CHAPTER 31

There were international laws that all regions abided by. Among them were strict regulations involving human and Pokemon psychics reading minds.

The human psyche was fragile. Even the most skilled psychics could not prevent irreparable damage to a person's mind if they went too far. In the area of law enforcement, ordinary criminals were given basic rights like any citizen. Depending on the nature of their offense, psychics could not delve too deeply into their minds or else it would be considered inhumane.

For villains of the highest degree like Team Rocket who full-on threatened national security?

Psychics had permission to extract whatever the hell they wanted from them.

It was now three in the morning, and Lance watched coldly through the two-way mirror as Sabrina and a League Alakazam went about their business. They tore through the minds of tied-up Rocket grunts and forcefully ripped information from them. They were even investigating captured enemy Pokemon to make sure they didn't miss anything.

This was much faster than sitting around for hours asking questions or gently probing their minds, a luxury which the League could not afford.

Screams of agony filled the air and abruptly cut off one after another as the two psychics went down the row. None of these Rockets or their Pokemon would be very… functional after today, but no one would bat an eye at what the League was doing.

It was to protect Indigo, and they had every right.

Lance and the Elite Four waited patiently for the Saffron Gym Leader to finish up. When the woman did, she and Alakazam emerged from the door to the interrogation room with neutral expressions.

"Anything new?" Lance asked hopefully, but his face fell at the sight of shaking heads.

They'd been at this for two hours now. Sabrina had offered to help them sort through all the captured Rockets and their Pokemon right after the raid ended, and they had nothing to show for it.

It was just the same information. That there were other Rockets hiding across the country in limited numbers, that they didn't know their leader's identity…

Most disturbing of all was how much the Team Rocket motto was ingrained in these people. Before Sabrina stepped in, a few grunts had kept chanting it over and over with determined faces.

"Remember Our Cause, Kill Every Traitor! ROCKET will prevail!"

Fifteen years later, and the Indigo League wasn't any closer to understanding what it meant.

None of the Rockets they had in custody knew either which infuriated Lance.

They didn't know the deeper meaning. They just had it memorized like their recruiters wanted. These weren't actual remnants of the old Team Rocket but fresh recruits. From the memories Sabrina had forcefully extracted, they'd all been taken in by older grunts about a year ago. The faces in their memories were masked, so they couldn't identify them, but they could at least identify these people.

Lance already had subordinates running all of their names and faces through databases. The grunts they'd captured today had previously committed felonies and evaded the system. They'd joined Team Rocket out of hatred and a need to hide from the government. They didn't care or know what their organization's true goal was; they just wanted to wreak havoc.

Basically, all of them were useless.

The League needed to apprehend and interrogate other Team Rocket members if they wanted to get to the bottom of things. If they could just get their hands on an actual remnant of Team Rocket, they might be able to figure out who their new leader was or the inner workings of their organization's structure.

The League's first raid had been successful, but somehow they were left with more questions than they'd started with.

Lance just barely refrained from sighing and offered a brief smile to Sabrina instead. "Thank you, Sabrina. We appreciate the help tonight," he told her.

"I didn't do much," Sabrina said simply, but she dipped her head in acknowledgement. "Let me know if you require my services again for interrogation."

The moment Lance nodded, Sabrina disappeared. Only psychics registered with the League were able to directly Teleport in and out of HQ or other affiliated buildings. He would never get used to the fact that the Saffron Gym Leader was powerful enough to Teleport all the way from here to her Gym in one trip.

"We're done here, yes? Then I'll be taking them now."

Lance turned around at the sound of Agatha's voice. The old woman looked back at him with a smile that didn't quite reach her cold eyes. His gaze darted only briefly to the multiple pairs of eyes peeking out of Agatha's shadow, and he flicked a hand forward with a neutral expression.

"Do as you like," he said.

Cackles filled the air — terrible, chill-inducing sounds from Agatha and the creatures who followed her command — but Lance didn't feel unsettled in the slightest. He bade the rest of the Elite Four farewell, ignored how shadowy tendrils leaped out of Agatha's shadow and swallowed up the remaining Rockets and their Pokemon, and marched away.

The rest of the captured Rockets had been taken by Agatha, too. They'd already squeezed everything they could from their minds, and it wasn't like they would be able to live normally anymore, so…

Best to recycle the scraps and keep an Elite Four member satisfied.

