Team Rocket’s Second-in-Command! [427]

Giovanni’s entry into the battle swiftly turned the tide.

With numerous Shuckle sent flying, Cloyster was finally able to open its shell.

Just moments ago, it had nearly been pried open like a sea urchin—but now, it could finally strike back.

From the spikes on its shell, it unleashed a continuous barrage of [Spike Cannon].

Explosions rang out one after another, shaking the Shuckle swarm.

Though Shuckle had incredibly high defenses, they weren’t about to stand there and take the hits. One by one, they burrowed underground to evade the bombardment.

But by now, Lorelei was no longer their primary target.

The moment Giovanni entered the fray, Truebird and Orm followed the script—shifting their firepower toward him.

Truebird’s Xatu attempted to restrain Aggron with [Psychic], only for Giovanni’s Beedrill to intercept.

“Beedrill, [Pin Missile]!”

A barrage of glowing needles shot toward Xatu, which quickly erected a [Light Screen] to defend itself.

But to no avail.

The [Pin Missiles] easily shredded through the barrier, riddling it with holes before striking Xatu’s body, causing it to cry out in pain.

With just two Pokémon, Giovanni had already neutralized Truebird and Orm’s offense and even gained the upper hand—a stark contrast to Lorelei’s earlier struggles.

Seeing Giovanni dominating the battlefield, the League trainers—who had just caught their breath thanks to Rhydon’s support—were reinvigorated.

Led by Team Rocket’s undercover operatives posing as League informants, they launched a counterattack against Team Rocket.

Truebird and Orm wore expressions of “shock,” as if they had never expected the battle to unfold this way.

But the fight continued, and Giovanni only expanded his advantage.

Aggron, clad in its heavy armor, rampaged across the battlefield.

And Beedrill? It remained utterly unstoppable.

Then, Lorelei noticed something—Truebird and Orm, locked in this stalemate, seemed to come to a decision.

“This time, you got lucky. We’re pulling out!”

With that, Truebird raised a hand toward Mewtwo in the sky.

Mid-battle against Deoxys—while casually chatting with Luo Yuan—Mewtwo glanced at Truebird’s signal.

With a nod of acknowledgment, it swung its spoon forcefully, sending Deoxys flying before unleashing a powerful surge of psychic energy.

Luo Yuan, playing along, directed Deoxys to act as if it had sustained heavy injuries.

Under Lorelei’s wary gaze, the wave of psychic power did not target the League trainers.

Instead, it wrapped around Team Rocket’s forces—and the fallen, captured members of Team Galactic.

One by one, they were lifted into the air, ascending toward the waiting Team Rocket airships above.

Team Rocket was retreating!

Some League trainers instinctively tried to give chase, but Team Rocket had clearly anticipated this.

Their masked operatives tossed disposable gas bombs—Pokémon captured from the wild, modified to serve as smoke bombs.

A thick, choking fog rapidly spread across the battlefield.

As coughing fits broke out among the League trainers, any pursuit became impossible.

By the time the smoke cleared, the battlefield was empty.

Not only had Team Rocket vanished, but even their airships had disappeared from the sky.

Their retreat was flawless, leaving the League with no chance to stop them.

“What a shame…” Giovanni withdrew his Poké Balls, a regretful expression on his face.

It seemed as though he was lamenting the fact that Mars and Jupiter had been taken by Team Rocket.

But to Lorelei, this was already a far better outcome than she had expected.

Even though most of Team Galactic’s members had been captured by Team Rocket, at least the League had “defeated” them this time.

Considering that the League had suffered nothing but defeats against Team Rocket since the battle in the Sevii Islands six months ago, this was a monumental shift.

Sure, Team Rocket had reaped the real rewards, but at least the League had won in appearance—a vital morale boost for a force that had been developing an almost instinctive fear of Team Rocket.

And it was all thanks to Luo Yuan and Giovanni.

Had they gone with her original plan, the League would have suffered yet another crushing defeat.

That failure would have been entirely on her.

With this realization, Lorelei made a decision.

She turned to Giovanni.

“I withdraw from the race for Champion.”

Her strategic miscalculations, her inability to measure up in battle—the gap between them was undeniable.

Rather than face inevitable defeat at Giovanni’s hands, Lorelei chose to step aside of her own volition.

Giovanni’s response?

A pleased smile.

And Luo Yuan, watching from the sidelines, knew—

All the effort they had put into this elaborate plan, mobilizing so many resources, orchestrating the perfect scenario with the Masked Corps playing their roles flawlessly—

It had all paid off.

—

Galactic Incident Ends in a “League Victory”

With the League “repelling” Team Rocket and Team Rocket “stealing” the captured Galactic members at the last moment, the battle reached its conclusion.

In the end, both sides got what they wanted—Team Rocket secured the Galactic prisoners, and the League claimed a symbolic victory.

A win-win situation.

The only real loser?

Team Galactic.

They had come merely to investigate the situation with their supposed traitor…

Only to find themselves blindsided by a combined assault from both the League and Team Rocket.

When Cyrus later received the report, he stared at the intel in disbelief.

For a moment, he even wondered—were the League and Team Rocket working together against them?

Otherwise, how could this have happened so perfectly?

The timing was too coincidental.

They had barely set foot on the Sevii Islands before both factions converged on them.

Cyrus was furious.

Of the six Team Galactic Commanders, three—including the missing Sird—had now been lost in Kanto.

For an organization that already had limited high-ranking personnel, this was a crippling blow.

Their next operation, originally set to launch soon, had to be postponed due to manpower shortages.

As for revenge against Team Rocket?

Impossible.

The only reason he had dared to send operatives into Kanto before was because Team Rocket had been unprepared.

Now that they were on guard, there was no way he could challenge an organization that controlled legendary Pokémon.

Not until he secured Dialga and Palkia for himself…

With that thought, Cyrus set aside his rage toward Team Rocket, focusing entirely on the grander scheme ahead.

Of course, Luo Yuan and Giovanni had no knowledge of Cyrus’s plans.

But it didn’t matter.

Because they had already marked Team Galactic as their next target.

Capturing Mars and Jupiter was just the appetizer.

Once Team Rocket fully consolidated its power in Hoenn and Alola, it would only be a matter of time before they wiped out Galactic entirely.

At this moment, Giovanni and Luo Yuan were attending the final Champion Selection Meeting at the Indigo League.

The four Kanto Elite Four members gathered once more, along with Luo Yuan—five in total—to witness this momentous occasion.

“Now,” Agatha announced, “those in favor of Giovanni becoming the new Champion, press your vote.”

She finished speaking and was the first to cast her vote.

—

T/N: Truebird is Matori! just a reminder

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!