Team Rocket’s Second-in-Command! [415]

When Luo Yuan realized that his own Deoxys was actively persuading its fellow Deoxys to join his team, he was momentarily stunned.

Since when did my charisma get this strong?

But from Deoxys’ perspective, convincing its companion to join Luo Yuan’s team was never a bad thing.

They had wandered the vast universe in solitude for countless years before arriving on this planet.

Yet, the moment they set foot on Earth, they were met with hostility from the native legendary Pokémon.

It had nearly been obliterated by Rayquaza, its core almost shattered.

Although Luo Yuan had captured it while it was injured, he had also healed its wounds—and, more importantly, given it a chance to get revenge on Rayquaza.

Beyond that, staying by Luo Yuan’s side had begun to ease the deep loneliness that had long weighed on Deoxys’ heart.

For the first time since arriving on this foreign planet, Deoxys felt a sense of belonging.

So upon seeing its fellow Deoxys still drifting without purpose, it naturally shared its own experiences to persuade it.

Individual Two fell silent as it processed what was being said.

Its core flickered.

After a moment of contemplation, it ultimately chose to trust its companion.

Not that it had much of a choice.

Luo Yuan still hadn’t recalled Gengar or Dragapult, and now there was another Deoxys in perfect condition standing before it.

Even with its legendary strength, Individual Two found itself in a hopeless position—facing an equal rival and a group of formidable enemies, it simply couldn’t bring itself to refuse.

Understanding the situation, Individual Two used its psychic power to transmit a message to Luo Yuan: a request to join his team.

Luo Yuan readily accepted.

He had already prepared to use a combination of force and persuasion—if necessary, he would have beaten Individual Two into submission before capturing it and slowly taming it over time.

But unexpectedly, Individual Two had the good sense to submit on its own, saving him the trouble.

Temporarily storing Individual Two in an Ultra Ball, Luo Yuan then directed Deoxys, Tyranitar, and Gengar to clean up the battlefield before waking Officer Jenny and her team.

Officer Jenny gradually regained consciousness.

The moment her awareness returned, her hand instinctively reached for her Poké Ball as she warily scanned the cave.

The last thing she remembered before blacking out was leading her investigation team into the cave—only to come face-to-face with a slumbering Deoxys.

However, as she looked toward the cave’s center, she found that the Deoxys was nowhere to be seen.

In its place stood the Tyranitar they had encountered on their way here—along with a very familiar figure.

“Elite Four Luo Yuan!” Officer Jenny’s face lit up with surprise.

As a Johto officer, she naturally recognized Luo Yuan, one of Johto’s Elite Four.

She had no idea why he was here, but his presence could only mean one thing—he was their backup.

“You’re awake!” Luo Yuan greeted with a smile.

As he spoke, he subtly activated his [Viridian Power], giving his smile a soothing, almost healing quality.

And it worked.

Under the influence of the [Viridian Power], Officer Jenny and her team—who had been mentally strained from being hypnotized—felt an immediate sense of clarity and relief.

Subconsciously, they began to feel closer to and more trusting of Luo Yuan.

“When your communication was cut off during your report, I came to check on the situation,” Luo Yuan explained. “Looks like I arrived just in time.”

Although they had only been unconscious, the longer they remained in that state, the greater the risk of complications.

Officer Jenny and her team understood this all too well. Grateful and relieved, their faces were filled with appreciation.

Just as Officer Jenny was about to express her thanks, a thought suddenly struck her.

“Elite Four Luo Yuan, I have an urgent report regarding the disturbances in Mt. Silver! I suspect that Team Rocket is behind this!” she declared with a serious expression, as if she had uncovered a major conspiracy.

“…?” Luo Yuan’s mind went blank for a moment.

Team Rocket? Plotting something in Mt. Silver?

Why don’t I, the second-in-command of Team Rocket, know anything about this?

Noticing Luo Yuan’s confusion, Officer Jenny quickly elaborated.

“After entering Mt. Silver, we discovered traces of a Legendary Pokémon controlled by the Tech Hunters—Deoxys! It was Deoxys that attacked us and cut off our communication, leading to our unconsciousness.”

Luo Yuan: “……”

Listening to her deductions, Luo Yuan couldn’t help but feel she was way off the mark.

Team Rocket is currently focused on the Indigo League elections—who has time to be plotting conspiracies here? That would be a complete waste of effort…

Of course, he couldn’t just outright tell Officer Jenny that.

But letting her continue to believe this false narrative and pin the blame on Team Rocket would also be problematic.

So Luo Yuan opted for the simplest solution.

Cough. “You’re overthinking it. The disturbances in Mt. Silver have nothing to do with Team Rocket,” he stated.

Seeing the doubt in Officer Jenny’s eyes, Luo Yuan pulled out an Ultra Ball from his belt and pressed the button.

Swish!

A flash of white light—

Deoxys materialized before Officer Jenny and her team.

As their eyes widened in shock, Luo Yuan simply shrugged.

“When I arrived, Deoxys was still here. To rescue you all, I had no choice but to capture it… Though it does resemble the one controlled by the Tech Hunters, if it were their Deoxys, there’s no way an Ultra Ball would have been able to capture it, right?”

As Luo Yuan spoke, Individual Two calmly stood beside him, silently basking in the healing effects of his [Viridian Power].

Seeing this, Officer Jenny and her team slowly nodded.

At this moment, they had completely forgotten about Team Rocket.

Instead, they were too preoccupied with one earth-shattering revelation—

Elite Four Luo Yuan had captured a Legendary Pokémon!

Deoxys!

A Legendary!

Not long ago, Hoenn had been thrown into chaos by Groudon and Kyogre. The entire region’s League Trainers had been powerless to stop the destruction, and in the end, it had taken Team Rocket deploying their own Legendary Pokémon to bring the situation under control.

Though the Hoenn crisis had been resolved, the knowledge that Team Rocket now possessed three Legendary Pokémon weighed heavily on the League’s mind.

If Team Rocket ever chose to use those Legendaries for their own agenda, there would be little anyone could do to stop them.

For months, this looming threat had placed immense pressure on the League.

But now—

Johto’s very own Elite Four member, Luo Yuan, had successfully captured a Legendary Pokémon!

—

T/N: … poor league at least we can rest knowing in the other universe the league is thriving due to August hmm what name would I have given Luo Yuan probablyyyy uhhh idk Caesar

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!