Elf: Start your slow-paced life after becoming a farmer.

In her view, the so-called "retribution" is just an excuse to cover up her own lack of strength.

But one day, when Hunter J was riding Salamence past a waterfall, she encountered her destined "nemesis" (self-proclaimed) – a young trainer who looked innocent but was actually extremely ruthless.

Out of professional ethics, when Hunter J encounters a trainer who is alone, she will subconsciously observe the Pokémon the trainer is carrying.

When Hunter J saw that the young trainer's team included a bear Pokémon she had never seen before, which looked imposing, and a strangely shaped Misdreavus, she decided to make some "extra money" off the trainer.

Hunter J at the time believed that although the two Pokémon seemed strong, she had absolutely no chance of losing, given her Salamence and petrification technology.

But reality slapped her hard in the face. The strangely shaped Dreamweaver defeated her proud Salamence with a single blow, forcing it to its knees.

As if knowing what she was thinking, the young man didn't give her a chance to use the petrification technology. He commanded the bear Pokémon to break her limbs and then threw her on the ground like trash.

That memory haunted Hunter J like a nightmare for a long time until a powerful figure got her out of prison and funded her to make a comeback, at which point she barely managed to forget that unbearable memory.

Just as Hunter J fled to the Hoenn region, preparing to continue her "deep cultivation" in the field of Pokémon Hunter, she encountered that young trainer once again.

After having his limbs broken by the same person once again, Hunter J began to believe in so-called "retribution".

Since Hunter J was sent back to prison as soon as she was released, the investor who had invested in her also temporarily gave up on her.

Hunter J endured a long and arduous time in that dark and hopeless prison. Three months ago, her sugar daddy contacted her again and gave her one last chance.

After escaping from prison, Hunter J learned from her previous experience: if she can't afford to mess with her, can't she at least avoid her?

So after Hunter J reassembled a small team, he led them to the Padia region, thousands of miles away from Sinnoh, and began committing crimes again.

Back to the present, Hunter J, who was maintaining his weapons in his tent, once again felt uneasy.

"What on earth is going on?" Hunter J rubbed the cool-feeling high-grade ball in his hand. "I've come all the way to Padia, how could I possibly run into that brat again?"

On the other side, Carl relaxed slightly after learning that the group of Pokémon hunters hiding deep in the ruins were actually led by Hunter J.

Although Carl found the whole thing too coincidental, he preferred to face his "old friend" rather than a Pokémon hunter with unknown information.

Gengar looked at Karl, who was deep in thought after giving the information, and suddenly became a little anxious. Could it be that this human was planning to give up after hearing about the group of "invaders"?

"Jie Jie Jie!"

Carl snapped back to reality after hearing Gengar's slightly urgent cry.

Just as Carl was about to speak up to calm Gengar, he heard Espeon translate: "Eevee~ (It says it's willing to give us its 'treasure' if we're willing to drive away those invaders.)"

"Treasure?" Karl was taken aback at first, then immediately realized what was going on and refused, "Forget about treasures. Since I've run into that bunch of scum, I won't stand idly by."

After saying that, Carl didn't wait for Gengar to continue speaking before he immediately started walking, following the footprints on the ground towards the large hole in the wall.

Pipa and Nemo, who were standing nearby, exchanged a glance after seeing Karl move, and then quickly followed him.

Thanks to Espeon's presence, even if Carl and his companions shouted in the bottomless tunnels, they didn't need to worry about the Pokémon hunters hidden deep within the ruins hearing their echoes.

So, while tracing the footprints, Carl briefly explained to Piper and Nemo the "love-hate relationship" between him and Hunter J.

After hearing that Carl had broken Hunter J's limbs twice, Nemo's expression became somewhat hesitant and as if she wanted to say something but couldn't.

Although Carl's attention was focused on tracking the group of Pokémon hunters, he still keenly noticed the change in Nemo's expression.

"Nemo, don't you think it was a bit too cruel of me to break Hunter J's limbs?"

Karl didn't intend to beat around the bush, but went straight to the point: "In fact, my way of dealing with criminals is already considered relatively merciful. A certain Flying-type Elite Four member in the Kanto region has a record of directly using Hyper Beam on humans..."

Nemo interrupted Karl before he could explain, "That's not how it works, Karl. I wanted to ask, if I were in this situation and accidentally killed the other person, would I be convicted?"

“Well… although laws vary from region to region, accidentally killing the perpetrator when one’s personal safety is threatened should not be considered a crime.” Karl paused. “However, Nemo, if possible, try not to kill others while ensuring your own safety.”

"Why?" Nemo asked, puzzled.

As the daughter of the owner of Rotom Mobile, Nemo was well protected from a young age due to her physical condition, but her family environment destined her to see things from a different perspective than ordinary people.

Nemo believes that Pokémon hunters are evil beings who don't deserve to be human, and she wouldn't mind taking their lives if given the chance.

“There’s an old saying in my hometown: ‘If you have a sharp blade in your heart, the desire to kill will arise.’” Carl said in a softer tone, “I think Nemo, you should be able to understand the meaning of this saying.”

