Gladion trudged through the dense forest, swatting away branches as Guy walked beside him who was lifting large rocks in both hands while walking.

The Machoke's presence was reassuring, but it didn't help with their current predicament.

"We're lost, aren't we?" Gladion muttered, looking at his map for the hundredth time. The unconventional route he'd chosen to avoid the main roads was proving more challenging than anticipated. "I should have just teleported to Pewter City. But nooo, I had to be all 'let's enjoy the journey' and 'let's take the scenic route.'"

Guy flexed his muscles encouragingly, but even his usual enthusiasm seemed dampened by their surroundings. The forest was too quiet, lacking the usual chirping of Pidgey or rustling of Rattata.

Suddenly, Gladion froze. His psychic senses tingled, drawing his attention to something dark splattered across some nearby rocks. His heart rate quickened as he approached, already knowing what he'd find.

Blood. Human blood.

'God Damn it, I hoped that it would not be true. The world would be as peaceful as the anime world. But it looks like people bleed here as well as Pokemon.' Gladion thought

His past-life knowledge had never prepared him for this. In the anime, the worst injuries were usually just scratches or bruises that disappeared in the next scene. But this... this was real. The dark stains told a story he didn't want to read.

'This world isn't a game or a show,' he thought grimly. 'People can die here. People do die here.'

His psychic sphere suddenly pulsed with warning. Three presences approached from different directions, trying to be stealthy but failing miserably to his enhanced senses. Guy tensed beside him, picking up on his trainer's alertness.

"Hey there, young trainer!" A friendly voice called out. A man stepped into view, wearing hiking gear and sporting what would have been a convincing worried expression - if Gladion couldn't sense the malice beneath it. "Are you lost? These woods can be dangerous."

Two more men emerged, similarly dressed from two other sides likely covering all of his escape routes.

"We're forest rangers," one added with a practiced smile. "We've been warning trainers about some dangerous wild Pokemon in the area."

Gladion's psychic powers pierced through their deception like sunlight through fog. His parents had told him that reading memories and even thoughts of people by both Pokemon or Psychics was considered illegal. One needed the permission of the league to actually read someone's thoughts and memories and it was only done to the worst of the criminals or if the situation called for it.

But Gladion had a different opinion. They can't sue him if they don't know that he read their memories and even if they did know it, they won't have any proof.

Their thoughts betrayed their true nature - bandits who preyed on lost trainers, stealing their Pokemon and valuables. The blood he'd found... his stomach turned at the implications.

"That's interesting," Gladion replied coolly, "considering there are no forest rangers assigned to this area."

The friendly facades dropped instantly. "Clever kid," the first man sneered, pulling out three Pokeballs. "Too clever for your own good."

The other two also released three and two Pokeballs respectively.

Eight Pokemon materialized around them - three Crobat, four Ekans, and a particularly vicious-looking Golbat.

The poison-types hissed menacingly, fangs gleaming.

Gladion's response was immediate. His entire team emerged in flashes of light: Mystique's elegant form coiling protectively, Collosus hovering ominously, Zeus crackling with electricity, Arsenal's flames burning bright, Nyx taking a battle stance, and Hydros adjusting his imaginary sunglasses one final time before looking serious.

"Last chance," one bandit warned, "hand over your Pokemon and whatever money you have. Kids like you don't need to get hurt."

The threat in his voice was clear. They weren't bluffing about the hurting part - or worse. One of the bandit though drooled at the Pokemon the kid had.

"Kekeke, It looks like that it is our lucky day. Kid has got some rare Pokemon. He even has a Milotic. We are rich boys. RICH" One of them laughed as Gladion looked at him with a disgusted expression.

"Guy," Gladion commanded, his voice ice-cold, "Dynamic Punch."

What followed was less of a battle and more of a demonstration of power. Guy's fist slammed into the nearest Crobat with devastating force, sending it crashing through a tree. Mystique's Ice Beam froze two Ekans solid before they could even move.

Collosus, despite not being fully evolved, fired a Dark Pulse that knocked the Golbat unconscious instantly. His alpha gene was not there for just show.

Zeus and Arsenal worked in perfect sync, their recent training paying off. Thunder Punch and Fire Punch connected with their targets simultaneously, while Hydros's watergun slammed into the last remaining Pokemon. Nyx stood with Gladion, ready to protect him.

They had already discussed plans for what to do if they ever got attacked by malicious people.

The bandits stared in shock. Their Pokemon, clearly undertrained and used more for intimidation than actual battle, stood no chance against Gladion's well-trained team.

"How..." one bandit stuttered, "they're just regular Pokemon! How are they so strong?"

Gladion's eyes glowed slightly with psychic energy as he regarded them coldly. "Because I actually care about my Pokemon. They're not just tools for threatening people."

'While Zeus and Arsenal are almost at the same level as their Pokemons, my other Pokemon are way stronger than yours.' Gladion thought

The reality of this world hit him fully in that moment. In his past life, he'd watched Pokemon battles where the worst outcome was fainting. But here... here were people who used Pokemon as weapons, who would kill without hesitation. If he hadn't been powerful enough, if his Pokemon hadn't been so well-trained...

He probed their minds quickly, searching for any connection to Team Rocket. He found none - these were just ordinary criminals. They were bandits.

The thought sent a chill down his spine. If regular bandits were this ruthless, how much worse would actual criminal organizations be?

"Guy," he commanded, "Knock these men out." He turned to the bandits, his voice hard. "You're lucky I believe in the law. The police will handle you."

As Guy knocked the criminals out with a punch, with Mystique and Collosus keeping watch, Gladion sat heavily on a fallen log. Zeus, Arsenal, Hydros, and Nyx gathered around him protectively.

This wasn't the anime world where Team Rocket blasted off again after each defeat. This wasn't a game where fainting was the worst that could happen. This was a world where Pokemon battles could be lethal, where criminals wouldn't hesitate to kill, where the blood on those rocks told stories of less fortunate trainers.

"We need to keep getting stronger," he murmured to his Pokemon. "Not just for the League, but for survival." He looked at each of them - his partners, his protectors, his family.

His team responded with determined cries. They understood, perhaps better than he did, the dangers of their world as they have lived in the wild. Even Zeus and Arsenal, usually so competitive with each other, stood united in their resolve.

In this world, strength wasn't just about winning badges. It was about survival.

---Author Notes-------

Y'all can read 12 extra chapters on my pat*reon.

https://pat reon.com/mrmime24

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