A chilling thought crossed the League officers' minds.
The Tech Hunter had displayed Elite Four-level power during the S.S. Anne incident.
If the Tech Hunter truly joined forces with Team Rocket… things could get ugly fast!
These officers had prepared only for dealing with regular Rocket members, not a trainer on par with the Elite Four.
They looked at Luo Yuan warily, a sense of dread building.
But Luo Yuan didn't say anything more.
In truth, he'd only mentioned that possibility to draw the League officers' attention, getting them to focus on him.
So they wouldn't notice what was happening right under their noses…
Now, the time had come.
"Go!" Luo Yuan smiled slightly and snapped his fingers.
Shwoosh!
A dark figure emerged from the shadow of the last person in line.
A silent, eerie chuckle.
Round and mischievous, Gengar extended its tongue and gave the officer in front of it a swift lick.
Ssssslick~!
The officer's eyes widened in horror as Gengar's red tongue brushed over her, a paralyzing wave spreading through her body.
Thud.
She collapsed, trembling, unable even to toss out the Poké Ball she held. She could barely force out two words.
"So… numb…"
The officers ahead weren't deaf; they instantly heard the commotion from behind.
"What's going on?"
"That's… the Tech Hunter's Gengar!"
"Damn it, we're under attack! Quick, get ready!"
Seeing their colleague paralyzed by Gengar's tongue, the League officers hastily threw out their Poké Balls.
Blinding flashes of light filled the area.
An array of Pokémon appeared on the scene.
Many were the Kanto starters, and the rest were mostly final evolutions.
Each Pokémon had its task.
One group kept a close eye on Dragapult, wary of a sudden attack.
The rest surrounded Gengar, with a Blastoise and a Golem closing in from either side.
Their plan was clear: deal with Gengar first, then tackle Luo Yuan.
But Gengar showed no fear, even in the face of so many enemies.
Until their numbers reached a critical mass, weaklings were still weaklings.
"Gengar, gengar~!"
Gengar grinned, letting out a chuckle straight from a ghost story.
With a flick of its left hand, it summoned a Shadow Claw to swipe at Blastoise's feet, effortlessly tripping the charging Blastoise and sending it sprawling, legs in the air.
Shwoosh!
A shadowy blur darted across the sky.
Gengar floated upward, avoiding a Rock Throw from Golem.
With its other hand, it formed a Shadow Ball and hurled it toward Golem.
Whoosh!
The Shadow Ball streaked through the air, crashing directly into Golem.
Boom!
It exploded on impact with Golem's chest.
Rock fragments flew as Golem was sent rolling backward, bowling over several other Pokémon in its path.
Taking advantage of this opening…
Gengar unleashed Double Team in midair, creating decoys to dodge the incoming Thunderbolts, Magical Leafs, and other attacks.
"Gengar, gengar~"
Gengar floated around mockingly, drawing attention and aggro.
At the same time, Luo Yuan seized his chance to launch an attack.
"Dragapult, Dragon Pulse!"
"Roar~!"
Seeing Gengar wreaking havoc, Dragapult had been itching to join in.
Following Luo Yuan's command, it let out a roar, lifting its body and ascending.
From high above, it angled downward, bypassing the Pokémon blocking its path, and aimed a blast of purple energy at a Tyranitar in the rear.
Focused on Gengar, Tyranitar had trusted its allies to guard its back.
It was completely unprepared for Dragapult's attack.
Only as the Dragon Pulse neared did Tyranitar sense the danger.
But by then, it was too late to dodge.
Boom!
The Dragon Pulse blasted Tyranitar backward, sending it crashing into an unfortunate Scyther.
Both were instantly knocked out cold.
Tyranitar might only weigh 120 kg, but flying at that speed, it landed with a painful thud on top of Scyther.
---
The scene was complete chaos.
Though these League officers were elite, they were outmatched by Luo Yuan's power and had lost the initiative to his Gengar, who had struck first and with precision. Now, sandwiched between Gengar and Dragapult, they struggled to organize a coherent counterattack.
It wasn't that the League officers didn't realize this.
They were all too aware.
But Luo Yuan gave them no chance.
Gengar harassed and immobilized trainers, ambushing them from the shadows, while Dragapult picked off any Pokémon daring enough to show themselves.
Any Pokémon that dared target Gengar or Dragapult faced Dragapult's relentless Dragon Pulse, and with only about ten officers, they simply didn't have enough Pokémon to keep up.
With Gengar and Dragapult's relentless coordination, the League officers found themselves pinned down.
Seeing the scales tipping in Luo Yuan's favor, the lead officer finally couldn't hold back and shouted:
"Call for reinforcements, now!"
They had no choice but to call the officers guarding Team Rocket members back from the station.
Though this would leave their defenses weakened…
If they were wiped out here, those remaining at the station would be doomed anyway.
Luo Yuan didn't stop them.
Or rather, this was exactly what he'd hoped for.
Watching as more League officers poured out from the police station…
He subtly signaled Gengar, who nodded, then cackled and vanished into the shadows.
A moment later, Gengar reappeared.
Everything seemed unchanged.
No one noticed a shadow slipping along the wall, stealthily making its way deeper into the station.
Minute by minute, time passed.
Suddenly, the League trainers noticed the Tech Hunter's attacks growing weaker.
His tactics had also shifted.
Instead of maintaining an offensive, he switched to a more defensive approach.
The change left the officers confused.
They'd managed to bring in reinforcements, but the Tech Hunter's initial advantage hadn't been so easily overcome. Dragapult's swift, evasive maneuvers dodged almost every attack.
And Gengar was even trickier; if things went south, it would slip away with Phantom Force, only to launch another sneak attack moments later.
So far, neither Gengar nor Dragapult had sustained any significant damage.
But this raised a question: why was the Tech Hunter willingly giving up his advantage to switch to defense?
Could something have gone wrong on his end?
Some officers dared to speculate.
Yet just as this thought crossed their minds…
Reality hit them hard, shoving their faces into the cold cement.
Tap, tap, tap…
A series of hurried footsteps echoed.
Instinctively, the officers turned and saw a group of Team Rocket members, led by a translucent Gengar, emerging from the station.
"How is this possible? Gengar never left!" one officer cried out in disbelief.
"It's a Substitute!" With a snap of Luo Yuan's fingers, the translucent Gengar slowly faded away.
---
Thanks for reading! Let me know if you spot any mistakes or inconsistencies!
Posture and water check! Remember this is a fan translation!
If you wish to support me or read ahead here's a link! [patreon.com/WiseTL]