Team Rocket’s Second-in-Command!

"…Got it. I understand. Leave it to me."

Luo Yuan hung up the phone, his expression oddly complex.

Beside him, Sabrina noticed his demeanor and raised an eyebrow. "What did Giovanni say to you?"

Sabrina couldn't fathom what could cause Luo Yuan to make such a peculiar face.

Hearing her question, Luo Yuan organized his thoughts and replied, "What do you know about Jessie, James, and Meowth?"

---

Luo Yuan found James at an abandoned warehouse on the edge of the Indigo Plateau.

The warehouse was filled with a chaotic jumble of parts and components.

Wearing work overalls, James was holding a welding torch in one hand and a piece of metal in the other, fixing a steel plate onto a massive metal frame.

Hearing someone approach, James assumed it was Meowth and called out without turning around, "Meowth, pass me the wrench!"

A wrench was handed to him from behind, but James immediately felt something was off.

Meowth didn't have arms this long.

Turning his head, James straightened up so fast it was as if springs had been installed in his legs.

"Officer K!"

James couldn't have imagined encountering the formidable Officer K he'd last seen in Stonetown in this manner.

Luo Yuan wasn't surprised by James' reaction.

Though the Stonetown incident had been over two months ago, the memories remained vivid.

Disguised as Officer K, Luo Yuan nodded. "Giovanni sent me to check in on you all."

James froze at first, then his face lit up with emotion as tears streamed down his cheeks.

"Finally… finally…"

Was all their hard work over the years finally paying off?

Seeing James' reaction, Luo Yuan's mouth twitched. He didn't have the heart to tell him the truth: Giovanni had sent him here just to keep James, Jessie, and Meowth from causing trouble.

Looking around, Luo Yuan asked, "Where are Jessie and Meowth?"

The trio was inseparable—yet here James was, alone in the warehouse.

Just as he asked, Jessie and Meowth walked in, carrying large bundles.

As they entered, Meowth chirped, "James, all our commemorative coins sold out today, nya~!"

Jessie added, "After calculating our expenses for building the robot, we've got enough left to eat instant noodles instead of rice balls!"

The pair bantered as they walked into the warehouse—only to freeze upon spotting "Officer K" inside.

Their expressions shifted as dramatically as a Sichuan opera face change, turning serious in an instant. Both straightened up.

"Officer K!"

The last mission had left a deep impression on both Jessie and Meowth.

The Deoxys Luo Yuan had commanded, capable of thrashing even Pokémon Hunter J, seemed invincible.

Afterward, they'd discreetly inquired about "Officer K" within Team Rocket's ranks.

The information was vague and inconsistent—few seemed to know much about K. But from piecing together what they heard from Giovanni and Matori, one thing was clear:

The Officer K before them was a high-ranking, direct subordinate of Giovanni himself.

In other words, a big shot.

Seeing their salutes, Luo Yuan nodded. His gaze shifted to the half-built giant robot in the warehouse.

"Giovanni asked me to check on you, and I must say, you've given me quite the surprise."

When Giovanni had called, it was to ensure Luo Yuan kept an eye on the trio, preventing them from stirring up trouble during the Indigo Conference.

Now, seeing this scene, Giovanni's concerns weren't unfounded.

These three certainly had plans for trouble.

However, Jessie, James, and Meowth assumed Luo Yuan was here to inspect their work and felt a surge of excitement.

Was this their chance for a promotion, a raise, and becoming executives?

Eagerly, they started explaining their grand plan.

It was essentially the same as their original scheme: using the robot to steal the "precious" Moltres flame from the Indigo Conference.

Watching their enthusiastic presentation, Luo Yuan's expression twitched.

Are these three idiots? What's so valuable about the Moltres flame?

Didn't they know Giovanni had recently created a legendary Pokémon that could easily overpower Moltres?

Team Rocket wasn't a junkyard—what would they do with a Moltres flame?

Then it struck Luo Yuan: maybe they didn't know about Mewtwo yet.

But since Giovanni had sent him, Luo Yuan decided he needed to steer them away from their current plan.

Clearing his throat, he interrupted their passionate pitch.

"Ahem… Stop. Regarding your plan, I can tell you with certainty that Giovanni has no interest in it."

No kidding—if Giovanni knew these three planned to wreak havoc over a flame, he'd probably have an aneurysm.

Seeing the trio deflate as though cold water had been poured over them, Luo Yuan knew he couldn't just keep shooting down their ideas.

So, he added, "But…"

The upward inflection of that single word reignited their hope. The trio's ears perked up, awaiting his next words.

"You've probably heard about how our Rainbow City base was taken down by the League, right?"

The trio nodded.

Despite their limited information network, such a high-profile incident was impossible to miss.

"Good. The Rainbow City base was one of Team Rocket's key locations. Its loss has dealt a heavy blow to us."

"Additionally, we're currently facing financial issues. So, there's an important mission for you: fundraising."

"Giovanni needs you to secure operational funds for Team Rocket. The more, the better. Use the Indigo Conference as an opportunity to deliver results that will impress him."

This was Luo Yuan's plan.

Simply stopping them from causing trouble seemed like a waste of their abilities. Instead, he aimed to leverage their strengths—making money.

Beyond their inventive prowess, Jessie, James, and Meowth's greatest talent was their business acumen.

Every year, apart from Team Rocket's funding, most of their robot-building expenses were self-funded.

Within Team Rocket, excluding Giovanni's significant capital reserves, no one could match their earning potential.

Now, Luo Yuan intended to give them a stage.

Snap.

He snapped his fingers, and from his shadow, Gengar emerged silently.

Luo Yuan communicated telepathically, and Gengar reached into its mouth, rummaging before pulling out a briefcase.

