"Come, have a taste of Grandma's cod ramen!"
The elderly woman carried over a large bowl of steaming ramen. Though she was nearly seventy, her hands were steady. She lifted the heavy bowl with one hand and set it down firmly on the table—not a single drop of broth spilled.
The grandmother who had let Kael hide in her home was named Kurana. From the time she was a fresh-faced 20-year-old girl, she had been selling ramen in Dark City for fifty years straight.
The chunks of cod were crystal-clear and tender. Even without leaning in to smell it, a delicate fragrance drifted up naturally. A soft-poached egg and a sprinkle of scallions completed the simple bowl.
"Grandma Kurana, thank you for the meal."
Kael picked up his chopsticks and gently lifted a strand of noodles. They were thin; one slurp revealed their smooth, springy texture. The freshness of the cod had completely infused into the noodles—light, savory, and clean on the palate.
The bowl was simple, without any expensive ingredients. Yet it was one of the most delicious meals Kael had ever tasted—a dish crafted with fifty years of unwavering dedication.
"Grandma, do you know about Kaz Gym and Yas Gym in this city?"
After finishing, Kael helped her clear the bowls and casually inquired about the two Gyms.
Kurana set down the dishes and sighed deeply. "What a sin… Those two Gyms fight every single day. Life here's already hard enough, and now it's misery piled on misery. They don't care about us at all. When they brawl, innocent folks get hurt. The sign at my shop's entrance has been smashed several times because of them."
Crash—bang—!
As they spoke, the sound of shattering glass suddenly erupted outside.
"Oh heavens, not again!" Kurana stomped her foot in frustration. "We barely get by as it is. Every time some tourists finally come, those hooligans scare them all away with their street fights!"
Kael walked to the window, lifted the curtain slightly, and looked out.
Two groups wearing blue and green uniforms were sprinting down the empty street.
"Everyone! Today we crush those Yas Gym bastards!"
Leading the blue side was a short, heavyset man with dark skin. A red "K" emblem was stitched onto the chest of his blue uniform, and a red scarf hung around his neck.
The green side was led by a tall, lean man with a buzz cut. They all wore matching green suspenders, and a yellow "Y" emblem was printed across their chests.
"This time, we won't stop until we drive Kaz Gym out of Dark City!" the tall man shouted confidently.
"They look like a comedy duo—short and fat versus tall and skinny," Kael muttered inwardly. Who designed these uniforms? Weren't they embarrassed to wear them in public?
"Go! Electabuzz—Thunderbolt!"
The short, stocky leader of Kaz Gym made the first move, commanding the tiger-striped, fierce-looking Electabuzz to the front.
"Elec-taBuzz!"
With a roar, Electabuzz raised both arms. From the conductive nodes atop its head, two intense bolts of bright yellow electricity burst forth, blasting toward the Yas Gym members at the front.
Thunderbolt struck too quickly for them to evade. Several Yas Gym members were hit directly. Though people in this world possessed stronger physiques than in Kael's previous life, they still collapsed, hair standing on end, bodies charred black, foam bubbling from their mouths.
The electricity didn't just strike the targets—it shattered the windows of buildings lining the street.
Seeing his men fall before they could even retaliate, the tall, lean leader's eyes bulged with fury.
"Scyther! Don't hold back—cut them down!"
A green shadow leapt from a nearby rooftop.
"Scy-ther!"
With insect wings buzzing, Scyther activated Agility. The green blur flickered through the crowd, its twin white scythes flashing. One slash per target—clothes tore, blood splattered. Kaz Gym members clutched their wounds, wailing as they collapsed.
The old streets of Dark City were narrow, and Scyther showed no restraint. A stray swing sliced clean through a shop's front door, splitting it in two.
"Have they lost their minds?" Kael frowned.
In broad daylight, openly commanding Pokémon to attack human bodies—this was a crime the League cracked down on harshly. Especially if the attack caused serious injury or death, it meant life imprisonment.
The League had no death penalty, similar in that regard to certain regions of his previous world. Even intentional murder resulted in life imprisonment and total confiscation of property.
The fight lasted over forty minutes. Many were injured, but none appeared critically wounded or dead.
If caught for street brawling with Pokémon and directly attacking humans, at worst they'd face several months in jail. With so many underlings, they could easily pay a couple of scapegoats to take the fall. But once someone was gravely injured or killed, the nature of the crime changed entirely.
So—they still had some sense of limits.
Kael let the curtain fall. He already had a solid plan forming in his mind.
The official Gym Leader of Dark City?
That position was his.
"Grandma Kurana, do you know if there's a dojo for sale? Or maybe a large house with a courtyard?"
"A dojo? A big house?" She thought for a moment. "There might be one in the southern part of the city. It's very run-down now—the owners moved to a big city years ago. If you want to buy it, you'd have to speak with the mayor."