Standing on the ridge above the valley, Luo Yuan watched as his Gyarados obliterated the machine below. One look at the red uniforms told him exactly who these people were—they were from Team Flare, the criminal organization hailing from the Kalos region.
The leader of Team Flare was Lysandre, a renowned scientist who had developed the holographic communicator.
Giovanni had once called him an extremist, a misguided idealist with visions of creating a utopian world.
"Team Flare dared to come all the way to Kanto… It seems that Giovanni's recent shift to consolidate Team Rocket's operations has made people think we're weak and vulnerable."
Luo Yuan clicked his tongue, silently condemning the intruders to a bleak fate.
Did they really think they could waltz onto Team Rocket's turf and get away with it?
Of course, Luo Yuan kept his thoughts hidden behind a composed expression.
"Luo Yuan…"
Misty tugged at his sleeve, her worry clear.
The people below were obviously up to something illegal, and now, she and Luo Yuan were standing out in the open, facing them down. This felt a little too bold, even reckless.
"Don't worry."
Luo Yuan reassured her, holding up his phone. "I already reported these criminals to the League."
For an upstanding rookie trainer, reporting criminal activity to the League was perfectly expected.
With a smile, Luo Yuan glanced down at the Team Flare members.
His words weren't just for Misty's sake—they were also a warning to the Team Flare members below.
Hearing that the League had been notified, Aliana and her underlings visibly paled.
Especially Aliana.
She had fully intended to punish Luo Yuan for disrupting their plan, but now, knowing that League enforcers were en route…
Despite her earlier bravado, she couldn't help but feel a twinge of fear.
Just a small twinge. Nothing major. Really.
And besides, everyone knew Team Rocket had its fingers in everything across Kanto and Johto. If the League was alerted, it wouldn't be long before Team Rocket knew, too.
Just the thought of facing the Rocket Generals or the Rocket Beasts sent a shiver down her spine.
Her face hardened as she weighed her options, internal conflicts raging.
In the end, Aliana decided it wasn't worth the risk.
While destroying these two troublesome trainers would be satisfying, staying in Kanto too long would only draw the attention of both the League and Team Rocket, which went against Team Flare's interests.
Convincing herself of the practicality of this decision, Aliana threw Luo Yuan one last venomous glare through her visor.
"We're pulling out!"
Luo Yuan watched as Team Flare members swiftly dismantled the energy-storage device from the machine and packed it up with practiced efficiency.
Under the cover of her Druddigon, Aliana and her team made their retreat.
Luo Yuan didn't pursue.
Instead, he made a subtle move, using his psychic abilities to stick a small Team Rocket tracker onto the hem of one Flare member's uniform.
In addition to contacting the League, he had also called Truebird. Team Rocket operatives were now stationed at every exit from Mount Moon, so escape was virtually impossible for Team Flare.
As they disappeared, Misty let out a relieved sigh.
Only she knew just how tense she'd been.
"Honestly, we probably would've been fine even if we'd fought them," Luo Yuan remarked with a grin.
"Sure, keep telling yourself that," Misty rolled her eyes.
Luo Yuan just shrugged, not bothering to explain that he could have taken them all down easily by calling on Dragapult.
"Let's go free those Clefairy."
He pointed to a nearby cage where the Clefairy were being held. "Looks like a lot of them evolved during the energy surge. They're pretty cramped in there."
Since Team Flare's machine had drained energy from the Moon Stone, it had triggered the evolution of many Clefairy.
Misty looked over to see the once-spacious cage now filled with several Clefable, along with the remaining Clefairy. They were packed in like sardines, with barely any room to move.
Their cries of "Clefairy" and "Clefable" filled the air.
—
The League's response time was, as always, painfully slow.
By the time Luo Yuan and Misty had freed all the Clefairy and Clefable and Luo Yuan had prepared a feast for them, Officer Jenny finally arrived with a handful of visibly inexperienced officers in tow.
"Apologies for the delay," she said, addressing Luo Yuan. "Are you the one who reported the incident?"
"That's me," Luo Yuan nodded, gesturing to Misty beside him. "This is my companion, Misty. We've already driven off the criminals…"
"But… you only brought this many people?"
Luo Yuan glanced at the five or six officers behind her—barely half the number of Team Flare members.
Thankfully, he hadn't counted on the League's help. And it was only because Team Flare had feared Team Rocket's retaliation that he hadn't been completely overwhelmed.
Officer Jenny blushed slightly.
She knew her group was pitifully small…even if the enemy had already fled.
"There was an incident back in Pewter City that required most of our manpower," explained Brock, who had come along with Jenny.
After Brock's explanation, Luo Yuan understood. The Team Flare members who had disguised themselves as environmentalists had run back to Pewter City after he chased them off and had started a commotion there, tying up the League's resources.
"Ah, so I misjudged you."
It seemed Team Flare wasn't entirely incompetent. They'd diverted League personnel to ensure their main forces could retreat.
"Regardless, thank you. If not for your actions, these Clefairy would have been captured."
Jenny glanced over at the cage and offered him a sincere thanks.
Apparently, she thought Team Flare had been targeting the Clefairy.
Luo Yuan didn't bother correcting her and responded with a serious expression:
"It's a League trainer's duty to protect Pokémon."
He looked every bit the part of an upstanding young trainer, hiding his true identity as a Team Rocket officer perfectly.
—
While Luo Yuan exchanged pleasantries with Officer Jenny, establishing himself as the epitome of justice…
In the meantime, Aliana and her Team Flare squad darted through the forest, following their planned escape route.
"Lady Aliana, Scar's team has been completely wiped out," one of her subordinates reported.
"I know. The organization will remember his sacrifice," Aliana replied.
As a decoy, Scar had fulfilled his mission perfectly.
"This mission was mostly successful. Once we're back in Kalos, the boss will pull him out," she added.
With Lysandre's powerful influence over Kalos's political and business circles, this would be a minor matter.
But before she finished speaking—
Laughter echoed through the forest.
"You actually think you're making it back to Kalos?"
Aliana's heart skipped a beat. She instinctively released her Druddigon, positioning it in front of her.
The moment Druddigon appeared, a flash of white energy sliced through the forest, hitting Druddigon and making it growl in pain.
Team Flare members immediately went on high alert.
And as Aliana's expression darkened, she and her team saw several figures dressed in black uniforms, emblazoned with the distinctive "R" of Team Rocket, forming a semicircular blockade around them.
Leading them was a woman with short hair and glasses, her Xatu by her side.
---
T/N: HMMM, i got nothing to say