Before Nemo could answer, Carl, while tracing the footprints, said to himself, "Some things can only be done zero times or countless times. I hope you can hold on to your inner bottom line."

After listening to Carl's earnest words, Nemo nodded thoughtfully, while Pipa, standing to the side, was completely confused.

Just then, Gengar, who was floating ahead leading the way, paused and turned to look at Karl: "Hehehe."

"Boo~ (Gengar says, the invaders' camp is just ahead. Because the invaders knew of its existence, they used some method to prevent it from getting close.)"

After saying that, Espeon added, "Eevee~ (Based on my perception, there is a Dark-type protective shield about fifty meters ahead, which was probably created by those Pokémon hunters using some kind of equipment.)"

“I understand.” Karl looked calmly at the camp with its firelight ahead, his expression unchanged. “It’s just a mere shield. Wingslash, smash it.”

At Karl's command, the Winged Beast emerged from Karl's shadow, its long fur swaying even without wind.

Immediately afterwards, a seemingly ordinary purplish-black energy ball condensed in front of Zhenyifa, and with a low roar from Zhenyifa, the ball shot out instantly.

At the same time, Hunter J, who was about to rest, suddenly felt a suffocating sense of crisis and instinctively threw herself to the ground.

With a chilling shattering sound echoing through the ruins, the protective barrier surrounding the Pokémon Hunter Camp was shattered by a Shadow Ball casually fired by Winged.

After dodging the impact of the shattered shield, Hunter J unleashed his Salamence in a fit of rage, which flew towards Karl and his group.

Upon seeing Karl's familiar face once again, Hunter J felt a chill run down his spine and instinctively blurted out, "It's you again!"

Chapter 53 Karl: President Yeci, I'd like to give you a gift (Please continue reading)

After seeing Karl for the third time, Hunter J completely broke down. She never expected that she would run into this guy even though she had already fled to the Padia region.

Fight or flee, that's not a question for Hunter J.

Three years ago, when she was at the peak of her strength, she couldn't defeat this kid in front of her, let alone now that she's in a slump.

Faced with the imminent threat of having his limbs broken and being imprisoned, Hunter J's brain starts working at an unprecedented speed.

Under Carl's watchful eye, Hunter J, bursting with survival instinct, began her survival maneuvers at a dazzling speed.

Hunter J first took out a gas mask from his waist pack and put it on, then threw two Poké Balls in the direction of Carl.

As the white light flashed and disappeared, two Pokémon with different appearances appeared in the eyes of Carl and his companions.

The first Pokémon to appear is named Forretress. Its body is covered with a pink shell, and underneath the pink shell is a red carapace.

Forrettos possesses excellent Bug/Steel typing and a high Defense stat of 140, which allows it to maintain good durability even when facing Fire-type attacks, which are four times weak to it. It is an excellent physical tank Pokémon.

The second Pokémon is the infamous Muk, which looks like a lump of purple sludge with eyes and a mouth. Its body secretes a highly toxic liquid that constantly emits a foul stench.

Therefore, apart from a very few trainers with exceptional patience, very few trainers are willing to capture it.

The moment Carl saw Grimer, a mask of pain instantly appeared on his face, and a painful memory suddenly began to assault him.

Faced with Hunter J's "unsportsmanlike" move, Carl quickly took out a Poké Ball and released Corviknight.

The moment Corviknight saw Grimer, its massive body trembled violently. Before Karl could give any command, it activated its Flying-type energy and began flapping its wings forcefully.

Manipulated by Corviknight, the violent air currents carried dust accumulated over countless years within the ruins, crashing like waves towards the Pokémon hunters' camp, reducing visibility within the ruins.

"Muk, use your parting gift! Forrest, Big Bang!" Hunter J, riding on the back of a Salamence, braved the oncoming storm and gave the order to Muk and Forrest to perish together.

"Corviknight, use Taunt on Grimer, and Wingfire, use Strange Light on Forretress!" Karl calmly issued the command, not losing his composure despite Hunter J's desperate tactics.

Just then, Espeon, who had been using its psychic powers to monitor its surroundings, suddenly shouted, "Eevee! (That woman ran away!)"

"Heh, run away? She can't escape." Karl sneered and casually tossed out a Poké Ball.

Charizard, which had been "overseeing" the battle from inside its Poké Ball, suddenly appeared before everyone.

"Eevee, Corviknight, Piper, and Nemo are all yours," Karl said, climbing onto Charizard's back. He added as a final instruction, "As for the scum in the camp, just leave them alive."

After saying that, Karl reached out and gently patted the Charizard beneath him: "Let's go, Charizard, let's go say 'hello' to our old friend."

"Hoo! (Understood!)"

Upon hearing Karl's "kind and friendly" words, the Charizard excitedly swung its thick tail and slammed it into the ground.

With a dull thud, spiderweb-like cracks appeared on the ground, and the flame at the end of the Charizard's tail seemed to burn even more intensely.

The next moment, the Charizard flapped its wings, and the dust that was flying everywhere was dispersed with a roar under its control.

