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Note: Guys, I personally find the gang names somewhat stupid so I taking the liberty to change it to something else.
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Having received its "payment," Grumpig naturally wouldn't leave its information half-baked.
It told Incineroar and the others about the Iron Cats and the Savage Hounds.
As their names suggested, the Iron Cats consisted of feline Pokémon, while the Savage Hounds were made up of canine Pokémon.
Cats and dogs had never gotten along since time immemorial. Therefore, they frequently clashed, often gathering in deserted places to fight.
A large-scale brawl had broken out just a few days ago. The Meowths had probably been scattered by the Savage Hounds during that fight, eventually straying into the school and getting lost, unable to find their way back.
The Savage Hounds didn't dare enter the school, so they didn't chase them inside.
The Iron Cats were likely searching for them, but in a city as vast as Mist City, who knew where they could have ended up?
"They have a very large presence! Both in the wild and in the city, they have scattered members everywhere!"
Grumpig said earnestly, "Personally, I advise you not to get involved with them. It's not about danger, but mainly about trouble."
"Trouble? What kind of trouble?"
Incineroar hid the faint gleam in its eyes. It truly hadn't expected to stumble upon what it had been searching for so easily.
To encounter an organization reminiscent of the ones from the old gangster movies right here in Mist City!
Even though it was formed by a group of Pokémon, that suited Incineroar just fine! It had long wanted to experience the taste of being a mafia don. It already had the sunglasses and cigar ready; all it needed was a suit!
"Because they mainly live over there."
Grumpig pointed towards the deep mountains to the west, "You know what that place is, right?"
'The Mist City Conservation Base?'
Incineroar and Riolu exchanged a glance; they were familiar with that place!
Li Xiang's mother, the respected Mrs. Yin, was a big shot at the Conservation Base!
"The Iron Cats and the Savage Hounds are among the organizations that help the Rangers at the Conservation Base manage the wild Pokémon. There are several other gangs too. In short, the peaceful coexistence between Mist City and so many wild Pokémon owes a lot to them!"
Grumpig slurped its drool, "If you get into a conflict and it's discovered... well, if you don't want to cause trouble for your trainer, you'd better stay away from them."
'Could it easily involve Li Xiang?'
The three Pokémon exchanged another glance. The light of ambition to dominate that had just ignited in their eyes dimmed.
Unifying the underworld was indeed unrealistic.
"What would it cost to return these two Meowths to their parents?"
Riolu spoke up.
Incineroar frowned but didn't say anything. It also understood that its don dream was just a fantasy.
On its back, two completely clueless Meowths crawled around.
"Cost? Oh, don't. I'm just a Grumpig hanging out at the school. I don't dare meddle in the affairs of the Iron Cats and the Savage Hounds."
Grumpig waved its trotter, "If you want to deliver them, do it yourselves! No amount of payment will help!"
It had an adamant stance about not getting involved.
'Well then…'
Seeing the large, plump pig's firm attitude, Incineroar and the others thought for a moment and decided not to force it.
Besides, you couldn't really force this kind of thing. Who knew if it might pretend to agree but then just hand the Meowths over to the Savage Hounds instead?
The three leaders looked at the adorable, clueless Meowths who understood nothing and couldn't even speak clearly...
Forget it, they'd handle it themselves.
One should see things through to the end. That was a principle Li Xiang had taught them.
"We're just returning two Meowths home. It's an act of bravery and kindness. Li Xiang won't blame us."
Greninja held up a fist, mumbling something towards the moon.
"That's too dramatic. But you're right, Li Xiang won't blame us. He should even encourage us."
Riolu, who believed itself to be Li Xiang's favorite, said.
Li Xiang and Li Zhehan had always taught them to do more good deeds and accumulate virtuous merit.
Someone would see it.
Incineroar simply didn't think about that aspect. What, would its puny little trainer not support Brother Incineroar doing a good deed? Hmph!
It was generous enough not to ask for a reward!
And so, guided by Grumpig, the three leaders, carrying the two little kittens, headed towards the deep mountains while it was still early.
At the edge of the school, there was a broken wire fence they could use to get out.
Their destination was Xian Mountain.
"Right now, you should head towards the light. They're probably still gathering."
That's what the big fat pig had said.
Every night, the various gangs of the Conservation Base gathered at a place called the Warriors' Coliseum. They would send their core or selected members to fight on various sized platforms.
The previous brawl seemed to have been a retaliatory act because a member of the Savage Hounds had been severely injured by someone from the Iron Cats.
However, they had all been disciplined by the Rangers afterward.
"We'll just deliver the kids and come right back! We won't linger!"
Greninja suddenly declared during their journey.
Incineroar flew into a rage and kicked it, "Can you not jinx us like that?! Don't you know that if you fear something, it's more likely to happen?"
"Couldn't help it."
Greninja grievously rubbed its rear, then resumed its cold, hard expression, "Hmph! This is a reverse jinx! It's normal for you mortals not to understand!"
Then, it got kicked by Incineroar again, almost falling to its knees.
'Hmph! No point arguing with a muscle-brained brute!'
Greninja decisively activated its Camouflage and hid in the shadows.
