Chapter Sixty-Six: Heading to the Police Station

This is a story filled with anger and helplessness.

After hanging up the phone, Tang Yi sat in a daze for a long time before he gradually calmed his emotions. At this moment, Ralts behaved very obediently, quietly accompanying her trainer by his side without saying a word. Only when Tang Yi’s expression finally changed did she rise to her feet as well.

“That Feebas is so pitiful,” Ralts said softly, having overheard the conversation on the phone earlier.

Tang Yi let out a sigh and remained silent. He didn’t know how to explain to Ralts that although the world was beautiful, shadows inevitably lurked beneath the sunlight—something that could never truly be avoided.

Tang Yi first went online to search for relevant laws and regulations. All provisions regarding the protection of Pokémon originated from a law known as the Pokémon Protection Act, which was enacted several years after the end of the Second Great Pokémon War. At the time, its introduction was sensational and marked a new era; only from then on did the protection of Pokémon girls become something all humans genuinely cared about.

However, as this law was established long ago, the decades of peace since then had seen society develop rapidly, and many issues had arisen that legislators back then could never have anticipated. These were loopholes in the Protection Act. Tang Yi had found many similar examples, and there were people online and in the media calling for the law to be revised.

But amending a law—especially one so important—was clearly not something that could be decided in a few words. So, though such calls appeared every year, no revision had ever come to pass.

Even the police were helpless; Tang Yi knew there was nothing he could do. All he could do, besides cursing the wretched trainer in his heart, was to go to the police station over the weekend to help complete the necessary procedures so Feebas could be sent to the welfare institution as soon as possible.

Because of this unexpected incident, Tang Yi was in a low mood all week. Ralts was also quite concerned about Feebas. In fact, because the time they met Feebas happened to coincide with Ralts’s period of stagnation syndrome, even though she only saw Feebas once, the impression had been deep.

Yet Ralts did not express her concern to Tang Yi. Having matured, she had become more thoughtful. She could tell her trainer was troubled and did not wish to add to his worries. The young girl gradually came to realize that the world was truly complicated, and not every trainer was like Tang Yi.

Tang Yi continued to participate in school training as usual. No matter what, he couldn’t let this affect his important college entrance exams—he was clear on that. Still, Li Yaowen noticed Tang Yi’s recent distress.

As a coach hired solely for battle training, Li Yaowen was not required to double as a counselor, but he had been working with these students for some time. In his view, they were all promising young trainers, and he didn’t want them to be distracted from the crucial exams by other matters.

After some inquiry, Tang Yi didn’t hide anything. During a training break, he told everyone about Feebas, which immediately provoked a wave of outrage.

Although Zhang Chen, Jiang Hai, and the others weren’t as deeply bonded with their Pokémon as Tang Yi was—and perhaps felt that being too close was unnecessary—they still couldn’t accept forcing one’s Pokémon girl to leave through such despicable means. It was the act of a scoundrel.

Li Yaowen was also surprised and angry, though he didn’t react too intensely. Having been hardened by years in society, he was no stranger to such things.

“Look on the bright side: Feebas leaving such a trainer is a good thing. The welfare institutions are set up by Pokémon protection agencies all over the country. I believe she’ll have a much better life there,” he said. “As for revising the law, many call for it every year. I actually believe the authorities are seriously considering it, but it can’t be accomplished overnight. All we need to do is handle what’s within our power.”

The weekend arrived quickly.

The female officer who had called introduced herself as Officer Wang. After that day, she sent Tang Yi the police station’s address. Tang Yi checked online and confirmed it was the city’s public security bureau, which dispelled his last doubts.

After breakfast on Saturday, he set out with Ralts. In fact, he didn’t need to bring Ralts. According to Officer Wang, he only needed to make a statement and provide testimony to complete the procedures, which wouldn’t take long.

But Ralts insisted on coming, and Tang Yi let her. He could more or less guess her reason for wanting to go along.

Since there was proper business to attend to, they didn’t need to stroll leisurely. Ralts obediently entered her Poké Ball, and Tang Yi took a cab straight to the bureau.

When he reached the entrance, Tang Yi called Officer Wang. A few minutes later, a short-haired woman in uniform came out to bring him inside.

“You’re early! I was just thinking of messaging you to ask when you’d be coming, but here you are already,” she said.

“I was worried about Feebas, so I wanted to come as soon as possible,” Tang Yi replied as he followed her into the reception room. He glanced around and asked, “Is it okay to let my Pokémon out here?”

“No problem at all, don’t feel constrained. Make yourself comfortable,” Officer Wang replied with a friendly smile. She poured Tang Yi a glass of water and brought over some snacks.

Tang Yi’s willingness to come in person was a big help to them.

Tang Yi released Ralts, knowing she didn’t like staying in the Poké Ball too long. He introduced her, but the girl was a bit shy and gave Officer Wang a reserved smile.

“A very pretty Ralts. Just wait a moment,” Officer Wang said, leaving briefly and returning with a laptop and an Arcanine girl in tow.

“This is my partner, Arcanine. She can keep Ralts company.” Sitting down again and opening her computer, Officer Wang looked at Tang Yi. “Shall we begin?”

“Yes, that’s fine.”

Tang Yi was a little nervous at first, but soon relaxed. The questions were straightforward, mainly about what he saw when he encountered Feebas at Zhengyang Square—such as when he noticed her begging, her condition at the time, whether they spoke, and what was said.

After about twenty minutes, the interview was over. The report was printed out for Tang Yi to sign.

As she tidied up, Officer Wang explained, “According to the procedures of the Pokémon Protection Agency, in cases like this, we need to provide evidence that Feebas left home of her own accord, so your testimony is part of that. Thank you for your assistance.”