{T/N: We've reached 150 stones, so here's the promised extra chap.
If we reach 70 sound Reviews, I'll upload 3 chapters daily instead of 2...}
...
Caleb didn't accept immediately. After some thought, he asked, "Is it urgent?"
Lorelei nodded: <..The ecology of Ilex Forest has been severely damaged. Many wild Pokémon are seriously injured, and they're extremely hostile toward unfamiliar humans approaching them. This has made our rescue efforts extremely difficult..>
"I understand." Hearing this, Caleb's expression turned solemn.
He recalled the bizarre 'mother and child' duo he had encountered in Ilex Forest before.
"I should arrive around 3 p.m.," he said.
With his Warp Beacon, he could instantly teleport to any location he had visited before. But before that, he needed to deal with Team Galactic. If he delayed, Cyrus and the others might relocate, and that would be problematic.
<..Then I'll leave it to you..>
Lorelei bowed earnestly.
After hanging up, Caleb turned around to see Cynthia descending the wooden staircase.
"I've already notified the League and the International Police. They'll handle Team Galactic," Cynthia said, pausing before adding, "Is it urgent? If you need to return to Kanto immediately, don't worry about things here. I'll take care of it."
Caleb had already unlocked all the key locations in Sinnoh five years ago. Whether it was Veilstone City or Eterna City, he could teleport there with just a thought.
The only downside was that the Warp Beacon couldn't bring others along.
After brief consideration, he shook his head, "I have a special item that can instantly warp me to Eterna and Veilstone."
He needed to witness the arrests of Team Galactic's top brass personally, otherwise, he wouldn't feel at ease.
In the original world, things might have been fine, but this world had an added wildcard: players...
If a player took on a quest like [Team Galactic's Rise] while he was away, the consequences could be disastrous.
Caleb refused to let the events of the Collapsed World Instance repeat themselves here. Team Galactic had to be eliminated.
Cyrus, with his violently antisocial tendencies, had to be locked away for life.
For this world...
For the family and friends he had worked so hard to gain...
Understanding his resolve, Cynthia said, "I'll give you the contact details for the International Police and the Jenny family in charge. Also, take this."
She pulled out an ordinary Poké Ball from her pocket and pressed it firmly into Caleb's hand, "It's Garchomp. If I'm not there, it will protect you."
Caleb's lips twitched. He wanted to say he wasn't that clueless rookie trainer anymore.
Cynthia clearly didn't agree... She remembered both times she had ran into him; each time, he had been in mortal danger.
First, at the depths of the Snowpoint Temple, facing Regigigas.
Then, just recently, the battle in Ilex Forest.
"Alright." Caleb didn't refuse further. Besides, having Garchomp would make his raid much smoother.
After finalizing the plan, Caleb bid Cynthia farewell and teleported directly to Veilstone City with his Pokémon.
His first target: Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn, located in the basement of the Galactic Veilstone Building...
....
~Veilstone City~
Caleb found the International Police and Jenny family representatives on the streets...
A plain-clothed Officer Jenny nodded solemnly at him, introducing herself succinctly, "Jenny."
Caleb followed suit, "Caleb."
"You're the little brother Cynthia's been searching for all these years?" A young man in a khaki trench coat studied Caleb curiously.
Caleb nodded, studying the man in return: 'He looks oddly familiar... Oh, right! Isn't this the International Police agent who investigated Team Galactic in the games?'
Sure enough, the man grinned and introduced himself, "Nice to meet ya! The name's Looker. You can call me Looker. Though it's the same either way, haha!"
Caleb nodded, "Hello, Looker."
He knew full well that 'Looker' was just an alias... the man's real name was apparently Hanson. {T/N: In Japanese, he's actually Hansamu, which just reads 'Handsome' in English...}
"Be serious." Officer Jenny shot Looker a disapproving glance before turning to Caleb, "The Champion said we're to follow your lead for this operation."
"Wait, really?" Looker looked genuinely surprised. He scrutinized Caleb's youthful face and hesitated, "Uh… no offense, but are you even old enough?"
Caleb smirked, replying, "Thanks for the compliment, but yes, I'm an adult."
Looker scratched his head sheepishly, "Didn't mean anything by it! You just look really young."
Officer Jenny, who had been listening quietly, finally cut in, "Do you have a plan?"
Looker turned to Caleb expectantly. The guy seemed inexperienced, but the Champion's judgment couldn't be wrong, right?
He decided to trust Cynthia's call...
"How many people do we have?" Caleb asked.
Jenny replied, "Two hundred officers from the Jenny Task Force."
Looker added, "The International Police squad is smaller, at only eighty-six. But if we have time, we can probably round up a hundred by 10 a.m."
Caleb checked the watch Cynthia had given him yesterday.
It was 8:25 a.m.
"Two hundred eighty-six is enough." Caleb asked, "Everyone brought their Pokémon, right?"
Officer Jenny and Looker nodded.
Caleb: "Then no worries. We'll just storm in and arrest them!"
With his team, Cynthia's Garchomp, and the Jenny family's army of Arcanine, Team Galactic stood no chance.
Even if Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn teamed up, it wouldn't matter. Without the Infinite World's buffs, they were just slightly stronger-than-average trainers at best...
....
~Galactic HQ, Basement Level 3~
Suhail trudged down the corridor, his expression numb with despair...
Not long ago, he had been an ordinary office worker. That was until a runaway truck sent him flying fifteen meters on his way home.
He died on impact.
When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in this fantastical world, where he was assigned a main quest:
[Infiltrate Team Galactic and report intel to the International Police...]
Like any new trainer, Suhail had been thrilled to receive his first Pokémon, dreaming of becoming a champion and catching legendaries.
Reality, however, hit him like a truck.
Again...
He wasn't some overpowered protagonist. He was just an average player with no special abilities. Today marked his fifteenth day in this world.
Four other players had entered this Scenario with him: three rookies and one veteran.
On the fifth day, the rookies tried to steal Galactic's data for quick rewards. They messed up the timing and got caught by Mars, who was pulling an all-nighter.
They were dragged away, and Suhail never heard from them again.
Yesterday, the veteran player finally secured his quest item after countless hardships, ready to hand it over to the Sinnoh League. But before he could leave, he ran into Jupiter and Saturn.
His Pokémon were crushed instantly.
Now, only Suhail remained. His current state? Pathetic, terrified, and helpless.
Forget stealing data, he even jumped at the slightest movement of his own shadow now.
'If someone rescues me, I'll marry them to my adorable little sister!' Suhail thought desperately.
As he turned a corner, heading back to his room to wallow in fear, a deafening explosion rocked the hallway.
Then, a sleek Garchomp and a round Dragonite came barreling toward him.
Behind them was a face Suhail would never forget.
"WAAAAH! OFFICER JENNY! YOU FINALLY CAME TO SAVE ME!"