Pokémon Court

Chapter 43: Rusturf Tunnel

Chapter 43: Rusturf Tunnel

Master Victor returned, and due to a small accident, Terrance’s trip to the Sinnoh region was postponed for a few more days.

Sitting once again in Master Victor’s personal helicopter, they flew towards Verdanturf Town, located to the west of the Hoenn region.

Unlike Fallarbor Town, Verdanturf Town was known for its refreshing air. Despite its proximity to Mt. Chimney, the volcanic ash does not blow towards it due to the wind direction.

In terms of economic prosperity, Verdanturf Town, with its fragrant and breezy highland, attracts many weak patients seeking recovery and is much more prosperous than Fallarbor Town.

“Is the situation serious?”

“Some workers have been injured, and the construction of Rusturf Tunnel has come to a halt. Although they called the nearby Trainers to investigate the cause, the problem still persists.”

Terrance conversed with Master Victor. Their visit to Verdanturf Town was to resolve a construction accident caused by Pokémon.

In order to provide convenient and fast roads for Trainers, Hoenn League decided to construct a mountain path connecting Rustboro City to Verdanturf Town. This path was initially named the “Rusturf Tunnel.” However, during the middle of the construction, a group of Whismur appeared to obstruct the project.

This group of Whismur was extremely cunning and disciplined. Whenever Trainers come here to guard, they quietly hide away, and as soon as the Trainer leaves and the workers resume their work, they will collectively emerge to cause havoc during nights when manpower is scarce.

The actions of the Whismur were causing a headache for the person in charge of the project. The individual reported the situation to higher authorities, but the Hoenn League lacked suitable personnel to deal with such a minor issue at the time. Disrupting the Elites and special operatives for a Rusturf Tunnel project seemed excessive.

Moreover, there were too many places in need of personnel due to the upcoming Ever Grande Conference.

From the perspective of the higher-ups, this kind of minor problem was merely a result of the leader’s incompetence. They believed that Trainers from outside could easily resolve it.

However, in the end, several workers unexpectedly got injured, causing a huge uproar in the local area. This made the League anxious, leading them to halt the construction of Rusturf Tunnel. Under public pressure, League immediately invited Master Victor, who was active in the vicinity, to participate in the investigation. They also mobilized the Petalburg Woods Ranger and the local police to assist in this mission.

“The families of the workers have started causing a commotion. So, League had no choice but to seek help from the Breeder Association, as there are no capable individuals near Verdanturf Town.”

“If ordinary people continue to get hurt, it will negatively impact the reputation that the League has just established.”

“Although we brought Trainers to drive away the Whismur, they simply won’t give up…”

“These incidents caused by Pokémon cannot be solved by the Trainers using brute force alone. If we don’t identify the cause, it’s just treating the symptoms but not the root cause, and won’t work.”

Master Victor shook his head, explaining to Terrance.

“Whismur? Could it be that the tunnel construction is disturbing the Whismur?

…No, Whismur shouldn’t be affected by noises. This Pokémon has the talent ‘Soundproof,’ right?”

Also known as an “ability,” but the term “ability” hadn’t been officially popularized yet. Breeders currently refer to some extraordinary abilities of Pokémon as “unique talents.”

“It seems unlikely that the noise from the tunnel construction is disturbing the Whismur. Wouldn’t the League have chosen a location for the tunnel that doesn’t have any Pokémon habitats? Therefore, investigating the intentions behind the Whismur’s destructive behavior might provide a breakthrough.”

Master Victor paused for a moment, then looked at Terrance with satisfaction. “You’re right,” he said. “Whismur does possess the ‘Soundproof’ talent. If the person in charge of this project is aware of that, they should understand that the key to the situation lies not in driving away the Whismur.”

“We have arrived.”

As Master Victor’s helicopter descended, police and personnel were waiting below, making Terrance once again marvel at the status of a top-level Breeder.

Speaking of which, once they arrived at their destination, Master Victor had no time to take care of Terrance. Terrance was also happy to have some free time and planned to engage in some real battles with his Beautifly and Swablu.

Many young Trainers have gathered in the mountains near Rusturf Tunnel. They were all previously invited to resolve the Whismur incident and now, with the situation escalating, they were unwilling to leave without witnessing the outcome.

The police had already sealed off most areas, leaving the Trainers feeling helpless.

However, the Trainers were getting bored one by one. So, in the vacant areas around them, groups of two or three Trainers often gather together for battles.

And Terrance too was drawn to the sounds.

“A Water-type versus Grass-type battle. He might be in danger.”

“Hasn’t Tyson won three battles in a row already? Can the opponent hold on, especially when there is a disadvantage in type…”

The battle raged on, and the Trainers observing the scene focused intently on the two Pokémon on the field, including Terrance.

Grovyle and Azumarill.

…

…

Grovyle’s well-developed thigh muscles can generate astonishing explosive power, and its Leafage exhibits blade-like abilities during battles. Under the high-frequency suppression of Grovyle’s Leaf Blades, Azumarill was quickly defeated.

The outcome was clear.

The onlookers immediately exclaimed, “Four consecutive victories! It’s already four consecutive victories!”

Four consecutive victories?

Terrance squeezed to the front, wanting to see who the victor was.

The winner was a young boy who appeared to be eleven or twelve years old. He had a broad face and brown hair that seemed to be fixed into a peculiar hairstyle with hair gel.

As Terrance walked to the front, the young trainer immediately grabbed hold of him and spoke,  “Friend, have you finally seen my true strength?”

After saying that, he shouted to the observing Trainers, “Is there anyone who wants to challenge me? If not, does anyone want to join me now?”

“Since we’ve all come here, how can we leave empty-handed? As long as we have five people, we’ll set off into the mountains. While the police investigate, we’ll conduct our own investigation and uncover the mystery of the Whismur incident!”

Tyson was enthusiastic, but it seemed to be a characteristic of every young Trainer. After seeing Tyson’s strength, the others were obviously intrigued by his proposal. Most Trainers were restless individuals, and situations like these constantly fuels the fiery passion in their young hearts.

“I’m in.”

“I’ll join.”

“Count me in.”

In just a moment, three Trainers, two males and one female, stood up together.

The police had clearly stated that Trainers were not allowed to continue the investigation. Workers had already been injured, and if Trainers also got hurt due to the Rusturf Tunnel incident, the situation would escalate further.

“We have four people. Is there anyone else?!”

Tyson looked around, hoping to find another teammate, but everyone else was quite rational and decided not to join the commotion.

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