Team Rocket’s Second-in-Command!

Team Rocket swiftly subdued the remaining Team Flare operatives on the island.

Though there were still pockets of resistance, any capable Pokémon had already been taken out during earlier escape attempts by the Tentacruel. The weakened stragglers were no match for Team Rocket's elite members.

Soon, the only ones left standing were Celosia and Malva, who was still engaged in a fierce battle with Dragonite and Gengar in the sky.

Surrounded by Rocket grunts, Celosia gritted her teeth.

Before her stood her Drapion, battered and scarred, barely holding on as it faced relentless attacks from Team Rocket's Pokémon.

Finally, one of the Rocket captains issued a chilling command to his Weezing.

"Use Explosion."

Boom!

The resulting shockwave sent Drapion flying. It tumbled across the ground before coming to a halt, unconscious and unable to continue the fight.

"Drapion!"

Celosia's face darkened.

With Drapion down, her last Pokémon was gone. She could do nothing but surrender.

"Tch, and you thought you could challenge Team Rocket with this level of strength?" Luo Yuan clicked his tongue, unimpressed.

Ignoring Celosia's furious glare, he turned to the Rocket grunts. "As planned, sedate these Team Flare members, pack them up, and send them back to base. Put them in the same holding cell as that unlucky scientist from before."

He already had Aliana. Now, with Celosia captured, Luo Yuan had two of Team Flare's female scientists in his collection.

"Maybe one day, Lysandre will gift me the remaining two," he thought with a smirk.

Unaware of Luo Yuan's inner musings, the grunts saluted and responded in unison, "Yes, sir!"

With the Team Flare operatives secured, Luo Yuan turned his attention to the main event of the day—Malva.

"So, you've decided to stop running and come down to the ground?"

He glanced toward the island, where Malva was now commanding her Pokémon in a desperate attempt to hold off Gengar and Dragonite.

Her team—Houndoom, Pyroar, and Chandelure—launched relentless attacks from the ground, while Talonflame attacked from the air.

Despite the numerical advantage, Malva was far from victory.

Gengar, having used Mean Look to trap Talonflame in battle, had become the primary target of her assault.

Taking advantage of a moment when Talonflame's Flamethrower and Houndoom's Smog forced Dragonite to back off, Malva quickly ordered her next move.

"Pyroar, Flamethrower!"

"Chandelure, Shadow Ball!"

The Flamethrower led the charge, concealing the Shadow Ball beneath it.

Against an ordinary Pokémon, this combination would have been devastating.

But Luo Yuan's Gengar was far from ordinary.

With a sly grin, Gengar easily detected the hidden Shadow Ball beneath the Flamethrower. Even if it hadn't seen it, the ghostly energy rippling through the air was impossible to miss.

"Ge-ge-ge~!"

Gengar cackled and twisted its body, vanishing in a swirl of smoke.

"Huh? Where did it go?!"

Malva scanned the battlefield, but Gengar had disappeared from her line of sight.

Watching Gengar vanish right under her nose without leaving a trace was a frustrating experience for an Elite Four trainer like Malva.

After all, the observational skills required of an Elite Four member were second to none.

As Malva searched for Gengar, a dark vortex appeared behind Chandelure.

A stubby, clawed hand emerged from the void.

Gengar had used Phantom Force to open a portal behind Chandelure.

Chandelure immediately sensed the ghostly energy at its back.

But before it could react, Gengar struck with a fully charged Shadow Claw, slamming down onto Chandelure's head.

Though Chandelure had noticed the danger, the actual impact was like a bolt of lightning.

Boom!

The attack sent Chandelure flying, its body trembling from the force. Even the flames atop its head flickered unsteadily, a clear sign of critical damage.

But Chandelure was no ordinary Pokémon. As one of Malva's main battlers, it quickly retaliated despite its injuries.

A swarm of Will-O-Wisps appeared, glowing like fireflies as they floated toward Gengar.

Though they seemed harmless, a single hit would set Gengar ablaze.

Meanwhile, Houndoom charged up a Dark Pulse, firing the black energy orb directly at Gengar.

As a Dark-type move, it was super effective against Ghost-types like Gengar. If it hit, the results would be devastating.

Pyroar, not to be outdone, lunged forward and aimed for Gengar with a Bite—a Dark-type move designed to tear through the ghostly Pokémon's defenses.

With three Pokémon attacking simultaneously, Gengar was hard-pressed to defend itself.

Just as it seemed Gengar might falter, Luo Yuan finally decided to step in.

"I can't let you get away with ganging up four-on-two. That's just unfair."

With a smirk, he tossed another Poké Ball into the air.

Roar!

Dragapult descended from the sky, its icy gaze locking onto the oncoming Houndoom and Pyroar.

Perched in Dragapult's launch chambers, the two Dreepy began to quiver with excitement, ready to be fired at their targets.

Houndoom and Pyroar faltered under Dragapult's intimidating stare, a chill running down their spines.

But it was too late to stop now.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

With a deafening bang, the two Dreepy were launched as supersonic Dragon Darts.

Houndoom reacted first, leaping nimbly to the side. The Dragon Dart grazed its black fur, leaving a faint bald streak but otherwise missing its mark.

Pyroar, however, wasn't as quick. By the time it realized the attack was coming, it was already too late to dodge.

Crash!

The Dragon Dart struck Pyroar squarely, sending it hurtling into a nearby boulder.

Boom!

The rock shattered into fragments, and Pyroar collapsed in a heap, its body wracked with pain as if it had been completely broken apart.

In a single move, Dragapult had nearly taken out Pyroar.

If not for Houndoom's agility, it too would have met the same fate.

Malva stared at Dragapult in dismay, her confidence beginning to crumble.

She had read reports about the Tech Hunter, including mentions of Dragapult's Elite Four-level strength.

But witnessing it firsthand was an entirely different experience.

As an Elite Four member herself, Malva had never imagined that a trainer of her caliber could feel so utterly outmatched.

---

"..."

- Gardevoir

(End of Chapter—Support the translator at [patreon.com/WiseTL]!)