In the blink of an eye, Deoxys had already taken down Aerodactyl, Arbok, Dragonite, and Dragonair, moving like a shadow through the battlefield.
Even Lance and Agatha's strongest Pokémon felt a flicker of panic at the sight.
It was just too fast.
They had no time to react, let alone retaliate.
Deoxys continued its high-speed assault, darting through the air in search of its next target.
But after witnessing its attacks firsthand, the remaining Pokémon were now on guard.
Unable to strike back, they huddled defensively, determined to withstand the relentless attacks.
After all, Aerodactyl and the others had only been defeated because Deoxys had isolated them, picking them off one by one.
Though Lance was rattled by the speed at which his Pokémon had been dispatched, he wasn't surprised. He'd encountered Deoxys before and knew what to expect.
This was simply a replay of what had happened on the Sevii Islands—only worse.
This time, even with Agatha by his side to counter the Psychic-type with her Ghost-types, he now faced double the number of Legendary-level opponents.
"Stay alert!"
"Stick together—don't let Deoxys catch you off guard!"
Lance commanded his remaining Pokémon.
His and Agatha's Pokémon heeded his instructions, clustering tightly together and keeping a wary eye on all sides.
Observing this, Deoxys' expression remained cold and unchanging.
Its red-and-blue blur flashed across the sky, dizzying the Pokémon below, who struggled to determine from which direction it would strike.
And though they couldn't tell where Deoxys would attack, Lance and Agatha's Pokémon adopted a cautious approach.
Any sign of Deoxys preparing an attack—real or feigned—triggered an immediate response from all of them, wasting no time or energy.
This forced Deoxys to retreat several times, unable to land a clean hit.
At this point, the limits of Deoxys' Speed Form were clear: it lacked the raw power to penetrate defenses.
Of course, if things continued this way, Luo Yuan would still win. As a Legendary, Deoxys could easily wear down Lance and Agatha's Pokémon with a drawn-out, war-of-attrition strategy.
But with Deoxys in play, a mere attrition-based victory wasn't enough for Luo Yuan.
"Deoxys, hold!"
Whoosh!
Deoxys abruptly halted midair.
Seeing it stop, the remaining Pokémon seized their chance to unleash an all-out assault.
"Shadow Ball!" "Hydro Pump!" "Flare Blitz!" "Shadow Bone!"
Gengar and the others launched their strongest attacks, aiming to overwhelm Deoxys.
Facing the oncoming barrage,
Deoxys' body shimmered as it shifted into Defense Form.
Crossing its banded arms, it fortified itself with Iron Defense, creating a series of psychic barriers in front of it.
Mewtwo also leapt in to help, raising a Light Screen in front of Deoxys.
The intention was clear: Deoxys planned to tank the full impact of the attacks.
Blasts of energy struck Deoxys' barrier, engulfing it in explosions.
From afar, the League trainers cheered at the sight.
"We got it!"
"Maybe that took it down!"
They clung to that hope, praying that the assault would bring victory.
But Lance and Agatha remained skeptical.
They knew Deoxys had deliberately stopped.
While they hadn't known the Tech Hunter long, both understood he wasn't someone who would risk his Pokémon needlessly.
Whoosh!
Under everyone's gaze, the smoke parted.
Deoxys stood, unscathed.
It looked as pristine as if it had just entered the battle.
"No way… not a scratch?"
The trainers watching from a distance felt a chill.
What kind of Pokémon were they even fighting!?
There was no answer.
Blocking the first wave of attacks, Deoxys didn't wait for Lance and Agatha to organize a second.
Luo Yuan issued his command: unrestricted offense.
Upon hearing this, Deoxys scanned the battlefield with its icy gaze.
Its eyes landed on Gengar, Mismagius, and Marowak.
Without hesitation, it shifted to Attack Form and unleashed…
"Dark Pulse!"
A cold, malicious black wave of energy erupted from Deoxys, sweeping outward at lightning speed and giving the Pokémon no time to dodge.
The malevolent energy washed over the Pokémon.
Each felt as if they'd been doused in icy water, trembling involuntarily.
But the worst affected was Mismagius.
It fought to shake off the Dark Pulse's grip, but being a Ghost-type and naturally weak to Dark moves, it faltered under Deoxys' menacing presence.
The attack left Mismagius in a state of flinch, paralyzed with fear.
Noticing this, Luo Yuan saw his opening. "Now, Mewtwo! Deoxys!"
Deoxys wasn't fighting alone.
Having used Recover to heal its wounds, Mewtwo Teleported behind Mismagius.
One hand gripped its enormous Spoon, which it swung down on Mismagius, while the other held a Shadow Ball, pressing it directly against Gengar's face.
The remaining Pokémon tried to counterattack, but just as they moved, Deoxys' core flashed.
Whoosh!
Four Shadow Balls formed at the tips of Deoxys' tentacles.
It flung them at the rest of the group.
Between Mewtwo and Deoxys, Lance and Agatha's Pokémon found themselves assaulted from both sides.
"Protect!" Lance called out urgently.
Agatha, more aggressive, barked, "Phantom Force!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The four Shadow Balls collided with Gyarados and Charizard's Protect shields, shattering them to pieces.
Their weakened defenses left them exposed as the energy wave sent Gyarados and Charizard sprawling backward.
Mewtwo's Spoon struck Mismagius with a crushing blow. As a Ghost-type, it wasn't gravely injured, but dazed and barely holding on, it used Phantom Force to vanish and reappear beside Deoxys, trying to hit its core with a Shadow Ball.
But Deoxys was ready.
