The night was cast in shades of purple, with scarcely any passing vehicles.
Murkrow perched atop a telephone pole, emitting its characteristic hoarse growl.
Teacher Luke strolled along the roadside, displaying no signs of panic; in fact, he appeared somewhat excited.
"This is the first time I've encountered a fan...an illicit fan," Luke mumbled to himself. "I hope they're not fans who send threatening messages..."
Suddenly, Luke's expression turned peculiar.
In legends, there were tales of zealous readers who would kidnap authors of unfinished works, confining them in dark chambers until they completed another chapter. Luke pondered whether he had stumbled upon such an audience.
"Huh?!"
While Luke's emotions swirled, his mind remained oddly calm as he headed straight for the police station.
If it weren't for Officer Jenny, the rare sight of a policewoman from the Orient region, Luke would have different thoughts tonight.
"I'll be going home with Officer Jenny tonight!"
"Vui~?"
Eevee lay atop Luke's head. Seeing they were not heading home, it tilted its head curiously.
However, before Luke could respond, Eevee's ears twitched twice, its face tense. It jumped down from Luke's head, full of anticipation.
"Uirt~!" Squirtle pointed towards an alleyway.
Eevee nodded cautiously, taking careful steps towards the entrance of the alley.
Luke was taken aback.
Squirtle's perception seemed even sharper than that of the system.
"Are you coming too, Eevee?!"
These abilities were even more extraordinary than the system!
Luke exclaimed, "Shame!"
The system remained silent for a long moment before finally displaying a question mark.
[?]
In the blink of an eye, Eevee approached the alley, and its Substitute lights flickered faintly.
A bead of sweat formed on Luke's forehead.
"I, Teacher Luke, have never been in a street brawl!"
"Are you guys being too reckless!"
A rustling sound emanated from the alley, and the other party seemed to have realized they had been spotted. Eevee was about to charge into the alley.
At that critical moment, a surge of red light pulled Eevee back into its Poké Ball.
"Vui~?!"
Eevee lay within the Poké Ball with a bewildered expression.
Luke grabbed the Poké Ball and bolted towards the police station, looking back in surprise. Were legal citizens supposed to engage in street brawls? He had escaped!
The opponent had deftly handled Eevee's attack but was perplexed when they saw Eevee abruptly pulled back by a red light.
This scene left them confounded.
"There are plenty of weirdos around!" A voice with a clear Kanto accent echoed through the alley.
Luke sprinted in the direction of the police station with a bewildered expression, wondering if he had just encountered an international fan.
"Jie jie~ jie jie~! ヽ(￣▽￣)ﾉ"
As Luke turned around, Haunter appeared, balancing Squirtle's shell in one hand and a vegetable basket in the other. The sight of them both made Luke feel relieved and slightly teary-eyed.
"At critical moments, Haunter, you're always dependable!"
Hidden in a corner of the alley, a person dressed in a skirt and high heels reported into a walkie-talkie.
"I've located the target and will initiate contact in the next phase. Reporting in."
Squirtle, in the meantime, appeared to sense something and scanned its surroundings vigilantly.
Matori furrowed her brows.
"The situation has changed. I need to prioritize my own safety."
Pushing her glasses, Matori's expression turned serious.
This Trainer favored by Boss Giovanni did indeed possess impressive anti-surveillance skills.
A rustling noise echoed from the alley, and the adorable Eevee drew closer.
But Matori wasn't about to let her guard down.
Hiding within the alley, she retrieved only one Poké Ball, ready to fend off Eevee's attack.
"Vui~!"
Eevee growled, making Matori tense, with her hair standing on end.
At that moment, a surge of red light pulled Eevee back into its Poké Ball.
Matori was left dumbfounded.
She cautiously peeked out and saw a teenager hastily making his escape.
Though it appeared as if he were fleeing, his demeanor was surprisingly composed, exuding a certain kind of aura...
Matori blinked in surprise.
The next second, she blushed furiously and shouted, "You perverted rascal!"
If she lost him now, considering his anti-surveillance abilities, it might take her months to locate him.
Matori gritted her teeth and quickened her pace in her high heels, following after him.
"Wait a minute! Hello!"
...
"Wait a minute! Hello!"
It turned out to be a female fan, and Teacher Luke was taken aback but also delighted.
However, the voice was not feminine, and Luke had no intention of looking back.
The sound of high heels—'DaDa'—resounded behind him.
Luke thought it would be easy to shake her off.
But the next moment, the high heels grew faster, resembling a sprint.
Luke's expression shifted.
What kind of extraordinary stamina did she possess? Wouldn't her feet be numb by now?
Onlookers in the vicinity observed the man and woman running with curiosity.
"Tsk tsk, he seems heartless, a real scumbag!"
"That poor girl..."
"Being chased by a young lady, hahaha, this is the vigor of youth!"
They arrived at a sparsely populated corner of the cross street, where rows of glass cabinets displayed clothing.
Luke took a deep breath and carefully set aside the vegetable basket held by Haunter.
Luke clenched his teeth.
If he played his cards right, Officer Jenny, the young lady, might show him some leniency.
"Haunter, sneak through the glass cabinet and get behind her, but wait for my signal."
"Jie jie~!"
Haunter nodded and gradually faded into the glass cabinets.
Matori, panting heavily, had managed to keep up with her target.
She placed her Poké Ball on the ground and lifted the sweat-soaked hair from her forehead. Matori then walked slowly to the corner and raised her hands in surrender.
"I don't have any ill intentions," she began. "I'm here to invite you to join... an organization."
The reflection of Matori's actions was visible to Luke through the glass cabinet, but he remained vigilant.
After all, she had displayed some impressive tactics during their skirmish in the alley.
Luke glanced at her reflection in the corner glass cabinet, his expression complex.
"Come to think of it... does this person seem familiar?"
As Matori approached the corner and faced Luke's gaze, he was taken aback.
With her distinctive purple mushroom head, oversized round-frame glasses, and black OL skirt, she was unmistakably Matori from the TV show.
This was a surreal blending of the real world with fictional TV characters, and it momentarily baffled Luke, who had been trained to maintain a professional demeanor.
Looking at this "watermelon-haired girl with glasses" before him, Luke cautiously asked, "Are you the one who... came looking for me?"
"What a unique Trainer!" Matori's face turned slightly red as she nervously adjusted her glasses. "I'm here to invite you to join..."
Suddenly, Matori felt a tap on her shoulder.
Momentarily lowering her guard, she turned her head to see a mischievous grin.
"Jie jie~!"
Haunter emerged from the glass cabinet, grinning with a strange and coquettish blue glow in his eyes.
Hypnosis!
Luke's expression froze.
Hypnosis!
Luke's confusion grew.
How did you become so skilled at this?
"Jie jie~! (～￣▽￣)～"
Haunter laughed mischievously as Matori's eyes began to droop and she slumped down.
But she fell not towards Luke but in Haunter's direction.
"Jie jie~? (°ー°〃)"
In a hurried attempt, Haunter caught Matori, looking at Luke with a quizzical expression.
Luke rubbed his chin.
Well done, is this part of your plan too?
While no one was paying attention, Luke retrieved a can of wakefulness spray and applied it to Matori's temples.
After a short while, Matori, who had been lying on Haunter's shoulder, groaned and slowly regained consciousness.
Luke breathed a sigh of relief and patted Haunter with mixed feelings.
"That was close, we were almost caught by Officer Jenny and the young lady. Well done, my friend!"
"Jie jie~ ('▽`〃)"
Haunter smiled and scratched his head.
"No need for excessive praise! Just promise to be more careful next time!"