Chapter 115: Cloaks and Rockets

The Weedle was not injured; it had merely fainted from sheer terror. Upon hearing its trainer’s voice, the Weedle slowly opened its eyes. Seeing this, the Bug Catcher boy let out a sigh of relief.

Huyang watched the scene in silence. Although he was no longer short on money, he still felt it a pity that this world lacked the game-like mechanic where the winner of a Pokémon battle would be awarded prize money by the League.

"Natta!" Axew returned to Huyang’s side and chirped at him.

"Well done." Huyang patted its head and recalled it into its Poké Ball, preparing to continue his journey toward Pewter City.

At noon, he and his Pokémon ate lunch in a clearing. Everyone had helped prepare the meal. Ralts, Cramorant, Axew, and Roserade had all taken part. Cramorant caught fish, Axew used its Dragon Claws to scale them, Roserade arranged the table and chairs, and Ralts tallied the berries in the bamboo basket.

Gengar sat on a small stool, holding the rice cooker with its claws. It looked at Axew, then at Huyang, who was busy grilling meat over a fire, and broke into a friendly smile.

Huyang quite enjoyed this feeling. Unlike the typical bond between a trainer and their Pokémon, they felt more like a complete family. Perhaps this had something to do with his mental age. He could never bring himself to treat Gengar or Ralts merely as partners; instead, he viewed them as children or family members. This applied to Axew before it evolved, to the current Ralts, and to the sensible Roserade. Even Gengar, who was thousands of years older than him, gave him that same feeling.

The only one who didn't evoke this sentiment was Slowking. It was simply too intelligent; it wouldn't babble like Gengar, nor would it act spoiled like Ralts or Axew. Since catching it, Huyang had never patted its head the way he did Axew’s, nor dared to hug it to sleep as he did with Gengar.

As for Magikarp... honestly, Huyang had already given up on including it in his battle team. *Sigh, let it be an ornamental fish, then!* He couldn't force a "salted fish" to fight, or the 99 affection points he’d spent all this time building up would likely plummet instantly.

Huyang was lost in these melancholy thoughts when Gengar’s voice suddenly echoed in his mind: "Huyang, it seems someone is following us."

Hm?

Huyang was surprised. His first thought was that the Bug Catcher boy from earlier had followed them. But Gengar quickly described the strangers' attire: "There are two of them. They are wearing white uniforms with a large letter 'R' on them."

Huyang had previously had Gengar and Slowking attend lessons together. Gengar hadn't learned much, but it had memorized the letter "R." In the Kanto region, "R" stood for Team Rocket.

So, had he been targeted by Team Rocket?

Team Rocket’s goal was to capture powerful and rare Pokémon to use them for world domination. Unlike Team Magma, who wouldn't harm you if you didn't get in their way, Team Rocket was a genuine criminal organization. Their leader, Giovanni, was an ambitious man who held sway in both the light and the dark. On the surface, Team Rocket was a large, multi-regional corporation, but in the shadows, they likely committed countless atrocities. In the games, for instance, they had killed a Marowak that was protecting its Cubone from being poached and had held Mr. Fuji hostage. Team Rocket was modeled after real-world yakuza organizations. One had to admire Giovanni's methods and capabilities to be able to run such an organization to that extent.

Though Huyang admired Giovanni’s skill, if they were setting their sights on him... he wouldn't mind causing a scene. He wondered if Cramorant could blow up the Viridian Gym in one hit... He really wanted to try.

After two seconds of contemplation, Huyang decided to play a waiting game. He slowed his pace, taking photos of wild Pokémon in the forest with his camera while intentionally showing off Ralts and Axew. Gengar seemed to sense his mood, a mischievous grin spreading across its face as it said, "I like it, too!"

Huyang: "..."

Moving at this pace, they didn't manage to exit the forest by nightfall. Huyang found a clearing, laid out his sleeping bag, instructed Gengar to stay invisible, and placed his backpack containing the Poké Balls to the side. After dinner, he crawled into his sleeping bag and feigned sleep.

About thirty minutes later, a rustling sound echoed through the forest. Footsteps approached from the distance and finally stopped in front of the backpack.

"We’ve hit the jackpot this time! Ralts and Axew are both incredibly rare. If we bring them back, the Boss will surely promote us to elite members!"

"Shh, keep your voice down! Don't wake him up!"

"What are you afraid of? His Pokémon are all in their Poké Balls; what can he do alone? Zubat, go give him a taste of what happens!"

"Quit playing around. Let's finish this quickly. We can use the Poké Ball transmitter at the base to send them to the Boss for brainwashing!"

*Hm?*

Huyang caught a key term. *A Poké Ball transmitter?* Wasn't that exactly what he needed?

It was time. He opened his eyes, just about to command Gengar to attack, when he saw a massive figure descend from the sky, pinning the two men to the ground. It was an orange, bipedal dragon Pokémon. It had large, bright black eyes, two long, thin antennae on its head, and a small horn. Its belly was cream-colored, extending all the way to the tip of its long tail.

It was... Dragonite!

Huyang’s expression shifted instantly. The Dragonite had knocked the two men down with a single blow. It lifted its head, looked at Huyang with a steady gaze, and then turned toward another part of the forest. Huyang followed its gaze. Emerging from the dense woods was a cool-looking young man with red hair, wearing a cape and exuding an aura of righteousness.

The downed Team Rocket members gasped: "Lance?! Why are you here?!"

The young man known as Lance didn't answer their question; instead, he looked at Huyang and asked sternly, "Are you alright?"

Huyang: "...I'm fine."

Lance said nothing more. Unlike the Champions and Elite Four of other regions, Lance held another position alongside his role as Champion: he was an Inspector for the Kanto League. He had come to Viridian Forest primarily to track down a secret base Team Rocket had established there.

Lance had received intelligence from his colleagues that the entire Viridian Forest had become a breeding ground for Team Rocket. They had set up a base here, using a Poké Ball transmitter to send Pokémon captured in the forest to other Team Rocket training centers, where they would be selected and used by new recruits.