The Redwood Tournament was finally over. Eric collected the Growlithe egg and headed back home. He had a lot of things to reflect on, but for today, he was beat. He will take a long rest and then slowly digest the gains of the tournament.
Though he was not aware, Eric was slowly moving on, leaving his dark past behind. The people he met these past 2 weeks were nothing like the ones he knew in his past life. And the companionship of his Pokemon helped with his loneliness.
Satisfied with himself, Eric went home and slept for 10 hours straight!
---
The next day,
Eric had 2 things on his agenda today.
First, he would go and get himself a phone. After going through the tournament, he realised that he can't keep himself disconnected from the world. In order to lead a better life, he must join the society.
Even if he wanted to get stronger, connections were important. They brought new opportunities that will be very beneficial for him.
Eric bought a phone that was specifically designed for Pokemon trainers. It was expensive, but it allowed access to the network virtually everywhere, and had many useful features.
Before getting to his phone, Eric first went to complete his second agenda. Which was, getting a dimensional accessory!
These are spatial storage devices! You can get them in any shape you want. A ring, a wrist band, a necklace, there was a lot of variety.
Eric was shocked to find out that most trainers in the tournament had them. And that they were much cheaper than he expected.
He thought something like spatial technology would be expensive, then he remembered the existence of Pokéballs. They were spatial objects too. He guessed that this world was just very advanced in spacial technology.
He went and bought a spatial watch that had 100 cubic meters of space. This was the most expensive one, priced at 120,000P.
By pressing a button on the watch, a holographic screen will appear in front of him. From there, he can select whatever item he wanted to take out, or even arrange them however he wished!
It was truly magical.
After getting everything he wanted for today, Eric now paid his attention to his phone.
The first thing he did was add everyone that gave him their contact information.
Iris, Leo, Ethan, and…yes. Even Alan.
Belle didn't give him any, neither did Blaire.
After that, Eric logged into the Official Pokemon League app with his Trainer Id.
You can find all sorts of news about the Pokemon world here, and stay up to date with everything. It even works as a social media app.
Eric then went to the official league news page, to update him on current affairs.
It was quite a coincidence that Eric decided to do this today.
Because today, an article dropped that sent shock waves across the entire Pokemon world.
"Mass Production Of The Pokedex!"
What?
Until now, Pokédex units had been very limited, exclusively owned by elite families and a handful of sponsored researchers.
But according to the article, Professor Oak, the inventor of the Pokédex, had partnered with Silph Co. to change that.
After years of development, they had finally cracked the secret to mass production.
Soon, every registered trainer would be able to buy one.
This was huge.
A Pokédex is an invaluable tool. It can scan a wild Pokémon and instantly tell what species it is and what its level is.
It can't reveal a wild Pokémon's potential before capture, but once caught, a quick scan inside the Poké Ball will show even that.
The device performs a thorough energy analysis while the Pokémon is contained, making the data remarkably accurate.
For ordinary trainers, this was a game changer. No more guessing whether a caught Pokémon had real potential. No more paying for getting their pokemon appraised.
Their safety in the wilderness would improve too, knowing a wild Pokémon's level before engaging could mean the difference between life and death.
Take the Black Market, for example. They had long charged premium fees for potential appraisals. Now, any trainer with a Pokédex could do it themselves on the spot. This saves both time and money, as they don't have to travel back and forth, only to find out that the Pokemon they caught had no value.
It still wasn't quite on par with Eric's system, which can tell the potential and moves of a Pokemon without even needing to catch it.
Not to mention that it can scan more than just Pokemon.
But for the rest of the world, mass production of the Pokedex was a game changer.
Eric fell into thought after reading the article. This alongside the mission hall would raise the level of ordinary trainers by a lot. Earlier, they struggled to reach even the intermediate level. But now Eric imagined that their will be a lot more Advanced level trainers as well.
Of course, they still wouldn't be able to compete with the elite families. But if they get that much strength, they will get a lot more influence than they do now.
Eric can't imagine the league would be too pleased with that. For them, things were easier to manage if power remained in the hands of the few. Professor Oak must've fought really hard to be able to achieve this.
---
While Eric scrolled through the news on his phone, very different conversations were unfolding among those who truly ran the Pokémon League.
Mt. Silver.
Headquarters of the Central League.
Twelve holographic figures sat around a circular table. Their real bodies were scattered across regions, but here, in this secure chamber, they were together, faces sharp, voices clear, as if seated in the same room.
The air was filled with tension.
"Don't you think this has gone too far?" A man in White clothes slammed his holographic palm on the table. "We gain nothing from making the masses stronger. Only problems."
"Now now, Sir Cross." A calm, measured voice came from a woman in a flowing green robe. "Is it truly so terrible if the general public becomes more capable?"
"Don't be a fool!" Cross snapped. "The League has remained supreme precisely because we keep power among the few. Hand it out without control, and you invite chaos. That Oak is playing with fire!"
"I agree." An elderly woman draped in purple silk leaned forward. Her voice was dry, like old parchment. "Human nature is greedy. Power corrupts, even the best of us. The League already has its hands full. Don't tell me you have you forgotten?"
"Exactly!" Cross nodded.
"But you're both forgetting something..."
A middle-aged man in a deep blue robe raised a hand.
"Team Rocket grows bolder by the day. Ordinary trainers are their primary recruitment pool. With the Mission Hall, those same trainers now have a reason to join us instead of them. This weakens Rocket and strengthens the League. Isn't that worthwhile?"
Cross scoffed. "Team Rocket is nothing but a nuisance who thinks they are a big deal. If we mobilize our true forces, there's nothing they can do but get crushed."
"Now you are being the fool, Mr. White." The voice came from a woman in crimson, seated near the head chair. Her tone was sharp as a blade. "The public doesn't know this, but surely you haven't forgotten who leads Team Rocket? Only a fool would underestimate Giovanni."
Giovanni.
The mood in the room got even more tense after hearing that name. Everyone at this table understood the depths of that man's power.
The woman in red continued, her voice quieter now, but no less firm. "And Team Rocket isn't our only concern. We currently oversee seven regions, with negotiations underway to bring Galar and Paladea into the fold. Our resources, while vast, are finite. If we can cultivate more trainers and bring them into our ranks, that's not a weakness… it's a necessity."
She paused, letting her words settle.
"Having said that… I don't fully agree with Oak's idealism either. I'm fine with ordinary trainers gaining power, as long as they join us. They still need to be manageable."
No one spoke for a while.
Then an elderly man who sat in the head chair spoke up, his voice carrying the weight of decades of command.
"Let's end this topic here.
"Things are manageable right now. Things are manageable for now. The Mission Hall, in its current form, strengthens the League. As long as Oak's actions benefit us, we will allow them. If he steps too far out of line… we can always rein him in."
He leaned back slightly, his gaze sweeping across the twelve faces.
"This matter is not important enough to waste more of our valuable time. No one here is that idle." His voice dropped, becoming grave. "Instead… we should be discussing 'that' matter."
The mood in the room changed once more, as the council went into a whole other discussion, one of actual importance.
The matter of the Pokedex, the Mission Hall, the empowerment of ordinary trainers was, in their eyes, little more than office gossip.
Trivial.
There were far more important things to discuss.