After making all the necessary arrangements, Tetsuya sent out Mamoswine, Ditto, Beedrill, and Miltank.
"The four of you will continue your unfinished training here. Follow Sheila's instructions in everything. Elite Four Pryce and I have something important to take care of. Do your best! Eh, see you soon… guys." After that awkward moment at the end, Tetsuya handed the four Poké Balls to Sheila.
"Shehaha~ Don't worry. I'll take good care of these four Pokémon for you!"
The four Pokémon also stood proudly, their expressions assuring Tetsuya that he had nothing to worry about.
"…Hmm."
---◓---
The following day, Tetsuya and Pryce left Mahogany Town and traveled by train to Ecruteak City.
They arrived at Ecruteak Gym that very day. Matsuba had already been waiting for quite some time. It seemed that Pryce had informed him in advance.
Inside, Matsuba, Pryce, Tetsuya, and Morty were all present.
"I've compiled all the information we currently have on the Shadow Team. There are already more than two hundred hideouts in the Johto region alone, and there are certainly many more we haven't discovered yet.
They also maintain connections with many League executives. At present, all of the evidence points to their Headquarters being in Goldenrod City, but it is too well hidden, so further investigation is still necessary," Matsuba said.
Pryce nodded. "Leave that matter to me. I've already decided to seek the assistance of the Indigo League¹[1]… Tetsuya previously suggested that contacting Giovanni would be the best choice. However, neither you nor I are suitable for meeting him, Tetsuya is the only one who can go."
"Hai! Don't worry. I'll complete the mission." Tetsuya had long wanted to make a trip to Kanto, and he was also eager to eliminate the Shadow Team.
"Take the original Ice Badge issued by the Johto League with you. Once Giovanni sees it, he'll naturally know that I sent you."
"And take the original Fog Badge from Ecruteak Gym as well. Although I'm not particularly influential… ahem! I'm still a Gym Leader. I hope Giovanni will at least do me that favor."
Tetsuya had also been a Gym Leader in his previous life. These "original" badges were specially produced by the local League using valuable materials. They served as tokens identifying a Gym Leader, and they were recognized by Leagues everywhere. They were completely different from the badges Gym Leaders awarded to Challengers.
Although both used League-designated materials, the Challenger badges could be stamped by the Gym Leader. However, each Gym was limited in how many badges it could issue each season, and every one of them had to be reported to the League.
Tetsuya accepted the two badges. They felt heavy in his hands. He had finally taken this step. Kanto was also a place he had not visited in a very long time.
---◓---
After they finished assigning their responsibilities, Pryce left Ecruteak Gym as quickly as possible. Remaining here for too long would inevitably arouse suspicion.
Pryce and Matsuba now had demanding tasks ahead of them.
Not only did they need to identify every Shadow Team hideout in the Johto region, the Shadows stationed at each hideout, and the level of those members, but they also had to locate the Team's Headquarters, understand its internal structure, and determine the strength of each rank within the organization.
Pryce and Matsuba also needed to begin gathering personnel. Gym Leaders only had the authority to mobilize the Rangers within their own jurisdictions, and Rangers were far weaker than Investigators. How much they could contribute in a battle against the Shadow Team was difficult to say.
Moreover, they only had access to the Rangers under the jurisdiction of two Gym Leaders, so their available combat power was truly limited. It would be even better if they could gain the support of Gym Leaders who had no connection whatsoever with the Shadow Team.
After discussing everything, Tetsuya returned home for a visit. His main purpose was to become more familiar with Slowbro and let it recognize him as its Trainer. As long as he was there, he would personally feed Slowbro.
By caring for it so attentively, Madeleine would be able to entrust Slowbro to him without worry after her passing, and after she died, Slowbro would also regard him as the person closest to it.
He stayed at home for one night. The next day, Madeleine prepared many travel necessities for him, including food, fresh water, Pokéfood, and a brand-new tent. By now, Madeleine already regarded Tetsuya as her own family.
Matsuba bought Tetsuya a S.S. Ticket to Gringey City in the Kanto region. Transportation was still underdeveloped, and there was no direct route to Viridian City.
Since Viridian City was an inland city with no seaport, they would have to make further arrangements after arriving in Kanto. At present, Gringey was the largest port city in Kanto besides Vermilion City, and it was also the region's largest industrial city.
Gringey City now had a population density comparable to Saffron City, the largest metropolis in Kanto. Workers from every region and every city gathered there, and factories of all sizes spread across the entire place.
It was also one of Kanto's primary sources of revenue. However, many years later, severe pollution would force the entire city to be abandoned, turning it into a ghost town. Kanto would have no choice but to abandon the old city and construct a new one, finally recognizing the need to balance development with environmental protection. The abandoned old city would then become a paradise for wild Pokémon.
To avoid attracting attention, neither Matsuba nor Morty came to see him off. The only ones who did were Madeleine and Slowbro.
---◓---
The voyage from Ecruteak City to Gringey City took two days. After boarding the ship, Tetsuya returned to his cabin, put away all of his belongings, and locked them in his personal luggage locker. Naturally, important items such as his bank card and badges were kept on his person.
This was the largest passenger ship traveling between Johto and Kanto. It departed from Goldenrod City and stopped at the ports of Ecruteak City, Olivine City, and Cianwood City to take on passengers before sailing to Kanto.
Ecruteak, where Tetsuya boarded, was the second stop. There were two to three hundred passengers boarding there alone, and the ship remained docked for a full hour before finally departing.
Leaving his cabin, Tetsuya walked onto the deck. Feeling the sea breeze and gazing out over the vast ocean was something every passenger did at least once. Ecruteak City gradually disappeared into the distance.
The Kanto region stood at the head of all the regional Leagues. Although it appeared rather ordinary and had never produced exceptional geniuses like Cynthia, Steven, or Wallace, the Indigo League had always emphasized the development of talented Trainers. As a result, its overall level remained the greatest.
Furthermore, the Indigo League excelled at judging situations and had never provoked Legendary Pokémon. Every Trainer who came out of Kanto also held Legendary Pokémon in deep respect, so peace had always been maintained.
They also coexisted "peacefully" with Team Rocket. Team Rocket understood its place very well. Even when conducting experiments, they did so overseas, and unless absolutely necessary, they never involved the League.
Unlike other regions, where reckless individuals or underground organizations repeatedly provoked Legendary Pokémon, history had proven that none of them met a good end. Those incidents also caused enormous losses to their local Leagues, and many people lost their lives as a result.
Through this series of events, the Indigo League had quietly become the strongest League of all.
•.
•.
¹. So… I was rewatching the first episodes of the anime and I realized that the "Kanto League" is the only one with a different name, "Indigo League". Because of that, I've decided to switch from calling it "Kanto League" to, of course, "Indigo League" as the official name. It'll only be referred to as "Kanto's League" when people specifically mean "the League in Kanto".
[1] So… I was rewatching the first episodes of the anime and I realized that the "Kanto's League" is the only one with a different name, "Indigo League". Because of that, I’ve decided to switch from calling it "Kanto League" to, of course, "Indigo League" as the official name. It’ll only be referred to as "Kanto's League" when people specifically mean "the league in Kanto".