Chapter 133: Saving Ore

The way Flobo and the others discussed matters with almost reckless abandon left Baimu feeling deeply uneasy.

He had a premonition that he might have truly earned these people's trust, and that soon some secrets would be revealed before him.

Sure enough.

After a moment of thought, Master Liu Ge led him into the office.

The two sat down facing each other.

"To be honest, I didn't hope to tell you certain things this early. The best case would have been for us to resolve everything, and for you to go do what you wanted without any burden."

Master Liu Ge's tone was not without regret. "Unfortunately, only now do I realize that keeping you completely out of it is impossible. The day I took you under my wing, I lost the possibility of concealment. But fortunately, you haven't disappointed me by being swallowed up by this town."

Baimu did not reply, simply listening quietly as he continued.

"I have a question — how do you view Iron Town, and indeed the entire Ore region?"

Master Liu Ge interlaced his fingers beneath his chin, watching him with anticipation.

"View… I don't know about the entire Ore region, because I've never been anywhere besides Iron Town. Speaking only of Iron Town itself, when I learned about other regions through the internet, I believe it should be erased."

Baimu said bluntly.

The Pokémon animated world was not without its dark side.

Kanto's Team Rocket, Sinnoh's Team Galactic, Unova's Team Plasma, Kalos's Team Flare — these villainous organizations either harbored ambitions of world domination or had already done things enough to upend the world.

Not to mention, isn't Unova's Team Plasma disgusting? On one hand they steal others' Pokémon and release them back to nature, on the other they madly exploit Pokémon power — and their boss Ghetsis in particular deserves nothing but contempt.

But compared to these fellows, Iron Town is even worse. Although there is no super-large villainous organization here, the oppression of the people is more terrifying than any of them.

Even more chilling is the social atmosphere.

After generation upon generation of influence, many people here have been utterly warped by power and money, becoming monsters in human skin.

And hearing what Baimu said, Master Liu Ge not only did not get angry, but laughed instead.

"Then what do you think should be done to erase Iron Town? Use Pokémon power to kill everyone here?"

"No, I mean erasure on the level of consciousness."

He shook his head. "To make Iron Town truly disappear, the people here must be made to recognize right from wrong, to recognize that they are being persecuted, to recognize that they should not persecute others. What the people of Iron Town need is a cleansing on the level of the soul!"

Without the Quicksand Gang there would be the Flying Sand Gang, the Mad Sand Gang — if the social atmosphere isn't reversed, if people aren't made to know what they truly ought to do, Iron Town will never disappear.

Even if this town is gone, in the future it will resurrect somewhere else.

Master Liu Ge listened to his words, his eyes growing brighter and brighter, until finally he could not help but burst into applause!

"Very good! Excellent! I truly didn't expect that I was still underestimating you — to think you also possessed this kind of thinking! No wonder you've been able to persevere all the way until now!"

After all, he's from a world that swept through heaven and earth.

Baimu grumbled inwardly, but on the surface said: "This is just armchair strategy I worked out after learning things through the internet. I hope you'll forgive the laugh."

"No, no, no — armchair strategy is far better than knowing nothing at all. Besides, you've already proven what you said with your own actions." Master Liu Ge shook his head vigorously. "Giving back the money you obtained to the impoverished common people, not being warped by filthy and lowbrow entertainment, not bullying any innocent person.

"What you've done, we've all seen with our own eyes. If everyone in Iron Town were like you, we wouldn't have had to endure in silence until now."

Baimu's heart stirred. "You all?"

"Yes, we." Master Liu Ge grinned. "What do you think we are?"

"…"

Faced with this question, he deliberated for several seconds, then carefully asked: "International Police?"

Master Liu Ge was surprised for a moment upon hearing this, then laughed: "You keep surprising me more and more, but this answer is both correct and not correct."

Without waiting for Baimu's question, the good big brother continued: "Why is it correct? Because Flobo and I do indeed have the status of International Police, and we act in accordance with that status.

"And why it is not correct is because of our ultimate goal — to save Ore!"

Master Liu Ge suddenly stood up, both hands raised high. "The times are changing, the wheels of history roll forward. Although the Ore region's technological level is not low, its system is far too dark and backward. If this continues, sooner or later we'll be abandoned by the whole world! Become the garbage dump of the entire world!"

The more the other spoke, the more excited he became. "Right now, in the outside world, every well-known thief, vicious poaching gang, and criminal runs to the Ore region — to fence stolen goods, to hide themselves. Why? Because here they won't be punished! This place is a paradise for criminals!"

*Initial Evolution*

He said with heartfelt anguish: "I absolutely do not wish my homeland to be such a sad, hateful place. So for the sake of all innocent people, for the sake of our next generation, the Ore region must be reborn! There is absolutely no room for compromise!"

Master Liu Ge lowered his head and said to Baimu: "We can't delay any longer. The mayor of Castelia City is applying to establish a League. Once they use the opportunity to wash the stench off themselves, it'll be hard to catch them again. Do you understand?"

The latter looked at his utterly serious expression and nodded with difficulty. "I understand… but how do you plan to do it? Can the International Police, with their scale, save Ore?"

"No."

Master Liu Ge shook his head without hesitation. "The International Police cannot save Ore. What can save Ore is only the people of Ore themselves. There is no other way."

He sat down. "You may think our manpower is insufficient, but in fact, the preparations we've made are far longer than you imagine. To greet tomorrow, we have already worked for over a decade."

"Over a decade!?"

"That's right. Saving Ore cannot be done in a year or two. To fight against the entire society, to cultivate more people of insight, the effort and sacrifice required must be measured in years."

Master Liu Ge exhaled a breath of stale air, pointed at himself and said: "You may think I'm the leader, the big shot in this plan. You're wrong — I'm nothing more than one cog among many, rolling forward together with everyone else."

Baimu pondered for several seconds, then said: "In other words, within Iron Town there are still many people like you and Flobo?"

"Yes. Most of them are lying low in various places, just waiting for the right moment. And not only Iron Town — Castelia City and indeed the entire Ore region all contain people who share our aspirations."