The situation on the ground was much better.
Unlike the open skies, where obstacles were few and Flying Pokémon with keen eyesight roamed freely, the ground offered plenty of tree cover, making it less likely to encounter large-scale Pokémon attacks.
Moreover, with Garchomp at Luo Yuan’s side, very few lone Pokémon dared to provoke him.
As he ventured deeper into Mount Silver, Luo Yuan witnessed the ongoing ecological upheaval firsthand.
A Furret and an Ambipom were locked in a fierce battle over territory, only to join forces moments later against an approaching Ariados.
A flock of Mareep, led by a few Ampharos, steadily marched toward a new home, their woolly forms glowing faintly with electricity. Any Pokémon foolish enough to attack them ended up as charred remains.
Meanwhile, a Forretress hung upside down from a tree branch, its unblinking eyes scanning the area for any Pokémon foolish enough to invade its territory.
When Luo Yuan passed by, one particularly startled Forretress even attempted to drive him away with Explosion.
However, it didn’t get the chance before Luo Yuan swiftly neutralized it.
“There’s order hidden in the chaos,” Luo Yuan thought to himself.
The trainers who had been attacked weren’t victims of deliberate aggression.
Rather, they had inadvertently wandered into these Pokémon’s defensive perimeters, becoming collateral damage in the territorial reshuffling.
Nature’s power was extraordinary. Left undisturbed, these Pokémon would eventually establish a new balance on their own.
But as a member of the Elite Four, Luo Yuan’s immediate priority was to rescue the investigation team.
The deeper he ventured into Mount Silver, the fewer wild Pokémon he encountered.
After following a narrow, quiet path, Luo Yuan pushed aside a cluster of tall grass and discovered a serene lake.
And by the lake’s edge, Luo Yuan found the reason for the lack of nearby wild Pokémon—
A Tyranitar resting peacefully by the water.
This Tyranitar’s imposing presence marked the area as its territory. No Pokémon dared challenge it, which explained the tranquil surroundings.
Luo Yuan studied the lake, then checked his map to ensure he was still on the correct route.
Finally, he turned his gaze to the Tyranitar. It was noticeably larger than usual, with numerous scars crisscrossing its body—a clear sign it was no pushover.
“How on earth did the investigation team get past here?” Luo Yuan wondered aloud.
There was no way their group, with its current lineup, could have taken on a Pokémon of this caliber.
This Tyranitar certainly didn’t seem like the type to simply let intruders pass.
Had he taken a wrong turn?
While Luo Yuan pondered, the Tyranitar suddenly opened its eyes, fixing him with a piercing glare filled with the wariness of an injured predator.
Luo Yuan: “…”
Great. It thought he was an intruder.
As expected, the next moment, the Tyranitar roared thunderously, its bellow echoing across the lake.
Before Luo Yuan could say a word, the Pokémon grabbed a massive boulder from the ground and hurled it toward him with frightening force.
“Well, aren’t you aggressive…” Luo Yuan muttered, watching the car-sized boulder hurtle toward him.
An opening move like that would be fatal for most trainers.
But Luo Yuan remained unfazed. A slight tilt of his head signaled Garchomp beside him.
The dragon-like Pokémon nodded and lunged forward with explosive speed. Its streamlined body, built for aerodynamics, left a faint afterimage as it soared into the air.
Crossing its bladed arms, Garchomp delivered a powerful X-Scissor slash, splitting the boulder into four clean pieces mid-flight.
CRACK!
BOOM!
The fragments fell harmlessly around Luo Yuan, their impact kicking up gusts of wind that rustled his clothing. He stood unmoved, his expression calm.
Garchomp landed gracefully and locked eyes with the Tyranitar, its gaze taunting.
The provocation worked. With another deafening roar, the Tyranitar stomped its massive foot into the ground.
A violent sandstorm erupted, whipping through the lakeside area and covering hundreds of meters in a swirling veil of yellow dust.
Sand Stream? Or perhaps Sandstorm?
Luo Yuan couldn’t be certain.
Regardless, the sandstorm wasn’t a disadvantage for Garchomp.
As a Ground/Dragon-type Pokémon with the Sand Veil ability, Garchomp not only avoided damage but also gained a significant boost to its evasion in the sandy conditions.
The Tyranitar wasn’t merely summoning a sandstorm, though.
Simultaneously, it unleashed an Earthquake. The ground shook violently, with tremors radiating toward Garchomp.
Unfazed, Garchomp countered with its own Earthquake, stomping the ground with equal ferocity.
The two shockwaves collided beneath the earth, their forces clashing and pushing against each other.
Deep cracks began to form on the surface, and the once-calm lake churned with turbulence from the seismic battle.
For a moment, the Earthquake struggle was at a standstill.
Luo Yuan raised an eyebrow at the scene—not out of frustration, but intrigue.
The fact that this untrained Tyranitar could match his Garchomp blow for blow was remarkable. Its potential was far beyond ordinary.
“This must be the ruler of Mount Silver that Fearow mentioned,” Luo Yuan thought.
Given its proximity to Mount Silver’s core and its status as a pseudo-legendary Pokémon in Johto, Tyranitar was undoubtedly the dominant figure here, second only to true Legendary Pokémon.
The thought of capturing it crossed Luo Yuan’s mind.
When an idea came to him, he acted on it without hesitation.
His eyes glimmered with psychic energy.
The Tyranitar, distracted by its duel with Garchomp, raised its arm to launch another attack.
Before it could strike, Luo Yuan made his move.
WHIZ!
The boulder Tyranitar had thrown earlier suddenly hurtled back toward it under Luo Yuan’s psychic control, now traveling at twice the speed.
Caught off guard, Tyranitar managed to shatter two of the stones with a swing of its arm but was struck by the remaining fragments, sending it sprawling.
Its massive body hit the ground with a resounding THUD, causing the earth to tremble.
“ROAR!”
Tyranitar let out a pained bellow, its fierce gaze scanning for the culprit.
It quickly locked eyes with Luo Yuan, who stood behind Garchomp, smiling faintly.
—
This is a fan translation of 我，火箭队二把手！ by 落唯 All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!
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