I woke up at 2 a.m. and decided to head out with Umbreon. I reached a deep part of the forest and released all my main Pokémon. I was at the point where they all knew how to train themselves; I just kept an eye out for any mistakes and watched for changes in training methods if they were no longer effective.

Umbreon had always been a tank/damage type, but lately, I had been focusing on increasing its speed. The species wasn't known for that, but I saw potential since Umbreon's Hidden Power was Electric. After much training, I managed to teach it Charge, but its physique was too robust and solid, not well-suited for running. So I envisioned it wearing a harness, with an elastic tied to five different trees, forcing it to run as fast as possible and then pulling back with the force of the elastic.

A bit further away, at a lake, I could see my Crawdaunt intimidating a Poliwhirl. It seemed focused on asserting dominance over the area. To be honest, Crawdaunt was never my first choice for my water-type on the team. I had always liked Gyarados, and when I learned that its Mega Evolution, with its Dark typing, would allow me to train it, I spent a long time searching for a suitable Magikarp.

I trained a Gyarados for years; it was my main Pokémon. But during a really tough battle I had in the middle of the sea while heading towards the Kalos region, we were ambushed by a group of Tentacruel. There were five of them, and they were strong. If we had been on land, it probably wouldn't have been as tough, but since we were in the middle of the ocean, I was almost wiped out. They poisoned the water, and my water Pokémon couldn't resist. My Gyarados fought like a beast, but it was impossible. I recalled everyone and mounted Honchkrow. The problem was that the Pokémon world was much larger than the Earth I came from. I spent weeks at sea searching for land, with those damn Tentacruels pursuing us the entire time.

We eventually found a small patch of land, barely qualifying as an island, and had a more balanced second round. By then, I had exhausted all my antidotes, and I had plenty. Grimmsnarl had drained all his Fairy-type energy using Heal on my Pokémon. When it was over and the Tentacruel corpses floated in the sea, my Gyarados' body lay among them. I buried it on that pseudo-island and had Cacturne grow a large tree at the site. It would probably die at some point, but it would serve as a marker. I placed a plaque, writing what had happened and who lay in the grave.

I remember spending nearly two months flying with Honchkrow, stopping on sandbanks until I finally found Kalos. I had done a lot of investigative work to determine the general direction of Kalos, based on Pokémon sightings on Unova's coast at the time, ocean currents, and wind patterns. My efforts paid off, though I hadn't expected the distance to be so great.

As soon as I arrived in Kalos, the first Pokémon I found on a beach was a Corphish. It seemed fitting at the time, and who would've guessed it would become such an incredible Crawdaunt, highly competitive and a fierce fighter. It quickly earned its place on my main team.

Crawdaunt now seemed to be offering sweets to the Poliwhirl family, somehow forming a friendship with them.

"Alright, buddy, it's time to start training," I called out from afar.

He wasn't lazy, but I suspected he had ADHD. Unless he was battling, he was easily distracted. He also had the species' weakness—the Corphish line couldn't resist collecting shiny objects, storing colorful jewels in a section of their shell. My Crawdaunt was especially prone to distraction when something glittered.

He started spamming Bubble Beam at a boulder. You could say he was my main attacker on the team, although that title would soon be taken. But he would stay on the team—he had never let me down.

Further away, I could see my Cacturne firing off a Leaf Storm at some trees. He had competed with Crawdaunt for years for the position of the highest damage dealer. He was strong but lacked a greater variety of moves, and I partially blame myself for training him as a suicide leech. My basic strategy with him was to infest the field with Spikes, use Giga Drain when necessary, and Focus Blast if an elimination was possible. If this were a Nintendo game, this moveset would end with Destiny Bond. Though Cacturne knew the move here, it wasn't something that could be "trained." Unlike Explosion from the Golem line, the Ghost-type Destiny Bond required the Pokémon's direct death. In this world, Explosion could indeed kill a Pokémon, but if well-trained and resilient, it could survive. Destiny Bond couldn't be survived. Thus, Cacturne's strongest moveset remained incomplete.

I could have trained Shiftry to be my main, but the species' personality wasn't suited for battle. Some liked fighting, but they weren't competitive enough for my taste.

Cacturne seemed to be training well on his own. I glanced at my Honchkrow, who seemed to be chasing some Pidgeottos in the sky. Everything seemed to be going well.

My Grimmsnarl was having fun with some weights I gave him. As my main tank, body maintenance was essential. Despite his 'muscles' being made of hair, it was possible to train them.

I turned my gaze to Zoroark. I had complicated feelings toward him. He had always been strong and never caused any trouble, unlike the playful nature some of his species had. Mine was more serious and even a bit rigid. I remember that he wasn't like this at first. When I invited him to travel the world with me, he was excited by the idea. We had a great time. I was surprised when he told me he wanted to retire. Sometimes this happens—a Pokémon loses the will to keep getting stronger. I didn't understand it at the time, and he explained that he didn't feel like competing like the others on my team. He was just naturally strong. So he wanted to leave his spot on the team for another Pokémon that truly desired it, one he already knew was in training.

"This region is going to be our permanent home from now on, so if you want to get familiar with the area, I'd like to ask you something. Honchkrow is mapping the species that inhabit each zone of the forest. Once he finds out who's in charge, I want you to deal with it," I explained.

"Alright, no problem," he replied casually.

My Zoroark knew human language and could speak naturally. It was known that some Pokémon could talk, though it was rare. I believed all Zorua could do the same, thanks to their transformation ability. My Zoroark frequently transformed into me, speaking in my voice and everything.

