Lin Jiu looked at the distant sight of Oreburgh Town, feeling slightly relieved. His clothes were scorched all over, with burn marks on his skin, making him appear extremely disheveled. He leaned against a tree and sat down.
"Why is it that when those three Team Rocket guys change their clothes, no one recognizes them, but when I disguise myself, people can spot me with just a glance?"
Lin Jiu said with a bitter smile. It seems that the protagonists can do whatever they want! The Team Rocket trio are villains whose prominence rivals that of Ash!
As for why Lin Jiu was in such a sorry state, it all started three days ago.
After disguising himself and leaving Floaroma Town, Lin Jiu had been rushing towards Oreburgh Town. Oreburgh Town was preparing to host a contest, and trainers from all over Sinnoh were naturally gathering there!
The closer he got to Oreburgh Town, the more trainers he encountered. Lin Jiu managed to avoid them, not interacting with anyone. But on the fourth day, a sharp-eyed trainer recognized him!
Before this, Lin Jiu had subconsciously avoided interacting with them. That was when he realized that a bounty had been issued for him, and the rewards offered by the League were substantial. Whether it was capturing him, reporting him, or providing information, one could receive a reward.
"You're that wanted criminal!"
Wright felt incredibly lucky. He had originally just wanted to experience Oreburghg Town and unexpectedly ran into a wanted criminal with a hefty bounty.
In his excitement, he didn't consider the potential danger and jumped out to stop him. After speaking, Wright immediately regretted it. It was said that the person in front of him had escaped from the hands of the Champion, a fierce and dangerous criminal! Would he die here?
Lin Jiu: Escaped from Cynthia? Sorry, you're overestimating me!
"There must be some misunderstanding! I haven't done anything wrong. I'm willing to go with you to see Officer Jenny and clear things up!"
Lin Jiu thought quickly and said innocently to the rookie trainer. These people weren't experienced trainers or specialized League investigators.
Sure enough, upon hearing Lin Jiu's words and seeing his willingness to go to Officer Jenny, Wright let down his guard.
"Alright, then come with me!"
Lin Jiu approached Wright with a faint smile, quietly gathering his energy. Just a bit closer and he was ready to strike! If this guy exposed his whereabouts, Officer Jenny would be the least of his worries; the real trouble would be Cynthia possibly chasing after him, which was the last thing he wanted.
"Piplup! Piplup!"
Wright's Piplup suddenly patted him, staring warily at the approaching Lin Jiu, then unhesitatingly shot a Bubble Beam.
The Bubble Beam wasn't very powerful, and Lin Jiu dodged it without any effort. It wasn't going to be that simple. He had seen Piplup in Wright's arms, but since Piplup hadn't shown any signs of agitation or dislike, he thought it was too young to notice.
It turned out that it wasn't about noticing; it was just that the distance was too great. And with Lin Jiu preparing to strike, Piplup felt even more threatened.
"You tricked me! You are a criminal!"
Not all rookie trainers were as naïve as Ash. Seeing Piplup's attack, Wright immediately realized the person in front of him wasn't as innocent as he claimed.
"Come out, Cherrim, Chatot, and Hoothoot… attack!"
Wright summoned his Pokémon, only to see Lin Jiu's silhouette fade into the distance. Blocked by Piplup, Lin Jiu knew his plan had failed. He'd deal with the trouble later; staying any longer would be life-threatening. He turned and left, leaving Wright with only his back.
Wright was still a rookie trainer; his Pokémon weren't very powerful, and their moves hit the ground. Chatot and Hoothoot could fly and catch up, but Wright remembered that the person was a dangerous wanted criminal. For safety, he gave up the chase.
"What happened?"
Trainers who heard the commotion came over out of curiosity.
As a well-educated rookie trainer, Wright was worried that others might get harmed by the wanted criminal and didn't hesitate to inform the approaching trainers.
Word spread quickly, and soon trainers near Oreburgh Town knew that the heavily wanted criminal, Red, was nearby. Some trainers started a large-scale search for the bounty, while others who felt they had no chance immediately went to the nearest police station to provide Officer Jenny with information.
"I was the one who discovered him first!"
"What does discovering him first matter? I was the one who ran to Officer Jenny to report him first!"
"Just because you say it doesn't mean it's true! I say I discovered him first!"
"Stop arguing! I'm Clear, and the guy earlier said I was the first to come over."
"Didn't you hear what I said? I'm Clear, so why are you pretending to be me!"
"..."
Cynthia received the news that many trainers had discovered Red's whereabouts and came to report it. She had come to take a look and saw a crowd of trainers gathered at the police station, shouting. These trainers were here to provide clues about the criminal, so Officer Jenny couldn't scold them.
