stonecrandall Chapter 134 is titled "The Wound of History"
Chapter 134 is titled "The Wound of History"
Chapter 134 The Wound Called "History"
Humans can only observe the world through their eyes. No matter how we turn, we can only ever see a small part of life.
Life, however, is complex and multifaceted, woven together by countless people and countless experiences.
Therefore, if we don't personally participate in the times, there will always be some things that exist silently in the darkness that we don't know about.
It's only when you inadvertently glance at the truth hidden beneath the glamorous surface that you discover the wounds called "history" there, bleeding and waiting to heal.
You might not believe it, but before the rise of the Liyong Power Plant, the city's energy sector was terrifying.
Pokémon can help humans explore mineral veins, find oil fields, and open tunnels. Some Pokémon, like Mantle Rock and Krookodile, are even born to live underground.
In this way, the exact locations of resources such as oil, coal, and natural gas do not need to be searched extensively. Simply capture one or two Pokémon living underground, and they will become the trainer's most loyal guides.
Therefore, with the development of Liyong City thirty years ago, people immediately discovered this fossil treasure deep underground. In an instant, privately-run energy companies sprang up all over the city like mushrooms after rain.
This period was later known as the golden age of the energy industry in Liyong City.
—Of course, I wasn't a firsthand witness to that time. I only worked at the Liyong Power Plant for three years, and these details were told to me by my senior colleagues as a topic of conversation.
The reason they called the years of the city's founding a golden age is because darkness soon followed.
After the rise of numerous private energy companies, the market demand for energy began to exceed supply, and the companies fell into a vicious cycle of competition and infighting. This infighting was directed at external customers and competitors, frantically increasing production capacity and driving down unit prices; and at internal employees, competing to be the worst, cutting basic wages, deducting benefits, and demanding overtime in order to pursue profits.
Employees who are "absentee kings" will be fired the day after being late for work. At that time, in Ritsuki City, there were also "hyperactive monkeys" from all over Unova competing to enter this industry - because Ritsuki City was the fastest-growing city in the Unova region at that time.
When I joined Liyong Power Plant, it was at the end of this era, and the market environment was gradually improving—or perhaps worsening.
As major fossil companies meticulously cultivated this small area, the energy reserves of Liyong City began to waver, and people gradually realized the crisis that such unsustainable mining would cause—in short, for various reasons, energy prices began to rise.
Just as energy prices were rising and businesses were reaping the biggest benefits, official institutions, represented by the alliance, also took action to address the future energy crisis, introducing policies to restrict production capacity.
That environmental protection bill, which is now common knowledge in Yongshi's energy industry, was also discussed and introduced intensively during that period.
However, the policy, which should have yielded immediate results, was like Magikarp's "Leap" move, achieving no effect whatsoever.
Whenever ambitious alliance officials come to power and try to take a bite out of the bloated energy pie, they find that no matter what policies they adopt, they will have the opposite effect.
No sooner had the alliance's proposal to limit production been announced than fuel prices began to soar the next day, making gas stations even more of a rip-off than luxury boutiques.
The environmental protection law was called an evil law by people at the time. Almost all energy companies went on strike to express their disgust and opposition to it. Many workers were encouraged to take to the streets to stand up for the capitalists who were exploiting them, which was really ironic.
Yes, detective, you're right.
A major reason why these laws failed is that the energy industry here has undergone long-term competition, resulting in a few monopolistic companies with enough power to swallow up the rest of their competitors. These few remaining monopolistic giants have then formed an industry alliance.
This is the ultimate evolutionary form of private enterprises—they have unified power and discourse, forming a force that rivals the Pokémon League, which is far superior to the Champion League. Even if the League officials sent from above want to take action, they can only be hindered at every turn.
However, just as the Dark Ages were gradually evolving into an era of monopolies, the emergence of a power plant changed everything.
Do you remember that despicable movement against the environmental laws mentioned above? At the time, in a city where everyone was silent, only one newly established energy company stood up against the movement—that was the Li Yong City Power Plant founded by Mr. William.
The factory manager believes that the alliance's insight into the future of Liyong City is entirely correct. However, the current awkward situation of policy incompatibility has another fundamental reason—the irreplaceable nature of fossil fuels.
Why can the long-established monopoly alliance control the economy and the hearts of the people in Liyong City? It's because they possess the most effective way to make money in the area, ensuring they profit without fail until the city's energy resources are depleted in a hundred years!
Like black oil being pushed into a tank by a hydraulic pump, even the most clear-headed person has no choice but to move their feet in the direction of the flow of wealth.
If the energy monopoly alliance is allowed to continue its dominance, Liyong City's fossil fuel reserves may be able to sustain it for another ten or even several decades, but they will definitely not last for the predicted century, because humanity's dependence on energy is increasing day by day.
And what about afterwards? What will happen to cities after energy is depleted? By continuously drawing lifeblood from the earth and emitting exhaust fumes into the sky, what kind of mess will we leave for future generations?
The Liyong Power Plant was built to change the current landscape of Liyong City. Plant Manager William decided to fundamentally change the declining energy industry—in the way you see it today, by utilizing new energy sources.
Wind power, hydropower, solar power, electricity generated by Pokémon, and heat generated by using moves—these are the new energy sources that herald the future. Once the problems of collection and storage are solved, these will be perfect renewable, low-pollution, and low-cost energy sources!
Factory manager William announced to us at the time: "Why insist on extracting resources from the bones of ancient creatures? There are still endless energy resources in nature waiting for humankind to explore! Our cause may not be illustrious for a time, but it will exist forever!"
I only worked at the Rikyu Power Plant for three years, joining the factory to take care of the Pokémon for the plant manager. But I witnessed firsthand how the plant went from its difficult early stages to becoming Rikyu City's largest energy company before the explosion... and of course, its demise.
We developed technology, increased output, solved engineering problems, outwitted and fought against monopolies, and cooperated closely with alliance officials... step by step, we reduced the cost of electricity and wrested the power to set energy prices from fossil fuel companies.
During this period, Factory Manager William also paid special attention to the treatment of the employees. He was honest, fair in rewarding and punishing, and his salary and benefits were so generous that they were beyond reproach.
I initially thought this was a tactic by the factory manager to poach talent from the energy alliance, but that's not the case at all! Even after the power plant became the largest energy company in Liyong City, completely replacing the energy monopoly organization's niche, the factory manager still didn't cut back on employee benefits even a little bit! He continued to increase salaries and subsidies according to company profits.
Even the suggestion that I leave the power plant to pursue a career in orchestra was made by the plant manager. He told me not to worry, and that if my musical path didn't work out, I could always return to the factory, where there would always be a vacant position for a mentoring consultant…
I assure you with the punk soul within me that the Liyong Power Plant and its creator, Mr. William, are undoubtedly heroes of this city!
A hundred years from now, when your descendants see the still blue skies and thriving economy of Liyong City, they will be incredibly grateful to the upright and visionary power plant manager and deeply saddened by the explosion that occurred a century ago.