When you were the Champion of not one but two regions unified as a single country, you got used to such horrific things fairly quickly. Keeping the nation safe would never be a bloodless task. Lance had seen worse anyway. He had better things to think about now and Rocket bases to find, but…

He would leave that to the rest of the League forces. Right now, he needed to catch a few hours of sleep.

He had a broadcast to handle when he woke up.

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Someone turned my alarm off in advance the next morning, and I was pretty sure one of my Pokemon did it.

I was more tired from the tension of the last few days than I'd originally thought. Three hours past my usual wake-up time, my mind finally deemed it time to get up. Even then, I felt so sluggish that I practically crawled out of bed and rubbed my eyes.

That was when I checked my phone and saw the time. My eyes widened. How the heck had I slept in so late, and what happened to my alarm? I dashed over to the nearest window in my room, threw it open, and stuck my head out.

The backyard was peaceful. Clearly, the morning feeding and training sessions had gone well without me. My gym trainers and Pokemon were milling around in the backyard. Yurie, Neil, and Hazel were out on a patrol it seemed— nope, they came back right as I thought that. Down below on the porch, I saw Vel had noticed me. He barked out a good morning but told me to sleep more with a bright smile. His cheerful appearance was a sharp contrast to the Pokemon that had been brutally slicing enemies left and right during the raid on Route 16. It was like the events of the early hours had never happened.

At least now I knew who had shut my alarm.

I couldn't help but shake my head fondly before pulling back from the window. Today especially, I appreciated having reliable Pokemon and gym trainers around. I didn't have to constantly be at the helm for everything anymore.

As I got dressed, I couldn't help but wonder if the broadcast aired already while I was sleeping. And if it had… how had people reacted?

I got my answer when I trudged down the stairs and into the kitchen.

Dad was hunched over with terrible posture at the kitchen table. There was a newspaper laid flat on the surface that he was furiously marking up with a pen… probably the daily crossword puzzle if I had to guess. One of the Chansey we owned had hopped onto a stool to brew some sort of tea for dad. I sniffed the air.

A pleasant, minty aroma filled my nostrils. Definitely peppermint.

"Morning," I greeted on my way to the fridge. I pulled the door open and began rooting through the fridge for breakfast ideas. I assumed dad had eaten already.

"Good morning!" Dad all but sang back cheerfully, and I immediately paused in place. He sounded… extraordinarily happy. That wasn't a bad thing, but it was certainly unusual. He'd been as tense as I was the last couple of days.

My brows gradually rose upwards with confusion as I peered over the fridge door. Dad scribbled one last thing down on the newspaper before finally twisting in his seat to look at me. There was a huge smile on his face.

"I watched the League's broadcast earlier with everyone else," he explained. The corners of his lips only rose higher with every word he spoke. "I hate that Team Rocket is back, but it seems like they're just embers. No match for the League at least. I'm also very grateful to Ho-Oh that you came back safe and sound, Arin."

I blinked. He knew about the raid?

Dad froze momentarily, eyes carefully studying every inch of my face and figure. "You… didn't get hurt, right? Or your Pokemon?"

I was still shocked by what was essentially a 180 degree attitude change, but I nodded my head slowly. "Don't worry, we're all fine," I promised him.

Relief flooded every inch of dad's face.

Still wearing a huge smile, he rambled on about how he didn't feel as worried anymore or how impressed he was with the League administration under Lance's rule. I was only half-listening as I pulled out ingredients to make a quick sandwich for myself.

So Lance had sent out a public message already. I couldn't help but feel curious about it. Just what had the Champion said to reassure dad to such an extent? Dad had been so serious over the last couple of days and essentially stalked around the edges of town with a bit of bloodthirst during patrols. Now he seemed mighty pleased.

I was intent on finding out.

I sat down at the kitchen table with a completed sandwich. Chansey came up and carefully placed two cups of steaming tea on the table, one for dad and one for me. Apparently she'd brewed an extra cup as soon as she noticed me enter the kitchen. I uttered a soft thank you as I pulled my phone out.

While dad went back to working on his crossword puzzle in silence, I navigated to the League website and popped in a single earbud with my free hand. I didn't have to look very hard for the video I was looking for; it was plastered right on their homepage as an important announcement.

I clicked play, and Lance's face filled the screen.

"Citizens of Indigo, thank you for your courage and patience these last few days," Lance immediately said in a clear voice. "As previously promised, those of us here at the Indigo League Headquarters have been working hard to keep the nation safe. Our investigation is still ongoing, but I am here with an update today."

Lance paused. Even though this was just a video, it felt as if his eyes were drilling a hole right through the screen into mine.

