On the outskirts of Petalburg Woods, a black-haired teenager in athletic clothing was sprinting at full speed.
Behind him, the bushes shook violently as a pack of vicious gray-furred Pokémon burst from the undergrowth.
Poochyena!
These pack-dwelling canine Pokémon were the nightmare of countless adventurers.
The moment they found something moving, they would chase it down and bite without hesitation.
And until their prey was completely exhausted, they would refuse to give up the pursuit.
Kuroba’s determined face held a mixture of excitement and lingering fear.
Even while running, he glanced over his shoulder and shouted, “Corphish, use Bubble Beam!”
A stream of sky-blue bubbles glittered with rainbow colors beneath the sunlight before crashing into the pursuing Poochyena.
The attack successfully slowed the pack down.
“Huff… huff…”
Kuroba’s figure flashed between the trees until he finally reached the main road.
Only then did he dare stop and catch his breath.
“Star-Spotted Flower… You’d better be worth the risk I took stealing you out of that Poochyena territory.”
Kuroba carefully pulled a brilliant flower from inside his clothes.
It had seven petals, each covered in tiny star-like speckles.
“I can’t believe I found such a rare medicinal plant on the outskirts of Petalburg Woods. No wonder an entire Mightyena pack had settled there to guard it.”
His cheeks were flushed from running, but excitement shone clearly on his face.
Madam Meta had taught him about the Star-Spotted Flower during his time as her student.
A specimen like this was worth at least 200,000 Poké Dollars.
And even at that price, finding someone willing to sell one was difficult.
“But I’m not selling it. This is a precious ingredient for making advanced Pokéblocks. Taking it to the black market and trading it directly for something else would maximize its value.”
Kuroba carefully stored the flower inside his Spatial Bag.
He had damaged a small part of the root while harvesting it in a hurry, but the problem wasn’t serious.
With several days of proper care, it should recover.
Kuroba stood, slung the bag over his back, and continued along the broad road running through the outskirts of Petalburg Woods.
Most of these roads had been opened and maintained by the League specifically so adventurers could enter and leave the forest.
Even so, there were surprisingly few people around.
Wild Pokémon groups occasionally appeared near the roads.
Most were groups that had lost territorial struggles deeper inside the forest and been driven toward the outskirts, but even defeated Pokémon were still dangerous to ordinary people.
Most Trainers preferred safe, established routes rather than deliberately courting danger.
Naturally, the League had ways of encouraging exploration—missions like the mapmaking commission Kuroba had accepted earlier were one example.
Signboards had been planted beside the road, each carrying a saying widely repeated throughout the Pokémon world:
“True Trainers are those who continuously forge new paths through dangerous lands.”
Kuroba had to admit, the League was very good at filling the next generation’s heads with heroic ideals.
Tell that to an impulsive, hot-blooded teenager and he might genuinely decide to throw himself into some dangerous unexplored area.
Like a certain eternally reckless idiot, perhaps?
Of course, none of that had anything to do with Kuroba.
He entered dangerous places for one reason—profit.
“This trip turned out pretty well. Time to head back to the city and rest.”
Kuroba tightened the straps of his Spatial Bag and quickened his pace.
Just as he was gradually leaving the forest behind and beginning to relax, a desperate cry reached him.
Judging by the voice, it was a little girl.
Kuroba firmly believed that unnecessary trouble was best avoided.
He was just about to leave when he realized the little girl was running directly toward him.
Several green figures darted through the air behind her, their wings beating up clouds of dust.
As they drew closer, Kuroba finally recognized them.
Dustox—the Poison Moth Pokémon!
“Oh, for—!”
Kuroba cursed under his breath and immediately released Fearow, preparing to fly away.
Then something caught his eye.
“Wait… that watch on her wrist…”
He looked more carefully.
The little girl was dressed in obviously expensive clothes.
Kuroba didn’t know much about luxury brands, but there was no mistaking the watch she wore.
Wasn’t that one of Devon Corporation’s newly released models?
“And it’s blue—the highest-grade version. Doesn’t that thing cost around a million Poké Dollars?”
Kuroba’s eyes nearly popped out.
Just whose rich young lady was this?
His thoughts immediately began racing.
“If I save her, her parents might reward me generously for rescuing their daughter.”
Kuroba quickly judged the strength of the pursuing Dustox.
His Pokémon had already used up some stamina today, but they should still be strong enough to handle these opponents.
“Don’t be afraid, little girl! Big Brother’s coming to save you!”
Kuroba recalled Fearow and sprinted toward her, even making sure to shout reassuringly as he approached.
“Corphish, use Bubble Beam!”
Corphish immediately attacked the green Dustox.
The Dustox had already begun hesitating after leaving the forest.
Once Corphish’s attack struck, their formation completely collapsed, and they hurriedly retreated back among the trees.
Kuroba was ecstatic inside.
On the surface, however, he rushed toward the girl with nothing but concern on his face.
He smiled gently and stroked her head.
“It’s okay. Don’t be scared. The bad Pokémon are gone now.”
Crystalline tears still clung to the corners of the girl’s eyes.
She tried desperately not to cry, wearing an adorably stubborn expression.
But the moment the handsome older boy in front of her began comforting her, her emotions finally broke through.
“Waaah! Wuuuuh…!”
She burst into tears, all the fear and grievance she had been holding back spilling out at once.
Before long, her tears had soaked the front of Kuroba’s clothes.
Kuroba gently patted her back.
“Don’t cry. It’s all right now. Those bad Pokémon won’t hurt you anymore.”
The little girl clung tightly to him as though she had finally found a safe harbor.
Her small hands gripped his clothes and refused to let go.
After a while, her sobbing finally subsided.
“Big Brother, May is a brave girl! I wasn’t scared at all!”
Kuroba smiled and gently wiped the tear tracks from her face, continuing to comfort her in a soft voice.
“May?”
His expression almost changed.
“No way…”
Before he could confirm his suspicion, a large group of people came running from the distance.
At the front were Officer Jenny and a stern-faced, broad-shouldered man.
“Daddy!”
May immediately cried out in delight from Kuroba’s arms.
She hurriedly wiped her damp cheeks and once again put on a stubborn expression.
The man’s face darkened the instant he saw his daughter being held by a stranger.
“Who are you? Let go of my daughter!”
Before Kuroba could answer, May panicked and waved her little arms frantically.
“No, Daddy! It’s not like that! Big Brother saved me! He chased away the bad Pokémon!”
The man’s expression stiffened.
Only then did he realize that fear for his daughter had made him jump to the wrong conclusion.
“I see. Sorry about that, young man.”
He hurried forward.
“My name is Norman. Thank you for saving my daughter.”
Kuroba’s suspicion was now confirmed.
Even so, he put on an upright, modest expression.
“It’s nothing. I only stepped in because I saw May being chased by wild Pokémon. It wasn’t a big deal.”
With that, Kuroba pretended he was about to leave.
Officer Jenny, standing among the crowd, immediately recognized him.
Wasn’t this the shy boy who had come to the police station to apply for the Wurmple-clearing mission?
Kuroba turned his back and began walking away.
Inside his head, however, he was chanting furiously.
*Call me back.
Come on, call me back.
Hurry up and tell me to stay…*
Sure enough—
“Kuroba!” Officer Jenny called from behind him.
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