Chapter 93: First Encounter with Proton
Leaving the Ecruteak Gym, Ryan took out his Town Map and looked at it. He said, "The road now splits in two. East leads to Olivine City, and west leads to Mahogany Town. Which way should we go?"
Ruby pondered for a moment and said, "Ryan, I suggest you go to Olivine City first, then take a ship to Cianwood City. That's more convenient. After obtaining these two badges, we can return and head to Mahogany Town. I've heard that Pryce in Mahogany Town is very powerful, so it's best to be well prepared. Finally, we can go to Blackthorn City without taking a detour."
"Pryce," Ryan muttered, thinking of Pryce who had disappeared in the time vortex. If Ryan had saved the two Lapras, Pryce wouldn't be so obsessed. In other words, history would have been rewritten.
He didn't know how Pryce was doing now, but he shouldn't be in bad shape. Ryan smiled and said, "Then it's decided. We'll go to Olivine City!"
Rosa shrugged, indicating that anywhere was fine.
After restocking their supplies, Ryan and the other two continued their journey.
After leaving Ecruteak City, Ryan and his companions entered a forest. It was a bit dark, but it didn't hinder their progress.
Suddenly, a dark shadow flashed by, its sharp claws aimed at Ryan's throat.
"Watch out!" Rosa and Ruby shouted.
Ryan narrowed his eyes and retreated rapidly. Then, with a quick motion from his belt, Greninja appeared instantly. The energy blade generated by Night Slash clashed with the shadow's claws. Rosa and the others then saw that the shadow was actually a Crobat.
"Who are you, sneaking up on us?" Ryan said coldly.
"Tell me where Mewtwo went, and I'll spare your life." A cold voice echoed. A man dressed in black, wearing a black coat and dark sunglasses appeared from the treetops to Ryan's left.
"Team Rocket?" Ryan asked. At the same time, Beedrill, Crobat, Pheromosa, and Gengar were already in position, surrounding the tree where the man was.
"What do you think? Crobat, Aerial Ace!" the man said.
Crobat instantly dodged Greninja and, in a flash, swooped at Ryan, its sharp wings pointed straight at his throat.
"Serperior, Vine Whip, stop it!" Rosa also released Serperior to interfere with Crobat. "No need to reason with Team Rocket, Ruby, join us!"
"Gardevoir, use Psychic on that guy!" Ruby also released her Gardevoir, preparing to use telekinesis on him.
"Crobat, Umbreon, stop them." The man in black sent out his other two Pokémon.
"Have I been underestimated?" Ryan said calmly. "Not even close! Greninja, Night Slash! Beedrill, take care of him!"
At the same time, Sylveon appeared and, with a single Moonblast, sent Crobat flying, knocking it out. It then turned to look at the man in black.
"Tch. Tyranitar, Hydreigon, Shiftry, Dragonite, Toxicroak, and Sharpedo. They're all powerful Pokémon. This seems to be Team Rocket's elite," Ryan muttered.
And with nine Pokémon, if he weren't outnumbered, he'd normally be able to handle it. After all, the standard is six Pokémon. Even if he struggled with the remaining three, he could still escape.
But now, this was different. Ryan said, "Sylveon, Misty Terrain, then Fairy Wind!"
Sylveon instantly filled the entire space with Misty Terrain, then Fairy Wind blew towards Crobat and Umbreon, helping Rosa and Ruby.
The man in black saw that his six Pokémon could only match against Ryan's four and knew he was outmatched. Furthermore, the Pokémon perched on Ryan's shoulder was keeping a close eye on him. If he moved, he'd likely be attacked fiercely.
He sighed, realizing this was impossible. He instantly recalled his Pokémon and released a large number of smoke bombs, instantly enveloping the entire forest in thick smoke.
Celebi snorted softly and waved its hand, sending the smoke dissipating instantly. Looking back at the man in black, they saw him swiftly departing on Hydreigon. His voice rang out from the distance: "Remember, my name is Proton. Next time won't be so easy."
Watching Proton leave, Ryan sneered, "Next time, if you dare come, Celebi will capture you."
Celebi nodded. After all, letting him escape—it was a legendary Pokémon after all—would be embarrassing.
"It seems Team Rocket is still targeting you," Ruby said.
"Yeah, better be careful next time," Rosa said.
"Don't let me catch him, or he'll go to prison for life. Besides, I'm not the same person I used to be. I have three legendary Pokémon at my disposal. While not quite at the level of the ancient legendaries, three combined is more than enough. Anger me, and I'll fight Team Rocket to the death," Ryan declared.
Ryan was absolutely right. Team Rocket's intelligence network also reported Ryan's situation to Giovanni. While he didn't know about Ryan's Solgaleo, neither Mewtwo nor Celebi were easy targets. Plus, the escaped Mewtwo was likely still with Ryan, so Team Rocket didn't dare to make any major moves against him right now.
Sending a large force to trouble Ryan was out of the question. Did they really think the League was useless? If Team Rocket made a big move, the League's forces would likely descend upon them the moment they acted. So, for now, they had to act individually, and they only needed to gather information about Mewtwo's whereabouts.
Ryan released Blissey to treat the injured Pokémon and then contacted Lorelei about the matter. Lorelei, unable to control the Johto region for the time being, gave Ryan Lance's number and hung up. From the sound in the background, she seemed to be in a meeting.
Ryan dialed the number for the "Flying-type master." Oh wait, he was already the Champion now.
The phone rang briefly, then connected. Ryan said, "Hello, is this Lance?"
"Yes. Are you Ryan? What do you want to talk to me about?" Lance's voice came through.
"I've been attacked by Team Rocket. I'm reporting back to you and seeing if I can get some benefits from the League. Otherwise, I'll tell them where Mewtwo is, so they don't have to bother me," Ryan said.
"Wait, let me process this." Lance rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on.
After a while, Lance finally spoke, "The League can negotiate. What do you want?"
"Is there something that can change a person's luck, something that can improve their fortune?" Ryan asked, posing a difficult question to the League.
"How can such a thing exist?" Lance roared. "If there were something that could change a person's luck, I'd want it too! Wait, what did you say?"
A voice suddenly came from the other end, interrupting Lance's outburst. Then Ryan's eyes lit up, and he quickly said, "Really? Tell me what it is?"
"Do you know about Jirachi?" A voice came through, saying seriously, "There is a 'wish tag' on Jirachi's head that records wishes. Legend has it that when it wakes up, it will fulfill the wishes written on the wish tag on its head. The League has a wish tag here, you can write on it that you want good luck, but after all, after leaving Jirachi's body, this wish tag can only bring you good luck for one minute. What do you think?"
"I accept, send it to me." Ryan's eyes sparkled. Ryan basically doesn't use gacha systems because his luck is terrible. He rarely draws high-quality or rare Pokémon, so it doesn't matter whether he wants them or not.
But with one minute of good luck, Ryan could try his luck with some rare Pokémon encounters. Maybe he could find a legendary Pokémon!
(End of Chapter)
If you enjoyed this chapter, leave a Power Stone or Review!
P@atreon/Soulforger (advanced chapters)