"Earlier this morning, League forces discovered and successfully took down a base of criminals. All members were apprehended and taken into custody," he said, and his gaze sharpened. "We have identified said criminals as remnants of Team Rocket."

"However!" Lance raised a finger as if to quell any panic that may have started after he spoke. "This is no cause for concern. With the additional help of all Indigo Gym Leaders, the Elite Four, and myself, our League forces were able to neutralize Team Rocket members within mere minutes."

His eyes glimmered with triumph as he jutted his chin. Lance Wataru was the very image of confidence as he went on in a steady, powerful voice. "Team Rocket may be back, but they are NOT to be feared. They are no match for the might of the entire Indigo League, and we proved that today with a decisive success. I promise you that this is only the first victory of what will be many. The League will work tirelessly to track down any remaining criminals and bring them all to justice."

Lance spread his arms wide. Even though he still wore a serious expression, his lips were curled in the faintest of reassuring smiles. I found it hard to take my gaze off the screen, and I'm sure many viewers who had watched it live had felt the same. Our Champion was truly charismatic. What was more, he believed everything he was saying.

"Indigo and her people are strong. No matter what evil forces try to break us, we will not ever yield. The League will do everything in its power to protect the country, so please continue to place your trust in us. Stay vigilant and carry on with your daily lives. As long as we are united… there is nothing Indigo cannot achieve."

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Lance looked directly at the camera.

"Thank you."

With those final words, the video ended. I had to hand it to Lance, he was a great speaker and well-suited to lead our nation. He knew how to simultaneously reassure and fire up the public. I understood dad's good mood now. Lance had made it seem like they had everything under control, and we did at the moment.

Hopefully it stayed that way.

My concerns from last night still hadn't disappeared, but… what I had to do hadn't changed. The League had to track down the rest of the Rockets and bring them into custody, and I would offer my assistance wherever and whenever it was necessary. Until then, I needed to keep moving on with my own life.

First of all, I needed to reiterate one thing to dad and the others.

"We're not letting our guard down," I said firmly out loud. Dad paused in his writing to look up at me with furrowed brows.

"Yes," he said with confusion. "I thought that was obvious?"

I merely smiled to myself as I began demolishing my sandwich. It was good dad was aware of that. Just because we'd taken down one Rocket base didn't mean we should slack on security. I had to make sure the other gym trainers knew, too.

As soon as I was done with my tea and food, I headed out back. My gym trainers automatically gathered up when they saw me coming down the porch stairs. Judging by the bright smiles on their faces, I assumed they were in good moods because of Lance's broadcast, too.

I let myself smile a bit as I clapped my hands together. "I was told everyone saw the message from the Champion?" I asked just to be sure. They all nodded at me. "Okay. It's true that the League has done well and will continue to do their jobs, but we need to do the same. The updated patrol schedule will continue as planned. I can't stress this enough, but continue exercising caution when you're outside. Understood?"

I made sure to look every gym trainer in the eye and got a wave of unified yeses in return. Satisfied, I dismissed the group.

I raised a brow when everybody except Neil stayed in place.

"What's—" I started to say, but Yurie cut me off by holding a Pokeball high up in the air. The remarkably shiny and unblemished surface indicated that it was a brand new purchase.

"I got a new team member while I was in Hoenn!" she said proudly. I blinked a few times. I vaguely remembered Yurie saying she was going to visit her home region over the weekend because there was something she wanted to do. Had it been to catch one of Hoenn's native Pokemon?

Before I could even inquire further, Yurie waved the Pokeball around with a flourish. "I already showed everyone else, but here!"

She clicked the release mechanism. Scarlet light shot out and formed a short figure on the ground. The newly materialized Mawile growled out a polite greeting, but she eyed her surroundings cautiously. With just one glance, I could tell this Pokemon was still relatively young.

Yurie beamed at me. "Freaking cool, right? I spent ages wandering in Granite Cave to find her. I thought about catching one last year, but I had to hold myself back because of, er, the Blackthorn Clan's policy about no Fairy types," Yurie rambled. She flashed a peace sign at me. "Now I have a Fairy on my team! For the gym battles later, you know?"

Aha. That feeling I'd gotten during my lecture the other day turned out to be right. Yurie had actually gone and gotten herself a Fairy type Pokemon of her own. I turned now to Hazel with an expectant gaze.

He smiled, and I knew I was about to be proven right for the second time.

