After speaking, Raj suddenly remembered that he hadn't contacted Professor Oak for a long time. After all, he had taken the Pokédex and promised to help collect research data.
"Let me think, it's been at least three months since I last contacted Professor Oak, hasn't it?"
As soon as he thought about this, Raj smiled wryly. Finally, he opened his communicator and called Professor Oak.
At Professor Oak's lab, Oak was carefully studying the Krabby in front of him.
Suddenly, the phone rang.
"Professor, you have a call."
His assistant poked his head out from the kitchen area, wearing an embroidered apron and apparently preparing food for the Pokémon.
"Oh, I know."
Professor Oak stood up somewhat unhappily. It was a critical moment in his research, and whoever was calling at this time really had no sense of timing.
He walked to the phone and answered it. Raj's figure immediately appeared on the screen.
"Hi, Professor Oak, long time no see. Good evening."
Seeing Raj, Professor Oak subconsciously narrowed his eyes and remained silent for a moment.
Finally, the Professor slapped the table and shouted loudly, "You little brat, how dare you disappear on me for so long and not even call me. Not calling is one thing, but you haven't even sent over a single Pokémon. What am I keeping you for? To eat free meals?"
Professor Oak immediately launched into a long round of complaints, rambling nonstop until Raj's head started to ache.
He knew this would be the result.
Raj gave a helpless smile. After all, he was in the wrong, so he could only wait for Professor Oak to finish complaining.
After a long while, Professor Oak took a sip of water and said with satisfaction, "Alright, tell me, what do you want?"
"Oh, nothing much. I just suddenly thought of you, so I called to say hello."
Professor Oak looked displeased.
"If you have this much free time, you should catch more Pokémon for me to research."
"Hey, didn't I tell you before? I can't catch many Pokémon for you. Besides, don't you still have your precious grandson Gary and Ash too? Pokémon will come eventually."
Raj spoke in a coaxing tone.
"I hope so."
Professor Oak waved his hand and asked curiously, "Where have you been all this time? Why haven't I seen you anywhere?"
"Uh…"
Raj scratched his head.
"I've been traveling with Ash and the others, and I've also been helping take care of Ash."
"Is that so?"
Professor Oak looked at Raj suspiciously.
"Then why aren't Ash and the others with you?"
"Ah, well, we separated temporarily because of some things and haven't regrouped yet."
Raj quickly made an excuse. He couldn't let Professor Oak know that he had participated in Team Rocket's internal competition.
"Alright, alright, no more nonsense. If you have time, send your Gyarados over for me to research."
Facing Professor Oak's eager gaze, Raj calmly ended the call.
As for how Professor Oak reacted afterward, that was no longer his concern.
Afterward, Raj contacted Ash and the others, telling them not to worry and that he would meet up with them later.
Ash and the others were extremely worried. After repeatedly confirming that Raj was truly safe, they finally hung up the call reluctantly.
"Boss, why are you paying so much attention to a newcomer?"
Apollo stood beside Giovanni inside a private room as he asked curiously.
Honestly, what kind of person was Giovanni? Why would he care so much about someone like Raj? What kind of genius hadn't he seen before? Apollo truly didn't understand.
"Don't you think his face looks familiar?"
Giovanni sighed slowly as if recalling something.
Apollo thought carefully for a moment.
"It does seem familiar. I didn't notice it until you mentioned it, but it definitely feels like I've seen him somewhere before."
"Exactly."
"He has never revealed his identity, but he must be that person's son. This talent cannot be wasted. Now it depends on his future performance. If things go well, maybe he can save that person someday."
Giovanni deliberately didn't explain further. Since the boss didn't want to say more, Apollo wisely chose not to continue asking.
Meanwhile, Raj walked along the road excitedly.
He had just checked on his Pokémon, and after this battle, their strength had improved significantly.
The system had also informed him that because he hadn't used the absorption function to enhance his Pokémon's abilities, the experience points and combat strength they gained through battle would increase faster than those of ordinary Trainers.
Moreover, the system reward had arrived.
A Gyarados Mega Stone.
This was truly a pleasant surprise.
"Boss, the target has appeared near Saffron City. Over."
Raj had no idea that the moment he stepped outside, he had already been targeted.
A man with a weathered face and a long scar across it spoke quietly into a walkie-talkie.
Static echoed briefly.
"Received. Follow him quietly and wait for me to arrive."
"Understood, Boss."
The man named Leo put the walkie-talkie back into his pocket and silently followed Raj from a distance.
Leo was a B-rank bounty hunter.
He possessed enough strength to deal with ordinary Trainers.
The existence of bounty hunters like him was even more ruthless than organizations like Team Rocket. Their targets were rare wild Pokémon and high-value Trainer Pokémon.
And now, they had set their sights on Raj's Shiny Beedrill, Shiny Muk, and Red Gyarados.
Not to mention the Mega Bracelet on his wrist.
Which one of these wasn't extremely valuable?
For them, these Pokémon had enormous market value. Once captured and sold, they would fetch extremely high prices.
It could be said that after this single operation, they could completely retire from bounty hunting and live comfortably for the rest of their lives.
More importantly, their target seemed to be just a rookie Trainer who was still traveling.
How strong could he possibly be?
This job was absolutely doable.
At least, that was what they believed.
After reaching this conclusion, the group of bounty hunters immediately began preparing their plan.
Meanwhile, Raj remained completely unaware that danger was already approaching him step by step.
...
📢 Author's Note
Part 1 of Pokémon: Rise of the Dark Trainer! is now completed and available on Patreon!
🔗 patreon.com/Shadow_demon_007
✅ Part 1 Complete — 100+ Chapters
Join Raj on his journey through the Pokémon world as he gains the mysterious Strongest Villain System, captures terrifying Pokémon, and walks the path toward becoming the most feared villain in history.
🔥 I also have additional 18+ fanfics available for readers who enjoy exclusive mature stories. 😉
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2. Elements of Lust – ATLA & Korra Mixed Smut
3. Doraemon: Filtering with Nobi Tamako
4. The Naive Me Who Became Someone's Everyday Secret
5. High School DxD: Rias Gremory, the Phenex Bride
6. Versatile Mage: Awakening the Succubus System
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Thank you all for your continued support and happy reading! 💙