"Are you really sure about defying Officer Jenny's authority by robbing people in the city?" Tetsuya asked in return.
"Of course! We're afraid of neither Ho-Oh nor Mew!" Jessie said fearlessly, while the group of minions behind her echoed her words.
"Don't go asking for trouble. You only have four Pokémon in total, yet you want to challenge Officer Jenny? And you're even committing crimes in the city. That's nothing but wishful thinking," Tetsuya said helplessly.
"Well, we…" James was ultimately the more rational one.
"Oh, come on! What's there to be afraid of? At worst…" Jessie, with her impulsive personality, was about to interrupt again.
"You be quiet. …James, you make the decision," Tetsuya said, directly shutting Jessie down. Only then did she become a little more obedient. She had only been "Big Jess" here for three days, yet she already acted as though she ruled the entire world.
"M-Me…?" James said with little confidence. Ever since childhood, he had lived under the restraints of a powerful family. Everything had been arranged for him by his parents, even his marriage. As a result, James had almost no confidence in making decisions, so asking him to do so really put him on the spot.
However, James was someone worthy of trust.
"Don't be afraid. Just follow your own thinking. I'll help you," Tetsuya said.
""That's right, Boss James. We all support you!"" Chopper and Tyra encouraged James.
"Alright."
James clenched his fists, then lowered his head and began to think…
---◓---
"I think the first thing we need to do is investigate the strength of the Trainers we're planning to target. Just like this time, you attacked Tetsuya without thinking and ended up suffering a crushing defeat. If it had been someone else, we'd all be sitting in jail today. So this step is absolutely necessary! From now on, we can only pick on the easy targets," James said.
"Aye!"
"Aye!
Chopper and Tyra both nodded, finding his reasoning very convincing.
"I don't think that's right. We've been causing trouble here for several days, and the police haven't bothered with us at all. That proves they're too busy to deal with us, so we don't need to be so timid," Jessie insisted on making her presence known.
Tetsuya glared at her and said, "With that IQ of yours, you'd better stop talking. It's true that the police don't have time to deal with you right now, but as soon as a Trainer subdues you, Officer Jenny will be more than happy to come and sweep you all up. Then every single one of you will be thrown into jail.
At the very least, you'll have to wait until the bridge situation is resolved. By then, Leader Giovanni will have already left Sunnytown, and it'll be even harder for you to meet him."
"Ah…" Jessie revealed a terrified expression. "T-Then what should we do!?"
"From now on, keep quiet. James, continue," Tetsuya said.
"…!"
Jessie quickly made a gesture of covering her mouth.
"…Once we've identified our target, we have to make our move somewhere isolated. Otherwise, if we provoke public outrage, we're finished. Besides, stealing someone else's Pokémon is illegal to begin with, and sooner or later we'll be punished for it. So we also have to hide our identities!
During this special period, if people don't know who we are when they report us, the police won't have the time to investigate, and the case will simply be dropped," James said.
"Nice, James. Your plan is quite thorough. Overall, we'll follow your plan, but I do have one suggestion," Tetsuya said, then thought, 'How did he fall into this thieving mindset so easily? Could it be fate…?'
"Tetsuya, just say it."
"You can split into two groups. One group, led by Chopper and Tyra, can continue causing minor trouble around town to keep attracting the police's attention. By now, the police have already become accustomed to your daily mischief. If you suddenly stop, they'll become suspicious instead.
The other group should move to the outskirts. Public security there is already poor, and the hotels are cheaper. Most Trainers choose to stay there, making it the best place for you to strike," Tetsuya said.
James nodded. "Mm-hmm~ Tetsuya, you've really thought this through! Then we'll do it that way."
James immediately began making arrangements. Chopper, Tyra, and three others formed one group to remain in Sunnytown and continue causing trouble, while James, Jessie, and three others formed another group to head for the outskirts.
"I'm going to the Pokémon Center to pick up my Pokémon, then I'll head to the outskirts and lend you a hand," Tetsuya said to James.
"Eh, Tetsuya, isn't that a bad idea? After all, you're both a Gym Leader's pupil and a Pokémon Scholar. We can't let us ruin your future," James said.
"Something this small won't be discovered. Besides, I'm sure there will be times in the future when I'll need your help as well." What Tetsuya wanted now was to forge an inseparable relationship with Jessie and James.
"If you ever need us in the future, just say the word!" James said.
"Un, alright. You go on ahead. We'll meet up in the outskirts later."
---◓---
After retrieving Golurk, Skorupi, and the four-headed Weezing from the Pokémon Center, Tetsuya said goodbye to Nurse Joy and left.
That afternoon, he met up with Jessie and James in the outskirts of Sunnytown.
"You should first investigate the combat power of the Trainers around here. Once you've identified a target, come find me, It shouldn't be that hard; after all, they are Trainers, and wherever a large number of them gather, there are always battles.. I'll be waiting for your news at the farm up ahead," Tetsuya said.
"Got it."
James had already completed his strategic deployment. The five of them headed off in different directions.
Tetsuya went alone to the area near the farm and waited for news from James and the others. In truth, this was simply an opportunity to train James's leadership qualities. Even without investigating, Tetsuya already knew the Trainers here would not be his match.
It was not until around ten o'clock that night that James, Jessie, and the other three finally arrived at the farm where Tetsuya was waiting.
"Let's organize everything everyone investigated today. Tomorrow morning we'll compile it and analyze it together," James said.
Everyone prepared some snacks, ate a little to fill their stomachs, pitched their tents, and went to sleep.
Early the next morning, all five reported the results of their investigations. First, anyone who had participated in League tournaments was eliminated. Second, anyone who had earned a Gym Badge was eliminated. Finally, anyone with more than three Pokémon was eliminated.
After that process, more than half of the candidates had been eliminated, leaving only mediocre Pokémon Trainers.
These Trainers had limited ability, and their Pokémon were not much stronger. Whether they would encounter a good one or not depended entirely on luck.
James's team was still short of six Pokémon. For Tetsuya, that was the minimum they needed, though obtaining a few more would not be a problem.
In the end, James selected ten targets in order. Even James himself could not say how many they would actually succeed against, but to Tetsuya, the task was indeed very simple.
The first target was from Cerulean City and had a Poliwag and a Staryu.
Although the Trainer's skill was only average, both Pokémon were Water types. First, James's Cacturne held an absolute type advantage. Second, since Sunnytown was located beside the river, Water-type Pokémon would certainly be of great use.
Now that the target had been chosen, the next step was to make the strategic arrangements. Everything had to be absolutely foolproof!