"I'm really interested in Fairies now after everything you've taught us, so… I went and got a Pokemon too," he admitted with a shy expression. "I found him in Kanto." He reached down and pressed a Pokeball on his belt, and out popped a pink and blue Pokemon.

The Mime Jr. spun in place with a musical cry.

"Not a lot of people bother training Mime Jr. or Mr. Mime, but I wanted to try. He's very expressive…" Hazel spoke excitedly. He kept talking and even waved his hands around, but my attention was more focused on his new Pokemon. Everyone watched with delight as Mime Jr. began imitating Hazel's every facial expression and movement.

The Pokemon's impression was clumsy and terrible, but it was adorable seeing him try so hard.

"Very cute," I commented out loud with a smile. Internally, I felt quite pleased that they'd taken such an interest in Fairy types. It was enough to make any Specialist proud. "I'm happy for you two. Make sure to treat them well."

While Yurie and Hazel discussed their new catches with each other — which inevitably turned into squabbling regarding whose Pokemon was cuter — I turned to the other three. Souta raised his hand.

"I was talking with Haru the other day, and he mentioned he really wanted to catch a Jigglypuff," he explained with a grin. Haru ducked his head in embarrassment, but Souta just put a hand on his shoulder encouragingly and went on. "Um, so we were wondering… can you come with us to Route 30? You said before that most of the local Fairies stay off the main road but that it's dangerous to go too off-route. And we didn't want to go by ourselves because of Team Rocket."

"It's okay if you don't have time!" Haru tacked on hastily. He raised his head and peeked at me between his bangs. "I do want another Pokemon, but um, I could wait until things get safer."

I didn't know what I was more pleased by: the evidently budding friendship between Haru and Souta or the fact that they were being conscious of the warnings I'd given everyone.

If only all young trainers could follow their example.

"Sure. We can even head out now," I said with a smile.

I was more than willing to help out. A trainer's first caught Pokemon was special, and I wanted to make sure Haru could do so without having to worry about his own safety. Lance hadn't given out further instructions to the Gym Leaders, so that meant the League was fine on its own for the time being.

Haru practically lit up at my answer.

"Thank you!" he said, and he exchanged excited expressions with Souta. I couldn't help but smile to myself as I watched the boys talk to each other and even fist bump. It was nice to see them getting along.

With that taken care of, I now turned to Murata. The former Ranger offered an embarrassed smile.

"Er… so my daughters have been begging me to get a family Pokemon for them to play with," he began. He scratched his cheek. "More specifically, they want, and I quote, 'the cutest Jigglypuff ever' to put on musicals with."

I snorted with laughter. Murata's smile of embarrassment only grew larger.

"Yeah, so that about sums it up," he admitted with a chuckle. "Would you mind if I tagged along? I'd be fine on my own, but I figured I should probably go in a group just in case."

"Not at all. Playing things safe is never bad," I replied.

Haru and Souta were fine with it, too. In fact, they seemed even more reassured with another strong trainer joining us.

And, of course, when Hazel and Yurie found out we were all heading out to Route 30, they didn't want to be left out and asked to join as well.

That was how I found myself leading all my new gym trainers up north to one of the city's exits. I'd left behind the majority of my Pokemon with dad and Neil to cover the gym during our short absence. Marching confidently alongside me was Mr. Puff. When he heard we were all going to the forest, he decided to tag along just to revisit his old habitat.

It didn't take us long to reach Route 30. By now, my gym trainers were used to patrolling this area. Once the main road came into sight, I led everyone off the path and into the forest instead.

I didn't miss how many trainers and Rangers there were in the distance before we slipped away. The Rangers were a given considering they were more actively patrolling the routes nowadays, but I hadn't expected to see so many young trainers. The Circuit was over.

"Huh, I wonder what all those trainers were here for…" I muttered to myself, but Yurie still heard me.

"Oh," she spoke up. She needed a moment to cackle before she answered. "That's probably because of the Arin Watanuki Effect."

I nearly froze in my tracks, but I kept walking. My expression was anything but neutral.

"Excuse me?" I said in disbelief, and I threw a glance over my shoulder. "The what now?"

"The Arin Watanuki Effect," Yurie repeated with a straight face, but I saw how her lips twitched as she tried — and failed — to hold in her laughter. "You've probably been too busy to check lately, but it's trending on Chatter and every other social media. People are jumping on the Fairy bandwagon. They saw how strong you are, so now everybody wants a Fairy type of their own."

