Team Rocket’s Second-in-Command!

"Under surveillance?"

Hearing Matori's report, Luo Yuan furrowed his brow but didn't seem particularly surprised.

After all, Hunter J was notorious in the Pokémon hunter world and was always a high-priority target for regional leagues.

It was only natural for her to land on Hoenn's watchlist after showing up in the region.

"Shouldn't be too much of an issue. The Hoenn League already has its hands full with Team Aqua and Team Magma," Luo Yuan noted.

Even though he wasn't in Hoenn, Luo Yuan still made time each day to keep an eye on the region's affairs.

Currently, Team Aqua and Team Magma were highly active.

Recently, Team Magma had even attacked the Devon Corporation, injuring several employees and making off with a submarine.

As the heir of the Zvoch family and the son of Devon's president, Steven Stone would likely focus on taking down Team Aqua and Team Magma first, leaving little time or resources to keep tabs on Hunter J.

Matori nodded. Luo Yuan's assessment matched the conclusions of Team Rocket's analysts.

But for Matori, Luo Yuan's firsthand experience with Hoenn and its league made his words even more persuasive than the analysts' reports.

"Any message you'd like me to pass on to Hunter J?" Matori asked.

With Luo Yuan busy, she had been acting as the main liaison with Hunter J lately.

"Tell her to lay low and avoid the Hoenn League for now. Once the coast is clear, she should quietly start operations in Mauville City. The goal is to establish a foothold there, then expand outward."

Mauville City, Hoenn's largest urban center, had declined somewhat since the bankruptcy of Mauville Holdings, even falling behind Rustboro, where Devon's headquarters were located.

However, Mauville remained a densely populated center in Hoenn, and with its expanding population and limited land, its management was becoming increasingly chaotic.

The city's current state made it an ideal starting point for an organization like Team Rocket to establish itself.

This was why Luo Yuan had originally chosen the outskirts of Mauville for Team Rocket's Hoenn base.

Matori nodded in understanding.

She was one of the few people in Team Rocket privy to Luo Yuan's strategic reasoning for choosing Mauville City as the Hoenn branch's headquarters.

After the discussion about Hunter J, Matori seemed to recall something and turned back to Luo Yuan.

"Oh, by the way, that suggestion you proposed—Giovanni declined."

"Oh?" Luo Yuan raised an eyebrow, intrigued.

Did Giovanni really have no interest in becoming the Champion?

"Boss Giovanni thought it would be too risky for him, as Team Rocket's leader, to be in the public eye," Matori explained, recounting Giovanni's reasoning.

Giovanni had taken Luo Yuan's proposal seriously.

The idea of the Team Rocket leader running for Champion was excellent, and the potential rewards were substantial if successful.

However, the risks made it unworkable.

Giovanni had the strength, of course, but managing the League Champion duties while leading Team Rocket would be overwhelming.

Human energy was finite, and Giovanni didn't possess Luo Yuan's affinity for Ground-types, which gave him near-limitless stamina. Giovanni knew he'd have to focus on one role.

As Team Rocket's leader, Giovanni could operate from the shadows.

But as Champion, he'd have to step into the spotlight, under constant scrutiny.

The recent backlash against Lance after his losses to Team Rocket was a prime example.

For years, Giovanni had shaped his behavior to align with his role as Team Rocket's leader.

Being a Gym Leader was manageable, but becoming Champion would only expose him over time.

Thus, Giovanni decided to decline the idea of taking on the role of Champion himself.

However… he hadn't entirely dismissed the concept.

"Boss Giovanni said if you're interested, he'd be willing to support you in becoming Champion."

As Team Rocket's strongest member besides Giovanni, Luo Yuan was the organization's best candidate to take on the Champion role.

And at his young age, Luo Yuan had a significant advantage.

Giovanni believed that with time and a bit of rebranding for Luo Yuan's team, Kanto's Champion position wasn't out of reach.

If Luo Yuan made it to the top, the alliance between them would only further solidify Team Rocket's power.

"Me?" Luo Yuan echoed, thoughtful.

At this point, his network in Kanto was already taking shape.

Aside from his own people, he had strong relationships with the other Gym Leaders, and he enjoyed the support of Professor Oak, Bill, and Silph Co.

If he could make it to the Elite Four, becoming Champion was almost a given, assuming he had the strength.

"It's possible… but it's too early to think about that now," Luo Yuan mused.

Even reaching the Elite Four was uncertain.

After all, this was the first time Kanto had so many open spots, with recruitment for the Elite Four reaching beyond their borders.

The level of competition would be intense, and Luo Yuan couldn't predict how fierce it would become.

For now, his focus was the upcoming Indigo League tournament.

Turning, he noticed that Slowpoke had resumed its usual lazy demeanor, taking a break when it thought he wasn't looking.

"Slowpoke! Practice Shadow Ball fifty times, and make sure you learn Scald by the end of today. If not, no afternoon naps for a month!"

"Slow...!"

Jolted out of its drowsiness by the threat, Slowpoke suddenly looked wide awake.

The mere thought of missing its afternoon naps for a month banished any trace of sleepiness from its face.

With a resigned expression, Slowpoke grabbed Shellder and clamped it onto its head.

With the boost in intelligence, Slowking began casting Shadow Ball at the nearby targets with one hand, while in the other, it held a disc for Scald training, attempting to absorb the technique with Shellder's help.

With its co-evolved abilities, Slowking was capable of multitasking, although it usually preferred to channel its energy into finding ways to slack off.

Seeing Slowking working diligently, Luo Yuan nodded in approval.

He then called over Charizard, who was training in aerial combat with Dragapult, and gestured to Gengar.

Gengar rummaged through its mouth, pulling out a collection of Fire Stones, Charcoal, and other fire-boosting items, then handed them over to Charizard.

Patting Charizard on the shoulder, Luo Yuan said, "Let's hold off on aerial combat practice for now. You've got a more important mission."

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...he's late [patreon.com/WiseTL]