December Double Drop!
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"What? The Sevii Islands base was attacked?"
Upon hearing Matori's message, Luo Yuan's first thought was why she was informing him of it.
The Sevii Islands were within the domain of the Beast Trio; if the base was attacked, the trio should be the ones handling it. What did this have to do with him?
It seemed Matori anticipated his confusion, and she elaborated from the other end of the line.
"Do you remember that unknown Pokémon that Giovanni assigned you to track?"
"You're saying that Pokémon attacked the Team Rocket base?" Luo Yuan asked with a frown.
Unlike in the manga, this universe's Deoxys had no known ties to Team Rocket, so it had no reason to target their base.
"Yes, but that's not entirely accurate," Matori replied.
"What do you mean, 'not entirely accurate'?"
"Besides that unknown Pokémon, Kanto's Ice-type Elite Four member, Lorelei, was also present at the scene."
She continued, "Lorelei was tracking Carr's whereabouts with her team. Carr had managed to lose her and was heading back to the base, but the unknown Pokémon suddenly appeared, colliding with Carr's Steelix."
"The Pokémon retaliated casually but still left Carr in a rough state. Lorelei caught up with him, and he had no choice but to flee, inadvertently leading her right to our Sevii Islands base on Island Five…"
"Though Carr managed to escape, nearly all our personnel stationed on Island Five were captured."
Luo Yuan: "..."
This was terrible—being caught between an Elite Four member and a Legendary Pokémon.
As a Rocket member, he supposed he should feel concerned, but for some reason, he found the idea of Carr struggling oddly amusing.
Of course, it wasn't appropriate to revel in a teammate's misfortune.
So he quickly wiped the smirk off his face, putting on a more serious expression. "What do you need me to do?"
Watching Luo Yuan's entire expression shift over the hologram, Matori's eye twitched.
At least try to look more genuine…
Suppressing her irritation, Matori cut to the point, her face solemn.
"At the moment, Giovanni is tied up overseeing the final stages of the Mewtwo Project on New Island and can't leave."
"Because of that, the organization has decided to send you to the Sevii Islands to provide support. Your mission is to free our captured members and prevent the League from taking advantage of our reduced numbers to wipe out the base."
"Are you sure it doesn't matter if my identity as the 'Tech Hunter' gets linked to Team Rocket?" Luo Yuan asked.
His Dragapult and Gengar were well-known, unmistakable Pokémon. If he appeared on the Sevii Islands helping Rocket, the elaborate ruse he'd constructed to mask any connection between "the Tech Hunter" and Team Rocket would be ruined.
"It's no longer necessary," Matori replied. "The Mewtwo Project is nearing completion, and even if the League moves against us now, Mewtwo's emergence will make them irrelevant. Once Mewtwo is born, Kanto's League won't be able to stop us."
She added, "Those are Giovanni's words."
Though Luo Yuan knew the Mewtwo Project was ultimately doomed, he could still feel Giovanni's determination through Matori's words.
"I understand. I'll head to the Sevii Islands."
If Giovanni didn't care about exposure, then Luo Yuan had no reason to, either. Besides, he'd planned on visiting the islands anyway.
"Good. You're still in Celadon, right? I'll come to pick you up, and we'll head there together."
Matori was about to hang up when Luo Yuan interrupted, "Wait! You're coming too?"
"Giovanni thought you and Carr might clash, so he wants me along as a mediator," Matori replied with a faint smile.
"...Alright."
Luo Yuan couldn't help but admire Giovanni's insight.
If he went to the Sevii Islands, there was no way he could resist mocking Carr. A confrontation was inevitable. With Matori present, though, Carr would have to keep his temper in check.
"Oh, and pick up Sabrina in Saffron on your way here," Luo Yuan added.
"Sabrina?" Matori asked, confused.
"I promised to bring her along if I ever went to the Sevii Islands."
"....."
For some reason, Matori suddenly felt less enthusiastic about this mission.
…
Nighttime. Celadon City Outskirts.
A small airship was parked in an open clearing, with four or five Rocket members standing guard, their Pokémon patrolling the area to keep curious wild Pokémon at bay.
Whoosh!
Luo Yuan, masked and riding on Dragapult, descended from above. Under the wary eyes of the Rocket members, he dismounted and entered the airship.
Though the ship was technically "small," it was still large enough to comfortably seat about twenty people—smaller than the original prototype, which could hold over a hundred.
Upon boarding, Luo Yuan immediately spotted Sabrina and Matori seated together, chatting amicably.
"Matori, Sabrina!"
Removing his helmet, he joined the two women.
Matori rolled her eyes, ignoring him, but Sabrina reached out to straighten his collar.
Then, wordlessly, she leaned against him, basking in the comforting aura of his Psychic Affinity.
"..."
Luo Yuan suddenly felt like a mobile battery charger.
He shook off the thought, turning to Matori with a question.
"You didn't mention this before, but what exactly is the situation on the Sevii Islands? How many League members are over there?"
If it was just Lorelei and a few regular League Trainers, the Beast Trio could handle it without his help.
"The situation is quite serious. Aside from Lorelei herself, the Kanto Prosecutor's Elite Unit, which answers directly to Lance, is also present."
This unit was comprised of actual elites, not like the unfortunate agents Sabrina had wiped out on the St. Anne.
Many of these elite Trainers had reached the quarterfinals, semifinals, or even finals in previous League tournaments, and under Lance's personal guidance, they were formidable.
"How did Lance get talked into deploying them?" Luo Yuan asked, curious.
As far as he knew, Lance treated this team as his prized assets, usually reserving them for handling particularly difficult situations.
"Apparently, Lance wants to secure a promotion to Champion. He struck a deal with Lorelei, temporarily lending her the squad to help her clear her homeland of 'illicit organizations.'"
In Kanto, "illicit organizations" was just code for Team Rocket.
"Ah, that makes sense…"
Luo Yuan understood.
Despite being Kanto's "Flying-type" Elite, most of Lance's Pokémon also had Dragon typing. All of them, including his Aerodactyl, were weak against Ice.
If Lance wanted to become Champion, he'd need Lorelei on his side.
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Thanks for reading! Let me know if you spot any mistakes or inconsistencies!
Posture and water check! Remember this is a fan translation!
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