Time flew by.
In just three days, Lin Yu had basically finished writing his theory on Riolu's evolution into Lucario.
All that was left was to observe Riolu's growth and fill in the details slowly.
Naturally, he wouldn't hand all the theories to his teacher at once — he'd send them bit by bit.
Even so,
Luo Qingfeng was stunned by his research speed!
Come on.
Her entire team had spent months finishing Eevee's evolution research.
And this kid…
was making similar progress?
For real?
God didn't just open a door for him — He built a highway to the heavens!
No matter what,
Luo Qingfeng knew she had picked the perfect disciple.
As the Provincial Tournament hype faded, the number of tourists in Water Metropolis gradually dropped.
"So there really are people with bad intentions looking for me."
He was the champion, after all.
Logically, walking the streets of Water Metropolis should have drawn massive attention.
But in reality, not a single person glanced at him.
After leaving his hotel,
Lin Yu spotted two men glowing red lingering by the entrance — his [Malice Target] Entry marking them as hostile.
But under the effect of the [Chameleon Mask],
they didn't notice Lin Yu even as he walked right past them.
"I should leave Water Metropolis…"
He'd stayed the past few days only to wait for the red-haired girl (Latias) to come find him again.
He still hadn't activated his red Entry [Guidance of a Precious Pokémon].
He had no idea what kind of Pokémon it would lead him to.
Logically,
the System would never show him a Pokémon that already had an owner.
Which meant he was certain to obtain this one.
He tapped the air lightly.
The red light vanished.
At that moment, Lin Yu felt a faint connection —
like a Pokémon was waiting for him somewhere far away.
Southern China.
The ocean.
It was quite a long distance.
"Looks like I'm heading to the coast next!"
Lin Yu didn't mind at all.
The National High School Pokémon Tournament wouldn't start until July or August,
leaving plenty of time in between.
He might as well use this chance to explore this world where humans and Pokémon coexisted.
Water Metropolis had left a good impression on him.
He'd even met his second legendary Pokémon here!
His first had been Articuno, though it had been too far away to interact with.
He set a small goal for himself:
He wouldn't necessarily catch every legendary…
but he'd at least see them all.
Or…
ride all of them?
At a Water Metropolis inn,
two Team Rocket grunts were reporting to their superior.
A hoarse voice came from the phone:
"You lost him again?"
The two grunts exchanged terrified glances. One stammered:
"We watched the door the entire time! He was right there… and then he was just gone!"
The line went silent for a long while.
Finally:
"Useless! You can't even watch one person! Get back here!"
The two sighed in relief and hung up, their backs soaked in sweat.
Was Team Rocket's pay good?
Yes, extremely good.
Even regular members received high-quality Pokémon like Pidgey, Koffing, and Ekans.
But their punishments were just as harsh.
From the day they joined Team Rocket, their family information had been entered into the database.
The consequences of betrayal…
were unthinkable.
But that wasn't why Team Rocket could survive and grow in heavily regulated China.
The real reason they could exist:
By the time the League noticed them,
Team Rocket already had businesses spread across the country —
many related to people's daily lives.
Gyms…
Pokémon Centers…
influential figures in these 民生 - related fields all had ties to Team Rocket.
Removing them would require a full-scale purge of China's entire system.
In truth, the China Pokémon League had the power to do it.
But…
outside of trafficking secret treasures on the black market and abusing power for profit,
Team Rocket members hadn't committed any major crimes.
So the League turned a blind eye.
To this day, the League still didn't know the full structure of Team Rocket's leadership.
They only knew the identities of a few Elite Four-level members.
And under the League's watch, those few didn't dare act recklessly.
Without taking down the top leaders, a purge was meaningless — they'd just recruit new members.
A small town.
The sky was dark. A single withered tree stood alone on a quiet path.
"That white flame… it has an indestructible trait…"
A hoarse voice echoed. The gloomy sky seemed to be splashed with white paint —
it suddenly cleared up completely.
Caw… caw…
Looking up,
a Murkrow circled above.
A simple Haze move had plunged the entire area into darkness!
Beside the withered tree leaned a man shrouded in shadow.
"Randa, what are you doing? Your identity isn't even in the League's database!"
Before he could move,
a fierce woman riding a Honchkrow descended from the sky.
Randa.
One of Team Rocket's Elite Four,
and their top expert on Pokémon genetic research.
His face was cold and sinister.
The League had no records of him.
"Athena. Tell Boss Giovanni I want that Charmeleon! It's perfect — in every way. Its physique, move control, that white flame… and a Fire-type using Fairy Wings!"
The woman who stepped off Honchkrow was Athena —
a Team Rocket Elite Four member whose identity was known to the League.
"Have you lost your mind?!"
Athena snapped. "He's the Provincial Tournament champion! With China's laws, how could you make a celebrity trainer disappear in broad daylight?!"
"Then we take him in a Secret Realm."
Randa replied without hesitation.
"You'll need a chance first!"
"That's your problem. This kid's hidden potential is off the charts. If we capture his Charmeleon, it'll be invaluable for our research on that Pokémon. Just tell Giovanni that."
With that, Randa was engulfed in black fog and vanished.
"Dammit!"
Athena cursed.
This guy only dumped work on others.
Just because he was a researcher!
"Fine. I'll report to Giovanni first."
Athena opened her satellite phone.
After explaining the situation,
a deep voice came from the other end:
"Leave this to you, Athena."