in place.
"Ha! Okay, so I know now; you're Mr. Koga's daughter, right?" Gary chuckled.
"You know my dad?" Janine patted her chest. "That's good; telling someone who knows him should be fine…"
Gary admired her confidence; this girl was surprisingly bold. "Well, I don't actually know Mr. Koga, but he's quite famous. After all, there aren't many Poison-type experts around. Recently there have been rumors that he's about to become an Elite Four member in Johto. So he's really in the spotlight right now."
"Hmph! That's why he wants me to inherit the gym so he can go to Johto," Janine replied unhappily.
"Don't you want to inherit the gym?" Gary asked curiously.
"It's not that I don't want to~" Janine shook her head. "But I want to defeat my father properly and take over the gym legitimately—not just because he's leaving!"
"Tsk tsk~ The common ailment of teenagers," Gary shook his head.
Not to mention Mr. Koga being an officially recognized Elite trainer; it wouldn't be easy to defeat him!
"Well, let's leave that clueless old dad for later," Janine huffed proudly. "Now we need to focus on our mission."
"Speaking of missions…" Gary frowned while looking at the crumbling mountains around them.
According to the foreman's explanation, they were preparing to blast open the mountains to build a large reservoir nearby. But what would happen to the Pokémon living in that area? No one was helping them relocate…
"Is there a problem with this task?" Janine scratched her head and looked at Gary cutely.
"This is a huge problem," Gary sighed as he gazed at the cement road ahead. Due to the destructive force of the Diglet Pokémon's quicksand hell, large construction vehicles were stuck in mud and unable to move…
He didn't know if this project had official approval, but it was clear that it was already affecting the ecological environment.
"Hey! You two trainers at the back—stop whispering!" The foreman shouted from the makeshift platform.
"Mind your own business when it comes to Pokémon trainers!" Gary rolled his eyes. What level is this guy thinking he can shout at me like that…
Swish! Janine threw a shuriken that landed with a clang right at the foreman's feet.
"Uh… Sorry! I admit I was speaking too loudly…" The foreman raised his hands in cold sweat.
"Ah? Did I miss?" Janine whispered awkwardly to Gary, "I actually aimed for behind him…"
Goodness! The corner of Gary's mouth twitched; you didn't miss; you just didn't aim properly! If you had been off by just a little more, you would've nailed him right in the foot…
Let's just say—with this level of skill, maybe you should reconsider being a ninja…
Seeing that neither of them was getting angry, the foreman cautiously continued speaking. "In any case, Diglet Pokémon have become our biggest pests right now; please do your best to deal with them."
Gary shook his head. "Diglet Pokémon don't have aggressive tendencies; they don't actively destroy things without reason."
"Is that so?" Janine rested her chin on her hand as if deep in thought but seemed lost in another world…
Boom! Suddenly, there was a tremor beneath their feet as the foreman ran around in panic. "They're coming! The Diglet Pokémon are coming! Quickly deal with them!"
Watching as shapes began rising from the ground, Janine's spirit suddenly returned as her eyes sharpened.
Swish! A shuriken accurately pinned into the ground as one of the rising mounds of dirt halted its movement.
The young girl performed a graceful flip and threw out a Poké Ball. "Go for it, Fluffy (Venonat)!"
Bang~ Buzz… The Poké Ball opened for two seconds before turning from white release light into red recovery light.
The Pokémon that hadn't even appeared yet retreated back into its Poké Ball by itself.
"Ah?" Blushing after landing gracefully, she realized she had thrown it in vain…
Standing there speechless, Gary couldn't help but laugh. "Maybe you should stop trying to show off…"
"Yah!" With an exclamation, Janine ran back beside Gary, wrapping her scarf around her head completely—"I… can't show my face anymore."
"Not necessary~" Gary waved his hand dismissively. "If you don't believe me, look at everyone else."
"I'll take a look…" Carefully peeking out from behind her scarf,
Sure enough, other trainers were also throwing their Poké Balls under the foreman's encouragement.
The result was no different; not one Pokémon appeared.
"What's going on?" Janine tilted her head curiously.
"They're resisting~" Gary shrugged his shoulders. "The Pokémon refuse to battle against Diglet Pokémon."
"How could this happen…" Janine's brow furrowed as she stared at her Poké Ball.
Refusing their trainer's commands? Under modern Poké Ball constraints, such an issue shouldn't even exist!
"This is infuriating; these guys just won't go away!" The foreman groaned in frustration while holding his head as he looked at all the helpless trainers around him.
"I'll give it a try." Stepping forward while Diglet Pokémon didn't run away,
Crouching down, he extended his hand out and watched as Diglet Pokémon rushed over and affectionately rubbed against his palm.
Greenish-blue light glimmered softly from his hand as he calmed himself down.
"Forest, home—protection~" The feelings of the Diglet Pokémon floated into his mind.
"Just as I thought." Standing up again, he turned toward all gathered trainers.
"Since all these Pokémon have unanimously decided not to battle against Diglet Pokémon, I think everyone should respect their choice." Looking at those Diglet Pokémon again, he announced loudly: "This matter ends here; we trainers don't need to intervene."
"Wait! What are we supposed to do then?" The foreman asked nervously.
"I think you should consider abandoning this project," sighed Gary, shaking his head.
"No way! This is our dream—the biggest reservoir!" The foreman anxiously grabbed hold of Gary's arm. "I can pay you—lots of money!"
Firmly shaking his head again, Gary replied: "This isn't suitable for building a reservoir. Follow me."
Pulling along the foreman, they walked behind the mountain.
Curious and jogging a few steps behind him was Janine, while other trainers exchanged glances before gradually leaving in small groups.
After all, since their Pokémon refused to battle, they had no other options available.
Arriving behind a hilltop, Gary looked at a neatly maintained nursery garden below them. "So what do you see?"
"So many little trees! And this terrain looks strange—it seems well-kept," exclaimed Janine in surprise.
"That's right; this place has indeed been maintained." Pointing down at the nursery garden below him,
There were Diglet, Dugtrio, Sandshrew, Oddish, and Bellsprout.
Not only that but also various Pokémon like Caterpie, Pidgey, and Rattata lived harmoniously together in this forested area.
"Ah~? Could it be that these mountains are planted with saplings by Pokémon?" The foreman asked in astonishment.
"Yes~ The soil here is very loose; without vegetation it could easily become desertified or suffer soil erosion. This is essentially a home carefully protected by these Pokémon."
"If you blow up this mountain, it will turn into marshland where thousands of Pokémon will lose their homes," said Gary, his expression serious.
"This world isn't just for humans; it's also home for Pokémon—Humans have no right deciding their fate or taking away their homes. Don't you agree?"
"But~ we've invested so much~ sigh~" The foreman sighed deeply knowing this project was likely doomed now.
When it comes to nature conservation issues like this one—Pokémon conservation associations would definitely intervene! Moreover, letting so many Pokémon become homeless was something he couldn't bring himself to do either.
"I'm leaving; there's nothing more I can do here." Turning gracefully away from them, he mounted his Arcanine. "Actually—some money isn't worth sacrificing for everything else. What do you think about that, Janine?"
Grinding her teeth resolutely before turning around she declared: "I'm coming with you!"
With a warm smile appearing on his face—caring for others truly is gentle~ Pokémon and humans are equal beings living on this planet; no one is superior over another! If you can't love then please don't hurt!