Team Rocket’s Second-in-Command! [476]

Watching the Slowpoke swaggering about without a care in the world, Luo Yuan was at a loss for words.

When he'd gone to Sinnoh earlier, it had been under the guise of a "Tech Hunter," so he hadn't brought along any Pokémon tied to his identity as Luo Yuan.

Naturally, Slowpoke had been left at the estate.

Half a month had passed since they'd last seen each other. Luo Yuan wasn't sure if the creature had grown stronger during that time, but one thing was obvious: the fat on its belly had thickened, and its arrogance had reached new heights.

It didn't even bother pretending anymore—blatantly slacking off right in front of him. This was no ordinary Slowpoke. It was time to lay down the law.

Just as Luo Yuan was having this thought, he noticed that Slowpoke and Shellder had just finished eating.

"Buuurp—!"

Slowpoke let out a satisfied belch, then lazily shuffled over to the floor-to-ceiling windows, picked a cozy spot, and flopped down. Sunlight spilled over its body, and a blissful expression spread across its face.

Seeing that, Luo Yuan couldn't help but chuckle. He slowly approached, standing over Slowpoke and looking down at it from above.

A shadow fell across Slowpoke's sunbathing spot.

Instinctively, it lifted its head, trying to see who was blocking its light—only to meet Luo Yuan's smiling face.

The sight of that smile made Slowpoke shudder involuntarily. In that instant, its entire life flashed before its eyes—being born, being captured by Luo Yuan, and everything that followed.

Once again, Slowpoke remembered the terror of being under Luo Yuan's rule.

Off to the side, Shellder also sensed danger and hurriedly clamped onto Slowpoke's tail.

"Sloooow!"

Accompanied by Slowpoke's anguished cry, Luo Yuan reached out and grabbed it by the scruff, then tossed it over to Mewtwo.

"Mewtwo, you're in charge of its training. If it can't finish its regimen, it won't be allowed to sunbathe anymore. From now on, it'll eat only standard Pokémon food."

No sunbathing. Only industrial Pokémon chow.

For a Slowpoke that had experienced the joys of human cuisine, this was a thunderbolt from a clear sky.

To it, Pokémon food—mass-produced on an assembly line—was like canned meat to a U.S. soldier.

Desperately, it dropped the usual vacant expression and looked up at Luo Yuan with pleading eyes.

But it was useless.

Luo Yuan knew his Pokémon inside and out. He had long since figured out Slowpoke's personality.

He simply smiled and looked back at it.

Realizing that its usual tricks wouldn't work, Slowpoke gave up all resistance. With a resigned sigh, it removed Shellder from its tail and placed it atop its head.

Assuming the form of a Slowking, it entered training mode.

Having handed it off to Mewtwo, Luo Yuan paid it no further attention.

On one hand, he had complete faith in Mewtwo. On the other, Slowpoke had decent talent and was surprisingly intelligent. What it lacked was simply the will to act.

After leaving a message for Lillie on a note, Luo Yuan departed the estate and made his way to the current headquarters of the Johto League.

Compared to six months ago, when the League had just been established and was still rather shabby, the current headquarters had grown considerably.

Especially thanks to the sponsorship of the Aether Foundation—represented by Lusamine—during the Silver Conference, the Johto League had made a fortune.

Under Luo Yuan's suggestion, every cent of that money was poured into expanding the headquarters.

The construction was handled by teams under Rocket control. That way, Rocket recovered its investment, and the League got one of the most advanced headquarters in the world.

A win-win.

Luo Yuan took the elevator to the top floor and stepped into Lance's office. The Johto Champion was already hard at work that morning, a model civil servant if there ever was one.

"Luo Yuan? You're here."

Lance looked up when he heard the door, showing no surprise.

"So, what do you think about the exchange program?"

It was clear Lance had no idea Luo Yuan had slipped out of Johto recently. From his perspective, he had just handed over the proposal for the Galar exchange the day before.

It was only natural for Luo Yuan to come with feedback.

"I spoke with Mr. Giovanni yesterday. He filled me in on some of the background details."

Luo Yuan made no effort to hide his closeness with Giovanni.

After all, he had a perfectly legitimate cover story—during the Hoenn incident, they'd forged a bond while working together to combat Team Rocket.

As Luo Yuan expected, Lance didn't question it.

From Lance's point of view, there was no reason to doubt either of them.

Luo Yuan was a League Elite. Giovanni, a League Champion. If both of them were compromised, wouldn't that mean the entire Kanto League had already fallen under Rocket's control? Who could be trusted then?

So Lance just smiled and said, "Oh? Mr. Giovanni already told you? I was planning to explain after you'd read the proposal. Well, that saves us some time."

"That's right—we're finally making a move against Team Rocket!"

There was deep emotion in Lance's voice as he said it.

Ever since the emergence of the Tech Hunters, every Kanto League operation against Rocket had ended in utter failure. Even though Rocket hadn't launched a counterattack, their looming presence was like a Damocles' sword hanging over Lance's head, filling him with dread.

Now that the League Council had finally decided to act, Lance—as Johto's Champion—could finally breathe a little easier.

What he didn't realize was that just as the League was beginning to mobilize against Rocket, Luo Yuan—Rocket's second-in-command—had already laid out a comprehensive plan to bring the Galar region under Rocket control in one fell swoop.

Lance continued, "This exchange program is crucial. Coordinating with the Galar League to take on Rocket together will have a huge impact on the balance of power in Kanto."

"Absolutely," Luo Yuan agreed with a nod.

This operation would indeed have far-reaching consequences—just not the ones the League was hoping for.

Lance remained blissfully unaware.

They discussed a few more logistical details regarding the exchange. Then Lance took out a business card.

"This is the contact info for the Galar League chairman's secretary. Once you arrive, reach out to her—she'll handle the reception arrangements."

"A secretary?" Luo Yuan raised an eyebrow as he took the card.