After snatching Erika's Poké Ball, Li Yuan didn't waste a single second. He grabbed Huanhuan and teleported away from the villa before Erika could even finish screaming his name.
With Erika's strongest Ace in his pocket, his personal safety was guaranteed. Now, his only focus was securing that Gardevoir. Opportunities like this didn't come twice; if he missed out on a mother-daughter pair of psychic beauties—one of them a rare Shiny—he'd regret it until his dying day.
As for whether the Tsareena would actually fight for him? He wasn't worried. He and Erika were practically husband and wife now, which made her Pokémon family. More importantly, he was the one who had "hacked" Tsareena's abilities in the first place. He was responsible for at least 70% of her current combat power. If she hadn't been hatched and raised by Erika from an egg, she probably would have abandoned her trainer for him years ago.
Huanhuan pushed herself to the limit, teleporting a thousand meters with every jump. Within ten minutes, they had cleared the city limits and were deep into the desolate wilderness. After confirming the coordinates, they dove straight into the heart of the forest.
Half an hour later, Li Yuan arrived at the clearing marked by Hunter J.
He didn't rush in. Instead, he handed a box of premium Energy Cubes to Huanhuan, allowing her to recover the energy spent during their travel. While she ate, he had her stack several layers of Swords Dance, ensuring she was in her most lethal state before facing the unknown.
While calling them "enemies" was premature—they were technically there for a business transaction—one had to be careful with wanted criminals. Even if they had a modicum of "professional honor" to keep clients coming back, the temptation of "black-on-black" theft was always there.
Besides, Li Yuan was a pervert who regularly took liberties with his female clients; he knew better than anyone that "honor" was a flexible concept. If these hunters decided to kill him in the middle of nowhere, they could keep the Shiny Gardevoir and lure in another sucker with the same bait.
Li Yuan closed his eyes and radiated his Aura outward. It acted like a high-resolution radar, sweeping through the trees and even the soil. He could detect the movement of two earthworms mating underground two hundred meters away; nothing was going to sneak up on him.
The wilderness was crawling with Pokémon, mostly common pests like Caterpie and Oddish. If he weren't so focused on the trade, he might have snagged a few for spare cash.
Finally, his Aura picked up three suspicious figures waiting two hundred meters ahead. From their tactical gear, it was clear they were Hunter J's recovery team. To his disappointment, J herself wasn't there. She was an executive, after one; she wasn't going to do the "grunt work" of a sales meeting unless she had to.
"What a shame," Li Yuan muttered, shaking his head. "I was hoping to catch her and turn her into a bed-warming maid. I guess she'll have to wait for next time."
He had brought Mother Tsareena specifically to suppress J. J was powerful—likely Elite Four level—but Erika's Tsareena was a "hacked" monster that could hold its own against any world-class threat. If Li Yuan could confirm J's Salamence was only at the Veteran or Champion rank, he would have ambushed her the moment the Poké Balls were in his hand.
"Alright, Huanhuan. No more wasting time. It's just three Senior-rank goons. Let's get this over with."
"Meow? (What? A big-shot criminal organization only sent these losers?)"
Huanhuan looked bored, stopping her Swords Dance mid-flow. Senior-rank trainers were nothing to her. The "Top Donor" she had one-shotted earlier was a Senior+ rank. Even if she messed up, she had the Elite-Four-level Tsareena as a safety net.
"It's not a total loss," Li Yuan said, patting her head. "Most people spend half their lives just trying to reach Elite rank. Not everyone has a 'cheat' for a master. To these guys, Senior rank is their peak."
"Meow~ (I guess it's hard being poor~)"
Huanhuan chirped heartlessly. Being a Dark-type, she wasn't exactly burdened with empathy. She grabbed her master's hand and teleported them directly into the center of the goons' camp.
The three men were startled. Three Houndooms—the standard "villain" Pokémon—leaped to their feet, snarling at the sudden intruders.
"Who the hell are you?" A middle-aged man leaning against a tree snapped his eyes open. He was stunned; he hadn't heard a sound. If this had been a police raid, they would have been dead.
"I'm here for the cargo," Li Yuan said calmly.
"Account ending in 5520?" the leader asked, frowning as he realized he was looking at a teenager.
"191****5520," Li Yuan recited the full number.
"You got the money?"
"Does anyone carry cash these days? I have my card."
"Where is the Shiny Gardevoir? Let me see her first. I verify the goods, then I pay."
"No way," the leader sneered. "Gardevoir can Teleport. If we let her out and she bolts, who pays for the loss?"
"And if I buy her and she runs later?"
"That's your problem. The Hunter Organization doesn't offer a warranty."
"Fine. Let's just swipe the card and get this over with." Li Yuan wanted to leave.
The goons exchanged a look. They were genuinely surprised. This kid was talking about a thirteen-million RMB transaction like he was buying a pack of cigarettes. He didn't even care about a proper inspection.
Their Boss had said the client was loaded, but this was ridiculous. Did he really trust their reputation? They didn't even trust themselves!
As they looked at Li Yuan, their eyes turned greedy. If we kidnap him, we could squeeze his family for tens of millions more. Or better yet... we kill him after he pays, tell the Boss the deal went south, and sell the Shiny Gardevoir pair to a private collector ourselves.
They weren't good men. They had blood on their hands. And here was a "walking ATM" with nothing but a single Grass-type cat for protection. They would be idiots not to kill him.