Team Rocket’s Second-in-Command! [435]

Mega Scizor wasn’t living up to Gary’s expectations.

Or rather—Luo Yuan’s Dragonite was simply too strong.

In every exchange, Scizor was at a disadvantage.

On the battlefield, Dragonite and Scizor clashed repeatedly, their movements a blur.

Dragonite’s fists burned with fire, colliding against Scizor’s sharp pincers.

But Scizor’s breath grew weaker with every impact.

It was clear—it had taken serious damage.

And as the battle dragged on, another major weakness of Mega Scizor became evident.

While [Mega Evolution] had given it a tremendous power boost, the process also overloaded its body with energy.

If this energy wasn’t released properly, its body temperature skyrocketed, leading to overheating.

And with Dragonite repeatedly striking it with [Fire Punch]—

The problem only got worse.

Normally, Scizor used its wings to regulate body temperature.

But now, its wings alone weren’t enough to dissipate the heat.

Its metallic body had begun to soften from the extreme temperatures.

Its movements slowed.

A regular opponent might not have noticed such subtle weaknesses.

But Luo Yuan wasn’t a regular opponent.

His sharp gaze caught it instantly.

“This is the end. [Ice Punch]!” Luo Yuan commanded.

Gary didn’t understand the reasoning behind the move.

An Ice-type attack?

Steel resisted Ice—meaning it would deal only half damage.

Why would Luo Yuan switch from a super-effective Fire Punch to a weaker Ice Punch?

The answer became clear in an instant.

Dragonite’s flaming fist suddenly turned icy blue.

With frightening precision, it punched the overheated Scizor!

Scizor tried to block with its pincers—

But its body didn’t respond.

BOOM!

The moment the freezing punch connected, Scizor’s red-hot armor was instantly cooled.

From blazing heat to icy chill—

The sudden temperature shift put immense stress on its metallic exoskeleton.

CRACK.

A tiny fracture appeared across Scizor’s chest plate.

With a heavy impact, Scizor was sent flying and slammed into the ground.

“Scizor!” Gary shouted in alarm.

He had heard the cracking sound—

His heart tightened in concern.

Meanwhile, Dragonite withdrew its fist, landing gracefully.

It had held back just enough to avoid causing a fatal injury.

As long as a Pokémon was still breathing, Luo Yuan’s [Viridian Power] could heal it.

And in fact—

That was exactly what he did.

The moment the referee declared Scizor unfit to battle, Luo Yuan began using his [Viridian Power] to treat it.

With Scizor down, Gary had no hope left.

It was his ace—the core of his strategy.

Now that it had fallen, he no longer had the will to continue.

“…There’s no way I can win.”

Gary had hoped to at least put up a fight, maybe even win one round.

But reality was brutal.

Even with [Mega Evolution], he still wasn’t a match for Luo Yuan.

“You’re already strong,” Luo Yuan said.

And he meant it.

Gary was far from his level, but compared to other trainers his age, he was at the top.

It had been less than two years since Gary had set out as a trainer.

To have reached this level in such a short time—his progress was impressive.

The only reason he seemed so far behind was because he always compared himself to Luo Yuan.

Hearing this, Gary felt a little better.

He took a deep breath—

And renewed his determination.

The Silver Conference was coming up.

He would win the championship.

He would prove himself.

Luo Yuan watched him, but held back a certain truth—

This year’s champion and runner-up would almost certainly be taken by Team Rocket’s candidates.

After all—

The Johto Elite Four spots couldn’t be handed to just anyone.

—

Time flew by—

And soon, the Silver Conference was underway.

The annual event brought massive crowds to Silver Town.

Trainers from all over had gathered, eager to compete.

But this year—

There was a special reason for the increased turnout.

The Johto League had announced that it would select two new Elite Four members from the Silver Conference finalists.

This made the tournament as big as Kanto’s Indigo League—

If not even bigger.

Among the participants—

Two stood out.

Will and Karen.

Both were from the Masked Corps, a specialized division of Team Rocket.

They were young rising stars.

And more importantly—

They had Elite Four potential.

Lance and Luo Yuan sat together in the VIP stands, watching the battles unfold.

With Koga’s cooperation, Will and Karen had been placed in separate brackets—

Ensuring they wouldn’t face each other before the finals.

The current battle—

Will vs. a local Johto trainer.

Their Pokémon:

Jynx vs. Donphan.

Will had the clear advantage.

The moment Jynx locked Donphan in [Psychic]—

The outcome was already decided.

And sure enough—

Jynx followed up with [Blizzard].

The entire battlefield froze over.

And with Donphan trapped in ice—

It was game over.

“Will wins!” the referee announced.

The crowd erupted in cheers.

Watching this, Lance turned to Luo Yuan.

“This Will kid seems pretty popular,” he remarked.

“And he’s strong. He could be a solid Elite Four candidate.”

While battling skills were the main requirement for an Elite Four position—

Public support was also important.

After all, the League needed to consider how the general public would react to their selections.

And Will?

He had plenty of fans.

Luo Yuan smirked.

Of course he does.

After all the media resources we poured into him—

If he wasn’t popular, that’d be the real surprise.

Unlike Luo Yuan himself, who was overwhelmingly strong, Will and Karen were powerful, but not invincible.

They weren’t so dominant that they could crush every opponent with ease.

And that meant—

Team Rocket’s backing was crucial.

—

T/N: thanks to rain for keeping an eye out 😀

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!