"And…" she paused, waggling her eyebrows. "Legend states that having a Fairy type will boost your chances of completing the League Circuit by more than fifty percent. Some people caught Fairy types and earned gym badges just in time before this Circuit ended, and they went all over Chatter proclaiming how by following in your footsteps, they became stronger. Thus, the Arin Watanuki Effect."

She couldn't hold back peals of laughter once she finished, and neither could the others. None of them could see my face as I had turned back forward, but my mouth was agape.

Mr. Puff definitely saw me, though, and he snickered quietly to himself.

What the actual flip?

That was the craziest, and admittedly most amusing, thing I'd heard all year. It was… nice that I had inspired people, but I just hoped these trainers wouldn't put all their eggs in one basket. Having a Fairy type wasn't going to be the solution for everything.

Shoot, now I felt bad for the Rangers. They hadn't mentioned anything to me about the influx of trainers around Cherrygrove, so I supposed they had things handled. I wondered how the wild Pokemon were faring. Seeing as we hadn't had any reports come in of agitated Pokemon, things were probably fine on that front, too.

I resolved to keep a closer eye on the routes going forward. I didn't have to just worry about Rockets now but trainers gathering in large numbers to catch wild Pokemon.

For now, I ignored the embarrassing subject of the Arin Watanuki Effect and pressed onwards. We had Pokemon to catch.

Fifteen minutes into our excursion, Mr. Puff tugged on my pants and told me he remembered there were some Jigglypuff who lived nearby. Haru and Murata both got excited when I relayed the information, and we followed Mr. Puff deeper into the forest.

He led us to a small meadow with a stream and called out loudly. One, two, three Jigglypuff eventually revealed themselves from bushes and tottered up to us cautiously.

"Hello," I greeted immediately, and I donned a reassuring smile. The others behind me quickly followed in my example. The wild Jigglypuff looked at them suspiciously, but they at least looked at me with something more akin to curiosity.

While Mr. Puff chatted with them, Haru cautiously tapped me on the back. I turned around and saw how incredibly nervous he looked.

"D-Do I just fight one of them now?" he asked. In his hand was Mimi's Pokeball. "I just have to weaken one enough to catch it, right?"

I hummed to myself. "You could," I eventually said. That was the way most trainers got their Pokemon and the way kids were taught in school. I didn't use that method myself, but to each their own.

That didn't mean I couldn't mention a different method for my own gym trainers.

"I've never caught a single one of my own Pokemon that way," I said out loud casually, and everyone looked at me with shock. "Forcibly, I mean. I always asked them if they wanted to join my team. If they wanted to battle and see my strength first, I showed them."

I held my hands behind me with a smile as I met Haru's gaze. He looked like he was latching onto every single one of my words, and I would have believed him if he said he was mentally logging all of this for the future.

"It's unusual, but that's just how I did things," I said with a smile. "Every trainer does things differently. I'm not suggesting that you all follow in my footsteps. I'm just giving you some food for thought."

Everyone wore thoughtful expressions as they mulled over my words. I simply stayed silent as I watched from the side. It wasn't my intention to mold their ideologies into that of mine. So long as they could even consider different methods and viewpoints, my job was accomplished.

A Gym Leader was someone who taught.

Haru moved first. With his Pokeball still gripped tightly in his hand, he wore a determined expression as he took a few wobbly steps forward.

The Jigglypuff all looked at him with renewed caution.

"U-Um, hi," Haru began, and he took a deep breath. "I'm looking for someone who would like to become part of my team. We would train and fight in battles together to become stronger, but…" Haru paused.

"It wouldn't just be that," he declared confidently. "We can eat delicious food together and have fun outside of battles, too. I would treat you like a friend. So…"

He tried not to show it, but I could practically sense the anxiety radiating from him. "Would one of you like to come with me?"

I smiled to myself. That wasn't too bad for a first-time pitch, and I was glad to see Haru was willing to try something against the norm of trainer culture.

We were all quiet as we watched the Jigglypuff talk to each other. I knew what they were saying, but the others didn't. Haru in particular looked like he was about to melt into a puddle from how faint he looked. Eventually, the Jigglypuff stopped talking. Haru gulped as they all stared at him for several long moments. Wordlessly, one of the pink balls of fluff marched up to him. She didn't smile, but she let out a demand and pointed between Haru and herself.

"Uh…" Haru trailed off and glanced furtively back at me. He was good at reading body language, but that didn't mean he understood Pokemon one hundred percent.

I decided to help him out. "She's interested by the fights you mentioned, but she'll only consider joining you after she sees your strength," I explained.

