She power walked out of the facility, with just enough time left in the Realitybox to get rid of the two guards at the entrance, and then slip back into a nearby alley.
Good.
She did not have to worry about her presence being recorded at the facility. A recording device made in World A did not have sheer capability of recording something that could not possibly exist or happen in said world, even if an identical device recorded those same happenings perfectly well in World B. So anything that could only be allowed through the use of Realitybox was also impossible to record. Well, the aftermath - like the bodies - could be caught on camera, but that's why she made sure to deal with the security room first.
For now, she had a few things established. There was the poor Dark Type resting in a Pokeball in her pocket. Her psychic paper was reset, allowing her to choose a new identity. Ah, and she desperately needed to do some shopping and information gathering.
Especially since those three mentioned locations REALLY threw her for a loop.
She had personally traveled just through two regions before, true - but she also played through most games in the franchise at least once. And for all the vastness of the Pokemon world, she was pretty damn sure it had none of the mentioned places.
Though she DID know those locations from another source.
Avoiding busy streets for now, she navigated back alleys to put as much distance between her and the wiped out facility as possible. The moment authorities notice what happened, the entire area could be put under a lockdown, for all she knew.
On her way, she tried to find out more about the city she was in. Which was not that easy. Sure, there were bars, eateries, clubs and less… Safe locations, but nothing really popped out to her. Also, if the alleys next to the facility looked bad, they were downright horrible starting just a few city blocks from there, with dirt, trash and Pokemon like Ratata and Trubbish running in broad daylight.
Also, despite her being in the middle of a city, her trainer phone had no reception. Trying to connect via her regular phone unsurprisingly provided similar results, meaning she currently had no way to check the local Internet. After all, data could only work the same way worldwide because every single company adopted the same frequencies and protocols - which were also bound to change with time.
Which meant she probably had to buy a new phone while she was here.
Though even without a phone, she still managed to learn a few things.
First, this place did not run on Pokedollars. A few signs with prices she saw clearly noted Yen as the accepted currency. True, Pokedollars were based on Yen, but unless something pointed to the contrary - they were effectively monopoly money around these parts. This was confirmed when she found a banged up wending machine with its door forced open. Inside, were only a few empty candy wrappers, and a colony of common cockroaches, though the thing itself was still plugged in and working for some reason. Ignoring the Yen pricing, she tried to feed it a hundred Pokedollars banknote on the off chance it would be accepted and give her some local currency in return. It didn't work though.
Second - the streets were not deserted, but people certainly paid her little attention, despite her costume kinda clashing with what seemed to be local fashion sensibilities, and her throwing glances around like a wayward tourist. Seemed like they had their own problems to deal with.
Third - none of the scenery looked similar to what was in the games.
So, to sum it up, she had no money that could be used in this world, no phones compatible with the local networks, still no idea where she was aside from "probably in a local equivalent of Japan"… Ah, and she also had a Pokémon she had stolen from a government facility.
She would've honestly been of half mind to just use a Realitybox to rob a bank, so that she had enough cash for the journey ahead, but something told her it was a bad idea to use them carelessly. Leaving it as her last option, she tried to think about other ways to get some cash.
There was an option to get a part-time job, preferably one that paid at the end of each day. Most of those jobs were out - they either consisted of heavy manual labour, were extremely shady, or required her to take off her mask for too long. She'd rather avoid either of those outcomes.
However, she was in the world of Pokemon. This, of course, meant that there were also Pokemon-related jobs. Getting one that required having a powerful Pokemon was out of question, but…
Yeah, as long as THAT job existed around here, she could do just fine.
It took her three hours to find a Pokemon Centre. The thing was located in a better part of town, and she was stopped twice on the way there by policemen, having her psychic paper scanned as an ID. Thankfully, this thing used same technology as a Realitybox, meaning the moment it was used as a document, said document was seamlessly added into the world, including appearing in databases, and the likes. Using it to withdraw millions of dollars from a bank was also an option, but then she'd still have to reset the paper to have an actual ID.
Finally entering the Pokemon Center, she came up to the reception desk, where a woman in a nurse outfit and a purple wig greeted her with a trained smile.
"Hello, and welcome to the Pokemon Center! May I see your ID?" allowing that same psychic paper to be scanned for the third time in one day, she looked at the worker not even trying to hide a wince, either at her current alias, or at some other information from the file, "Miss Nagoyano Kippoushi… No healthcare plan. Each Pokemon healed will be 1000 yen for any wounds, 2000 yen for a revive, and 500 yen for every condition."
"Ah, I'm not here for that," she smiled, trying her best not to react to a treatment actually costing money, "I wonder if there are any route jobs available."
"Ah, yes, of course. The spring vacation is about to start, after all," the nurse's fake smile came back full force, "Room 302, the lecture starts at 18:00."
