Team Rocket’s Second-in-Command!

"Has Team Rocket's intelligence system really fallen this far?"

Luo Yuan muttered as he watched Lance in the distance, riding his Dragonite, and Agatha, clutching the shoulders of her Crobat, both rapidly approaching from the horizon.

He called True Bird over the earpiece. He had a strong sense that Team Rocket's intelligence network had serious issues lately.

Celadon City's intelligence network, once rooted in their base there, had suffered two lapses since Lance and Agatha had dismantled it.

Luo Yuan figured he owed it to Giovanni to suggest some adjustments in Team Rocket's intelligence department.

On the other end, True Bird seemed to catch on. "Wait… do you mean…?"

"Exactly—Lance and Agatha are here!"

Just as Luo Yuan finished speaking, the Charizard that had launched Flamethrower earlier opened its jaws again.

This time, it unleashed a fire attack Luo Yuan knew all too well.

Flare Blitz!

"Using Flare Blitz against me?"

Luo Yuan's eyebrow twitched, and he snapped his fingers at Mewtwo.

Mewtwo swiftly raised its hand, launching a Shadow Ball toward the incoming Flare Blitz.

The two attacks collided in midair.

Boom!

Red and black erupted in a sharp-edged explosion, each color distinct against the sky.

The blast sent waves of heat that ruffled the hair Luo Yuan's Ditto had morphed for him.

"Looks like they're really out to make things difficult for me."

He signaled to Ditto telepathically, having it reset his hair, then turned his attention to Lance and Agatha, who were now landing beside Bruno.

"Troublesome…" Even with Mewtwo at his side, Luo Yuan couldn't deny how difficult this situation had become.

It was different from the last time he'd faced a two-Elite combo on the Sevii Islands.

Back then, he'd had Deoxys, along with Gengar and Dragapult, backed by a squad of Rocket executives, to take on Lance and Lorelei.

But now…

Now he faced Agatha, an Elite Four member specializing in Ghost-types, strong against Psychic-types like Mewtwo. And Lance had his full team, his strongest lineup, equivalent to Champion-level power.

On top of that, if he wanted to keep his identity as the Tech Hunter a secret, as Giovanni had instructed, he could only use Mewtwo.

That put him at a major disadvantage against both Lance and Agatha.

As Luo Yuan weighed his options, considering whether to reveal his identity, the mood shifted.

Upon seeing Lance and Agatha arrive, the League trainers who'd been disheartened by Bruno's defeat at Mewtwo's hands regained their resolve.

Optimists among them even looked reinvigorated.

They believed that with Lance and Agatha joining forces, they could surely take down that man.

Even Bruno, seeing this, relaxed somewhat.

The moment he saw Lance and Agatha arrive, his worries lifted.

There was no need to explain Lance's prowess.

As the strongest of the Kanto Elite Four and the one closest to becoming Champion, Lance's strength was beyond question.

As for Granny Agatha, the oldest and most enigmatic of the Kanto Elite Four and a master of Ghost-types, she too was a formidable force.

When Bruno had first joined the Elite Four, it was Agatha who had shown him the ropes.

Lance dismounted from Dragonite, taking in the scene. He glanced around, noticing all of Bruno's Pokémon lying defeated, and quickly deduced what had happened.

"Sorry, Bruno, we got here as fast as we could."

They had been rushing to respond to Bruno's signal but hadn't made it in time.

Bruno shook his head, recalling his Pokémon to their Poké Balls, and warned, "Be careful. That Pokémon called 'Mewtwo' is incredibly powerful. It might even be a Legendary Pokémon!"

In a few short sentences, he briefed Lance on Mewtwo's capabilities.

"A Legendary?"

Lance looked at the strange-looking Mewtwo, instantly recalling Deoxys from the Sevii Islands.

Another Pokémon he'd never encountered before, and again, a Psychic-type.

Lance couldn't help but wonder, "Are Legendary Pokémon just appearing everywhere now?"

In barely a month, he'd encountered two Legends, and both were in the hands of illegal organizations or rogue trainers. He didn't know if he should curse his rotten luck or simply accept it.

"A Legendary Psychic-type?"

Agatha, wearing a long purple gown and leaning on her cane, gazed at Mewtwo with keen interest.

She gave a light tap on the Poké Ball attached to her cane.

Shush!

A Gengar materialized behind her, moving without a sound.

As a Ghost-type master, Agatha was better suited than anyone to face a Psychic-type opponent.

Lance and Agatha both focused on Luo Yuan and Mewtwo.

But Luo Yuan's face showed no signs of fear.

Though he'd voiced his complaints, inwardly, he felt a thrill of excitement.

Giovanni had tasked him with testing Mewtwo's battle data.

Although fighting Bruno had provided a lot of data, Luo Yuan wasn't fully satisfied. Bruno hadn't been strong enough to push Mewtwo to its limits.

But now…

With Lance and Agatha as opponents, he could gather even more comprehensive data on Mewtwo's battle capabilities.

Of course, that was only part of his reasoning. The main reason was that, upon learning of Lance and Agatha's arrival, True Bird had altered their mission plan.

True Bird was organizing a rescue mission for captured Rocket agents. To prevent Lance and Agatha from returning and thwarting the rescue, Luo Yuan was needed to hold them off.

He only needed to delay them for twenty minutes.

"A bit of a hassle, this task…" Luo Yuan thought to himself.

But he didn't decline.

This was an excellent chance to test his own mettle.

But first, he needed to lift some restraints on Mewtwo.

With that in mind, Luo Yuan gestured to Mewtwo.

Whoosh!

In an instant, Mewtwo Teleported in front of him.

Gengar and Dragonite moved closer to their Trainers, shielding them from any surprise attacks from Mewtwo.

Seeing their reaction, Luo Yuan chuckled.

Then, as Lance and Agatha watched warily, he pulled out a small remote.

"Release device."

Click—click

A mechanical sound echoed as the clasps on Mewtwo's M2 Restraint Device unlatched, transforming into a rectangular box, which Luo Yuan lowered to the ground with psychic control.

Whoosh!

A powerful, invisible aura exploded outward.

With its restraints fully removed, Mewtwo's aura surged. Even from a distance, the trainers who felt the pressure gasped, shouting, "I can't breathe!"

"What… what pressure…"

Even Lance and Agatha felt a tightness in their chests.

This aura could only belong to a true Legendary Pokémon.

Floating half a meter above the ground,

Mewtwo wielded its giant spoon, hovering in midair. Its massive purple tail swung behind it, and its cold, impassive gaze fell on Lance and Agatha.

It was like facing a god.

---

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