Pokémon: Starting as a Farmer Instead of a Trainer

Chapter 131 Soloing Team Galaxy

The night was as dark as ink, thick and deep, carrying a sense of oppression that enveloped the entire Lily of the Valley.

It was already 3 a.m., and there were hardly any pedestrians on the street. Only a few trainers and their Pokémon were sitting at the roadside barbecue stalls.

With just a few hours until the quarterfinals of the Lily of the Valley Tournament, most people are resting and getting ready so they don't miss the exciting matches before dawn.

Mingyou chased after Riolu from the hotel and had Smocha follow the target. They found that Riolu was not running towards the port or the alley, but instead was running towards the forest, which was unusual.

"She seems to be trying to lure me over there... Is there some good stuff waiting for my mom over there? But I'm not alone now!"

He murmured to himself, keeping a watchful eye on things. He then took out his phone, Rotom, and made a call. He then instructed Smocha to continue following, while he rode Latias in the air to pursue them.

After all, he had already been tricked once in Binhai City, so he naturally knew what kind of personality Riolu had. Using reverse thinking, he knew that there was definitely a trap involved.

"Waaah!"

Riding on Latias, Meiyu took off from the spot, cutting through the night sky. Riolu, completely unaware that someone was above it, continued running towards the forest with the stone slab on its back. However, it did know that someone was chasing it from behind.

After entering the grove, it did not stop until it reached a camp where a small transport plane was parked, at which point it slowed down.

At the camp, several men and women dressed in black were using radar to observe their surroundings. Even though there wasn't much movement, they didn't let their guard down, after all, this was their last chance.

"Leo..."

"Are you back?"

Seeing Riolu appear exhausted carrying the stone slab, the group immediately stepped forward, snatched the slab, and scanned it with professional equipment.

"It is indeed a jade-green stone slab!"

"This is so easy! It was originally ours. Although it was stolen, we managed to get it back successfully this time. Now we have eight stone slabs, and we only need ten more!"

"Then let's retreat. Let's avoid unnecessary complications. The champion is also on Lily of the Valley Island..."

With their goal clear, the group took the stone slab and prepared to return to the transport plane, but Riolu was stunned.

"Leo..."

what about me?

It was stunned; they had clearly agreed to remove the bomb collar after bringing the stone slab over.

Hearing its cry, one of them placed the stone slab into a special container, turned around, and said coldly, "You'll be wearing that collar for the rest of your life. You've fooled us for so many days, do you really think we're all idiots? We were just deliberately stalling you, planning to go to Binhai City to find some leverage against you, like, for example, in that hidden basement in the sewers..."

"!!!"

Upon hearing this, Riolu's pupils contracted, and it almost rushed forward to fight them. But just as it was about to act, the collar around its neck started beeping, as if it were about to explode at any moment.

"A stray Pokémon that thinks it's adapted to human society... My assessment is, you're still too green. Remember this: if you try to forcibly remove the collar around your neck, it'll explode!"

"..."

Upon hearing this, Riolu completely broke down. His so-called self-rescue... had long been seen through. He was just fooling others with his self-righteousness. In reality, only a kind-hearted person like Meiyu would be fooled.

It didn't look back at the Team Galactic members boarding the transport plane with their spoils. Instead, it knelt on the ground, a last glimmer of hope lingering in its heart. Its gaze flickered backward, but...

There was no one there. Even using waveguides, they couldn't sense a single person. They were clearly chasing after them just moments ago; did they lose them? Or...?

There was absolutely no hope now. Wearing a collar, it could do nothing, and its freedom would be restricted for the rest of its life. Even its companions in Binhai City couldn't save it.

Perhaps this is retribution...

Just as Riolu was in despair, the transport plane slowly took off. The Team Galactic members on board did not pay attention to anything else, but instead connected to the communication system to tell Saturn that the mission was going smoothly.

"Brother, we've obtained the emerald slab!"

