"Beep beep~"
Just as dinner wrapped up, Paul's phone suddenly buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out and saw the name "Big Bro" flashing on the screen.
"Hey, Reggie. Calling out of the blue—must be something important?"
Paul answered the call without hesitation.
"Yeah, there's something I need your help with. I wanted to check if you've reached Pastoria City yet. There's a task I need your assistance with."
Reggie's calm voice came through from the other end of the line.
"I'm at the Resort Area right now. If I take my time, I'll reach Pastoria in about two days. If I push it, I can get there in one. How urgent is it?"
Paul always prioritized Reggie's requests. If it was something pressing, he wouldn't mind pausing his training to deal with it first.
"Here's the deal: The Pressure Point Training Method is now mostly complete. To further develop and popularize it, we need more Pokémon that can master it. Pokémon that naturally learn the move Acupressure adapt to the method much faster, but there aren't enough of them in the Pokemon Center. I need you to head to the Great Marsh and capture as many Skorupi and Croagunk as possible."
It was clear that Reggie had refined the training method to a usable level and was now preparing to implement it on a larger scale. Not only would this help advance Pokémon training techniques, but it would also bring in a good amount of revenue.
"How many do you need?"
Catching them wouldn't be too difficult. The Great Marsh was teeming with Skorupi and Croagunk—especially Croagunk, which practically covered the place. It would take time, but he'd be able to catch enough eventually.
"As many as possible, within reason. No need to go over a hundred, but the more, the better."
The Pokemon Center's trainers had already raised a small batch, but to truly spread the technique and elevate training standards, they needed a lot more. For the initial phase, capturing several dozen to a hundred Pokémon should suffice. Later on, the Pokémon League could take over and provide additional Pokémon as needed.
"That's… a bit troublesome."
Paul frowned slightly—not because catching 100 Pokémon was too much, but because of what it might look like.
Croagunk were practically the mascot of the Great Marsh. Catching a few was normal, but if someone saw him hauling in 100 of them at once? That might raise some eyebrows. If he weren't careful, people might mistake him for a Pokémon Hunter trying to smuggle Pokémon.
Mass captures like this almost never happened. The only ones who captured Pokémon in such large numbers were the very Pokémon Hunters who had been after him just days ago.
"Don't worry. I've already informed both the Great Marsh authorities and the Pokémon League. Catch as many as you need. If anyone questions you, just tell them my name and explain the situation. No one will stop you."
"Got it. I'll take care of it."
"Good. Safe travels, then."
"Yeah, I'm hanging up."
Ending the call, Paul pulled out his Poké Balls, recalling all his Pokémon with streaks of red light.
"Return, all of you."
After paying for his meal, he swiftly left the Seven Stars Restaurant.
Following a day of outdoor training, Paul increased his pace toward the Great Marsh the next morning.
The Great Marsh – Sinnoh's Vast Wetlands
Located along Sinnoh's southern coastline, the Great Marsh stretched across a massive expanse of land.
According to legend, the wetlands were once part of the ocean. When the water receded, the marsh formed, and Croagunk—who originally lived only in this area—became its symbolic Pokémon.
Pastoria City sat right on the edge of the Great Marsh, so Paul's journey wouldn't be out of the way.
Unlike in the games, the Great Marsh in this world was massive. The Safari Zone was just one section of it, but the rest of the wetlands housed an abundance of wild Pokémon. Instead of relying on the Safari Zone's mechanics, Paul could simply explore the outer marshlands to find and capture Croagunk and Skorupi.
After traveling for more than a day, he finally arrived at his destination. He bought 100 Poké Balls before contacting Reggie, asking him to send over Skorupi and Dewott for assistance.
With Skorupi's keen tracking abilities and Dewott's agility in wet environments, their help would make the mission far easier.
Once he received the Poké Balls and his Pokémon, Paul set out toward the Great Marsh.
Into the Marsh – The Hunt Begins
Boarding a marshland train that took him deeper inside, Paul soon arrived at a wooden boardwalk leading further into the wetlands.
"Come out."
Paul released his four main Pokémon for this mission.
"Gaaaa!"
"Buzz!"
"Kuu!"
"Cha~Cha!"
Since his Ursaring and Grotle were too heavy and risked getting stuck in the marsh, they remained in their Poké Balls. The four released Pokémon stood on the wooden platform, awaiting his command.
"You all know the objective—capture as many Skorupi and Croagunk as possible."
"Spread out, but don't go too far. Defeat them and bring them to me."
"Use this as a chance to train your skills. Try to improve while you're at it."
"Skorupi, you'll handle tracking. Let's go."
With their roles assigned, the Pokémon immediately set off.
Electabuzz soared into the sky with Electromagnetic Levitation, scanning from above.
Dewott zipped through the marsh, moving swiftly across the water.
Skorupi scuttled along the surface, searching for its own kind.
Gabite dived straight into the wetlands, vanishing beneath the tall grass.
Not even two minutes passed before Electabuzz returned, carrying two unconscious, paralyzed Croagunk. It dropped them in front of Paul and flew off again.
"Go, Poké Ball!"
"Ding! Ding! Click!"
Both Croagunk were successfully captured and immediately teleported to the Pokemon Center.
98 more to go...
For an average Trainer, this task would either be exciting or exhausting.
For Paul, who had once caught and released hundreds of Pokémon in a single day, it was business as usual.
One by one, his Pokémon brought back defeated Croagunk and Skorupi.
Gabite emerged from the tall grass, tossing two Croagunk at Paul's feet. Dewott propelled itself forward with Aqua Jet, dragging back another two.
Poké Ball after Poké Ball was thrown, and each Pokémon was instantly teleported to the Pokemon Center.
The process continued smoothly—Croagunk were everywhere, making it easy to catch over 30 Pokémon in no time.
Skorupi occasionally returned, but instead of Croagunk, it brought back smaller Skorupi—younger members of its species.
"Let's move deeper inside."
Once Paul had captured 40 to 50 Pokémon, the wild Croagunk began to take notice. They started avoiding his team, making the hunt increasingly difficult.
To speed things up, Paul had no choice but to venture further into the wetlands.
As the terrain changed, the dense marshes thinned out, replaced by endless fields of tall grass—tall enough to reach Paul's knees.
"Spread out and—wait!"
Just as he was about to order his Pokémon forward, his expression hardened. His sharp gaze scanned the surroundings.
All around him, dozens of glowing eyes peered through the grass. And each one radiated bloodlust.
"Ursaring! Grotle! Get ready for battle!"
His Pokémon tensed.
Something was coming.
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