After clearly seeing the figure riding a Salamence in the distance, the Charizard carrying Karl immediately transformed into a crimson meteor and sped off in the direction where Hunter J was.

At this moment, Hunter J, riding on the back of the Salamence, looked solemn; her sixth sense was frantically sending her warnings.

In just ten seconds, Hunter J felt the air around her gradually heating up. She resisted the urge to look back, took out a syringe filled with red liquid from her pocket, and plunged it hard into the gap between the scales of the Salamence.

"Roar--"

Hunter J's Salamence let out a painful roar. Under the influence of the banned drugs, its body visibly swelled up, which increased its flight speed even further.

After seeing Hunter J's little tricks, Carl's eyes showed even more disgust: "Charizard, use Dragon Pulse!"

Upon hearing this, Charizard opened its mouth, and purple dragon-type energy rapidly gathered within it.

Just then, a sense of impending doom arose in Hunter J's heart. She couldn't help but turn around and saw Charizard preparing to unleash Dragon Pulse.

Hunter J's expression froze the moment she saw Karl. Before she could react, Charizard had already opened its mouth and unleashed Dragon Pulse at Salamence.

Hunter J stared in horror as a purple beam of energy erupted from Charizard's mouth. Instinctively, she screamed at the Salamence beneath her, "Get out of the way!"

But it was too late. The beam of light, overflowing with dragon-type energy, pierced the air like a sharp sword and slammed into Salamence.

Carl noticed that the Salamence beneath Hunter J, after being hit by a Dragon Pulse that was twice as effective against it, actually managed to hold on for three seconds before losing consciousness and falling toward the ground.

"Hiss, what exactly did that crazy woman inject into the Salamence?" Karl couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement. "How could it give this Salamence such a huge boost?"

But now is not the time to dwell on this. Looking at the rapidly falling Salamence and Hunter J, Karl said to Charizard, "Charizard, watch out, don't let our 'old friend' die."

Upon hearing Karl's words, Charizard rolled its eyes, then flapped its wings and swooped down.

Just as Salamence and Hunter J were about to crash into the ground, an invisible current slightly slowed their descent.

"Peng!"

As Salamence and Hunter J crashed to the ground, Charizard also landed on the ground, carrying Carl.

"Heh, long time no see, Hunter J." Karl slowly walked to the Salamence's side, looked at Hunter J lying on the ground in a sorry state, and stepped on the other's face. "Wouldn't it have been better to stay in the cell? Why did you have to run away and get beaten up?"

Hunter J, whose head was firmly pinned down by Karl, did not try to struggle as usual. She lay on the dusty ground, her face ashen.

At that moment, Hunter J suddenly understood what his senior meant by "retribution".

Carl didn't care about the feelings of Hunter J, whom he was trampling underfoot. He casually took out his phone from his pocket and dialed a familiar number.

"Hello, President Yeci, it's me, Karl."

"I have something I'd like to ask for your help with, or more precisely, I'd like to give you a gift."

"What gift? President Yaji, do you know Hunter J?"

Chapter 54 Aoki: Is this what you call a little too heavy-handed? (Please continue reading)

Tabletop City, headquarters of the Padiya League.

"You mean, you caught that infamous 'Hunter J' in the scorching desert?"

When Ye Ci heard that Karl was going to give her a gift, she thought he was drunk.

When Ke Yici heard that the "gift" Carl was going to give her was actually "Hunter J," an escaped convict who had recently broken out of Interpol, her cheeks flushed with excitement.

As the president of the Padiya League, Ye Ci has been looking for a suitable opportunity to make the Padiya League famous internationally.

In Ye Ci's original plan, she would promote the special evolutionary system originating from Padia—Tai Crystallization—to the world at an appropriate time, thereby raising the profile of the Padia Alliance.

However, things didn't go as planned. Although the Padia Alliance had already overcome the problem of mass production of the Taijing Beads, the closure of Zone Zero caused Ye Ci's plan to be aborted halfway.

After all, the raw materials for the Taijing Beads, namely Taijing Ore, mostly come from Zone Zero.

Even though the Padian League had already mined some resources before the closure of Zone Zero, the current stockpile can barely meet the needs of the Padian region itself, let alone be used to expand to other areas.

It was at this very moment that Karl's "gift" gave Yeci a renewed opportunity to raise awareness of the Padiya region worldwide.

Thinking of this, Ye Ci calmed down slightly and said to Karl on the other end of the phone, "Karl, please send me your current coordinates. I will organize people to go and receive your 'gift' right away."

“No problem.” Carl quickly started working on his phone. “I’ve sent it. Check if you received it.”

"Received." After receiving the coordinates from Karl, Ye Ci was about to hang up when Karl reminded her, "President Ye Ci, remember to bring more people. Hunter J and her subordinates together number close to three digits."

“I understand, thank you, Karl,” Yeci said sincerely to Karl.

"That's settled then, I'll hang up now, see you later."

After hanging up the phone, Ye Ci immediately dialed a number she knew all too well: "Hey, Aoki, come to my office right now. There's an emergency that requires you and me to lead the team to handle."

"receive."

……