After a quick introduction to Ash, Luo Yuan didn't linger long.
Mainly because Giovanni was calling.
Once he'd left Pallet Town, he picked up the phone.
"Luo Yuan, did everything go smoothly?"
"Yep, I've got the Pokédex," Luo Yuan replied. "Thanks to Professor Birch's letter. But, uh, Birch isn't one of our people, is he?"
He'd been curious about it since he'd first received the recommendation. Why would Professor Birch write a reference letter for someone he barely knew?
"One of Rocket's subsidiaries funded Birch's research a few years back," Giovanni explained. "When they requested it, he had no reason to refuse."
"Ah, that makes sense..." Luo Yuan nodded.
Team Rocket wasn't just a shadow organization; they had resources that rivaled giants like Silph Co. and Devon Corp. It was how they could fund a project as costly as creating a legendary like Mewtwo.
Investing in a professor's research was a minor expense in comparison.
"So, what's next on the agenda?" Luo Yuan asked.
Knowing Giovanni, he hadn't called just to check in.
As expected, Giovanni got straight to business.
"The Four Generals sent word that Ho-oh was sighted three days ago near Ecruteak City and Azalea Town in Johto. It's moving toward Viridian Forest. Keep an eye out."
"Ho-oh?" Luo Yuan had already anticipated that Ash's journey would kick off with a Ho-oh sighting.
But why was Giovanni interested in Ho-oh?
"Boss... you're not seriously expecting me to catch Ho-oh, are you?" Luo Yuan asked, skeptical.
He thought highly of his own skills, but he wasn't foolish enough to think he could take down a legendary right now.
There was a pause on the other end, and Luo Yuan could practically sense Giovanni's exasperation.
"Mewtwo's creation has hit a bottleneck. We need data on other legendaries. You still carry a field scanner, don't you? If you come across Ho-oh, record whatever data you can."
"Got it."
Collecting data was doable. Luo Yuan had no problem with that.
He'd just need to adjust his plan a bit. Instead of heading straight to Viridian City, he'd be camping overnight in Viridian Forest.
After ending the call, Luo Yuan looked around.
Before he realized it, he'd already reached the forest depths.
Nearby, Charmander was putting on an intimidating pose, growling at a Caterpie, who shivered in fear.
"Charmander, looks like we'll be camping in Viridian Forest tonight."
"Charrr!" Charmander chirped excitedly.
Camping out meant more time outside its Poké Ball, practicing its moves, and—of course—more time to mess with Caterpie.
Before Charmander could finish its little growl, a scream rang out from the nearby trees.
The sound drew closer.
As Luo Yuan turned, a familiar figure burst from the trees, pedaling furiously toward him.
A yellow tank top, bright orange hair.
Red overall shorts, face full of panic.
The girl—Misty—saw him and shouted, "Get out of the way!"
Luo Yuan hadn't expected to meet Misty here.
As her bike sped straight for him, his expression stayed calm.
Just as she squeezed her eyes shut in fear, expecting a collision—
Snap!
Luo Yuan caught the handlebars, stopping the bike effortlessly.
"Hello. Need any help?" he asked.
Misty stared at him, speechless for a moment.
---
They made their way to the lakeside, where Luo Yuan had picked out a campsite.
"So, you panicked... over a Caterpie?"
Listening to Misty's story, Luo Yuan could only look at her, dumbfounded.
He knew Misty was scared of Bug-types, but he hadn't realized it was this severe.
Seeing Charmander giggle with its hand over its mouth made Misty blush with embarrassment.
Luckily, Luo Yuan wasn't one to mock someone's weaknesses.
"Be more careful next time. If I hadn't caught you, you'd have crashed right into a tree."
Had he not stepped in, Misty's bike would've been in pieces long before Ash even showed up.
"Thank you so much!" Misty quickly expressed her gratitude.
"A pleasure," Luo Yuan said with a slight smile, offering his hand. "I'm Luo Yuan, a rookie Trainer on my journey."
The smile caught her off-guard, but she quickly reached out and shook his hand.
"Misty. I'm a Trainer, too!"
Just then, a soft ding sounded in Luo Yuan's ear as the system spoke.
[Ding! Host has unlocked the milestone 'First Close Contact' and has gained one lottery draw. Would you like to draw now?]
Even shaking hands counts as a milestone? Luo Yuan thought, amused. Draw!
[Drawing... please wait.]
[Congratulations! Host has acquired the skill 'Fishing Expert.']
[Fishing Expert: You now possess expert-level fishing skills.]
"Luo Yuan, are you planning to camp here?" Misty's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
"Yep. It's getting late. If we head to Viridian City now, we'll be traveling in the dark. You're welcome to join—I've got an extra tent," Luo Yuan offered.
Misty hesitated before nodding.
---
Driving the final tent stake into the ground, Misty still couldn't quite believe what had happened.
Why had she so impulsively accepted a camping invitation from a complete stranger she'd only met today?
Is it because he's... good-looking?
No, it's because he helped me. If it weren't for him, I'd have crashed into a tree!
Of course, his looks are a factor... but that's not the main reason.
Definitely not the main reason.
Assuring herself, she placed her bag inside her tent.
Stepping out, she noticed Luo Yuan already seated by the lake, holding a fishing rod.
Misty's eyes lit up. "Is that a limited-edition Devon fishing rod? Luo Yuan, you fish, too?"
"It's more of a hobby. Haven't done it much, though," Luo Yuan admitted.
He wasn't lying. During his time in Hoenn, most of his focus had been on Pokémon training and making better Pokéblocks.
He'd only bought the expensive fishing rod back then because it was on Rocket's tab, so he'd picked the most expensive one in the shop.
After catching nothing but Magikarp, however, he'd lost interest and put it away.
If it weren't for the "Fishing Expert" skill he'd just unlocked, the rod might have gathered dust indefinitely.
"I brought a rod too! I heard Viridian Forest's lake has some rare Water Pokémon," Misty said enthusiastically.
As a Cerulean Gym trainer, Misty was nothing like her idle sisters. She took her role as a Pokémon Trainer seriously.
This trip to Viridian Forest was for one purpose—to catch rare Water-types and strengthen her lineup.
"Rare Pokémon?"
Just as Luo Yuan was about to ask which ones, his fishing rod gave a faint twitch.
With his newly acquired fishing skills, Luo Yuan immediately sensed the movement. With a swift pull, he raised the rod smoothly, lifting a shadowy figure out of the water.
---
T/N: mmmm grapes