Team Rocket's Second-in-Command!-Chapter 408: Team Rocket’s Second-in-Command! []

Although Sabrina was available, her psychic abilities were far too conspicuous.

Her mastery of psychic powers was her defining trait—something that no one in Kanto, aside from Luo Yuan, could replicate. Any display of her abilities would immediately expose her identity.

Should Archer and his team step in instead?

While Team Rocket, under Giovanni's control, didn't have rigid internal factions, there was still an unspoken boundary between the Kanto and Johto branches.

Take Koga as an example. Despite being a Johto Elite Four member, he refrained from interfering with the operations of Johto's Rocket branch. At most, he'd request their cooperation for specific tasks.

Even when delegating his administrative workload, he had sought help from Team Rocket's headquarters rather than Johto's local division.

If Archer were sent to the Sevii Islands... Archer himself wouldn't object, but it might cause friction among the lower ranks.

In situations as critical as this, even minor issues could escalate. Should any problems arise, they'd be a nightmare to deal with.

Luo Yuan understood Koga's concerns. While Luo Yuan personally considered them trivial, as the organization's second-in-command, he still had to account for the sentiments of those under him.

"There's no need to worry about that... Pryce's Masked Corps will assist us," Luo Yuan assured.

After Pryce joined Team Rocket, his Masked Corps had been fully integrated, becoming an independent, highly mobile unit reporting directly to Team Rocket's leadership.

As an autonomous entity, the concerns Koga raised didn't apply.

The Masked Corps was far from weak. After being absorbed into Team Rocket, Luo Yuan and Giovanni had carefully filtered out the less capable members, leaving only the elite.

Deploying them for this mission was more than sufficient.

"As for high-level firepower, Matori will bring Mewtwo to the Sevii Islands upon her return from Hoenn," Luo Yuan added.

Matori's work in Hoenn—assisting Lusamine in assessing Mauville Holdings and the region's conditions—wouldn't take long. Once she returned, she could oversee the Sevii Islands with Mewtwo in tow.

That single statement was enough to ease Koga's mind.

With Mewtwo on-site, everything would be under control unless Galactic somehow acquired a Legendary Pokémon of their own.

And if Galactic did manage to bring in a Legendary Pokémon?

First, it would have to surpass Mega Evolved Mewtwo in strength.

Even in the highly unlikely event that Galactic unleashed a stronger Legendary Pokémon, Luo Yuan still had Deoxys and Rayquaza at his disposal.

"This works. I'm reassured," Koga said, clearly relieved.

Luo Yuan's explanation also eliminated any lingering doubts Giovanni might have had.

A faint smile appeared on Giovanni's face.

If Galactic dared provoke Team Rocket, they'd have to be ready to face the consequences.

Speaking of which, now that Alola's situation had stabilized, it was almost time to launch a new plan. Perhaps targeting Galactic next wasn't such a bad idea?

Unbeknownst to Galactic, Giovanni had already marked them as his next major objective.

Not that knowing would have helped them.

After all... their destruction was inevitable, whether they were aware or not.

---

By the time Luo Yuan left Koga's office, it was already afternoon.

He, Koga, and Giovanni had spent hours ironing out the details of their plan to ensure everything would go off without a hitch.

After leaving Koga, Luo Yuan finished coordinating the Masked Corps' deployment when his communicator buzzed again.

"Lance? What's the matter? I just got back, and today isn't even a workday."

Luo Yuan's opening line nearly made Lance choke.

Of all people in Johto, you have no right to say that.

After taking a moment to compose himself, Lance glared at Luo Yuan with a mixture of exasperation and frustration.

"Alright, what's the issue?" Luo Yuan asked, sensing the weight behind Lance's expression.

His tone shifted to seriousness, and Lance's demeanor followed suit.

"I have an urgent matter that requires your attention," Lance said.

"What is it?" Luo Yuan asked, intrigued.

It wasn't often that Lance wore such a grave expression.

"You've heard about the disturbances at Mount Silver, right?"

Luo Yuan nodded. "I just came from Koga. He briefed me on it."

Lance nodded in turn. "Then you're aware we sent teams to investigate?"

"Yeah... they found nothing," Luo Yuan replied.

Lance's expression flickered briefly with embarrassment before darkening again. "That's true, but two hours ago, we made significant progress!"

"Oh?" Luo Yuan raised an eyebrow. It wasn't often the League beat Team Rocket to critical intel.

Just as he was about to ask what progress had been made, Lance's tone turned somber.

"But... just as the lead Officer Jenny was about to report back, communication abruptly cut off. Shortly after, the entire investigation team went missing."

"..." Luo Yuan blinked, processing the twist.

Great—build suspense, then drop a missing-team bombshell. Lance, you really know how to keep things interesting.

"You're not calling to ask me to stage a rescue, are you?" Luo Yuan asked.

Lance nodded earnestly. "That's exactly why I'm calling. After the team went missing, I dispatched additional personnel, but the wild Pokémon at Mount Silver have become extremely aggressive. None of the follow-up teams could make it far before being forced to retreat.

"I have an important meeting I can't leave, so Luo Yuan... I need your help."

Luo Yuan sighed, resigned.

He didn't bother asking why Lance hadn't gone to Koga. From Lance's perspective, Koga was swamped with administrative duties and wouldn't have the time to mount a rescue mission.

In other words, this mess landed on my lap because I taught Koga to outsource his work.

The irony wasn't lost on Luo Yuan.

Still, now wasn't the time to complain. Saving lives took priority. As an Elite Four member, it was his duty.

Even though he was also a Team Rocket executive, that didn't absolve him of his responsibilities to the League.

"Got it. I'll head out immediately."

Hearing Luo Yuan's response, Lance visibly relaxed. With Luo Yuan's strength, he was confident the situation would be handled.

"Thank you!"

Luo Yuan nodded, offering no further words.

He sent Sabrina a quick text to let her know he wouldn't make it back for dinner. Then, amidst the surprised murmurs of passersby, he released his Dragonite and mounted it, soaring toward Mount Silver.

Time to find out what's really happening there.