Team Rocket’s Second-in-Command! [502]

Oleana stared at Luo Yuan, her eyes filled with terror.

She desperately wanted to alert Chairman Rose to this conspiracy—but under Luo Yuan’s psychic control, she couldn’t even twitch a finger.

“Don’t waste your energy,” Luo Yuan said, watching as Oleana flushed red from the effort of struggling. “Even if you had a Machamp’s strength, you wouldn’t be able to break free from my hold.”

Then his tone shifted. “That said… I might be willing to let you go.”

Oleana ceased her struggling, choosing not to waste her strength on the inevitable. She fixed Luo Yuan with a cold glare—there was no way someone like him had anything good in mind.

And, unsurprisingly, his next words confirmed her suspicions.

“I genuinely admire your capabilities. Join Team Rocket, and I’ll release you.”

To be honest, Luo Yuan wasn’t someone who enjoyed dominating others. In his eyes, neither humans nor Pokémon should have their will suppressed. That was why he hadn’t used psychic control on Cynthia back in Sinnoh.

He was only doing this now out of necessity—for Team Rocket’s greater goals. If Oleana agreed to join them, he’d have no reason to keep her under control.

“In your dreams!” Oleana snapped, rejecting the offer without a second thought.

“What a shame,” Luo Yuan replied with a soft chuckle, not the least bit offended. He hadn’t expected her to say yes anyway—it was just a casual offer.

Sure, if she cooperated, infiltrating Macro Cosmos would’ve gone more smoothly. But her refusal didn’t disrupt his plans—it only meant he’d have to take a few more steps to get there.

Snap!

He snapped his fingers again.

Oleana’s eyes went glassy for a moment, her anger melting from her face like a switch had been flipped. She returned to her usual calm demeanor, her expression placid.

Now hypnotized, Oleana no longer registered Luo Yuan’s presence. Her memories of the past conversation had been completely sealed away. All she remembered was that she’d been entrusted by Chairman Rose with a new assignment: to partner with the Aether Foundation from Alola and accept their financial investment.

And Rose, having fully handed over corporate affairs to Oleana while he focused all his energy on capturing Eternatus, remained completely unaware of it all.

With the Aether Foundation’s funding and Team Rocket’s intel, everything was progressing just as Luo Yuan had envisioned.

Thanks to Oleana, now a perfect “sleeper agent,” the Aether Foundation’s investment into Macro Cosmos went smoothly. They quickly secured a position as shareholders.

At the same time, Luo Yuan obtained a list of Macro Cosmos shareholders through Oleana—and began clearing the field.

With strategic visits from both Luo Yuan and Sabrina, numerous minor shareholders began “willingly” selling off their stock. All transactions were carried out legally and transparently, at fair market prices—no one could accuse them of foul play.

The only problem was that Oleana, under Luo Yuan’s influence, failed to report any of these developments to Chairman Rose.

And because Rose had cut off all outside communication to prepare for his plan, the upper executives at Macro Cosmos—unable to reach him—simply assumed Oleana was acting under Rose’s direct orders.

They had been following Rose’s lead for years. None of them even thought to question it.

Just like that, with barely a ripple, Luo Yuan completed his infiltration of Macro Cosmos.

Meanwhile, deep underground in the Hammerlocke factory, Rose had no idea that in just a few days, the entire internal structure of his company had been turned upside down.

…

“…And that’s the current situation, Boss Giovanni,” Luo Yuan reported. “Through various identities, we now control nearly thirty percent of Macro Cosmos’s shares. Once we secure the shares in Rose’s hands, we’ll be the majority stakeholder.”

“Macro Cosmos is the lifeblood of Galar. Controlling the company means controlling the entire region.”

“Leon and Raihan’s flight departed from Hammerlocke City just thirty minutes ago,” he added. “I’ve already forwarded the passenger manifest to Proton.”

Luo Yuan remained cautious despite the progress they’d made.

After all, this operation was essentially a high-level game of castling—a tactical switch at the heart of a coordinated assault.

He was using the League Council’s desire to root out Team Rocket’s influence in Kanto as a cover to launch a surprise strike on Galar—one of the last regions not yet under Team Rocket control.

But in any gambit like this, there was always the risk of having your own base taken.

Even if Kanto had Giovanni holding the fort—and the risk was minimal—it couldn’t be ignored.

Giovanni’s expression turned serious in response to Luo Yuan’s caution.

He didn’t think Luo Yuan was being overly cautious. On the contrary, that exact quality was why he trusted him with critical missions.

With Team Rocket’s operations expanding rapidly and personnel stretched thin, they were at a turning point.

Any mistake at this stage would have a domino effect.

And right now, what Team Rocket needed most was someone with Luo Yuan’s meticulous care.

—

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!