Team Rocket’s Second-in-Command!

While Luo Yuan and Misty were out camping, he had no idea that the Hoenn League was actively investigating the Galar League thanks to his use of Dragapult.

If he knew, he'd probably be laughing. No matter how deep they dug, they'd never find any link leading back to him.

For now, however, his focus was on finishing dinner for the evening.

"All set!" Luo Yuan announced, brushing his hands together.

Having tasted a bit of his cooking, Misty gazed at Luo Yuan with a hint of admiration.

Good-looking and a great cook… To Misty, Luo Yuan was starting to check all the boxes for the perfect boyfriend.

Just then, her cheeks flushed as she caught her own thoughts. Wait, what am I even thinking? Misty, get a grip! You barely even know him!

Inwardly, she found herself blaming her three sisters. If they hadn't constantly teased her about being a "flat-chested tomboy" who'd never find a boyfriend, she wouldn't be thinking these things all the time.

Luo Yuan, noticing Misty's slightly pink cheeks, guessed her thoughts.

He decided to keep it to himself and, instead, feigned innocence. "What's wrong? Don't tell me my cooking isn't good?"

Scooping up a bit to taste himself, he commented, "It seems fine to me…"

"It's delicious!" Misty quickly responded, eager to clear up the "misunderstanding."

Shifting the conversation, she asked, "How did you get so good at cooking? No matter how I try, I always mess it up…"

And mess up she did. Her attempts at cooking back at the Cerulean Gym had left the kitchen charred multiple times, and her infamous "dark cuisine" had once sent her to the hospital with food poisoning. Her sisters had since banned her from the kitchen.

"A mix of talent and practice, I'd say… In Hoenn, cooking became a bit of a hobby for me whenever I wasn't busy working or studying Pokémon," Luo Yuan replied.

For him, cooking took just as much skill as being a Pokémon Trainer, if not more.

"But enough about that; let's dig in before it gets cold," he added, motioning toward the food.

"Right, let's eat!" Misty said with a smile.

The following afternoon.

After catching yet another Magikarp, Misty slumped in frustration.

"Another Magikarp… Just where is this Horsea hiding?"

She'd been reeling in Magikarp after Magikarp all day.

"I'm sorry for wasting your time," she said, casting a guilty look at Luo Yuan.

She'd asked for his help to catch a Horsea, and here he was, spending the entire day with her because of it.

"Don't worry about it," Luo Yuan replied with a warm smile. "It hasn't been a total waste—look at Dratini! It's having a great time with its new friends."

He gestured to where Dratini was happily playing with a group of Water Pokémon: Poliwag, Poliwhirl, Staryu, and Kingler. Following his "elite strategy" of only catching what he could care for, he hadn't captured these Pokémon, letting them serve as playmates for Dratini.

Even Charmander had joined in with them, utterly unfazed by the Water-types.

"With your fishing skills, you could probably win any fishing tournament hands down!" Misty said with admiration.

From morning until now, Luo Yuan hadn't had a single empty line. And unlike her, who kept pulling up Magikarp, each Pokémon he reeled in was completely unique.

"Just luck, that's all," he chuckled.

Even he was a bit surprised at the "Fishing Expert" skill—somehow, he managed to pull in something different every single time.

At this rate, if Kyogre were down there, I'd probably end up reeling it in sooner or later.

Just then, Misty's rod gave a sudden, violent tug.

"Whoa, it's heavy!" Misty exclaimed as she tried to hold on, nearly losing her grip.

But she wasn't worried—if anything, she looked excited. Is my luck finally turning?

"This must be something big!" Focusing hard, she braced herself and gave the line a sharp pull.

SPLASH!

A huge dark shape broke the surface, flying out of the water and landing on the shore.

"A person?!"

"Ash?!"

They both exclaimed in surprise.

Ash blinked in confusion, then looked up, recognizing one of the voices.

"Luo Yuan?"

"You two know each other?" Misty asked, looking between Ash and Luo Yuan.

"We met back in Pallet Town. Ash just started his journey as a Trainer this year as well. Ash, what on earth happened to you?"

Luo Yuan gestured toward Pikachu, cradled in Ash's arms and covered in bruises.

"Oh no, Pikachu!" Ash gasped as he remembered Pikachu's injuries.

"Luo Yuan, do you know where the nearest Pokémon Center is?"

"Just keep going down the road…"

But before Luo Yuan could finish, the distant sound of wingbeats and loud squawking filled the air.

A flock of Spearow, darkening the sky, were flying straight toward Ash and Pikachu. It looked as if Ash had wronged every Spearow in Kanto.

Ash's face went pale.

With no time to explain, he shouted to Luo Yuan, "Can I borrow your bike?" and, without waiting for an answer, leapt onto Misty's bike, pedaling furiously away.

Luo Yuan's hand froze, halfway to his bag where he'd been about to retrieve a potion.

"That was… my bike."

Misty stared after him in disbelief, managing to get out only half a sentence before Ash was out of sight.

"..." x2

Misty and Luo Yuan exchanged a look, equally speechless.

"I'll take responsibility for your bike; I'll help you get it back," Luo Yuan assured her.

He knew the chances were slim—Misty's bike was unlikely to survive the ordeal—but since Ash had technically "borrowed" it from him, he could at least cover the cost as a middleman.

"It's fine… Pikachu looked badly hurt. It's understandable that your friend was in a hurry," Misty said, trying to stay composed.

"Still, maybe we should follow him. That's a lot of Spearow to handle alone," Luo Yuan suggested.

Aside from wanting to make sure Pikachu and Ash survived, he had another goal: finding a good vantage point to capture a picture of Ho-Oh and report back to Giovanni.

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T/N: I don't like stories that bash Ash, that's our childhood right there! Well mine at least