Team Rocket's Second-in-Command!-Chapter 370: Team Rocket’s Second-in-Command! [] [30 PS]

Abandoning the formalities of standard battles, trainers on both sides resorted to every means necessary. Their singular objective: defeat the opposing forces.

However, as an organization born from a mission to protect Pokémon, the Aether Foundation lacked the combat experience of Team Rocket, a group seasoned in countless operations.

Within mere minutes, the Aether Foundation began to falter.

Numerous Pokémon collapsed from exhaustion, unable to continue fighting. Some trainers were also rendered incapacitated by Poison Stings or disoriented by Supersonic waves.

And this was happening on their home turf.

It was easy to imagine how much worse the situation would have been in a neutral or unfamiliar location.

Watching the chaos unfold, Lusamine frowned deeply. She attempted to call for reinforcements via her communicator.

As Aether Paradise was the headquarters of the Aether Foundation, there were still numerous trainers available. If they could be summoned, their superior numbers and home-field advantage might be enough to drive Team Rocket away.

But every number she dialed went unanswered.

It dawned on Lusamine that Faba had ordered most of his subordinates to the outer perimeter earlier in the evening.

The majority of the trainers she was trying to reach were likely Faba's people—and by now, they had either defected with him or been taken out of commission.

Had he planned this all along?

Deprived of internal reinforcements, Lusamine was forced to consider the unthinkable. She could expose the Aether Foundation's research into Ultra Beasts to the outside world, alert the Alolan Kahunas, and seek their support.

After all, even if the Ultra Beast project was uncovered, the worst-case scenario would be submitting to regulation and ceasing the research.

But if Team Rocket successfully breached Aether Paradise, the Aether Foundation would be utterly annihilated.

Yet, when Lusamine attempted to contact the outside world, she discovered that all communications from Aether Paradise had been cut off.

Not a single message could get through.

The only explanation was that the signal tower had been sabotaged. And among those familiar enough with the facility to execute such a plan, only a few names came to mind.

One of them was glaringly obvious.

"Faba!" Lusamine spat, her anger boiling over.

Faba was the orchestrator of this betrayal.

While Lusamine's attention had been consumed with plotting against Luo Yuan, Faba had executed a masterful inside job right under her nose.

Her fury made her want to tear him apart on the spot, but the worsening situation demanded her immediate focus. She had no choice but to personally join the battle to stem the tide.

"Clefable! Bewear!"

A Clefable, standing about half her height, and a towering Bewear appeared before Lusamine, ready for her command.

She hoped her direct involvement could turn the tide.

However, Lusamine had overlooked a crucial detail: none of Team Rocket's executives had entered the fray yet.

As she prepared to join the battle, the doors of Team Rocket's airship opened again, and two familiar figures emerged.

"You..." Lusamine's expression shifted to one of shock.

"President!" Guzma, standing in the rear, wore an awkward expression.

But Guzma's presence wasn't what truly stunned Lusamine.

After seeing Faba's betrayal, she had already braced herself for Guzma's defection.

No, what caught her off guard was the person leading the group—the one standing at the forefront.

"Luo Yuan!"

The man who had declared he would come for a "home visit" that evening had just stepped off Team Rocket's airship.

This could only mean one thing—Luo Yuan was a member of Team Rocket.

"Good evening, Mrs. Lusamine. Nice to finally meet you. Shall we begin the home visit now?" Luo Yuan said with a pleasant smile.

His words, so at odds with the surrounding battlefield, made Lusamine feel a chill down her spine.

In that instant, everything clicked into place.

She realized it had all been a setup.

From the arrival of a Johto Elite Four member to his teaching stint at the Pokémon school, from his "abduction" of Lillie to the defeat of Guzma, every step had been meticulously crafted.

Luo Yuan had manipulated her into believing he was a justice-driven meddler, blind to the fact that Team Rocket had been quietly encircling Aether Paradise.

"An Elite Four member bought off by Team Rocket..." Lusamine sneered, trying to mask her growing dread.

"Correction," Luo Yuan replied earnestly. "I became a Team Rocket executive before I became an Elite Four member."

To him, this was a matter of principle. Letting her think otherwise might make it seem like he was an undercover operative for the League, and that simply wasn't true.

But to Lusamine, his words were utterly chilling.

Before becoming an Elite Four member? But at that age...

Her investigation into Luo Yuan had revealed that he was only two years older than Lillie. Becoming an Elite Four member at his age was already staggering, but to hear that he was a Team Rocket executive before that...

It was horrifying to contemplate.

Lusamine forced herself not to dwell on it, afraid that continuing to think about it would completely shatter her will to fight.

"And what about your reputation? Aren't you afraid your identity will be exposed with so many witnesses here?" Lusamine asked, trying to shift the conversation.

"There's no need to worry about that," Luo Yuan said as his eyes glowed faintly blue.

"After all, they'd have to survive long enough to tell anyone."

---

T/N: Oh he's only 2 years older...? How young is he... (this is where i found out about his age!)

...

Huh. You really stuck it out all the way to the end.

Didn't think you had the patience. Guess I was wrong.

WiseTL's the one who actually made all this come together. I'm just here putting a bow on it... or, well, shoving it in a backpack and calling it a day. Same thing.

If you had fun, you know what to do:

👉 [patreon.com/WiseTL]

Heads up—Patreon's 50% off for all tiers during May. So if you were on the fence? Now's the time.

And if you're the social type, there's a Discord too. Pretty decent spot to hang out—no battles required.

👉 [discord.gg/wisetl]

Alright. That's enough standing around. Go on—before you make it weird.

—Leaf

Visit ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com for the 𝑏est n𝘰vel reading experience.