Nurse Joy took the Poké Balls from Nozomi's hands and placed them on a machine beside her.
Since the Pokémon weren't seriously injured, they only needed to recover their stamina.
"Mr. Nozomi, may I ask what brings you back to Viridian City? Don't tell me you've already collected all eight Badges?" Joy asked with a warm smile.
As the one who had witnessed his departure, she naturally knew Nozomi was just a rookie Trainer traveling to earn eight Badges and qualify for the Indigo League Conference.
Seeing him return to Viridian City now, it was only natural that she made the connection.
Nozomi shook his head slowly. "No, I've only collected seven so far. I still need the last one—the Viridian Gym Badge. I was planning to challenge the Viridian Gym to earn it."
He opened his jacket slightly to show her the Badges pinned neatly inside.
"My, Mr. Nozomi really is strict with himself," Joy said admiringly. "Aside from the Cerulean Badge, all of these are from very difficult Gyms!"
Her eyes sparkled with admiration.
As expected of Mr. Nozomi—he even chose to challenge the strongest Gyms! No wonder he was the Trainer who defeated both Team Rocket and the Pokémon Hunters.
Seeing that familiar glow in Joy's eyes, Nozomi's lips twitched.
He vaguely recalled the Joy from Cinnabar Gym being just like this—fangirling to the point of asking for his autograph… on her Chansey's egg. He wondered how that poor Chansey was doing now. Hopefully, it had recovered from the emotional damage.
"But, Mr. Nozomi, I'm afraid your timing isn't the best."
"My timing?" Nozomi frowned, a bad feeling creeping up. "What do you mean?"
"Well, just yesterday, the Viridian Gym's Trainers were summoned by the League and have all gone to the Plateau. The Gym is currently closed."
"…What?"
What was this situation?He had barely arrived, and the Viridian Gym was already shut down?Were they deliberately avoiding him?
Frowning, Nozomi turned on his laptop and opened the Kanto League forum's Viridian Gym section. Sure enough, plenty of Trainers were discussing the same thing.
At the top was a pinned post from the official Viridian Gym account.
He clicked it open—it stated that the Gym Leader had received an emergency summons from the League and had already departed for the Indigo Plateau.
Scrolling through the replies, most were just Trainers complaining that they had come all the way to Viridian City to challenge the Gym, only to find it closed, demanding some sort of "compensation."
However, buried among them were some valuable comments.
One read:"What's going on in Kanto lately? First Vermilion Gym closed, and now Viridian Gym too, right after reopening! Even Saffron, Celadon, and Fuchsia Gyms have all closed their doors! The Indigo Conference is only three months away—why is the League making such a move right now?"
Nozomi's brow furrowed deeper.
He opened the pages for those other cities—and sure enough, every Gym mentioned in the comments had posted a similar closure notice.
"Something's not right…"
Nozomi's eyes narrowed. This sudden, coordinated closure couldn't just be coincidence. It was impossible not to link it to the large-scale Pokémon Hunter attacks that had recently targeted Kanto.
"So, Lance and the others have already begun their arrangements…" he murmured.
Just as he thought that, he felt a vibration from his belt.
He pulled out his communicator—Lance's face was flashing on the screen.
He answered. "Lance? What's up?"
"Nozomi, thank you for your information." Lance's first words were filled with gratitude.
Nozomi's mind immediately flashed with dread.Here it comes. He's going to ask for help, isn't he?
And sure enough—
"Nozomi, I need your assistance," Lance said in his calm, commanding tone.
"…Figures," Nozomi muttered under his breath. His premonitions were never this accurate—unfortunately.
Still, he had already anticipated this.
"I know. It's about the Pokémon Hunters, right? But I'm in the middle of my Gym challenge right now…" Nozomi said, hinting rather obviously.
Translation: I can help, but could you maybe handle that Gym Badge problem for me first?
"If you help us, you can have any Badge you want," Lance replied directly.
That domineering tone—truly fitting for the head of the Kanto Elite Four.
"Fine. What do you need me to do?"
With Lance already saying this much, Nozomi couldn't exactly refuse.
After all, he had just taken over one of the League's buildings not long ago—it was only fair to contribute.
"According to our covert investigation, there are three factions of Pokémon Hunters preparing to attack Kanto."
"Three factions?"
"The first group comes from the Hoenn Region. They're large in number but generally low in individual skill. They rely on advanced tech and weaponry, so they're relatively easy to deal with. Lorelei and my subordinates in the prosecutor division will handle them."
"The second group consists of Pokémon Hunters from the Sinnoh Region. They're few, but strong. According to Hunter J's testimony, these individuals are elite and dangerous. Granny Agatha and I will take care of them personally."
"The third group… is the most critical one."
"The most critical?" Nozomi asked, his tone turning serious.
"This group hails from the Unova Region. Intelligence suggests they have ties to the criminal organization known as Team Plasma. The League considers them the highest threat. You, along with several Gym Trainers summoned for this mission, will be responsible for neutralizing them."
"Meanwhile, Bruno will remain stationed at the Indigo Plateau to prevent Team Rocket from exploiting the situation—and to provide mobile support if needed."
Within moments, Lance had laid out a full operational plan—concise, efficient, and perfectly structured.
It all made sense.
The speed and precision of it surprised Nozomi.
He had always thought the League was notoriously slow and bureaucratic, but perhaps he had underestimated them.
When the League's very survival was on the line, they could indeed show remarkable efficiency.
"I guess people only move when they're truly cornered," Nozomi sighed inwardly.
Only at times like this did the League reveal its true capability.