"That's Champion Cynthia!" someone exclaimed upon noticing her arrival.
"Even the Champion has come. It's wise that we didn't chase that dangerous criminal!" someone else said with relief. They had heard rumors that the criminal named Red was a dangerous person who could match the Champion in battle! Seeing Cynthia arrive, they began to believe it.
"Everyone, where did you see Red?" Cynthia asked.
After all, she was the Champion, and with Garchomp's imposing presence, no one dared to step forward and speak. Finally, a rookie trainer stood out.
It was Wright, who had first spotted Lin Jiu. He was a direct descendant of the Alliance, unlike the civilians who came for the rewards. He came to provide clues merely to help catch the criminal sooner. Upon arriving and seeing so many "like-minded" companions, he was ready to leave but got stuck in the crowd of "enthusiastic" people.
He hadn't expected to meet the Champion of the Sinnoh region. Seeing no one else replying, he stepped forward.
"Hello, I'm Wright, and I'm a fan of yours! On my way to Oreburgh Town for the contest, I saw someone familiar. Upon closer inspection, I realized it was the person on the wanted poster in my town before I left! I initially thought of capturing him, but he quickly ran away!"
Wright explained to Cynthia.
Cynthia nodded, then asked, "Did he use any Pokémon?"
"No!"
Wright shook his head.
Originally, Red had told her he was a regular traveler but didn't mention if he had any Pokémon. However, it was impossible for a criminal who committed so many crimes not to have Pokémon! Without Pokémon, where would he get the confidence to do such things?
So far, the other party hadn't revealed any of his Pokémon, which made Cynthia cautious. Based on his actions of swapping the two orbs, it was highly likely he had a Ghost-type Pokémon.
...
"Oreburgh Town, huh…"
In the past three days, with his whereabouts exposed, Lin Jiu had been pursued by many trainers—some for the reward, others out of a sense of justice. Lin Jiu's stamina was much better than these ordinary trainers, and he gradually widened the distance, but these trainers had Pokémon! The Flying-type Pokémon kept tracking Lin Jiu, making it hard to shake them off.
It wasn't until he rushed into the forest, using his stamina advantage to slowly lose them, that he managed to get away.
"You don't have any Pokémon, do you?"
A lady blocked the "vicious" fugitive. At this moment, Lin Jiu, with his worn clothes and dusty appearance, had a calm yet ready-to-strike look in his eyes.
The lady had been thinking while chasing him. In such a situation, this person named Red would have summoned Pokémon to fight back, but he kept trying to shake them off. It was highly likely that he had no Pokémon.
"Grrr!"
The lady's Poochyena growled fiercely at Lin Jiu, lowering its body, ready to attack.
The lady didn't attack immediately. Seeing that Lin Jiu didn't respond, he said, "Surrender and come with me!"
Lin Jiu had stolen the Adamant and Lustrous Orbs, killed Saturn, and robbed the Red Chain. Facing this trainer blocking his way, he still calmly observed his surroundings with his peripheral vision.
Running away wouldn't work against the canine Pokémon Poochyena, so he had two choices: seriously injure Poochyena or directly take down the trainer.
The second choice was easier. However, Pokémon could sense his malicious intent, so pretending to surrender wouldn't work; he had to take action directly.
Lin Jiu drew his hunting knife but didn't charge. Poochyena was still beside the lady; if it bit him, it wouldn't be a joke. He had to lure Poochyena away first.
Facing the lady, Lin Jiu slowly retreated. Since battles between trainers usually involved Pokémon, the lady didn't realize Lin Jiu's intentions.
"Poochyena, Tackle!"
The lady, seeing that Lin Jiu had no intention of surrendering, sighed and commanded Poochyena to attack.
As expected, Poochyena's running speed was much faster than a human's. Lin Jiu, without any enhancements, couldn't outrun it. Not having formally become a hunter in the Reincarnation Paradise, he also lacked the basic detection skill (temporary) to check its attributes.
Using Focus Energy, Lin Jiu's concentration increased, and Poochyena appeared slower in his vision, with some weak points faintly visible.
Even if he saw the weak points, he had no chance to attack them. Even if he did, it might not incapacitate Poochyena. But with a clearer view of Poochyena's movements, Lin Jiu could more easily dodge its attacks.
Finding the right moment, he sidestepped, and Poochyena crashed into a tree trunk behind him. The one-meter diameter trunk cracked deeply from the impact.
Lin Jiu felt Poochyena's fur brush past him. Without Focus Energy, a hit like that would have seriously injured him, if not killed him.
"Poochyena!"
The lady shouted in fear, seeing her dazed Poochyena after the collision. Then, terror filled her as she saw Lin Jiu rushing towards her with a knife.
"Goodbye!"
Lin Jiu said in his heart.