Haru gulped again and stared down at the determined looking Jigglypuff. Clutching his Pokeball to his chest like a lifeline, he barely managed to nod.

"…Okay. Let's battle," he said slowly.

We all went off to the sides to give them room. Amusingly enough, Souta looked just as anxious as Haru did. I was rooting for Haru, too, but I felt pretty calm inside. I estimated this Jigglypuff as being around half a year old. Not quite a child anymore, but still a young Pokemon. She didn't look like she'd been in a lot of fights either.

Haru couldn't have had a more perfect opponent.

Mimi was released onto the field. Today, the Azurill wore a serious expression as she bounced up and down lightly on her tail. Haru must have informed her in advance she'd be battling today.

This was a match in the wild, so there was no referee. The battle began as soon as Jigglypuff opened her mouth.

Musical notes given tangible form poured out. The song was so pleasant that Hazel started drifting off to sleep next to me. In fact, he fell asleep unusually quickly. Yurie pinched him in the arm, and he jolted awake with a loud ow.

"Sis?!" he mumbled out loud, and Yurie rolled her eyes at him.

I would have laughed, but I was too busy focusing on the match. Haru had already recognized what move Jigglypuff used and threw a hand forward. His previous nerves had completely disappeared.

"Jump!" he yelled.

There was an audible thump as Mimi smashed her tail against the ground. The small Pokemon flew up into the air in a wide arc over the incoming Sing, and I smiled to myself. Their training with my Azumarill was paying off. This was already a huge improvement from the interview battle.

"Water Gun!"

Jigglypuff had abruptly stopped singing out of surprise, but she still couldn't react in time. Water hit her in the face and sent her rolling backwards. Meanwhile, Mimi landed on the ground from her earlier Splash. The instant she hit the floor, Haru yelled out another order.

"Now Bubble!"

There weren't a lot of them, but bubbles came flying out of Mimi's mouth towards the downed Jigglypuff. The wild Pokemon hastily picked herself up and veered to the left. She opened her mouth again, and this time she screamed.

Sound waves blasted outwards. These traveled much faster than the Sing had, and Mimi took the brunt of the attack. She was so light that she got thrown back directly into a tree. Squeaks of pain filled the air.

Haru did not panic.

"Mimi, use Charm!" he shouted.

Even as the Azurill slid down from the tree bark, her round eyes glowed brightly. She cast her gaze upon Jigglypuff. The doe-like stare from Mimi would have been considered cute by any spectator, but none more so than their intended target.

Jigglypuff physically paused in place. Her bright eyes glazed over with adoration.

I grinned at the same time Haru did.

"Water Gun!" he ordered.

Another rapid-fire burst of water came out and doused Jigglypuff. She fell on her back and floundered a bit, spluttering. When she finally got up with shaking arms, Haru eyed her warily. Jigglypuff did not take a step forward.

"Is this enough?" he asked her.

Jigglypuff was soaking wet. She didn't respond right away and took a moment to adjust her tuft of hair instead. When she was done, she looked like she was torn between annoyance and respect as she nodded.

Haru could have cared less. His whole face lit up as he ran forward.

"So do you want to come with me?" he asked just to make sure.

Jigglypuff nodded. The instant she did, Haru let out a whoop of excitement and crouched down. "I promise to treat you well," he told her earnestly.

He didn't even wait for a response. He scrounged around for a towel in his bag and pulled it out, hurriedly wiping all the water and dirt off of Jigglypuff. The Pokemon was surprised at first, but she quickly relaxed. Haru even did the same for Mimi, too.

We all watched this scene with warm chests. I was pretty sure we were all thinking what a nice kid Haru was.

I had to remind him that he actually needed to catch Jigglypuff once he was done, and the startled look he gave me was hilarious. He tapped a spare Pokeball he'd bought with his first paycheck against Jigglypuff's head.

Needless to say, she was caught without any resistance.

Everyone went up to congratulate him — Souta in particular was absolutely elated — and I couldn't help but look on with a fond expression of my own. Haru looked like the happiest teenager on earth. I hoped he would remember this day for a long time to come and look back on it as a treasured memory.

This was the day he'd caught his first Pokemon. A true milestone in any trainer's journey.

Murata decided to follow Haru's example and make a pitch of his own to the other Jigglypuff, but they weren't interested. The rejections didn't bother him. We were in high spirits as we trekked through the forest to find him a Jigglypuff. Everyone couldn't stop chatting with each other and smiling.

Even if there was a criminal organization out there, it couldn't stop us from living our lives or enjoying such moments of happiness.