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

The Metagross looked away somewhat guiltily, its four thick metal claws twitching unconsciously a few times.

"Why won't you speak!" Carl strode towards Metagross. "Look me in the eyes and answer me!"

Seeing the aggressive Karl, the surrounding Sweet Bamboos gathered in front of Metagross, glaring at him angrily.

Carl almost laughed in exasperation when he saw the Sweet Bamboos blocking the Metagross's path.

He didn't know what Metagross had done to make these Pokémon, whom it exploited, unite to protect it at this moment.

So, he traveled all the way back from Ziqin Town, and he's the bad guy?

Just then, the Monarch Serpents, having heard the commotion, rushed over. When the Monarch Serpent saw Karl's familiar figure, it instantly transformed into a blur and pounced into Karl's arms.

"Garro? (Why are you back?)" The Monarch Serpent's voice was filled with undisguised joy, indicating that it had missed Karl very much during his absence.

"Zetzart told me what's been going on at the farm these past few days." Karl gently stroked Serperior's cool scales, his voice filled with helplessness. "If I hadn't come back soon, our farm would have been renamed 'Sweatshop.'"

“Garro? (So you didn’t make Metagross do that?)” Monarch Serpent left Karl’s arms, his brows furrowing slightly.

In fact, Serperior did have its suspicions about Metagross after it brought those Pokémon back from the wild.

After all, based on the Serpent Lord's understanding of Karl, it knew very well that Karl, given his personality, would not allow Metagross to do that.

However, Serperior knew that before Carl left, he had Metagross take over the management of the farm for him, and that Metagross had not overly exploited the wild Pokémon, so it did not stop Metagross from doing those things.

“I never intended to do this.” Carl sighed, turning to look at Metagross surrounded by wild Pokémon. “So, Metagross, shouldn’t you give me an explanation now?”

"Geng metal. (I did as you instructed.)"

Surrounded by wild Pokémon, Metagross seemed to regain some confidence: "Henjin! (I didn't make my farm companions do those extra chores!)"

"Huh?" Carl's lips twitched. "So you just assign all this extra work to the wild Pokémon you brought back to the farm?"

“Gengjin. (This is just a deal.)” Metagross still tried to persuade Carl. “Gengjin! (They need a safe environment and plenty of food, while the farm needs plenty of manpower. It’s a win-win situation!)”

“No, Metagross, the point isn’t what you did, but why you did it.” Carl’s tone became more serious. “You should know that we’re not short of money right now, and my initial intention in taking over this farm wasn’t to make money.”

“I know you’re very interested in making money, Metagross, and I fully support you, but at least you can’t make money by cheating or exploiting other Pokémon.”

"If you really want these wild Pokémon to work on the farm, you need to tell them the specifics beforehand, instead of trying to trick them."

"Do you get me?"

The Metagross stared intently at Karl, and finally, as if in resignation, it relaxed completely: "Gengjin. (I understand.)"

“Metamorphoses, I know you’re smart. Now that you understand what I mean, you should know how to handle this, right?” Carl’s gaze was fixed on Metagross. “Explain it to them, and then give them the compensation they deserve.”

"If they want to stay, then follow the rules I set for the Pokémon on the farm."

The Megalomon nodded: "Geng Metal. (Work no more than eight hours a day, and ensure proper food and living arrangements.)"

"Now, let them stop what they're doing and rest. We'll deal with this tomorrow, okay?"

Watching the Metagross disappear into the distance, Carl rubbed his face with both hands; the four-hour flight had left him extremely tired.

Just as Carl was about to go back to his room to wash up and rest, the phone in his pocket rang.

"Who would call me at this hour so late?" Carl muttered to himself, reaching into his pocket to take the phone out, his gaze then falling on the caller ID.

"Dr. Yamanashi?" Carl paused, then casually answered the phone, "Hello, Dr. Yamanashi, it's so late..."

"Karl, you're the one who caught Hunter J, right?"

Carl frowned upon hearing this, because the person on the other end of the phone was not Professor Yamanashi, the owner of the number, but Granny Kikuno, one of the Four Elite Four of Sinnoh.

"Grandma Kikuno, where is Dr. Yamanashi?" Karl didn't answer Grandma Kikuno's question, but instead asked her one.

"Karl, I'm listening too." Dr. Yamanashi's voice rang out at the right time, making Karl secretly breathe a sigh of relief.

"Karl, did you catch Hunter J?" Granny Kikuno repeated in a serious tone.

"I caught Hunter J, is there a problem?" Karl said casually.

