December Double Drop!
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"So, what's the plan?" Luo Yuan looked to Matori.Since Giovanni had sent them both to the Sevii Islands, there had to be a strategy in place.
Matori nodded. "There is a plan, but it's far from complete. A lot will depend on adapting in real time."
"Improvising is fine, but what's the basic plan?" Luo Yuan asked.
"We've managed to plant a spy within the elite unit that Lance has loaned to Lorelei," Matori said with a slight smile. "He'll send us the layout of the prison facility where our members are held. Once we have it, we can map out an escape route and get them out."
As she had warned, it was indeed a minimal plan with hardly any details.
Still, having an inside man was often more valuable than the most intricate plan.
"When did Giovanni manage to place a spy in Lance's most trusted team of inspectors?" Luo Yuan asked, curious.
After all, joining Lance's elite unit required passing extremely rigorous checks. Getting a mole into such a unit was no small feat.
"He started years ago—seven, to be precise," Matori replied.
"Then with both an insider and a map, why not send the Beast Trio? As I recall, Sird is great at this kind of thing," Luo Yuan said.
As someone familiar with the Team Rocket storyline, Luo Yuan knew that Sird was actually an undercover agent for Team Galactic. Though he had no proof to reveal her to Giovanni, that didn't mean he couldn't find ways to keep her occupied.
"Chakura's Steelix was heavily injured and is still recovering. He and Orm need to hold off Lorelei," Matori explained.
"Got it… poor Chakura." Luo Yuan's eyes sparkled with amusement.
His grudge with Chakura went back to his early days as a Rocket recruit. A passing remark about Chakura's height had been enough to earn Luo Yuan a lifelong enemy in Chakura, and the two had been on bad terms ever since.
"You're definitely enjoying this…" Matori thought, watching his expression shift.
While she was silently complaining, Sabrina suddenly spoke up. "What about me? Should I be going with you, Luo Yuan?"
Luo Yuan shook his head. "Alakazam's presence would be too noticeable. We already took a risk with the St. Anne incident. If a powerful Rocket Trainer with an Alakazam appears again, the League may start connecting the dots."
Sabrina nodded in agreement. Luo Yuan was right. If she stepped in again, it would only raise suspicion—this was not the right time.
"Once we've rescued our team, we can look into tracking down that unknown Pokémon together," Luo Yuan assured her.
Sabrina smiled and leaned closer, giving his arm a gentle squeeze.
Matori, seated nearby, shuddered slightly, feeling a chill at the sight.
With the airship's rotors spinning up, the vehicle lifted off with a soft hum and set a course for the Sevii Islands.
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The Sevii Islands were located directly south of the Kanto mainland.
Despite their name, the "Seven Islands" were actually made up of nine major islands and several smaller ones.
On Island One, within Team Rocket's Mt. Ember outpost…
Chakura sat in the base's main hall, frustration evident on his face.
This entire mission had been a disaster.
Not only had he lost control of Island Five's base, but he'd also lost Giovanni's trust. To top it off, he'd heard the infuriating news that a certain someone was being sent to clean up after him.
"Damn him… why couldn't he just stay in Hoenn instead of sticking his nose back in Kanto?"
He slammed his wrench onto the table in anger, ignoring the nervous looks from nearby grunts.
Just then, the metallic creak of the base's door echoed through the hall.
"Well, well, Chakura! Long time no see. I heard you got beaten up by a wild Pokémon the other day." Luo Yuan's voice cut through the room as he strolled in.
Chakura froze, then looked up, his face livid. "You looking for a fight?"
"Relax," Luo Yuan replied with a smirk. "Your Steelix is still out of commission; I wouldn't want to take advantage."
What a cutting remark—it implied that Chakura couldn't even protect his own Pokémon.
Chakura was seething.
His Forretress, sensing its Trainer's anger, glared at Luo Yuan, its body brimming with tension, ready to strike.
But when Chakura caught sight of Matori standing next to Luo Yuan, he forced himself to hold back.
Matori represented Giovanni's authority. Ignoring Luo Yuan's taunts was one thing, but disrespecting Giovanni's will was another matter entirely.
Then his gaze shifted to the person on Luo Yuan's other side, and his face froze.
"Sabrina…!"
Chakura had never forgotten his encounters with Sabrina. In fact, no Team Rocket executive who'd ever met her could easily forget.
With her powerful psychic abilities, she could turn people into puppets at will—she was practically a human-shaped Pokémon.
And everyone in Team Rocket knew about her connection to Luo Yuan.
Not wanting to risk becoming Sabrina's next "doll," Chakura swallowed his anger and asked, "What do you want here, Luo Yuan? Sird and Orm are already holding off Lorelei on Island Three. If you're looking for them, that's where you should be."
He'd come to Island One specifically to avoid Luo Yuan, yet here he was.
"I'm actually here to talk to you," Luo Yuan replied.
"???"
With half his main Pokémon knocked out from the previous battle, Chakura couldn't imagine what Luo Yuan wanted from him.
"I need intel on Lorelei's Pokémon and that unknown Pokémon."
"Know your enemy, and victory is guaranteed," Luo Yuan added with a slight smile.
---
After a thorough inquiry, Luo Yuan left the Island One base armed with valuable intel.
He now understood why Chakura, despite his strength, had been chased around by Lorelei.
"Slowking, Jynx, Cloyster, Lapras, Dewgong… and a Froslass…"
It seemed Lorelei had brought her entire main team along.
No wonder Chakura had been left running for his life.
"Where to next?" Matori asked.
"Have the prison blueprints arrived? Where are our people being held?" Luo Yuan replied.
"They're on Island Four, in the police precinct. They're under the guard of twenty elite League Inspectors and the local Officer Jenny."
"Then let's head to Island Four and get our people out," Luo Yuan said, a confident smile spreading across his face, his self-assured aura drawing an admiring glance from Matori.
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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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