Team Rocket’s Second-in-Command! [527]

Giovanni’s proposal, though sudden, didn’t feel out of place.

Both reasons he offered were perfectly sound — there wasn’t a single flaw anyone could pick at.

“I agree!”

Lorelei was the first to voice her support.

Because she owed Luo Yuan a favor from the Sevii Islands incident, and since she had been the one to recommend Sabrina for the Galar operation, the two already shared a solid foundation of trust.

Naturally, she was the first to express approval.

After a brief moment of thought, Agatha also nodded her agreement.

As Kanto’s Ghost-type Elite Four member, she knew the strength of Kanto’s Gym Leaders well.

Aside from Koga, who had already moved to Johto to serve as the Poison-type Elite Four,
there was no one among Kanto’s Gym Leaders stronger than Sabrina.

From a purely strength-based standpoint, Sabrina was the most suitable choice.
And in this crucial moment of confronting Team Rocket, she had no reason to oppose it.

Seeing both of them agree, Giovanni nodded in satisfaction.

Excluding Bruno, who was still training deep in the mountains, with the remaining two Elite

Four members and the Champion himself agreeing,

Sabrina’s appointment as an Elite Four member was already as good as confirmed.

“Then, let’s move to the next topic. According to recent reports, someone has spotted Zapdos at the Abandoned Power Plant.”

At this news, the entire room sharpened with attention.

Their previous encounters with Team Rocket’s Tech Hunters had already proven one thing:
only a Legendary Pokémon could fight another Legendary Pokémon.

Lorelei had captured Articuno.

If the Kanto League could add Zapdos to their ranks as well, their chances against Team Rocket would rise significantly.

“What’s the situation?” asked Agatha, gripping her cane.

Giovanni chuckled. “Right now, Lt. Surge is conducting preliminary investigations at the Power Plant. We’ll have to wait for his report.”

Sending the Electric-type Gym Leader to investigate Zapdos — it made perfect sense.

…

By the time the meeting concluded, the sky outside had already darkened.

Luo Yuan, accompanied by Sabrina, bid farewell to Lorelei and left the Kanto League headquarters on Indigo Plateau.

“How does it feel to become an Elite Four?” Luo Yuan turned to Sabrina with a teasing smile.

Sabrina shot him a glare.

Coming from you, that just sounds like showing off.

Because she had been away from Kanto for so many days, and now suddenly appointed as an Elite Four member, Sabrina had a mountain of affairs to handle back at Saffron City.

She returned ahead of Luo Yuan to manage the Gym’s business.

Meanwhile, after saying his goodbyes, Luo Yuan wound through several streets and entered a discreet building.

He nodded to a waiting attendant.

Following the attendant into an elevator, he pressed a numeric code into the panel.
Instead of ascending, the elevator plunged rapidly downward.

After descending roughly five floors, the elevator slowed to a smooth stop.

Stepping out, he was greeted by a busy scene:
Team Rocket members bustled back and forth in the underground facility.

This was the new Team Rocket headquarters.

Indeed — ever since Giovanni had become Kanto’s Champion, Team Rocket had moved their base from Viridian Gym to right beneath the League’s nose, here on Indigo Plateau.

No one in the Kanto League would ever have imagined that Team Rocket dared to set up headquarters right under their eyes.

This is what they call “hidden in plain sight,” huh.

Smirking to himself, Luo Yuan casually grabbed a passing Team Rocket grunt. “Where’s Matori?”

The success of the Galar mission owed much to Matori’s intelligence support behind the scenes.

Now that he was back in Kanto, Luo Yuan naturally wanted to thank her properly.

Recognizing Luo Yuan immediately, the grunt snapped to a salute.
“Officer Matori is currently in the Strategy Division office!”

“Mhm. I remember you — Ryan, right? Keep up the good work,” Luo Yuan said with a small smile, his grasp of the Rocket organization’s inner members impeccable.

Leaving a visibly thrilled Ryan behind, Luo Yuan made his way to the Strategy Division.

As Team Rocket’s chief secretary, Matori had her own private office there.

When Luo Yuan entered the office, he made sure to use his psychic power, moving without a sound.

Matori, focused on reviewing documents, didn’t sense a thing — until a pair of arms wrapped around her from behind.

“!?”

Matori startled at first, but as soon as she caught the familiar scent, she quickly relaxed.

…

Matori turned to glare at Luo Yuan wordlessly.
Her look clearly said, Was that really necessary?

Facing such a reaction, Luo Yuan was fully prepared.
He pulled a Pokéball from his pocket and presented it with a grin. “A gift for you.”

Just as he expected, Matori’s attention immediately shifted to the Pokéball.

Opening it, a burst of white light flashed —
and a rich, sweet fragrance filled the office.

A Milcery, its body topped with a shining strawberry, blinked around curiously, its entire being giving off a buling-buling glow.

Before returning to Kanto, Luo Yuan had lured this Milcery with [Viridian Power] and two ripe strawberries.

He reached out and channeled the energy of Viridian Forest.

The Milcery let out a blissful little hum.
It stretched out its arms and conjured up rich, fragrant cream between its tiny hands.

—

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!