Though Lance managed to reignite the League trainers' morale, some things simply couldn't be fixed with spirit alone.
The Sevii Islands incident had far-reaching repercussions.
The first to feel the impact was the Kanto League.
Since the anti-Rocket operation had initially progressed smoothly, the League hadn't held back on publicizing the mission.
They'd even promoted it in official settings, branding it as a "significant breakthrough for the Kanto League against Team Rocket," hoping it would aid Lance's push toward Champion.
But now, everyone knew the truth… Lance and Lorelei, even together, had been driven back.
The whole Kanto League's reputation had taken a major hit.
Rumor had it that they were now planning a second offensive against Team Rocket to salvage their pride.
Meanwhile, word of the Tech Hunter's capture of a Legendary Pokémon known as "Deoxys" had spread through the Kanto League and beyond, reaching the ears of other regions as well.
Given the nature of Legendary Pokémon, this news caught the attention of many—particularly the Hoenn League.
If the Tech Hunter had any history with a League, it was definitely Hoenn.
Their conflicts alone could fill a novel.
So, even though he was now more active in Kanto, Hoenn remained on alert, as no one could guarantee he wouldn't return.
To preemptively counter the Tech Hunter's possible return to Hoenn, the League had invested heavily in bolstering its police forces, thanks to financial support from Devon Corporation and other tech companies.
And, as it turned out, this was an excellent move.
Though the Tech Hunter hadn't reappeared, Hoenn's criminal teams, Team Magma and Team Aqua, were running into trouble.
Multiple operations of theirs were foiled by the League, forcing both teams to halt their plans to awaken Kyogre and Groudon and lie low.
Now, Team Magma and Team Aqua were grinding their teeth at the mere thought of the Tech Hunter.
Meanwhile, Hoenn's public safety had improved significantly, which was certainly an unexpected bonus for the Hoenn League.
Of course, what other people thought of him was none of Luo Yan's concern for now.
At this moment, he was on an airship headed back to mainland Kanto, back in the role of the promising young trainer he appeared to be.
---
Fuchsia City
As they walked along the street, Luo Yan glanced at Sabrina beside him.
"Aren't you going back to the Gym?" he asked.
To his surprise, after they'd returned to Kanto, Sabrina hadn't returned to Saffron City. Instead, she'd announced she'd be traveling with him for a while.
"I left the Gym in my father's care. There's nothing urgent," she replied, a hint of defiance in her tone.
Luo Yan had no objections; having Sabrina around wasn't a bad thing.
"Alright, then—I have a little gift for you."
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box.
Sabrina looked at him curiously, then opened it.
"This is… perfume?"
Inside the box lay a bottle of perfume.
She uncapped it, her delicate nose twitching as a refreshing, delicate fragrance wafted out, her eyes lighting up with interest.
Luo Yan smiled. "This is a new release from Celadon Perfumes, not yet available to the public. Do you like it?"
"It's lovely," Sabrina said, but then she frowned slightly.
"How did you get an unreleased bottle? And why does it look… smaller than usual?"
She held up the bottle, inspecting it carefully. As a frequent customer of Celadon Perfumes, she noticed right away that the bottle was smaller than what they typically sold.
Caught off guard, Luo Yan mentally cursed her keen instincts. He hadn't expected her to notice he'd divided a single bottle into three parts.
"It's a sample," he improvised smoothly. "Erika gave it to me as a prize. After all, I'm a VIP member of Celadon Perfumes."
"As for the smaller size… it's just a trial bottle, so it's a bit smaller," he explained.
"Is that so?"
Sabrina looked at him doubtfully but didn't press the issue. She carefully stowed the perfume away in her bag.
"So, where are we headed next?"
Sabrina's mood was noticeably brightened by the gift.
"Well, since we're in Fuchsia City, I'll definitely challenge Koga at the Fuchsia Gym. But first… let's visit the Safari Zone!"
---
The Safari Zone was located in the northwestern outskirts of Fuchsia City.
The League's original intention in establishing the Safari Zone was to protect wild Pokémon whose habitats had been encroached upon by human activity.
It was a good idea in theory.
However, after a large number of Pokémon were relocated to the zone, the League soon discovered that many Pokémon adapted far better than expected.
Most Pokémon in the Safari Zone were herbivorous species. Without any natural predators, they reproduced at an alarming rate, nearly exceeding the Safari Zone's capacity.
Yet, since the reserve had already been built, the League couldn't simply dismantle it.
To address this, they passed the Safari Zone Act.
Under the Act, trainers could obtain a permit to receive thirty Safari Balls and enter the zone to catch Pokémon.
This policy allowed the League to protect wild Pokémon, control their numbers within the Safari Zone, and help ordinary trainers acquire promising Pokémon.
A win-win-win situation!
Following the map, Luo Yan and Sabrina arrived at the Ranger's cabin near the entrance.
As they opened the door, Luo Yan immediately recognized a familiar figure.
"Gary?"
Gary stood with his back to them, his arms full of Safari Balls, looking somewhat comical in his clumsiness.
Hearing someone call his name, Gary turned around instinctively, and in doing so, he lost his grip on the Safari Balls, which scattered across the floor.
"..."
Luo Yan sighed and rubbed his temples.
After helping Gary gather the Safari Balls, he looked at him and asked, "What are you doing here?"
Gary rolled his eyes. "Obviously, I'm here to catch some Pokémon. What else?"
What, did they think he came to the Safari Zone just to sightsee? He wasn't that bored.
"By the way, this is…?"
Gary's gaze shifted to Sabrina. There was something familiar about her, but he couldn't quite place it.
"Hello, I'm Sabrina, the Saffron Gym Leader."
Sabrina introduced herself politely.
Upon hearing her name, realization dawned on Gary's face.
He remembered now—he'd seen her photo in the League's Gym Leader guide.
He'd actually visited the Saffron Gym not too long ago and had been surprised to find an interim leader in charge of the battles.
Now he understood the reason: the actual leader was here with Luo Yan.
But a new question arose… why was Sabrina with him?
As he pondered, Luo Yan spoke up:
"Sabrina's my girlfriend," he said with a smirk.
"Girlfriend…?"
Gary froze, his face a mix of confusion and skepticism.
Had he remembered wrong?
Wasn't there another girl Luo Yan had introduced as his girlfriend last time…?
He opened his mouth to ask but stopped when he caught Luo Yan's friendly yet subtly menacing look.
"Gulp."
Gary swallowed hard.
A sudden instinct told him that if he asked, he'd regret it.
So, he wisely chose to stay silent, pretending he'd seen and heard nothing.
---
T/N: Who's the third I wonder, is it Matori?
so... turns out the weapon master can die. webnovel blocked it again for copyright stuff, so i'm not reposting it. don't wanna risk losing my other translations too.
but don't worry, the weapon master's alive and well on patreon. thinking about setting up a scribble hub for stories like this—because some battles can't be won on webnovel.
thanks for sticking with me. you're the real MVPs.
If you notice anything that feels off, just let me know—I don't mind fixing things up.
Oh, and don't forget to sit up, grab some water, and take it easy while you're here. No rush, right?
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