Chapter 136: Hunter J's Evil Deeds and Lila

That was a woman with silver-gray hair wearing high-tech glasses, smiling broadly as she chatted animatedly over a communicator somewhere.

The background of the photo showed a group of Pokémon locked inside iron cages.

The Pokémon were clearly in a state of terror; their timid gazes contrasted sharply with the woman's animated chatter, creating an intensely jarring sense of dissonance.

Looking at this photo, whether it was Thyme and Rhyme, or the unrestrained Rika and the expressionless Grusha, their eyes all sharpened considerably in an instant.

They were all powerful Trainers from the Paldea region, their memories intertwined with the time spent alongside Pokémon; seeing these hunted creatures stirred an indescribable feeling deep within their hearts.

Next, Looker brought up several more photos.

Among them were Pokémon separated from their mothers due to Hunter J's persecution, Pokémon bewildered after being dragged from their homelands and sold to unknown places, and Pokémon clearly suffering psychological trauma and physical abuse even after being rescued by the International Police and local authorities.

To ensure the hunted Pokémon obeyed their buyers' commands, Hunter J would often conduct "training" before delivery to make them more compliant.

All sorts of evidence pointed to just how cold-blooded and ruthless a person Hunter J was.

"This is truly..."

Thyme, whose hair had turned gray with age, was no longer young; nowadays, she viewed her Pokémon as her own children, and upon witnessing such a cruel scene, she involuntarily covered her mouth, letting out a soft gasp of shock.

Rhyme moved closer to Thyme, soothing her older sister's frightened emotions, while her own gaze gradually turned serious.

Rika uncrossed her long legs, sat up straight, and said in a cold voice, "Scum."

Grusha's eyes became sharp.

Looker said with a heavy voice, "These are merely the tip of the iceberg of her evil deeds; in places we do not know, her wickedness will only increase, never decrease."

"Currently, according to reliable intelligence, Hunter J and her subordinates will head to Glaseado Mountain in this Paldea region to hunt a certain rare Pokémon as requested by a buyer."

"This is undoubtedly an opportunity to capture her and bring her to justice; however, since we do not know where on Glaseado Mountain she will operate, nor can we identify the target Pokémon species, relying solely on us International Police leaves us willing but unable."

"Several powerful Trainers from the Paldea region would be the strongest reinforcements; especially Young Lady Rika and Mr. Luo Mu, as an Elite Four member and a Champion-level Trainer respectively, your presence adds several degrees of confidence to the success of this operation."

Luo Mu was not surprised that Looker knew his strength; after all, since Geeta had issued the commission, she must have briefed Looker in advance.

Facing this man who was an acquaintance only on his side, Luo Mu asked, "Have the specific operation time and arrangements been divided out yet?"

Looker nodded and said, "Because the scope of Glaseado Mountain is truly too vast, dispersing our police force will inevitably create vacant zones, or situations where officers encountering Hunter J will be unable to deal with her."

Pulling a detailed map of Glaseado Mountain from behind him, Looker looked at Luo Mu and the others: "Therefore, as our high-end combat power, I would like to ask each of you to take responsibility for a specific zone; if you receive a signal from an officer in your zone who has discovered clues, immediately proceed there to suppress Hunter J."

Rika tapped her fingers on the table a few times, staring directly at Looker: "We roughly understand your request, but there is one more point: how much do you know about Hunter J's actual combat strength?"

Rhyme and Thyme, who were about to speak, exchanged glances; this was indeed a question that needed answering.

Looker replied, "Currently, we know her Pokémon include a Salamence, an Ariados, and a Drapion; their strength is estimated to be at least comparable to that of Elite Trainers, and her subordinates also possess some Pokémon, mostly of Poison and Dark types."

"However, the tactics they specialize in are generally not Pokémon battles, but rather attacks using various technological weapons; please be careful about this point."

Looker then listed the technological weapons commonly used by Hunter J's gang, the one that drew Luo Mu's attention most being the "Petrification Beam" equipped on Hunter J's arm.

He remembered that this beam had petrified quite a few Pokémon in the anime, and had even captured Azelf, Uxie, and Mesprit, known as the Lake Guardians among the legendary Pokémon.

Strange black technology in the Pokémon world could sometimes unleash unimaginable power, and Luo Mu felt he must also remain vigilant against such things.

The meeting concluded after Looker divided the zones among Luo Mu and the others; according to intelligence, Hunter J would arrive at Glaseado Mountain to begin operations as early as tomorrow, so today they each had to lie in ambush at their corresponding positions in advance.

Geeta had originally planned to have Grusha assist Luo Mu, but after considering Luo Mu's strength, Looker arranged for him a surveillance zone that was, well, just a tiny bit unfriendly.

It was a super-large zone based on the highest peak of Glaseado Mountain, even encompassing the Western Three-Path Cliff on the west side of Glaseado Mountain, the place known as one of the Ten Views of Paldea, the Hand of Glaseado.

Looker's exact words were: "Everyone's Pokémon mobility is not as good as your Dragonite; the capable should shoulder more burdens, so we need you to bear with it a bit more."

Although Luo Mu had originally intended to wait at the highest peak of Glaseado Mountain anyway, being asked by someone else always made him feel somewhat uncomfortable.

After all, if one were to name the most reliable method among all ways to search for Hunter J's gang within this vast Glaseado Mountain, it would surely be the system in his mind.

Usually, this fellow seemed useless, but for finding certain things or resolving certain doubts, it was quite good.

Prompt System: 【Expletive】

After the division of labor was clear, Luo Mu was assigned a temporary subordinate from Looker.

Looking at the crisp and valiant woman before him who was meticulous in every detail, he asked again with trembling fingers: "You said... what is your name?"

"Lila, my name is Lila; how many times have I repeated this?"

The woman organizing her equipment replied with some impatience, yet restrained by their current identities as she and Luo Mu.

She had long violet hair, tied back with a ribbon into a slightly flowing ponytail, and her all-black suit gave her an aura that kept strangers at bay.

Lila—was this the Battle Tower Salon Maiden, the Brain of the Battle Frontier Lila from his impressions?

Luo Mu remembered very clearly that just a while ago, he had seen a broadcast of a battle at the Battle Tower in Artazon on his phone.

Undoubtedly, the Lila conducting the Pokémon battle in that video had very short hair; with only about two months having passed in between, what was the story with this long-haired Lila before him?

Even if hair grew incredibly fast, one's temperament couldn't possibly change this drastically, right?

(End of Chapter)