"Sigh." Riolu shook its head in frustration, feeling like it was the only reliable one in the group.
Crossing a gravel path covered in withered grass, they arrived at the school's edge where ivy grew wildly.
They indeed found a large hole, big enough for even Incineroar to pass through without ducking.
"This..."
"Let's go. No more hesitation. If we delay any longer, it'll be dawn and Li Xiang will wake up."
Riolu was the first to go through, its Aura Vision scanning the surroundings.
"Go further in. I'll take a look from the sky."
As it said this, the others had no objections.
They proceeded.
Unexpectedly, they didn't encounter many wild Pokémon along the way, as if they were all asleep.
Perhaps some Pokémon did sleep, but there were also many nocturnal ones. Ghost-type Pokémon, for instance, were often active at night.
"I see the light!"
Riolu flew down from the sky to tell Incineroar and the others, "About a kilometer left. Let's approach carefully."
They were here to deliver the kids, not to make a grand, flashy entrance.
They continued. The distant light grew from the size of a grain of rice to that of a candle flame, until it filled their field of vision.
Greninja automatically entered its Protective Camouflage state and grabbed hold of Incineroar and the others.
Incineroar covered the mouths of the two Meowths to keep them quiet.
No matter what, they should first find a place to observe.
They didn't rashly leave the forest, instead finding a spot on higher ground where they could look down below.
Having inherited Li Xiang's personality of prioritizing stability, they would never recklessly expose themselves unless they ran into something head-on.
The group looked down. Immediately, a vast forest of gray stone pillars and numerous rock platforms of various sizes came into view.
The stone forest was surrounded by numerous bonfires, illuminating the dark area and making it as bright as day.
The place was huge; it could easily accommodate tens of thousands of Pokémon if packed tightly.
Of course, there weren't that many Pokémon below at the moment. At most, there were a little over a thousand, gathered in several groups of twos and threes.
They were watching the battles taking place on various platforms.
Incineroar counted and found seven or eight distinct groups.
"What were they called again... Iron Cats, Savage Hounds, Sky Squad, Bug Horde, Water Gang, Forest Alliance, Dragon-Beast Group, Vile Rats... What kind of names are these?"
Riolu's voice sounded in their ears. Incineroar twitched its corner of the mouth.
What kind of awesome, dominating names could you expect a bunch of Pokémon to come up with?
If it were to name them, it would be the same.
The key point wasn't the names; it was the group of wild Pokémon below.
Grumpig had said that not all Pokémon counted as being from the Conservation Base.
A significant portion of the overly powerful Pokémon in the Conservation Base lived on the city's outskirts, which easily led to conflicts with humans.
So, the Conservation Base designated new territories for them and prohibited humans from going there.
It was a compromise for both sides.
Therefore, even if these Pokémon caused trouble, there was no need to be overly afraid, as long as they didn't clash with those that were clearly problematic.
"Huh? What's that?"
Incineroar blinked, looking at the area below where a group of canine Pokémon was gathered.
At its core position, a large Houndoom lay on the ground, surrounded by a few female Houndooms or Houndours.
It watched the ongoing fights with a calm and arrogant expression.
Clearly a core member!
Incineroar never forgot opponents it had fought, so this was definitely the same Houndoom with the extremely hard bones that it had fought before!
Moreover, there were also Honchkrow, Weavile, and Arcanine nearby!
What was their relationship with the Savage Hounds?
According to Grumpig, the Savage Hounds had existed for a very, very long time. It couldn't have been started by them.
'On another note, why weren't they afraid of getting burned? Did their trainer agree?'
Shifting its gaze, Incineroar looked at the group where feline Pokémon were the majority.
Due to the distance, Incineroar couldn't see very clearly. It could only see them frequently glancing towards the Savage Hounds' side and hissing threateningly.
And among the Savage Hounds, many dogs barked back, though these were mostly underage or young dogs, which looked somewhat comical.
The adult canine Pokémon just laughed heartily.
Not far away, a Mightyena was currently beating a Liepard back step by step, forcing it to flee in disarray.
Just from this glance, it was obvious the Iron Cats were clearly in a disadvantaged state!
'What are these guys doing! Can't they win against the others? That's a bit too weak!'
'Are you even cats?!'
Incineroar felt frustrated at their inability to meet expectations as it looked at them. It even spotted a fellow member of its own species among them!
Damn!
"Can you calm down? Did you forget what Grumpig said? Deliver them and leave immediately!"
Riolu tugged at Incineroar, bringing it back to its senses.
Incineroar gave the scene below a resentful look, understanding that it couldn't get involved in such matters.
It wasn't clear what was going on with Houndoom and the others.
But in short, it couldn't cause trouble for Li Xiang, who was already so exhausted he fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.
Swallowing its resentment, Incineroar identified the location of the Iron Cats and they all moved closer.
Once they got near enough, Greninja could use Extrasensory to send the Meowths over.
That's what it was thinking. However, down in the Savage Hounds' territory, Houndoom suddenly raised its head and sniffed the air.
Beside it, the previously lazy Arcanine also stood up, an excited expression appearing on its face.