One after another, large pickup trucks loaded with construction materials sped down the highway from Celadon City toward the Fuchsia Forest.
Previously, because of the Diglett infestation in that forest, any heavy vehicle entering the mountain roads would immediately collapse into the hollowed-out underground tunnels, resulting in severe losses of manpower and building supplies.
Now that the Diglett crisis had been resolved and the underground cavities refilled, the reservoir project—one that would benefit more than a dozen surrounding villages—had finally resumed construction.
At the reservoir site, construction workers wearing green safety helmets directed one Machoke after another as they unloaded heavy materials and processing equipment from the trucks.
Machoke are among the most suitable Pokémon for the construction industry. To temper their muscles and expend their boundless energy, they genuinely enjoy this kind of manual labor. There's no need for complicated thinking—just let their muscles do the talking. Loads weighing several hundred kilograms, even close to a ton, feel as light to them as a 10-kilogram sack of rice would to an ordinary person.
As an officially approved League reservoir project, there was no shortage of Pokémon-related resources. The 20 workers who had returned to the site were each assigned a Machoke, while the two team leaders were each equipped with a Machoke of their own.
These Machoke—and even a few Machamp—did not belong to the workers. The Kanto League, flush with funds, had directly transferred them from several large construction companies.
And they weren't free labor, either. Every wage that was due would be paid in full.
...
With construction resumed, the reservoir site was once again buzzing with activity.
Inside a makeshift office converted from a shipping container, Kael and Cole were saying their final goodbyes.
Now that the Diglett problem here had been solved, it was time for Kael to continue his journey. Earlier, while browsing the bounty hunter's official website, he had spotted several highly rewarding missions. Conveniently, their locations were not far from Fuchsia Forest, so he planned to check them out along the way.
Although he still had more than 6 million in savings, Kael would never complain about having too much money. If, for instance, another Prism Scale appeared at auction online, that 6 million might not even qualify him to compete with the Sootopolis Gym.
When it's time to back down, you back down—especially when the other party has the newly appointed Hoenn League regional champion backing them.
"You're really leaving?" Cole asked, looking at the young man before him with a complicated expression. Their chance encounter aboard the S.S. Anne had unexpectedly turned them into like-minded friends.
At first glance, Cole had merely thought Kael was a talented but otherwise ordinary trainer. He'd seen plenty of young trainers with exceptional ability; there was nothing particularly novel about that.
But after several interactions, Kael's conduct, his composure in the face of danger, and his handling of difficult situations had left Cole full of admiration.
He lacked the hot-blooded impulsiveness common in 15-year-olds. He was always calm, as if no hardship or setback could bring him down. After spending time with him, one could clearly feel that unique charisma—a kind of presence that inspired trust.
"What, you expect me to stick around until you treat me to a meal?" Kael joked. "The work here's done. Of course I've got to look for the next job. With Chansey added to the team, I've got five Pokémon now. I need to earn enough to feed them."
"Kid, are you planning to keep working as a bounty hunter?" Cole's expression suddenly turned serious. "Being a bounty hunter isn't exactly a righteous path. The line between gray and black can be crossed in a single thought. I've seen too many ugly incidents between bounty hunters. Unless you always complete missions alone as a lone wolf, you'll eventually run into that kind of trouble."
"I don't want to see your name appear on a League wanted list one day."
Kael could hear the sincerity in his voice. Smiling, he replied, "You don't have to worry about that. I'm a law-abiding citizen. I'm not going to do anything illegal."
Cole sighed. Kael was the rational type. Once he made up his mind, it wouldn't be swayed by a few words from someone else.
Suddenly, remembering something he'd heard while chatting with Nurse Joy in Celadon City, Cole's eyes lit up.
"Kid, would you consider becoming a Gym Leader?" he asked abruptly.
"For now? No," Kael shook his head.
"I'm not talking about those run-of-the-mill private gyms," Cole quickly clarified. "I mean an officially recognized League Gym. You'd receive a portion of the city's tax revenue, and the League would allocate a substantial annual subsidy…"
Hearing this, Kael felt a flicker of surprise. Cole didn't seem to be joking. But thinking it through, if Cole really had that kind of influence and connections, would he have been reassigned to manage a reservoir construction site?
"Don't look at me like that!" Cole protested, his scalp tingling under Kael's doubtful gaze. "I'm serious. The League plans to assign an official Gym slot to Dark City. Three days ago, the League's Gym qualification assessor already set out."
"Dark City?"
Kael had heard of the place. Located in the northern part of Kanto, its economic conditions were extremely underdeveloped.
If Saffron City was an international metropolis, Celadon City a first-tier city, Cerulean City second-tier, and Viridian City third-tier, then Dark City barely scraped the tail end of fourth-tier status. In fact, some small towns known for their specialty products were more prosperous.
At present, there were ten officially recognized League Gyms in Kanto. Although only eight badges were required to enter the Indigo Plateau Conference, some proud trainers collected all 10 to prove their strength. (In the original story, Gary Oak himself earned 10 badges.)
If it was truly an official League-recognized Gym, Kael did feel a hint of interest. If he remembered correctly, Dark City currently had two rival gyms competing fiercely for official status—so fiercely, in fact, that they had resorted to open conflict.
Poor as Dark City might be, once you became the city's official Gym, the potential profits were incomparable to those of a roadside, unofficial establishment.