Team Rocket’s Second-in-Command! [517]

Strictly speaking, Oleana should have hated Luo Yuan.

And yet, her feelings toward him were far more complicated.

Hatred? Of course it was there. With Chairman Rose in Luo Yuan’s hands and herself now under psychic control, it would’ve been strange not to hate him.

But to Oleana’s own surprise, she didn’t feel as much hatred as she expected.

Because after thinking it over carefully, she realized: even without Luo Yuan’s involvement, things likely wouldn’t have turned out much better. In fact, they could’ve gone worse.

Without Luo Yuan, Chairman Rose would still have gone ahead with his plan. And looking at how things played out, the plan was doomed to fail from the start.

In that outcome, Rose would’ve faced the full wrath of Galar. Without Luo Yuan stepping in to save the region, the damage could have been far greater. Rose would’ve had no choice but to step down and issue a public apology in disgrace.

Compared to that, being taken by Team Rocket might actually be the better end.

At least this way, some dignity had been preserved.

As for Oleana herself—as Rose’s secretary, she too had been targeted with heavy public criticism during the Darkest Day.

If Sabrina hadn’t stepped in at the critical moment to control her and mobilize Macro Cosmos’ forces to evacuate and assist the citizens of Galar, Oleana’s situation might be no better than Rose’s.

From a certain perspective, Team Rocket had saved her.

So her feelings toward Luo Yuan—and toward Team Rocket—were… complicated.

Noticing the look in Oleana’s eyes, Luo Yuan gave a small chuckle and sat in the chair across from her.

“Don’t look at me like that. You’re making it seem like I’ve done something terrible to you.”

“???” Oleana stared at him, face full of question marks.

You think you haven’t done anything? These past few days, she couldn’t even eat, sleep, or go to the bathroom without Sabrina controlling her. And you call that nothing?

Luo Yuan had no intention of getting into an argument over that.

“I’ve got good news,” he said casually. “I’ve let Rose go.”

Oleana’s expression didn’t change one bit—not because she didn’t care, but because she knew very well that a man like Luo Yuan would never let Rose go that easily.

And sure enough, just as she’d expected, Luo Yuan followed up after a deliberately long pause: “Of course, I didn’t let him go in this world.”

At that, Oleana’s face finally shifted.

“What do you mean?”

Not this world? Did that mean something terrible had already happened to Chairman Rose?

Her heart began to race with anxiety, but Luo Yuan calmly continued, “Ever heard of the Reverse World? That’s where he is now. He’s keeping company with Cyrus, the head of Team Galactic. I imagine they’re getting along quite well.”

Not long ago, Luo Yuan had taken a moment to ask Giratina to show him around the Reverse World and check in on Cyrus.

Cyrus seemed completely satisfied with the place. His normally stony face had even softened with a hint of a smile. Luo Yuan figured Rose might find the environment unpleasant at first—but in time, he’d surely be infected by Cyrus’ strange optimism.

Oleana didn’t understand what the Reverse World was or what exactly Rose would face there.

But what she did understand was this: Luo Yuan had total control of the situation. He could control her body at will—there was no reason for him to lie to her.

And more importantly, nothing could possibly be worse than being trapped in Team Rocket’s headquarters.

So in that sense, Rose was probably better off in the Reverse World than locked up in one of their cells.

That thought brought Oleana a small measure of relief.

She looked deeply at Luo Yuan and asked, “What do you want?”

After these past few days of observation, she knew Luo Yuan wasn’t the type to waste time. If he was saying all this, there had to be a reason behind it.

“As expected of the one who kept Macro Cosmos running smoothly all this time,” Luo Yuan replied with a smile. “It’s nothing too complicated. I just wanted to ask—would you consider joining Team Rocket?”

He finally laid his true intentions on the table.

As Rose’s secretary, Oleana had essentially managed all of Macro Cosmos’ business and its dealings with the Galar League—largely on her own. That alone was proof of her exceptional ability.

In all of Team Rocket, only Proton could be considered her equal.

On top of that, Oleana was a researcher—she was the inventor of the Dynamax Band, with outstanding scientific prowess.

She was, in short, an extremely rare kind of talent.

Using psychic control to reduce someone like her to a tool would be a waste. That’s why Luo Yuan had decided to extend a proper invitation.

“With your skills, you were wasted—trapped under Rose’s so-called dream of solving Galar’s energy crisis. Team Rocket has a broader stage, and the world’s most advanced scientific division. It’s the perfect environment for you to shine.”

—

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!