Finishing my interaction with Zoroark, I turned my gaze to the young Zweilous. It had been five years since I captured it. Dragon-type Pokémon really do take a long time to grow. Zweilous was already at the peak of its second evolution, and any moment now, it would reach its final evolution, Hydreigon. I wanted that to happen before the Indigo League began this year. I'd surprise Lance.

Alongside my main team, I also trained some reserve Pokémon, including Malamar, an Absol, a Weavile, a Drapion, a Pangoro, and a Greninja. They were all young, so they hadn't entered the main team yet due to lack of opportunity. But Pangoro and Greninja were very strong. I knew I'd have to replace Cacturne with one of them if they decided to challenge him. It was a rule in my team—main members had to accept challenges from the reserves to keep their place.

I had participated in many competitions and battles around the world. The regions that hadn't yet joined the Alliance didn't use the Gym and League model but had their own customs and competitions, which I took part in. I let the reserve team participate in the easier fights sometimes. It was good to show that they, too, were important.

I began instructing Zweilous to use Dragon Dance, along with Hone Claws, creating a kind of super buff. This was still in the creation phase.

I spent about four hours with my Pokémon and then gathered all 12. I took out about 15 more Poké Balls from my PokéBelt, releasing some Pokémon I had trained but wouldn't be part of my main team, including a pair of Alolan-Raticate, four Mightyenas, a pair of Sharpedo, a pair of Liepards, a pair of Morpeko, a pair of Murkrows, and a female Pangoro who was the partner of my reserve Pangoro.

"Everyone, this place will be mine soon, which means this forest and the city will be mine too. I need you to adapt to the environment and settle in. There will be no more constant traveling and migrating. You can establish yourselves in the area," I explained to them all.

They seemed surprised, even a little excited. Almost 20 years of constant travel had indeed been exhausting.

After everyone dispersed, I left with Umbreon and Sableye, who had stayed in my shadow the entire time.

I returned to the orphanage with breakfast, meaning several sweets and savories from the local bakery. I chatted a bit with the Mother and then headed to my new residence. I met with the person in charge, and he told me that by noon they would have finished the last details; the external appearance was already visible. It was a mansion in the traditional Chinese style, with a sort of tower, or pagoda for those familiar. I had designed it myself. Kanto was the most 'Asian' region of the Pokémon world, and yet the architecture was more focused on the Japanese style. There were some buildings in the Chinese style, mainly in Lavender. The Pokémon Tower also resembled a pagoda, although it wasn't built of wood.

In the main courtyard, you could see a basin-shaped hole with an arena rising from the center. Around it, there was a grandstand. It wasn't very technological or modern, but it was beautiful. Everything around had a black decoration with black marble pillars surrounding the arena. I didn't intend to be one of the easy gyms. Until I obtained the qualification of an Official League Gym, I didn't need to follow the rule of going easy and allowing young people to win a few matches.

I wanted to take advantage of the beginning to draw attention to the strength of Dark-types.

I set the time with the person in charge and planned to come back later. It was almost 10 a.m., and I needed to meet with the League's Environmental Officer, who would review my proposal and send it for analysis by the League. I entered a restaurant and explained to the manager that I was waiting for someone.

It didn't take long, and a mature woman of about 40 sat in front of me, greeting me. She was blonde with green eyes, wearing a tight white suit, and held a folder in her hands—elegant but all business.

"Good morning, Mr. Blackwood. It's a pleasure to meet you," she greeted.

"Likewise. Order whatever you'd like; I've already made my request."

The conversation flowed smoothly. I explained my proposal and how it would help Kanto with its lack of Dark-type Pokémon, and how the special geological formation of Dark City would naturally help prevent other Kanto biomes from being affected. At one point, she asked me if, besides the mountain range surrounding the city, there was any contingency plan. I explained that for each group of Pokémon species, I would have a stronger leader trained by me, obedient, who would ensure peace in the environment and prevent overpopulation.

"Alright, Mr. Blackwood. Now tell me, how many different species do you intend to breed here?" she asked absentmindedly as she wrote on her clipboard.

"Well, counting my main Pokémon, 28 different species of Pokémon, all Dark-types," I replied naturally.

She stopped writing. I saw her brow furrow, and she looked at me.

"There aren't that many different types of Dark-type Pokémon..." she said.

"Not the known ones, of course. I've traveled to many places, Ms. Deller," I replied confidently.

After that, she wrote a few more things down and said goodbye, mentioning she would report to her superiors. However, I shouldn't worry too much. Many people buy large plots of land or forests to breed specific Pokémon. It was normal, and my proposal would likely be approved.

Our meeting was brief, and it still wasn't time to move into my new residence, so I returned to the orphanage and talked with the Mother.

I explained to her that even if I didn't get League approval to become an Official Gym Leader soon, I would like to take on some responsibilities as the city's Gym Leader. Among them, I planned to provide starter Pokémon to children or families who couldn't afford one. I also explained that I would create a sponsorship fund for children who were willing to accept a Dark-type Pokémon as their starter. This would help promote Dark-types worldwide.

The Mother seemed on the verge of tears; it seemed many children had their dreams shattered after Brann died. Don't get me wrong, thousands of children start their journeys in all the circuits, and of those, not even half make it to the Indigo Conference. And of those who make it, only one can be the winner. Dreams are just that, dreams. But living life knowing you didn't even have the chance to try was terrible, especially in a magical world like this. I would definitely help.

I went up to my room to pack my things and found myself emotional once again. It was the second time I was leaving this place, but I would be close by to watch over it this time.