Having been ambushed by Phantom Force once before, it wasn't about to fall for it again.
The moment Mismagius appeared, Deoxys' tentacle wrapped around its neck, delivering a Dark-infused smack that left it dazed.
Its Leftovers clattered to the ground.
Meanwhile, Crobat tried to get in close with Quick Attack to use Leech Life on Deoxys, not knowing Deoxys was powered by its core alone.
Biting down, Crobat nearly chipped a tooth on Deoxys' Iron Defense-hardened body, now as tough as steel.
Deoxys swung Mismagius like a club, sending Crobat flying.
Gengar, Agatha's ace, was more cunning, opting to stay back and hurl Shadow Balls at Mewtwo from a safe distance.
Ranged attacks kept Gengar out of Mewtwo's reach, minimizing the risk of being countered.
But Gengar had underestimated Mewtwo's offensive drive.
With no other distractions, Mewtwo could finally focus on taking out the slippery Gengar.
At first, Gengar tried to dodge, but Mewtwo swung its Spoon in a wide arc, mimicking Luo Yuan's Psycho Twister.
Caught in the psychic vortex, Gengar spun wildly, its plump form whirling like a stuffed toy in a washing machine.
Mewtwo kept spinning its Spoon, maintaining the vortex despite Gengar's futile struggles to escape.
With Aerodactyl and the others out, the remaining six Pokémon were now barely holding on. Mismagius had fainted, while the others suffered various degrees of injury.
The only Pokémon still mostly intact was Marowak, clutching its bone club as it watched in horror.
It hesitated, clutching the club wreathed in spectral fire, ready to throw it at Mewtwo.
But seeing Gengar flailing helplessly in the vortex, Marowak's resolve wavered.
Caught between action and fear, it stood frozen, unable to decide its next move.
"..."
The League trainers in the back watched in disbelief as the line of Elite-tier Pokémon crumbled in seconds. Expressions of shock and despair deepened across their faces.
If it weren't for the fact that they were part of the League—and that the Elites were still standing in front of them—they might have fled right then.
As for Lance and Agatha…
They didn't even know how to describe what they were feeling.
Shock? Absolutely. They had prepared themselves for a possible loss but hadn't expected it to be this one-sided, nearly instantaneous.
Despair? Not quite. Lance had already endured one defeat at Deoxys's hands, and Agatha, as the oldest of the Elite Four, held her composure even in loss.
Now, both Lance and Agatha were debating whether to send their last two Pokémon into battle.
Under normal circumstances, an Elite should fight with everything they had.
But neither believed adding two more Pokémon would change the tide. It would only be sending them to their doom.
Whoosh!
Mewtwo finally stopped its Psycho Twister.
Gengar, drained and unconscious, fell to the ground, still spinning slightly from the vortex. Mismagius, too, lay defeated where Deoxys had dropped it.
The remaining, wounded Pokémon clustered together, but Luo Yuan merely glanced at them and then looked at his watch.
"Two more minutes?"
He raised an eyebrow.
He hadn't expected to finish everything in just eighteen minutes.
He'd promised True Bird he would stall Lance and Agatha for twenty minutes, and only eighteen had passed.
So… what now?
He briefly considered spending the last two minutes smacking around the remaining Pokémon to buy some time.
His gaze swept over Gyarados, Charizard, Crobat, and Marowak.
Sensing his attention, the four Pokémon shivered as a wave of dread washed over them.
"Forget it…"
Seeing their weary state, Luo Yuan decided it would be excessive to keep pushing them.
Using two Legendary Pokémon to dominate a lineup of Elites was already unfair, and he had no intention of capturing Lance, Agatha, or Bruno anyway. There was no point in dragging it out.
He took one last look at the battered battlefield and at Lance and Agatha, who were still watching him with wary eyes.
Luo Yuan smiled.
"Remember this—I am 'K,' a high-ranking officer of Team Rocket, acting on orders from the Team Rocket Boss himself. Next time you consider raiding one of our bases, think about the consequences."
He commanded Deoxys to fire a Shadow Ball, blowing up a nearby vehicle for effect.
Then, he recalled Deoxys and beckoned Mewtwo over.
Mewtwo Teleported instantly to Luo Yuan's side, placing its hand on his shoulder, and in a flash, the two of them vanished.
"…"
By all rights, Lance, Agatha, Bruno, and the League trainers should have been relieved that he'd left.
But there was no sense of ease on any of their faces.
In fact, the League trainers looked nothing short of defeated.
This operation, aimed at taking down a Rocket base, had been a victory—until Luo Yuan's interference.
Now, after he had routed their forces, the operation was a complete and utter failure.
And worse still, Lance, Agatha, and Bruno were left grappling with a disconcerting question: what exactly was the connection between this Rocket executive, "K," and the Tech Hunter? Why did he possess the Tech Hunter's Deoxys?
Or… was it possible that the elusive Tech Hunter had been "K" all along?
They pondered these questions.
Before they could draw any conclusions, Lance's phone rang.
And with it came another wave of bad news.
All the Rocket agents detained in the Celadon City police station had been rescued—the work of Giovanni's personal secretary, True Bird.
Lance glanced at his watch.
It had been exactly two minutes since "K" had departed.
Only now did they understand what he meant by saying, "two minutes."
"A complete and total defeat," Lance concluded grimly.
Agatha was silent, Bruno looked utterly ashamed, and the other League trainers hung their heads, too embarrassed to speak.
The silence stretched on for five minutes before Lance finally sighed and recalled his Pokémon.
"Clean up the field. Let's move out."
---
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