Deep within the forest, two figures raced through the undergrowth—one fleeing, the other in relentless pursuit.
With Breloom carrying him, Ethan Wolfe wasn't slow. In the tangled jungle terrain, they moved as if it were flat ground.
But the figure behind them was even faster.
Blink by blink, the distance kept shrinking.
Ethan could feel the pursuit closing in, yet he didn't dare look back. The wind howled past his ears as the scenery blurred. There was nothing he could do but trust Breloom to get him out alive.
"Brother—stop right there."
Leon suddenly appeared ahead of them, condensing psychic energy into a massive spectral hand that slammed down, cutting off their path.
"Breloom—!"
Breloom set Ethan down and turned toward Leon, emitting a low growl.
Leon could roughly understand its intent.
It had judged him weaker.
It believed it could fight.
"You can try," Leon said calmly. "I might be weaker, but I still have two partners."
He released Gyarados and Vigoroth, then continued evenly:
"I might not be able to take you both down—but you won't be able to leave either. And my teammates are already on their way."
Leon let his psychic power surge outward.
It was the peak of a mid-level psychic, already brushing against the threshold of the advanced tier.
Beyond the system's rewards, Leon trained every single day. His psychic power grew steadily through his own effort, not blind reliance on cheats.
The same applied to Pokémon training.
By League standards, he was already a mid-level breeder, capable of independently producing mid-grade energy blocks.
From behind Breloom, Ethan couldn't help but speak.
"Brother… you're making a few thousand a month. Why are you risking your life like this?"
Leon chuckled softly.
"I'm not risking my life. I'm just trying to get more profit."
"…More profit?"
Ethan's expression shifted slightly.
So there was room to negotiate.
He hesitated, then tried:
"Hey—Rocket brother. Can we talk?"
Leon's face was still obscured.
No one robbed people with their real face—unless they were true monsters or untouchable big shots.
"Sure," Leon said. "That depends on how sincere you are."
He withdrew the outward flow of psychic power.
The claim about teammates coming was a bluff. Leon had no guarantee anyone was following him, let alone on the same route.
But bluffing worked just fine.
"What do you want?" Ethan asked cautiously.
Leon pointed at the Poké Balls on Ethan's belt.
"You're carrying a lot. I'm guessing there are some starter Pokémon in there."
"So the League really does have internal leaks," Ethan thought grimly.
Outwardly, he shook his head.
"Those are my personal Pokémon. You might be mistaken."
He pulled his cloak aside to reveal the belt more clearly.
Leon laughed lightly.
"Very professional. I respect people like you."
He raised his hand slightly.
"Then let's fight. Gyarados. Vigoroth. Get ready."
"Wait."
Ethan's hesitation vanished.
"I only have two starters on me. I can't give you all of them. I'll give you one. The other—I truly need."
Leon's eyes were cold.
"What if I say I want all of them?"
"Then there's nothing to talk about," Ethan snapped. "Even if I give them to you, you might still kill me. I'd rather fight!"
As they spoke, movement echoed in the distance.
Both men tensed instantly.
Ethan thought Leon's reinforcements had arrived.
Leon thought the opposite—that League reinforcements were coming.
And the odds were high.
After a battle of this scale, Team Rocket forces would be exhausted. If League support arrived now, the ambush would lose all meaning.
Leon knew Aoyan well.
The moment the objective was achieved, he would order a retreat.
Which meant—
Leon was gambling.
"…Take it."
Ethan suddenly ripped a Poké Ball from his belt and threw it toward Leon.
Under Breloom's cover, he turned and ran.
Even as he fled, he stayed alert. If Leon attacked, he would fight to the death—if he was going down, he would take at least one of Leon's Pokémon with him.
Leon caught the Poké Ball.
"Profit secured."
He recalled Gyarados and Vigoroth and vanished in a flash of teleportation, disappearing into the dark forest.
Moments later—
"Move!"
A squad of League personnel surged through the area, both on land and in the air.
Leon took winding routes, mixing psychic movement with vehicles, running nonstop for two hours before reaching a hidden Team Rocket base.
After verification, the doors opened.
"Boss—you're back!"
Ryan greeted him excitedly.
"Yeah," Leon nodded.
He handed Gyarados and Vigoroth over to the base's Pokémon doctors. Both needed treatment.
Exhausted, Leon dropped into a seat beside Ryan and Noah.
"That four-star mission was insane," Ryan said, still shaken. "Without you, Boss, I'd be dead."
He laughed, then grew serious.
"A lot of people died. Noah and I made it back only because of you. Thanks."
Leon waved it off and took a drink. The icy liquid cleared his head.
"Heh. The people we captured are big shots. Worth a fortune. Their families will come to ransom them."
"Ransom?" Leon asked.
"Alive is always worth more than dead."
"And after they're released," Leon said slowly, "won't they just oppose us again?"
Ryan shrugged.
"Usually not. Money talks. Besides, not every big family is fully loyal to the League. Some even have members in Team Rocket."
"They hedge their bets. Always have."
Leon sighed quietly.
Being rich really is nice.