Black jacket. Black trousers. Black combat boots. Every part of the uniform was black, down to the specially designed belt.
The belt itself was no ordinary accessory. It had six buckles, each capable of holding a Pokeball, while the jacket's inner pocket housed six more slots. Pokémon Investigators carried up to twelve Pokeballs, though most rarely filled every slot. After all, twelve Pokémon meant twelve mouths to feed. On long field missions, rations became a serious concern.
Most trainers stuck to six. Three on the waist for quick access, three tucked away as spares. But John? He wasn't like most trainers.
All twelve of his Pokeballs were filled. And if that wasn't enough, he could pull out more from his Gameboy at any time. Rations weren't an issue either? his Gameboy stored a near-endless supply of Pokeblocks. As for his own food?
His secret base had plenty of refrigerators.
Dressed in his combat uniform, John made his way back to the Operations Department. As he entered, he noticed Mira deep in conversation with another investigator? a familiar face.
"You...uh, can't talk?" Daisy asked hesitantly as Mira handed her a note.
Mira simply nodded.
John chuckled. "She can talk. It's just that when she does, people get...uncomfortable."
Daisy turned, eyes widening as she recognized him. "John? What are you doing here?"
She glanced at his uniform, the insignia of the Pokémon Investigators clearly visible. "Wait? you joined the Pokémon Investigators? Last I heard, you became a Gym Leader!"
Daisy had resigned from teaching at the academy last semester, officially starting her investigator career earlier that year. She had kept in touch with John, even sending him a congratulatory letter when he became a Gym Leader. But running into him here? That was unexpected.
"I'm here to help Senior Investigator Zachary," John replied with a shrug. "It's part of my early graduation exam."
The two fell into easy conversation, eventually circling back to Mira.
"So... what's her deal?" Daisy asked.
"She flew in with me. Says she has severe social anxiety."
Mira: !!!
She quickly scribbled something on a fresh note and handed it to Daisy.
I'm NOT sick.
John smirked. "She's so socially anxious that she has to write 'I'm not sick' on paper. Seems pretty bad to me."
Daisy glanced at Mira, clearly unsure what to make of the situation. "Why don't you try saying something?"
John perked up, suddenly curious. He hadn't heard Mira speak once during their flight.
Mira hesitated, then flipped the note over and wrote:
Fine. I'M SICK.
John and Daisy exchanged looks before bursting into laughter. "Wow," John muttered, shaking his head. "She'd rather admit to being sick than say a single word out loud."
Daisy gave Mira an encouraging pat on the shoulder. "No rush. You'll talk when you're ready."
With that, she bid them farewell and left to take care of her duties. John, now free, found an empty seat, pulled out his Gameboy, and resumed his search for Dratini.
In just three hours, he had already encountered over ten high-IV Dratini. The Dragon's Den in Johto made farming them easy? whether by surfing or fishing, there was no shortage of encounters. Some even carried valuable items like Dragon Fang and Dragon Scale.
He checked his haul: three treasure-level Dragon Fangs, one treasure-level Dragon Scale, and over twenty common items.
Not bad.
John continued grinding, while Mira silently moved a chair next to him. She wasn't making an effort to mingle with the other investigators. Instead, she tilted her head slightly and rested.
John glanced at her. Maybe... she really did have social anxiety?
Time passed quickly. By lunchtime, the Pokémon Investigators had gathered in their designated cafeteria. After eating, John headed to the Trainer Association's training grounds for daily Pokémon conditioning. When he left, Mira had been asleep. When he returned, she was still asleep.
Was she secretly a human version of Slaking?
At 10 PM, the senior investigators returned from a strategy meeting. Zachary wasted no time issuing orders.
"All combat personnel, assemble within five minutes!"
John immediately stood, nudging Mira awake.
Finally. A real mission.
Up until now, he'd assumed they would have several more days of prep work. From what he had heard, the team wasn't expected to act until they had thoroughly mapped out the Asuka Group's personnel and bases in the province.
But something must have changed.
Within five minutes, all thirty operatives were assembled. It wasn't a large force, but they were the best of the best.
John recognized Daisy's combat history? before joining the Investigators, she had placed in the top three at the national tournament. Her Pokémon were at least LV 50. That meant every trainer here had a full team at LV 50 or above.
Thirty trainers. One hundred and fifty Pokémon.
Enough firepower to level an entire city in less than an hour? at least, any city that didn't have a Gym Leader stationed in it.
Zachary stepped forward, eyes sharp. "Due to unforeseen circumstances, we're launching an early assault on the Asuka Group's bases. Every single one of them."
Murmurs rippled through the group, but no one questioned the decision.
"Teams will be split into three. Bill, take your squad to Hoshino City."
"Understood."
"Ben, your team will hit White Horse Bridge."
"Yes, sir."
"The rest, you're with me."
John straightened, anticipation building.
"One final thing." Zachary's tone hardened. "No one acts until I give the order. Even if you see them escaping, you do not engage unless I say so. Is that understood?"
A resounding chorus of "Yes, sir!" echoed through the hall.
John exhaled, rolling a Pokeball between his fingers.
Time to get to work.
(A/N: The image is Daisy current look :)