Chapter 25: Constable City
(Third Update!!! New book, please collect and give flowers!)
Satoshi caught the feather in his hand and looked up. Ho-Oh's silhouette had already flown away. Kasumi, beside him, also looked at the feather in Satoshi's hand in wonder.
"It's so beautiful! I never thought I'd see a Pokémon I've never seen before." It felt like she was quite lucky, except for the bike breaking down.
Satoshi looked at the feather in his hand and then at the gradually disappearing rainbow in the sky. His eyes became determined.
"Yeah! It's really lucky. I'm going to leave. What about you?" He put the feather away and asked Kasumi.
In the anime, they formed an inseparable bond because of the bike. But right now, the bike issue seemed to have passed. Satoshi didn't know if Kasumi had other goals.
"Ah... I..." Kasumi was slightly stunned by Satoshi's words.
Although they had only met recently, she couldn't explain why, but she felt a little reluctant to let him go. She wanted to say she'd go with him, but they'd only known each other for two days. It felt a bit awkward to say she'd tag along directly.
For a moment, she didn't know what to do. Kasumi asked awkwardly.
"Where... where are you going?"
"Me? I'm going to Constable City first, and then I'm going to start collecting badges for the Indigo League." Satoshi explained his next plans.
"That's right? I just came from Constable City. Why don't I guide you there? That way you can avoid taking any wrong turns!" Kasumi's eyes lit up at the thought. No matter what, she'd go to Constable City first.
"That's great! Thanks! Let's go!" Satoshi found it a bit funny, but didn't say anything. Traveling alone would be very boring.
"Yeah!"
They packed their things and set off. As they walked, Kasumi originally intended to give directions. But she realized she didn't remember the way that well.
Looking at Satoshi, he hadn't gotten lost without her directions at all. He seemed to know exactly where he was going. Kasumi felt a little embarrassed. She looked down and secretly peeked at Satoshi.
Thankfully, Satoshi didn't say anything. But Kasumi knew he knew how to get there, and he was just deliberately not revealing it. Looking at the boy's profile, she couldn't help but become lost in thought. She secretly thought to herself, "This boy is so considerate."
The two chatted and walked, and finally saw the town at dusk. It was Constable City. They had reached the highway.
They could enter the city along the highway. Constable City wasn't far from Pallet Town, the main difficulty was the forest ahead. Once they got past the forest, it would be much easier.
They entered the town together. The first thing they saw was the police station. As soon as they entered, they were stopped by a female police officer with long, blue hair in a police uniform.
"Hold it right there, you two!"
"Um? Officer Jenny? What's the matter?" Kasumi was much more knowledgeable than Satoshi in the anime. She knew the female police officer in front of her was Officer Jenny.
Satoshi was also interested in the female police officer in front of him. This was a police officer in this world. A crucial NPC in the Pokémon world. It was just a lazy way for the author to add a character.
But it was a very interesting setting. While there were male police officers in this world, they usually only had Officer Jenny playing a role. Each city had Officer Jenny.
Every Officer Jenny looked the same and had the same name. Also, Nurse Joy, who healed Pokémon and provided accommodation for trainers at the Pokémon Center, was the same.
One doctor and one police officer. They both came from the same family. The family trained police officers and doctors for generations, and everyone looked the same. Satoshi even wondered if their family relied on cloning, or maybe it was the so-called "one birth, many treasures."
"You two are a bit suspicious." Officer Jenny glanced at the two of them, then looked at Pikachu on Satoshi's shoulder and said.
"What? No way! We're not suspicious at all!" Kasumi's straightforward personality made her immediately retort.
"There have been frequent Pokémon theft cases in Constable City recently. Preliminary investigations have found that a Pokémon theft ring is behind it. Pokémon are usually stored in Poké Balls, and you're carrying them with you. I have reason to suspect you."
Officer Jenny looked at Satoshi and Pikachu. Pikachu's ears twitched slightly as she listened.
"My Pikachu doesn't like to be in a Poké Ball. This can prove my identity." Satoshi didn't mind. She was just doing her job.
It wasn't like a 10-year-old couldn't be a thief. Didn't the game have 10-year-old Pokémon thieves?
Satoshi directly took out his Pokédex. For him now, he didn't need the Pokédex to help him identify the Pokémon he encountered. But it still had great use.
For some trainers, it represented an ID card. Not all trainers had ID cards. Most were still like in his previous life, where everyone had one ID card.
Only a small number of trainers were able to obtain a Pokédex. So a Pokédex was even better than an ID card.
"Um? This!!!" Officer Jenny also recognized the Pokédex in Satoshi's hand immediately.
Satoshi pressed the button on the Pokédex, and it automatically opened.
"Hello, this is Professor Oak. This Pokédex is for Satoshi from Pallet Town. This Pokédex is very precious. Once it's lost, it can't be replaced. Please take good care of it. Okay, good luck!"
Satoshi's avatar appeared on the screen, and Professor Oak's voice echoed out.
"Satoshi from Pallet Town, huh? So you're the fourth person from Pallet Town to come here in the past two days. Alright, no problem. You can go in. But because there's a Pokémon theft ring operating in Constable City these days, you need to be extra careful."
After proving his identity, Officer Jenny no longer doubted him. Ordinary trainers couldn't get a Pokédex. This Pokédex could completely prove his identity.
"Thank you for the reminder!" Satoshi and Kasumi responded. Satoshi glanced at the entrance of the police station. There was a wanted poster, but it was a little blurry and couldn't see the full details.
But Satoshi already knew their identities. Without thinking much, he followed Kasumi into the city and headed toward the Pokémon Center.