The guy named Sydney swallowed his saliva and said, "What do you want to know?"
Albus could see that the other party was terrified of him. He had never encountered such a situation in his previous life, but having watched too much television, he could easily play the role.
He asked blankly, "What area is this?"
Sydney looked at the straight-faced young man in front of him, thought of the terrifying scene just now, and answered honestly, "The Hoenn region." He paused before adding, "This is the Amazon Forest, west of Adelaide City."
Albus secretly breathed a sigh of relief. The other party didn't seem like the kind of person who would rather die than submit. He continued his interrogation:
"Who are you?"
Sydney hesitated before replying, "We are Pokémon Hunters."
Pokémon Hunters—a criminal organization that captures rare wild Pokémon for the underground trade.
Unlike Team Magma, which aims to expand landmass, their motive is purely financial. In another world's terms, they were the poachers of the Pokémon universe.
As long as the price was right, they wouldn't hesitate to capture even the most dangerous creatures, let alone rare Pokémon.
Recalling the "auction" mentioned in the intercepted communication, Albus quickly pieced together the whole situation.
They had captured Albert to sell it.
In his previous life, Albus had been fortunate enough to stay far away from crime. Now, encountering these Pokémon Hunters for the first time, he wasn't sure how to deal with them.
After a moment of thought, he asked, "How long does it take to get to Adelaide City from here?"
Sydney swallowed nervously, sensing that Albus was considering what to do with them. He cautiously answered, "If you walk… it will take about two hours."
"Okay." Albus nodded. It seemed that Powerful Duck had been pointing him in the right direction. He stood up and picked up the items on the ground.
Sydney watched helplessly as Albus took his wallet, boat ticket, and Poké Ball, stuffing them into his own pocket. His eyes widened in disbelief.
"That… that's my stuff!"
Albus glanced at him with a half-smile. "Your Mightyena injured me. Consider this my medical expenses and mental distress compensation."
Sydney was dumbfounded. He had always been the one robbing others. When had he ever been on the receiving end?
He wanted to argue, but upon seeing Will Young, who looked ready to attack at any moment, he backed down.
Albus didn't bother saying anything more. He packed up his things and prepared to leave.
Seeing him turn around, Sydney panicked. "You can't just leave us here!"
By nightfall, they would be torn apart by wild Pokémon.
Albus reassured him, "Relax, someone will come to save you."
This kind of situation should be handled by the police.
Ignoring Sydney's reaction, he turned and left.
Since he was on the outskirts of the forest, the Pokémon ecosystem had changed.
The larger, more vigilant Pokémon had disappeared, replaced by weaker ones like Wurmple and Caterpie, who lacked strong aggression.
As Albus walked, he observed their detailed information and inner emotions.
At that moment, he understood why there weren't many professional trainers in this world.
The journey was truly difficult.
Trainers started their journeys at just ten years old. At that age, with little social experience or survival skills, simply making it through the wild was a challenge.
Many aspiring trainers faced repeated failures when challenging gyms or couldn't endure the hardships of the journey.
In the end, only a small number persisted to participate in league competitions, and even fewer made it to the top.
The road was tough, but the future was bright.
Two hours later, Albus finally emerged from the dark forest. Looking at the open road and bright world ahead, he let out a breath of relief.
Finally!
At the forest entrance, a warning sign read: "Please take your Pokémon before entering the forest."
Adjusting his bag, Albus licked his dry lips. Seeing the bustling pedestrians ahead, he felt a surge of excitement.
The thrill made him temporarily forget his exhaustion, and he followed the wooden road signs leading to Adelaide City.
Standing on the lively streets, watching people and Pokémon coexisting harmoniously, he felt an overwhelming urge to cry.
He was hungry and tired, but there were more important things to do. He forced himself to stay focused and asked a passerby for directions to the police station.
The passerby, noticing Albus' worn-out appearance, didn't show any disgust. Instead, they enthusiastically said, "You must be a traveling trainer! You should head to the Pokémon Center for some rest!"
Trainer? He wasn't one yet.
At that moment, Albus realized something—if he had truly been transported into this world, then legally, he was a nobody.
A headache formed as he thought about it. He thanked the passerby, took Will Young, and headed straight to the police station. There, he informed Officer Jenny about the Pokémon Hunters in the forest.
Officer Jenny worked efficiently. After confirming the location, she hopped onto her black-and-white police motorcycle and disappeared down the road with her Growlithe.
Not long after, she returned, dragging the two crying men with her.
After verifying the situation, another Officer Jenny in charge of interrogations formally thanked Albus.
That was it?
Albus was slightly disappointed—he thought he might get a reward for turning them in.
Before leaving, he asked, "Excuse me, where do I go if I lost my ID card?"
Officer Jenny looked at him. "Are you a traveling trainer?"
Albus wasn't, but he could pretend to be.
She assumed he had lost his Pokédex and didn't question it. "There's no need for a replacement. As long as you have your collected badges and registered name, you can participate in the league competition."
Albus nodded in understanding.
In this world, only children from Alliance-affiliated families or influential people were granted a Pokédex. These individuals, known as Pokédex Holders, were tasked with assisting local Pokémon Professors by collecting data on wild Pokémon.
As a result, they were entitled to free use of Pokémon Center facilities.
Ordinary trainers, however, didn't receive the same treatment and had to pay for Pokémon Center services.
After a pause, Albus asked, "What about regular people?"
Officer Jenny frowned slightly. "What do you mean?"
"I have a friend," Albus explained. "He grew up in the forest with his parents and never went out."
Officer Jenny understood. There had been cases of humans being raised by Pokémon before.
She thought for a moment and replied, "That's simple. His parents just need to accompany him to the police station for identity registration. We'll upload his information to the system."
Albus breathed a sigh of relief. "And if his parents passed away?"
Officer Jenny's face turned serious. "Then he has to handle it