I sat quietly on the wooden bench, watching the people of the city go about their day.
The city was peaceful.
Street vendors called out to passing customers. Wingull flew overhead, their cries blending with the distant sound of waves striking the harbor. Children laughed as they chased each other through the streets alongside their Pokémon.
It was a scene completely different from the forest.
For a moment, I simply observed.
Then a shadow fell over me.
"Well, well... what do we have here?"
A rough voice sounded from nearby.
I looked up.
Three men were standing in front of me.
Their clothes were untidy, their expressions unfriendly, and the way they stared at me made their intentions obvious.
One of them smirked.
"A kid all by himself?"
Another glanced around before chuckling.
"Looks like today's our lucky day."
I stared at them for a few seconds before letting out a small sigh.
So much for a peaceful city.
"Can I help you?" I asked innocently, while already knowing what they were about to do.
The three men exchanged glances before breaking into laughter.
"Hear that?" one of them said. "The brat's got guts."
"Or maybe he's just stupid."
Their laughter echoed through the alley.
I remained seated.
If they were expecting me to be scared, they were going to be disappointed.
The tallest of the three stepped forward and planted a foot on the bench beside me.
"Listen, kid," he said with a grin. "We're a little short on cash today."
"So we're gonna need you to hand over anything valuable you've got."
"And if I don't?" I asked.
The grin on his face widened.
"Then things get unpleasant."
Behind him, one of his companions released a Pokémon.
A scruffy-looking Poochyena appeared in a flash of red light.
"Pooch!"
The Dark-type bared its fangs and growled threateningly.
I glanced around.
The street was quiet.
Most of the buildings in this part of the city were old warehouses and abandoned shops. Aside from the occasional sea breeze drifting through the alley, there was almost no sign of life.
The lively atmosphere of the harbor district felt strangely distant here.
No pedestrians.
No merchants.
No police.
Just me and the three men standing before me.
It seemed they had chosen this place carefully.
"Well?" the thug asked impatiently. "Have you made up your mind yet?"
I looked at him for a moment before shifting my gaze to the Poochyena growling at my side.
The Dark-type tried its best to appear threatening, baring its fangs and puffing out its chest.
Unfortunately, compared to the Pokémon I saw every day in the forest, it wasn't particularly intimidating.
"You know," I said thoughtfully, "this is my first time visiting a city."
The three men frowned.
"What?"
"I've been wondering what to do during my visit here," I continued. "And while I was taking a break, the three of you suddenly showed up and ruined my mood."
For a moment, the street fell silent.
The thugs stared at me as if they had heard something ridiculous.
Then one of them laughed.
"Ruined your mood?"
"Did you hear that?" another said. "The brat thinks he's in a position to complain."
Their laughter echoed through the deserted street.
I simply looked at them.
Honestly, I wasn't even angry.
Just disappointed.
Out of all the things I expected to encounter on my first trip to a human city, petty criminals weren't particularly high on the list.
"So," I asked, rising slowly from the bench, "are you planning to rob me, or is there another reason you're wasting my time?"
The laughter abruptly stopped. Because they suddenly found that one of them is being grabbed by the brat that they were looking down on.
The laughter abruptly stopped.
Because somehow, without any of them noticing, one of their companions was no longer standing beside them.
He was in front of me.
More specifically, he was being held by the collar.
The thug's eyes widened in shock.
One moment, I had been several steps away.
The next moment, my hand was wrapped around his shirt, lifting him slightly off the ground.
"W-What—?!"
His voice came out as a panicked squeak.
The other two froze.
Their minds struggled to process what had just happened.
They hadn't seen me move.
They hadn't even seen me stand up.
It was as if I had simply appeared.
I looked at the man dangling from my grip.
"You know," I said calmly, "interrupting someone's peaceful afternoon is rather rude."
The thug instinctively tried to pull away.
He failed.
My hand didn't budge.
It felt less like being held by a child and more like being caught in an iron vise.
Fear slowly crept onto his face.
The other two finally snapped out of their daze.
"H-Hey!"
"Let him go!"
One of them immediately reached for a Poké Ball.
I glanced toward him.
Just once.
And suddenly, neither of them felt like moving anymore.
The casual expression on my face hadn't changed.
Yet for some reason, an instinctive warning screamed in the back of their minds.
They had made a mistake.
A very large mistake.
And for the first time since approaching the lone child sitting on the bench, they realized something.
They weren't the predators here.
They were the prey.
As I looked at their terrified faces, something stirred deep within me.
Ah...
How long had it been?
Since coming to this world, I had been living as a child.
Exploring the forest.
Learning about Pokémon.
Enjoying peaceful days without worries.
Somewhere along the way, I had almost forgotten what kind of person I used to be.
Almost.
The thug in my grasp shuddered.
The two behind him instinctively took a step back.
The atmosphere had changed.
The child standing before them still wore the same harmless appearance.
Yet somehow, that only made it worse.
I slowly raised my eyes while sporting a bright smile.
"Tell me," I said softly.
"Have the three of you ever wondered what happens when you provoke the wrong person?"
The smile on my face was warm.
Friendly, even.
Which only made the three men look even more terrified.
Interesting.
I hadn't done anything yet.
Well... aside from grabbing one of them.
And squeezing another's hand a little.
Maybe a little more than a little.
"L-Let him go!"
One of the thugs finally gathered his courage and threw a punch at me.
A slow punch.
Very slow.
Honestly, it was almost impressive.
I casually caught it with my free hand.
The man's expression froze.
Then I squeezed.
Crack.
"AAAAARGH!"
A miserable scream echoed through the deserted street.
The thug immediately dropped to his knees.
I blinked.
"...Oops."
The three men stared at me.
I stared back.
"In my defense," I said, "I thought he'd be sturdier."
For some reason, that didn't make them feel any better.
The remaining thug stumbled backward.
His face had gone completely pale.
I glanced at the man dangling from my grip.
Tears were already forming in the corners of his eyes.
"Please..."
"We're sorry..."
"Sorry?"
I tilted my head.
"A few moments ago, you seemed quite eager to make my day worse."
The three men trembled.
Seeing their reactions, I couldn't help but sigh.
Honestly.
The world may have given me a second life.
But it seemed fate still enjoyed throwing idiots in my path every now and then.