Lucky. She looked at the big clock hanging in the hall. It was 17:41. Double lucky.
Making her way to the third floor, she entered room 302 which was, well, a lecture room. It had enough seats for 50 people, and was close to being fully packed, with people anywhere from their teens to elderly folks awaiting the start of the lecture, mostly with depressed looks on their faces for some reason. The lecture, of course, started at 18:00 sharp, with an ex-military-looking guy in his 40s standing in front of the audience.
"Alright, quiet down everyone, and listen! My name is Kageyama Hibiki, and I am your instructor today. Spring break is about to start, and as always, we need people manning all routes. We want young trainers to experience the magic of a journey, and this is where people like you come in. Standing around, challenging passing trainers to battles, and creating that magic with your blood, sweat and tears. At least, as long as you are deemed good enough for the job," he approached the massive whiteboard, and turned it over, revealing an entire wall of text, that he seemed to intend to go over, "So listen up, and take everything I say to heart. Because if you don't, you won't pass."
She's already been to three similar lectures, but she knew better than to not pay attention. First, because she might've needed a refresher. Second, the rules could be different this time around. Third, there could be crucial information about this world hidden in Kageyama's droning.
The basic stuff was the same. They were supposed to come up with a few tidbits of info to share with young trainers, like saying 'Wow, turns out drinking bottled water heals Pokemon a little!', or 'I can't wait to see what my Pokemon evolves into!'. They were also supposed to adjust the strength of Pokemon used in the battles to the route's 'difficulty levels', and use only basic, straightforward tactics, to be a glorified speedbump in the young trainers' journey, rather than a serious challenge. They were also supposed to give out cash prizes whenever a young trainer won - those were actually provided by the League. The workday lasted for 10 hours. There was supposed to be someone monitoring them on the job, and if that someone, or one of the trainers interacting with them, raised a complaint, they could kiss this job a swift goodbye.
The benefits were… There. First, they were given free transport passes for the duration of their work. Mostly to get to and from the routes, but as long as they clocked in for the full duration - they could also travel elsewhere. Second, they were provided with cheap healing items - herbal medicines - to keep their Pokemon in a relatively good shape. Herbal medicines tasted awfully to any and all Pokemon, and were a sure way to have the critter hate your guts, but at least they were free? Ah, and there was a 2000 yen compensation per day.
Considering how much did it cost to heal a Pokemon at a Centre, they were paid chump change. No wonder almost nobody looked excited about being there.
Well, on the bright side, at least these route jobs still existed. That mere fact warmed her heart.
Also, this job might not have been that lucrative, but it had a few perks, some of them hidden. First one was the free transport pass which, if she was smart, would've allowed her to travel to the locations mentioned by the Dark Type. Second, she had an opportunity to forage on the routes, catching local Pokemon and gathering berries. Third - she already had her camping gear, so if she left after this lecture, she'd be able to just camp on the route, rather than finding some place in the city.
At the end of the lecture, there was a written test, and then a mock battle, where they were supposed to show how they planned to act. Given her experience with this job, she managed to pass, though about a third of people did not. Judging by their faces, they needed the money too.
Sigh.
Soon, she was walking out of the Pokemon Centre.
Well, she had the job, but for now - she only had a transit pass to show for it. The herbs and special card meant to pay for match losses were to be given at the start of the day, and her own cash - at the end of it. And she was pretty sure that trying to run with the provided cash card was a bad idea - it didn't take long to block one, and then she would've had to deal with law enforcement being after her.
The entire job was going to last for up to 10 days. That meant that she wouldn't get more than 20 000 yen from it. Which would've been convenient since it was also the price of the cheapest trainer phone on the market - except that was not the only thing she needed to buy.
Suddenly, something in a side alley caught her eye. A pawn shop. Huh. Though she made damn sure not to take anything unnecessary with her. There was no way she'd sell any of her clothes, since unlike the local fare, it was made to fit her. Selling Potions or Pokeballs was akin to shooting herself in the foot, and she definitely needed all the camping stuff. Though maybe her trainer phone…
Still lingering near the entrance to that alley, she pulled that piece of tech out, and checked what was on it. A few contacts rendered obsolete, and without much sentimental value, some navigational apps that would've been relevant in Alola, and a game of Spiritomb Survivors with most characters unlocked. Deleting the latter was the most difficult part of it all, but she'd rather not leave any evidence that could've been tracked anywhere out of this timeline
Purging the device of any personal data, she then entered the pawn shop.
Ten disappointing minutes later, she walked out with just 500 yen to her name.
Welp.
With a sigh, she walked down the street, keeping one eye out for a specific kind of a store.
Once she bought what she needed, she could finally go to the railway station and get out of Kyoto.
