Team Rocket’s Second-in-Command! [513]

After recalling his Pokémon, Luo Yuan brought Giratina back with him to the underground energy plant.

By the time they returned, the battle inside the facility was already over.

Rose had been restrained with a pair of custom-engineered cuffs by Rocket Team trainers, and was now under strict watch.

Though his Copperajah and Ferrothorn weren’t exactly weak, they stood no chance against Luo Yuan’s team—every one of them capable of [Mega Evolution].

Especially once Rose’s subordinates realized he was the mastermind behind all this. They held back their efforts, leaving him completely alone. Isolated and outnumbered, Rose had virtually no room to resist.

When Rose saw Luo Yuan walk back into the plant—and heard the chaos above ground just moments earlier—his expression changed.

“You defeated Eternatus?”

The Team Rocket members showed no surprise at his words. After all, they were well aware of Lord Luo Yuan’s strength.

But the Galar League trainers nearby were stunned.

They looked up at the gaping tunnel blown open by Eternatus’s [Dragon Pulse], steam still rising from the edges.

If you counted from the moment Eternatus broke free and blasted out of the underground—

It hadn’t even been thirty minutes.

And in that short time, Luo Yuan had already… defeated a Legendary Pokémon?

Some of them were still struggling to catch a Magikarp in that much time, and this man had already taken down a god.

The Galar League trainers stared at Luo Yuan like he was some kind of monster.

Luo Yuan ignored them. He turned the Master Ball holding Eternatus over in his palm, then gestured for Giratina to come forward.

Responding swiftly, Giratina opened a portal on the ground—leading straight to the Distortion World.

Luo Yuan raised a hand, telekinetically lifted Rose, and—under the shocked stares of both Rose and the Galar trainers—tossed him straight through the portal.

One by one, the Rocket operatives followed on Luo Yuan’s command.

Finally, Luo Yuan swung himself onto Giratina’s back, and together, the two disappeared into the darkness, leaving only a stunned crowd behind.

All that remained in the energy plant was the scorched hole left by Eternatus’s [Dragon Pulse]—proof that everything that had just happened wasn’t some fever dream.

The Galar League later officially named the incident The Darkest Day—and the damage it left on the region was immense.

According to early estimates, twelve cities and towns—including Stow-on-Side, Hammerlocke, and Motostoke—had been attacked by wild [Dynamax] Pokémon.

Conservative economic losses were estimated in the billions.

But the money was the least of their worries.

The bigger problem lay in a video that had begun circulating online—one that implicated Galar League President and Macro Cosmos CEO Rose in the disaster.

And that phrasing—“implicated”—was putting it kindly.

To most Galar citizens affected by The Darkest Day, Rose wasn’t just involved—he was the root cause.

As League President, he had knowingly endangered the lives of Galar’s people, deliberately unleashing an uncontrollable Legendary Pokémon and triggering devastating consequences.

And now he’d vanished without a trace—not even a word of apology.

So who else was going to take the blame, if not Rose?

In contrast, the Tech Hunter who once stole the spotlight in Hoenn for commanding Rayquaza to stop Groudon and Kyogre had once again stepped in—this time halting Eternatus’s rampage.

As a result, Rocket Team and the tech hunters found themselves surprisingly well received in Galar.

Public opinion soared almost overnight.

It wasn’t until his plane landed that Leon found out—via the Kanto League—that all hell had broken loose in Galar.

At that moment, both Leon and Raihan looked utterly dumbfounded.

How long had they even been gone?
And already Galar had spiraled into crisis?

Especially Leon… He remembered all too well how Rose had patted him on the shoulder before his departure and reassured him, “Don’t worry. Leave Galar to me—it’ll be fine.”

Fine?
This is what you call “fine”?

Leon’s entire worldview came crashing down.

As Galar’s Champion, he had already lost to a Johto Elite Four member in battle—not great, but forgivable. But now, he had failed in his actual job—protecting the Galar region.

Maybe I really am the most useless Champion Galar’s ever had…

Noticing the look on Leon’s face, Giovanni—who was personally there to welcome the Galar delegates—gave a tactful nod.

“If you need to return to Galar to address the crisis, don’t hesitate. There’s no urgent matter here in Kanto that can’t wait. In fact, we can even send people to assist—after all, we’re all part of the same League.”

“I’ve worked with Luo Yuan before,” Giovanni added. “He and the Saffron Gym’s Sabrina should still be in Galar. I’ll contact them—they’ll lend you a hand.”

Leon was deeply moved.

Now this… this is what international solidarity looks like.

Giovanni truly is the model of global unity.

—

T/N: i feel bad, its not like i dislike Leon :SOB:

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!