"Well done. I'll come to meet you right away. I just received some intelligence that the Emerald Slab might be bait used by the Interpol to lure us in. We were originally thinking of temporarily suspending the operation, but it seems to be progressing very smoothly."

"Of course, that Riolu just stole the stone slab so easily. We've been keeping an eye on our surroundings, and no one followed it."

"Hmm, what about Riolu?"

"It's been left down there; it's no longer of any use anyway."

"It must be disposed of properly, leaving no trace. We absolutely cannot let anyone else know that we're collecting the stone tablets, or about reviving Team Galactica!"

"Don't worry, bro. Once we're a bit further away, I'll detonate that collar. Then there won't be any dust left..."

Before he could finish speaking, a purple light suddenly flashed in the man's eyes. A dragon-like aura, seemingly from nowhere, pierced through the side panel of the transport plane and shattered the floor beneath their feet!

"The transport plane was...who was it?!"

The moment those words were spoken, the entire transport plane exploded in the night sky, its debris scattering like meteors...

"I finally caught you! I never expected you to use Riolu to steal..."

Mingyou rode Latias, hovering in mid-air, silently watching the exploding transport plane.

He had been observing them for a long time, including their conversation, because the cloaked Latias was undetectable by radar.

"..."

Hearing the explosion from above, Riolu, feeling utterly hopeless, instinctively looked up.

Watching several Team Galactic members grab Crobat and fall down with the wreckage of the plane, their clothes torn and them looking very disheveled.

Latias naturally sensed that those people were escaping, so it immediately chased after them with Mingyou. Because it had been captured and tortured by Team Rocket before, it was very angry about these guys and would never let them go!

"Waaah!"

With a burst of psychic power, several Crobats, which were flapping their wings, were suddenly grabbed by a force, their bodies lost control and even twisted, before being slammed to the ground by Latias.

Several Team Galactic members were injured and fell, but they clung tightly to the container containing the Emerald Tablet. They recognized Naruyu instantly as he got off Latias.

"Who are you……"

In their minds, Mingyou was Riolu's companion, and had even beaten them up in Binhai City. So now they subconsciously believed that Riolu must have been up to no good and had called people over to help.

But Riolu didn't think so. The moment it saw Mingyou appear, its expression froze completely, its eyes filled with astonishment and disbelief...

With a loud crash, the plane wreckage hit the ground, and a green Poké Ball rolled out from it, completely intact, and slowly came to a stop at Mingyou's feet.

He bent down and picked it up: "It really is a strange sphere. It seems they didn't figure out what it was before just leaving it on the transport plane."

As he spoke, he put the Strange Sphere into his backpack and glanced at the Team Galactic members over there.

The group panicked instantly upon sensing the angry gazes of him and Latias, completely unprepared for the fact that this person possessed a legendary Pokémon.

"Don't come any closer! That Riolu is your companion, right? If you dare come any closer, I'll..."

The person holding the emerald green stone slab took out a remote control button, and Riolu immediately panicked, wanting to tell Mingyou not to act impulsively, but its outstretched claw stopped in mid-air, and after hesitating for a moment, it withdrew.

After all, the other party wasn't there to save me; it was even a thief who stole the stone tablet. Once Team Galactic is dealt with, I'll be next. They'll settle scores one by one; there's no escaping it. I might as well just let it be and atone for what I've done...

but……

"A bomb? That's certainly terrifying."

Mingyou scratched his head, and the Galaxy Team members were decisive. Hearing his lazy tone, they pressed the button almost without hesitation.

But their bodies could no longer move. They were less than a millimeter away from pressing the button, but they just couldn't press it.

"Waaah!"

Latias stared at them with a fierce yet adorable expression. Don't underestimate Psychic-type Pokémon!

At this moment, Mingyou took out the Thorn Vine Staff, a slight smile playing on her lips, and slowly walked forward. There was nothing to say about dealing with a guy like this.

Although the group was unable to move, they could still speak. As they watched him approach with a sinister smile, their expressions instantly turned terrified, as if they had seen a ghost.

"You...you stay away!!!"

……

(End of this chapter)