Finally having some time to himself, Alex began sorting through the memories he had acquired from the original Alex. He ignored the trivial ones related to daily life and focused on absorbing the world's common sense.
This world was far more technologically advanced than what had been depicted in the anime, manga, and games. For example, virtual reality existed here and was currently being applied in gaming.
The original Alex had wanted to buy a virtual reality game but was denied by his parents due to its high cost. Though his parents were both respectable trainers and financially well-off, their expenses were equally high, as they had many mouths to feed. While wealthier than most families, they couldn't afford excessive luxuries.
This world also had access to firearms—not conventional guns reliant on gunpowder but sci-fi weaponry powered by Infinity energy produced by Pokémon. Alex didn't know much about them, only that they were relatively new and occasionally featured in action movies.
Beyond technological advancements, Pokémon utility had also evolved. For instance, teleporters were available in every city, allowing travel to other cities or even regions.
A powerful Alakazam could teleport about ten people to a neighboring region—for a hefty fee. So far, this service was reserved for the wealthy.
Another notable change was the affordability and accessibility of TMs (Technical Machines). However, what truly made a Pokémon trainer powerful was their ability to teach Pokémon how to enhance the effects of moves—something Alex didn't fully understand yet.
Moreover, there were now over a thousand documented Pokémon, each extensively researched. Even Legendary and Mythical Pokémon were included in these studies. For some reason, top-level trainers possessing such rare Pokémon were no longer uncommon.
'There's even a creation god Pokémon, for crying out loud.'
Alex remembered there being more and more Pokémon added to the roster with each new generation of the game in his previous life, but this was getting ridiculous.
Unlike in the games, there were more than eight gyms per region. Gyms were essentially League-certified training schools that not only served as certification of trainers' strength but also handled wild Pokémon training, city or town defense, among other things.
Wild Pokémon training involved teaching a wild Pokémon to be more amicable toward humans. This allowed people to bond with Pokémon more easily. The training wasn't exclusive, but it was a tedious process.
Gyms acted as police forces that specifically fought against Pokémon or trainers to defend the city. All cities, towns, and villages had gyms to facilitate defense, while police forces were only added when there were enough people in the location.
Other services provided by gyms depended on the gym leader. The Water Gym in Cerulean City, for example, held regular water shows. The Fighting Gym in Saffron City trained people in hand-to-hand combat and physical fitness. The Psychic Gym, led by Sabrina, trained people in developing their psychic abilities.
This world was vastly more advanced than what Alex had known in his previous life. One thing was certain: he had a lot of studying to do.
A week later, Officer Jenny returned to the Pokécenter with disappointing news.
"I found nothing in the inspection. Their record books were clean, and the lack of education was justified by competent caretakers taking responsibility personally. I'm sorry, Alex. There's nothing I can do."
"What about Rattata and the reward money?" Alex asked.
"It was difficult given the situation, but I managed to release Rattata with the reward money. Considering your contribution was minimal, the reward was only about 2,000 Pokédollars. I bundled it up and gave it to Rattata before releasing him. He immediately ran into the sewers, so you might still see him around."
"Thanks, Officer Jenny. For what it's worth, I appreciate the effort."
"I'm sorry I can't do more to help, Alex. I even tried enrolling you in school, but your guardian rejected it."
"I figured as much. Still, thank you."
"Anytime. Your guardian will be here to pick you up this afternoon. Try to stay safe this time, Alex."
"Yes, ma'am," Alex said in a formal tone.
Officer Jenny didn't miss that change in address. It pained her to give up, but she had to follow the law. She had already overstepped her authority by strong-arming Rattata's release and ensuring Alex received the reward money, but it still wasn't enough.
With a heavy heart, she stood up and left the room—only for a well-dressed, portly man in a suit to take her place. The Director of the orphanage had personally come to pick Alex up. Given the circumstances, there was no doubt hostility lingered between them, but what could Alex do?
"Alex, I was so worried when I heard you were sent to the Pokécenter. Where have you been all this time?" the Director asked in a concerned tone.
"The… the slums, Director. I… I just couldn't take the bullying anymore. I had to leave. I'm sorry, Director," Alex said in a fearful and weak voice.
"And look where that got you—beaten up and in the Pokécenter. You know the orphanage has to cover the expenses, right? This will come out of your family's assets, you know."
"I… I'm sorry, Director," Alex repeated, slumping his shoulders.
"It's fine, so long as you understand. Now come along. You've been discharged. Let's get back to the orphanage."
"Yes, Director."
Alex got dressed and followed the Director back to the orphanage. As they exited the room, he spotted Officer Jenny but quickly looked down, silently trailing behind the Director in a meek manner.
Officer Jenny clenched her fists. She despised how the law was being exploited, but her hands were tied. The records were too clean.
Alex's parents had been quite wealthy, and at 16, he should have had no trouble carving out a path in life with his inheritance. But now, all of that is gone—squandered by this corrupt, well-connected man.
She had even been suspended by the mayor for initiating the investigation without approval. She had taken a serious hit to her career, and in the end, she had nothing to show for it.
With a sigh, she decided to spend her two-week suspension with her family. She had a heavy heart and too much on her mind.
The orphanage was a well-maintained three-story building on the opposite side of the slums. If not for its corrupt owners, it might have been a decent place.
As soon as Alex stepped inside, he noticed the sneers from the other boys. Being the weakest among them, they took every opportunity to assert dominance.
Even after two weeks of proper food and nutrition at the Pokécenter, Alex's physique remained scrawny. He still looked smaller and weaker than the others.
"Hey, Alex. Heard you got beaten up and sent back. Still a weak little coward, huh?" sneered the biggest of the three bullies.
"Yeah, if you wanted to get beaten up, you should've just stayed."
"Hahaha!" (x3)
The three stooges—whose names Alex hadn't even bothered to remember—laughed as he meekly followed the Director into his office.
Once the doors were closed and locked, the Director finally revealed his true colors.
With a resounding slap, Alex was thrown to the floor. What followed was a brutal beating—mostly targeting his stomach and thighs. The Director was careful not to leave visible marks, except for the single slap that would fade in a day.
"How dare you humiliate me, you little shit! Do you have any idea what you've done? You embarrassed me! This will go on my record. I'll be known as the incompetent Director who lost a damn child!" he shouted.
He grabbed Alex's face and pulled him close to really drive the fear into the child. Just as he was about to continue his tirade, Alex struck first.
With a sharp, open-handed chop to the throat, the Director gagged, choking on his own words as he instinctively let go.
Landing on his feet, Alex gave him a light shove—just enough to make him lose balance. The back of the Director's head struck the edge of the desk, and he crumpled to the floor, unconscious.
Alex crouched down to check his breathing. Still alive. Unfortunate, but anything beyond this wouldn't be legally justifiable. Psychic Pokémon made murder investigations too definitive—he couldn't risk intentionally killing the Director. A self-defense accident would have been fine, but not outright murder.
Now came the easy part. Acting like the old Alex had been the difficult part. The real fun began now.
In the corner of the room on top of a filing cabinet sat a small safe large enough to hold documents.
Judging by its design, if the Pokémon world wasn't too different from Earth, this would be easy to crack. Modern safes had spring-loaded bolts that kept them locked tightly. However, a well-placed, forceful strike in the right spot could momentarily push the spring back and dislodge the bolt, unlocking the safe.
"Let's see what we're working with here," Alex muttered, a hint of excitement in his voice.
Hopefully, he'd find some particularly damning evidence, and maybe even a little pocket money on the side.