"This briefcase contains your seed money. Use it wisely during the Indigo Conference. Don't disappoint Giovanni."

With that, Luo Yuan gave them a slight smile.

He tapped the robot's frame lightly with his finger.

Clang!

The structure collapsed into a pile of parts under his psychic power.

But none of the trio seemed to mind.

Their eyes were fixed on the briefcase on the floor, filled with reverence.

This wasn't just seed money—it was a symbol of Giovanni's and Officer K's trust!

"We won't let you down!"

They shouted at Luo Yuan's retreating figure.

Determined, they vowed to pour every ounce of effort into showcasing their abilities to Officer K and Giovanni.

Without turning back, Luo Yuan waved a hand dismissively and left.

Of course, Luo Yuan wasn't overly optimistic about this "fundraising" mission. It was more of an experiment.

He simply wanted to keep them busy—and, more importantly, out of trouble.

---

With the torchbearer entering the arena and igniting the massive ceremonial flame, the Indigo Conference was officially underway amid the roaring cheers of the crowd.

Elsewhere, Luo Yuan had just finished marching in the opening parade. Feeling mildly annoyed, he scrolled through the published match listings on the tournament's official website.

"The first match… Ice Field in an hour, huh?"

His opponent's details were sparse—just a single name.

Luo Yuan forwarded the name to Matori, who was currently handling Giovanni's work while doubling as Luo Yuan's intelligence support.

Matori quickly sent back detailed information.

"Hm? Facing a trainer from another region in the first round?"

Luo Yuan raised an eyebrow.

He wasn't sure whether to consider himself lucky or unlucky.

Just yesterday, he'd mentioned to Sabrina the trainers coming from other regions to participate in the Elite Four selection process, and now, in his first preliminary match, he was already up against one.

"Keita Nakada… A trainer from Hoenn. His main Pokémon include Swampert and Aggron… preferred tactics…"

Thanks to Rocket Team's inside agents, their intelligence network tapped into the League's servers. Combined with information from the Hoenn branch, they'd compiled detailed profiles of well-known trainers.

"Looks like a strong opponent," Luo Yuan commented while reading the report aloud to Matori over the phone.

"Indeed, a troublesome one," Matori agreed. "Want me to send someone to take care of him?"

Team Rocket might abide by certain rules most of the time, but as a criminal organization, they weren't bound to follow the League's regulations completely.

Eliminating a competitor could be done in countless ways—spiking their food or drink, staging an accident to delay their arrival at the match, or even orchestrating a mishap that would force their withdrawal.

"No need," Luo Yuan replied, shaking his head.

Was he the kind of person who needed underhanded tricks to win?

Besides, using such methods in the very first round felt like underestimating him too much.

"I'm curious to see what kind of strength a trainer aiming for Elite Four selection brings to the table," he said, grabbing his number tag and heading to the battlefield.

---

While Luo Yuan was preparing to gauge his opponent's capabilities, on the other side, Keita Nakada was also reviewing Luo Yuan's profile.

Compared to Luo Yuan's access to detailed intel from within the League, Keita's information was far more basic, cobbled together from online sources and the League's public announcements.

"A director at Silph Co.?"

Keita frowned.

Though he hailed from Hoenn, he was well-acquainted with Silph Co., a corporation that rivaled Devon Manufacturing in prominence.

He hadn't expected to face a representative from such a company right in the first round.

"This could be a bit troublesome," Keita thought to himself.

Not that he was worried about Luo Yuan's skills.

As someone who had been traveling for a long time, working towards Elite Four qualification, Keita didn't consider a rookie trainer who had only started their journey a year ago as a real threat—no matter how much the media hyped him up.

In fact, Keita believed it was all a publicity stunt by Silph Co., an effort to groom Luo Yuan as the next Steven Stone.

It wasn't a bad assumption. Keita had already guessed Silph Co.'s motives.

But due to limited information, he severely underestimated Luo Yuan's strength.

Keita wasn't concerned about Luo Yuan's actual abilities. What worried him was the possibility of Luo Yuan relying on Pokémon that didn't rightfully belong to him—leveraging Silph Co.'s vast resources.

Keita had faced trainers like this before.

Even so, he didn't see Luo Yuan as a threat.

What did concern him was something else entirely.

Like Luo Yuan, Keita had noticed the unusual atmosphere surrounding this year's Indigo Conference.

During the opening parade alone, Keita spotted many familiar faces—well-known, skilled trainers from various other regions.

The sheer number of strong competitors made it clear just how intense the competition would be this year.

In such a competitive environment, Keita knew he didn't hold a clear advantage.

To stand out, information warfare would be crucial.

In Pokémon battles, this meant minimizing the exposure of one's own team and strategies while gathering as much intel on opponents' Pokémon and tactics as possible to plan countermeasures.

Avoiding unnecessary exposure of his Pokémon was particularly important.

However, facing someone like Luo Yuan in the first round meant revealing far more of his hand than he would against an average trainer.

The thought of his battle footage being scrutinized endlessly by others left Keita feeling exceptionally unlucky.

---

Oh? You're still here? Wow. Either you really enjoy my company, or you scrolled too fast and forgot to close the tab. Either way—respect.

Now, since I have your attention, let's talk business. Web fluid, coffee, replacement suits—being me isn't cheap. And last I checked, saving the world doesn't come with a salary. Tragic, I know.

But you can make a difference! By supporting [patreon.com/WiseTL], you're not just helping a poor, overworked Spider-Man—you're securing front-row seats to even more chaos, bad jokes, and possibly a few existential crises.

So go on, be a hero. Support the cause. And who knows? Maybe I'll name my next web trick after you. (Probably not, but hey, worth a shot.)

Stay cool, don't trust bald telepaths, and always double-check your web cartridges.

— Xia Luo 🕷️