Team Rocket’s Second-in-Command! [284] [100 PS]
Once Lorelei departed, Luo Yuan's plan could finally proceed without interruption.
He made his way swiftly to the forest surrounding the Team Rocket base identified in the intel.
There, he was greeted by a squad of League trainers.
Leading the squad was someone Luo Yuan recognized—a trainer who had previously helped him locate captured Team Rocket members during his last visit to Sevii Island.
This time, however, the trainer had no idea who Luo Yuan truly was.
"Elite Four Luo Yuan! I'm Da Zhi, the squad leader for this operation. A total of fifty-three trainers are at your command to raid the Team Rocket base!"
Da Zhi, officially a League squad leader but secretly a Team Rocket operative, saluted as he reported to Luo Yuan.
At first glance, Da Zhi didn't look like someone who would be an undercover agent for Team Rocket.
But as everyone knows, the best undercover agents are often those who least look the part.
"Good work." Luo Yuan didn't bother correcting the man's use of the title "Elite Four."
Though he had yet to formally assume the role, he wasn't surprised Da Zhi already knew about it—after all, it was practically an open secret within the League.
"When should we begin, Elite Four Luo Yuan?" Da Zhi asked.
Truth be told, Da Zhi found the whole situation rather strange.
As a Team Rocket spy, he had immediately reported the League's plans to attack the base. To his surprise, the response from higher-ups was to cooperate fully with the operation.
This puzzled him, but orders were orders. If nothing else, the situation spared him from risking exposure by leaking more information.
Luo Yuan glanced at his watch.
"Five minutes from now, at precisely 10 a.m., we'll commence the operation."
10 a.m. was the time he and Sird had agreed upon.
At that moment, Luo Yuan would lead the League trainers in an assault on the Team Rocket base.
Inside the base, Sird and the Team Rocket members would stage a "resistance," after which Sird would pretend to be overwhelmed and flee. The remaining members and the base itself would serve as Luo Yuan's achievement.
That was the version prepared for Sird.
As for the real plan...
When the clock struck 10, Luo Yuan called out to the trainers behind him.
"Are you ready?"
"Ready!"
"Too quiet! Louder!"
"Ready!"
"Great energy! Move out! Let's wipe out that Team Rocket base!" Luo Yuan commanded with a wave of his hand, leading the charge into the forest.
---
The Team Rocket base on Sevii Island was built into a mountain.
Hidden inside the rock and camouflaged with protective coatings, the base had managed to evade League aerial reconnaissance for years.
Today, however, its peace was shattered.
"Dragonite, use Mega Punch!"
Boom!
The resounding explosion shook the entire base.
Inside, Team Rocket members froze as they saw the steel-reinforced entrance buckle under the force of a single blow.
"What the heck is that!?"
The base's staff, well aware of the gate's construction—five-millimeter steel plates with concrete cores requiring hydraulic systems to open—stared in disbelief.
Before they could process what had happened, another deafening crash echoed through the base.
The already damaged gate trembled before collapsing entirely, revealing the scene outside.
Standing there was a young man with striking features, his presence amplified by the hulking Dragonite at his side. Behind him stood a squad of trainers, each with Pokémon at the ready.
"Enemy attack! It's the League!" someone finally shouted.
In the command room, Sird had been watching everything through the surveillance cameras.
She dutifully sounded the alarm and issued orders to intercept the invaders.
The blaring alarm mobilized all the Team Rocket operatives under her command, directing them toward the breached gate.
As the "colleagues" rushed forward, throwing Poké Balls to summon their Pokémon, Luo Yuan sighed inwardly and muttered an apology under his breath.
Then, he gestured forward, prompting his Dragonite to spread its wings and unleash a powerful gust of wind.
The incoming wave of Team Rocket's "starter Pokémon" was thrown into complete disarray.
Taking advantage of the chaos, the League trainers, led by Da Zhi, advanced, commanding their Pokémon to attack the scattered Rocket forces.
Luo Yuan, meanwhile, glanced up at one of the surveillance cameras.
In the command room, Sird noticed his gaze and realized it was time for her entrance.
According to their prearranged script, she was to engage Luo Yuan in battle, only to feign defeat and retreat.
Of course, Sird doubted she could win against Luo Yuan even if she tried her best.
Pulling a Poké Ball from her belt, she released her Persian with a flick of her wrist.
"Let's go. It's time to put on a good show," she murmured.
---
While Sird made her way toward the main hall where the battle raged, Luo Yuan was busy directing Dragonite to swat away an overly bold Golbat.
Dragonite stood like an unmovable fortress, exuding a suffocating aura that left the Team Rocket members locked in battle feeling hopeless.
"Where is Sird!? Why isn't she here yet?"
"Yeah! We can't take on this Dragonite ourselves!"
Despair spread like wildfire among the Team Rocket operatives as the League trainers pressed their advantage.
Just when they were about to lose hope, a commanding voice rang out.
"Persian, use Slash!"
A white blur streaked through the air, intercepting Dragonite's tail just as it was about to strike a Weezing.
Boom!
The impact forced Persian backward, its paws skidding across the ground as it absorbed the force and came to a stop.
Luo Yuan, noticing the change in atmosphere, smirked inwardly.
Sird's timing was impeccable.
Sird, on the other hand, felt a mix of frustration and admiration.
"Luo Yuan wasn't kidding about not holding back," she thought, recalling his warning during their earlier discussion.
Still, as a consummate performer, she maintained her composure, delivering her lines with conviction.
"I didn't expect the League to find this base... What a surprise," she said, releasing the rest of her Pokémon to join the fray.
---
T/N: smh this is what you get for being a filthy double crosser, team rocket for life!