"Then why..."

"Why not contact Interpol?" Carl interrupted Granny Kikuno, who was about to say something. "And then let Hunter J be locked up again, waiting for her to escape next time?"

“What you’re doing will put us in a very passive position,” Granny Kikuno’s voice softened.

"Excuse my bluntness, but if Interpol had kept a close eye on Hunter J, you wouldn't be in this predicament." Karl showed no mercy to Granny Kikuno. "Granny Kikuno, I'll just say this: you can't manage the alliance with those insects."

Grandma Kikuno fell silent. She knew perfectly well that what Karl said was absolutely correct. And how could she not know the despicable nature of those high-ranking members of the Alliance?

“Besides, you’re so old, why bother with this?” Carl’s tone softened a bit. “I believe our new champion of the Sinnoh region will handle these matters. Her methods are even more formidable than you think.”

"Sigh." Granny Kikuno sighed deeply, "These past few days, Ran has been so busy selecting the new Four Heavenly Kings that she's barely had time to breathe. I..."

“Mother-in-law, you need to give Miss Zhulan some confidence,” Karl continued to reassure her. “If you have to shoulder everything, how can a newcomer grow?”

"Besides, haven't I already given her a very good excuse?"

"What excuse?" Granny Kikuno didn't immediately grasp the meaning behind Karl's words and asked instinctively.

“Of course it’s just an excuse to purge the higher-ups,” Karl chuckled dismissively. “If she can seize this opportunity, I think the league will soon be a bit cleaner.”

……

Sinnoh League Headquarters.

A blonde beauty in a black trench coat sat at her desk, watching the speech given by the president and chief champion of the Padia League on the screen, a faint smile playing on her lips.

"Now I can legitimately deal with those parasites."

Chapter 63 Press Conference (Seeking monthly votes)

The next day, Carl awoke surrounded by the Serpent Lord and the Newleaf Cat.

He yawned first, then casually put his arm around the still-pretending-to-be-sleeping Serpent: "Good morning, Serpent."

"Garoo~ (Good morning)" Serperior slowly opened its eyes, pretending to have just woken up, and called out in a soft voice.

Carl sat up, reached for his phone on the bedside table, and expertly opened the website link that Ye Ci had sent him.

After Carl clicked on the website, a live stream interface appeared on Carl's phone screen.

The live stream had not yet started, and the only thing visible in the live stream was the logo of the Padiya League.

This live stream room was temporarily set up by the Padiya League to officially announce the capture of Hunter J.

Just ten minutes later, Ye Ci will act as the spokesperson and hold a press conference in this live broadcast room regarding the capture of Hunter J and its follow-up actions.

It must be said that Ye Ci's move was quite bold for the world.

In this day and age, most regions only hold formal press conferences.

However, Ye Ci took a different approach, changing the press conference to a live broadcast format.

This may prevent some people who are not yet accustomed to the internet age from being informed in a timely manner that Hunter J was captured in the Padiya region.

However, many young people who are used to going online will learn about this news first through the internet.

This change will make more young people aware of the Padia League. If the Padia League's subsequent handling of Hunter J suits the tastes of young people, then perhaps more young people will go to the Padia region.

This is Ye Ci's true purpose.

Of course, a large part of the reason was for some ordinary farmer.

After all, on the day he captured Hunter J, Ye Ci learned from someone that he was dissatisfied with Hunter J's repeated escapes from prison.

If this incident can make Karl feel more favorably toward the Padia Union, then the subsequent plan to poach players might be easier.

Just as Carl sat down at the table, the scene in the live stream finally changed.

A beautiful woman with long hair, dressed in a black uniform and exuding a calm demeanor, appeared in the previously lonely live stream screen.

The person who arrived was none other than "the only sun of the Padiya League," and also the spokesperson for this press conference—Chairman Yeci.

The moment Ye Ci appeared on the live stream screen, the chat exploded with comments.

"It really is President Ye Ci!"

"Who exactly is Hunter J? How could President Yaji arrange a press conference for her?"

"..."

While Carl was watching the live stream at the dining table, in a conference room at the Sinnoh League headquarters, the newly crowned Sinnoh League champion, Cynthia, and other Sinnoh League executives were also watching the live stream.

"Damn it, why did Hunter J end up in the Padia region?"

"What about Interpol? Didn't they contact the Padiya League to extradite Hunter J?"

