Luo Yuan had no idea that Jessie and the others had recognized him as the mysterious Tech Hunter who had once saved them in Lampur.
Of course, even if he did know, he wouldn't care.
After all, both "Rocket Admin K" and "Tech Hunter" were merely disguises he used.
Even if someone figured out that these two identities were one and the same, at most it would only lead the League to suspect that the Tech Hunter was aligned with Team Rocket.
Team Rocket might face increased scrutiny from the League—but as for him, Rookie Trainer Luo Yuan? Not in the slightest.
Dragapult soared into the sky, swiftly positioning itself right beside Gengar.
It opened its mouth and fired a Dragon Pulse directly toward the Salamence speeding toward them.
Dragapult moved at lightning speed, and the darkness of the night served as a perfect camouflage for the Ghost-type Pokémon. The opposing Salamence didn't notice Dragapult's presence until the Dragon Pulse was already barreling towards it.
"Dodge it!"
Hunter J, seasoned in battle, reacted instantly the moment she saw the Dragon Pulse.
The Dragon Pulse roared towards Salamence, the purple energy distinctly visible against the dark sky.
Salamence quickly adjusted its altitude, narrowly dodging the edge of the Dragon Pulse.
Hunter J could even smell a faint whiff of burnt air.
Dodging that sudden attack, Hunter J sighed in relief.
She glared at Dragapult.
Suddenly, something clicked in her mind, and her face turned pale.
At that moment, a voice distorted by a voice-changer sounded out:
"Well, well, who would've thought that Hunter J, active in Sinnoh, would make an appearance in Kanto."
Disguised as the Tech Hunter, Luo Yuan stepped into view in front of Hunter J.
"Tech Hunter!"
Staring at the figure in black before her, Hunter J's eyes narrowed.
As one of the most notorious Pokémon Hunters in the world, active throughout the Sinnoh region, Hunter J always kept an eye on developments in other regions as well.
And among those, none had drawn her attention quite like the "Tech Hunter," who, recently, had eclipsed even her fame, conducting illegal operations with skill rivaling that of Champion-level Trainers.
But it was exactly because she had been paying attention that Hunter J knew just how formidable this person was.
"Why are you infiltrating my territory?" Hunter J demanded, staring at Luo Yuan.
"Your territory? I'm pretty sure this is Kanto, and I'm standing in the Stone family's estate," Luo Yuan replied, glancing around, as if verifying he was in the right place.
"You know full well where you are. Your target is the Stone family, isn't it?"
Hunter J's face darkened as she processed Luo Yuan's words.
Her worst fear had been confirmed—the Tech Hunter was here for the Stone family.
"Indeed. I don't know what your relationship with the Stone family is, but you might want to tell them that after three months of no payments, it seems Team Rocket's leader is getting rather... impatient."
"I never thought the mighty Tech Hunter would stoop to being Team Rocket's errand boy!" Hunter J sneered.
She had been keeping an eye on the rumors lately.
Since the Saint Anne incident, the previously independent Tech Hunter had started operating in tandem with Team Rocket.
"Errand boy? Bold of you to say that," Luo Yuan scoffed.
He was a senior executive in Team Rocket and the future head of their Hoenn division.
Even Giovanni himself wouldn't dare to refer to him as an "errand boy."
But Luo Yuan saw no need to explain this to Hunter J.
He wasn't about to waste his breath discussing such matters with her.
"Enough talk. I don't know what kind of deal you've struck with the Stone family, but your presence here has already begun to threaten Team Rocket—and my interests."
"Additionally, since you entered Kanto without permission, should I consider this an act of hostility towards both Team Rocket and me?"
Hunter J sidestepped his question. "Team Rocket is already in decline. Even when Lance and Lorelei challenged them directly, their leader didn't show up, instead leaving an outsider to deal with the trouble. Are you really going to align yourself with Team Rocket?"
"Such an obvious attempt to drive a wedge between us." Luo Yuan remained unaffected.
If he really were the Tech Hunter, independent of Team Rocket and wielding power over Legendary Pokémon, then maybe there would be some appeal to going solo.
But he was a senior executive in Team Rocket!
Besides, what good would leaving Team Rocket do him? Start his own organization? That'd be more hassle than it was worth.
Dumping all the headaches onto Giovanni and living a relaxed life as a well-paid executive suited him just fine.
Hunter J's attempt at manipulation was completely ignored.
Facing such an uncompromising, monstrously powerful Luo Yuan, Hunter J was finding the situation increasingly difficult to handle.
Yet abandoning her relationship with the Stone family was not an option either.
Seeing her conflicted expression, Luo Yuan suggested:
"Since you seem so torn, how about this: I'll give you a chance to walk away. Surrender now and come with me to Team Rocket's headquarters. Our new regional branch is in need of... someone with your particular skill set. How does that sound?"
Luo Yuan smiled, throwing Hunter J's earlier "errand boy" remark right back at her.
"Are you insulting me?"
Hunter J saw no sincerity in Luo Yuan's offer to negotiate.
Luo Yuan tilted his head. "Insult? I think it's quite the offer. If I take you as a prisoner, now that would be a different story altogether."
In truth, Hunter J was right to sense his lack of interest in negotiation.
Since he had already found out that the Stone family's issues involved Hunter J, cutting off the problem at its source was far easier than engaging in tedious talks.
Hearing this, a flame of anger ignited in Hunter J's eyes.
"Don't get too cocky!"
Her response was swift and ferocious—a direct attack!
"Salamence, Dragon Pulse!"
"Ariados, Pin Missile!"
"Drapion, Cross Poison!"
She released her other two main battlers in an all-out assault on Luo Yuan.
Her target was none other than Luo Yuan himself. As expected of the ruthless Hunter J.
"Three elites, all Champion-level," Luo Yuan assessed, having crossed paths with enough Champions to gauge her Pokémon's strength in an instant.
He remained calm:
"Dragapult, Reflect!"
"Gengar, Shadow Ball!"
The Shadow Ball blasted apart the incoming Dragon Pulse.
Luo Yuan used his psychic abilities to assist Dragapult in setting up a Reflect barrier.
The resulting wall was incredibly durable.
The Pin Missile and Cross Poison hit the Reflect, leaving only faint, web-like cracks and failing to shatter it.
"Too weak. Your Salamence doesn't hold a candle to Drake's."
With a gesture, Luo Yuan signaled to Dragapult, who launched two Dragon Darts directly at Salamence.
Even Drake's Salamence had to Mega Evolve to barely hold Dragapult at bay—what chance did Hunter J's ordinary Salamence stand?
Seeing the approaching Dragon Darts, Salamence quickly recognized the threat and tried to evade.
But with their homing capabilities, the Dragon Darts wouldn't be shaken off so easily.
Seeing the darts drawing ever closer...
Left with no choice, Salamence twisted its body to use Protect.
Boom! Boom!
---
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