Chapter 24: The Town Pokémon Avoid
The town appeared just before sunset.
Low wooden houses lined the road, their windows shuttered early despite the calm weather. No wild Pokémon lingered near the gates. No Pidgey on rooftops. No Meowth darting between alleys.
It was… quiet.
Too quiet.
Jean Fong slowed as he entered.
A few townspeople glanced at him, then quickly looked away. Some clutched bags closer to their sides. Others pulled children indoors.
Jean Fong didn't blame them.
When Pokémon avoided a place, humans often followed.
He stopped near a well in the town square. The water was clear, but untouched. A faded sign hung crookedly nearby:
"Pokémon Entry Prohibited — By Town Order"
Jean Fong frowned slightly.
A small boy peeked out from behind a crate, staring at him.
"You're a trainer," the boy whispered.
Jean Fong nodded. "Is that a problem?"
The boy shook his head quickly. "They just… don't like Pokémon here anymore."
Before Jean Fong could ask more, an older man hurried over, face tight with worry.
"Hey—if you're passing through, best not stay long," the man said. "This town isn't friendly to trainers these days."
Jean Fong rested a hand on the well's stone edge. "Why?"
The man hesitated. Then sighed. "Pokémon keep getting hurt here. And people started blaming them back."
What the Town Lost
Jean Fong walked the streets as the man spoke.
Months ago, wild Pokémon had lived alongside the town. Helped with crops. Warned of storms. Played with children.
Then the accidents began.
Cracked walls.
Collapsed sheds.
A damaged irrigation channel.
No one was badly hurt—but fear spread faster than understanding.
"So the council banned Pokémon," the man finished. "They thought things would get better."
Jean Fong looked around.
The fields were dry.
The air felt heavy.
Even the wind seemed reluctant to stay.
"And did it?" Jean Fong asked.
The man didn't answer.
That was answer enough.
The Real Problem
Jean Fong knelt near the edge of town where the road dipped slightly. The ground was uneven—subtly, but enough to notice.
He placed his palm down.
The earth beneath felt wrong.
Unstable.
"Has the ground always been like this?" he asked.
A woman nearby shook her head. "No. It started after we expanded the storage sheds."
Jean Fong followed the path uphill.
Behind the largest building, he found it.
A cracked drainage channel—blocked, overflowing underground. Water had nowhere to go. Pressure built silently beneath the town.
The accidents weren't Pokémon.
They were warnings.
Jean Fong stood.
"May I fix something?" he asked the gathered townspeople.
They exchanged uncertain glances.
"…You're not going to battle anything, are you?" someone asked.
Jean Fong smiled faintly. "No."
Helping, Not Commanding
Jean Fong released Gardevoir and Sylvia.
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
"They're—!"
"Psychic Pokémon—!"
Jean Fong raised a hand gently. "They won't harm anything."
Gardevoir knelt, sensing the underground flow. Sylvia steadied fallen beams without strain.
Jean Fong directed—not ordered.
"Clear here."
"Slowly, not all at once."
"Let the water move naturally."
Minutes passed.
Then—
A deep rumble echoed beneath the town.
People stiffened in fear.
Jean Fong remained calm.
The pressure released harmlessly through the reopened channel. Water flowed clean and steady once more.
The ground settled.
Silence followed.
Then birds returned.
The First Step Back
A Meowth crept cautiously to the edge of town.
Then another.
A Pidgey landed on a roof beam.
A child laughed. "They're coming back!"
An elderly woman wiped her eyes. "We chased them away… but they were protecting us."
Jean Fong recalled his Pokémon.
"This town doesn't need a ban," he said. "It needs balance."
The council head bowed deeply. "We were wrong."
Jean Fong shook his head. "Fear makes everyone wrong sometimes."
No Ceremony
That night, the town offered him food, a place to stay, even a small reward.
Jean Fong declined politely.
"I'll rest," he said. "Then I'll move on."
Before dawn, he stood at the town gate.
The same boy from before ran up, holding a small charm shaped like a Poké Ball.
"For luck," the boy said.
Jean Fong accepted it. "Take care of them."
The boy nodded seriously. "We will."
Jean Fong walked away as Pokémon slowly returned to the streets behind him.
On the Road Again
Far from the town, Jean Fong adjusted his pace.
Within the system space, his Pokémon were quiet.
Satisfied.
Jean Fong didn't seek gratitude.
Didn't wait for praise.
He fixed what needed fixing.
And trusted people to do the rest.
Ahead, the road curved toward new places.
And somewhere, another town waited—not for a champion…
…but for someone willing to listen.