Listening to the people in the conference room shirking responsibility, Zhu Lan's gaze swept over them subtly. She knew that the person who helped Hunter J escape was in this conference room. Before, she had no reason to find this person, but now the situation was completely different.

"Everyone, I think this is a dereliction of duty on our part as the Sinnoh League." Cynthia's slightly magnetic voice rang out in the conference room.

The moment Zhu Lan spoke, the conference room fell silent. The people sitting at the conference table exchanged glances, and all of them saw the same emotion in each other's eyes—apprehension.

This newly crowned champion of the Sinnoh League is not someone to be trifled with. If she really gets hold of something against you, the consequences will be unimaginable.

“Ahem, Zhu Lan, you know how many people there are at Interpol headquarters…” A well-dressed elderly man with graying temples spoke first.

“The financial report from last quarter shows that Interpol headquarters has more than 30,000 staff members,” Zhu Lan immediately interrupted the old man. “This means that the Alliance spends nearly nine figures on them every year, and now you’re telling me they’re short-staffed?”

At this point, Zhu Lan's gaze sharpened: "Then let's suspend all the people involved in this incident for investigation. I think these parasites who hold positions without doing their jobs are not worthy of the resources the Alliance has given them."

Zhu Lan's veiled criticism made many people in the meeting room, especially the elderly man who had just spoken, blush.

A parasite who occupies a position without doing any work? Who are you calling a parasite?

Zhu Lan didn't care about the changes in these people's expressions; her gaze once again focused on the large screen in the conference room that was facing her.

In the video, Ye Ci gave a brief self-introduction before getting straight to the point.

"Hunter J, a notorious Pokémon hunter, has been convicted of thousands of serious crimes, including poaching and stealing Pokémon, according to Interpol's database..."

As Ye Ci recounted his story, the viewers in the live stream learned about Hunter J's various misdeeds, and they began to verbally attack Hunter J in the chat.

"This is a complete nascent stage!"

"Severe punishment! Zero tolerance for Pokémon poaching!"

"..."

While recounting Hunter J's life story, Ye Ci glanced at the comments in the live stream chat out of the corner of his eye.

After seeing that the atmosphere in the comments was exactly as she had expected, Yeci changed the subject and began to talk about Hunter J's "recent situation".

“In fact, three years ago, Hunter J was sent to Interpol’s jail in the Sinnoh region by a kind passerby.” Yaji stated calmly, “However, not long after that, Hunter J escaped from the jail where she was held again.”

The moment Ye Ci finished speaking, the already dense barrage of comments surged like a tide.

"What? This newborn can actually escape from prison?"

"That's how Interpol is; they can't catch you, and they can't keep an eye on you."

"Heh, these good-for-nothings are wasting our taxpayers' money!"

"..."

Amidst the uproar in the comments section, Ye Ci dropped another bombshell on the audience's minds: "Just over a year ago, Hunter J was captured again in the Hoenn region, but unfortunately, she escaped from Interpol headquarters once again more than three months ago."

The previously boiling barrage of comments paused briefly for a second, as if a pause button had been pressed, before a dense barrage of comments swept across the live stream screen.

Interpol officers watching the live stream never expected that they, who were just watching to see how the Padiya Alliance would deal with Hunter J, would end up getting caught up in their own drama.

Quartz Plateau, headquarters of the Kanto Alliance.

A man with a full head of red hair, wearing a tight-fitting uniform and a black cape, slammed his hand on the table and said angrily, "How can we do a good job as Interpol if we work with those insects!"

Chapter 64: Attention from All Sides and an Uninvited Guest (Please read on, please vote with monthly tickets)

As one of the Elite Four in the Kanto region and a Pokémon Investigator, Lance hates lawless Pokémon hunters more than anything else in his life.

As an internationally "renowned" Pokémon hunter, Hunter J was naturally on Lance's "hunting" list.

However, Hunter J is very aware of her own abilities, and her business scope almost never involves the Kanto and Johto regions.

After all, who in this line of work doesn't know that there's a Flying-type Elite Four member who calls himself the Dragon-type Elite Four member and dares to use Destruction Ray directly on criminals?

Aside from madmen, no one in this line of work dares to mess with that red-haired dragon tamer.

Just yesterday, one of Awatari's subordinates reported to him that Hunter J had been captured again in the Padia region.

According to reliable sources, the "helpful citizen" who caught Hunter J is a young man from the Sinnoh region.

Upon hearing the news, the first image that came to Adu's mind was a young face with a shy smile.

A little over a month ago, that young man and his companions easily annihilated his prized flying (crossed out) dragon squadron.