This bonus chapter is a small gift—may it bring you a touch of tranquility.
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Seeing Agatha agree, Lance nodded, "To prevent Team Rocket from interfering with the Indigo League Conference, we need to make some progress before then. Let's get started… This meeting is adjourned!"
Agatha and Bruno left the room.
As Lance was about to leave, he noticed the trainer who had just reported to him was still waiting by the door.
"Is there something else?"
"There's been an update. The League trainers guarding the Rocket base have sent a distress signal to the Celadon Gym, and Leader Erika has gone to support them."
Lance was silent for a moment.
The situation of three Elites being bested by a single Rocket executive was already embarrassing enough, and Lance had ordered a strict blackout on the incident. Now Erika was heading into the same lion's den, oblivious to what she was walking into.
"Contact Erika immediately and tell her to withdraw. Also, notify everyone to avoid direct confrontation with the target. We can't risk unnecessary losses."
Though their opponent had only knocked them out during previous engagements, Lance didn't want to risk the possibility that they might show less restraint in the future. Pokémon battles always carried an element of unpredictability, and he couldn't afford anyone being seriously harmed.
...
Meanwhile, Gengar waddled beside Luo Yuan, its belly bulging with items.
Luo Yuan had only just discovered today that Gengar's stomach space, while ample, wasn't truly limitless. With each hiccup, the ghostly Pokémon would accidentally spit out wads of cash or Poké Balls, struggling to contain it all.
"Hang in there a little longer," Luo Yuan reassured Gengar.
Gengar nodded, clutching its mouth tightly before sinking back into Luo Yuan's shadow.
But as they continued walking, Luo Yuan could swear he felt his steps growing heavier.
"Could it be that Gengar's so full it's actually creating a Shadow Tag effect on me?"
Normally, Gengar's weight of forty kilograms was undetectable in its shadow form. But now it felt as though every step was weighed down by Gengar's overflowing inventory.
It seemed Luo Yuan had stumbled upon a new, unintended trait of Gengar's.
Ding!
The elevator reached the first floor, and Luo Yuan stepped out with Mewtwo close behind.
The moment he exited, he felt a sudden prickling of danger, followed by a familiar female voice calling out.
"Victreebel, use Magical Leaf!"
Swish, swish!
Glowing green leaves shot towards Luo Yuan and Mewtwo in rapid succession.
An ambush? Luo Yuan's brow arched in mild surprise, but he didn't panic.
Mewtwo, quick on the uptake, swung its psychic spoon in front of Luo Yuan to shield him.
Whoosh!
The enormous spoon twirled like a fan, shredding the oncoming leaves into harmless pieces.
With his line of sight cleared, Luo Yuan got a good look at the trainer behind the attack.
"Victreebel, and… Erika, the Celadon Gym Leader." His eyes narrowed slightly.
He hadn't expected to encounter Erika here. Didn't she know he'd just fought off three Elite trainers?
Across from him, Erika observed with a slight frown as her Magical Leaf attack was effortlessly blocked by Mewtwo's spoon.
She hadn't anticipated her meticulously planned ambush would be so easily thwarted. Still, she managed to keep a calm expression.
"Surrender. You're surrounded," Erika stated, gesturing behind her to the group of League trainers and Celadon Gym students now gathered in support.
Luo Yuan smirked. "I admire your bravery."
Seeing that his words didn't deter her, Erika wasted no time, reaching behind her to retrieve a bow and notching an arrow tipped with a Poké Ball.
In one fluid motion, Erika pulled the string taut and released.
Thwang!
The arrow soared through the air, and Mewtwo quickly brought up its spoon to intercept it.
Clang!
The arrow struck the psychic spoon, releasing a flash of white light. A Weepinbell appeared at the spoon's end.
"Weepinbell, Bind it! Then use Leech Seed!"
Weepinbell's vines extended and wrapped tightly around the spoon, spreading leeching seeds that anchored themselves to the psychic energy, taking root and growing at an alarming rate. In seconds, the spoon was completely entangled, draining energy back to Weepinbell.
Mewtwo's brow furrowed slightly.
But before it could respond, Erika notched and fired two more arrows.
The second arrow struck the ceiling, and with another flash, a massive Venusaur materialized, unleashing a cloud of sleep-inducing powder as it plummeted from above.
"Body Slam!"
Meanwhile, the third arrow released a Bellossom, which began twirling gracefully. Petals spiraled around it, forming a torrent of razor-sharp leaves aimed at Mewtwo.
With Weepinbell binding its spoon and Venusaur dropping down from above, Mewtwo was now assaulted from all directions—poison, sleep, and slicing petal attacks converging on it at once.
Luo Yuan found himself impressed by Erika's tactics.
Truthfully, with such precise coordination and clever use of her Pokémon, she had a strong foundation for competing at the Elite level.
However, while skill and tactics could sway the course of a battle, they were only effective when there wasn't an overwhelming gap in power. And here, with Erika's non-Elite-level Pokémon facing Mewtwo, a creature of near-godly strength, that gap was insurmountable.
"Mewtwo."
Luo Yuan smiled at Erika, snapping his fingers.
Mewtwo nodded, a glint of blue flashing in its eyes as it refocused.
A pulse of energy surged into its psychic spoon.
With a swift flick of its wrist, Mewtwo conjured a shining Psychic Blade, which instantly severed Weepinbell's vines and shredded the invasive growths clinging to the spoon.
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Ah, Reader. You've stayed for the bonus chapter—how delightful.
Even amidst the quiet of eternity, there's joy to be found in shared moments like this.
If you wish to offer your strength, step forward: [patreon.com/WiseTL].
Each effort helps to shape a world where such moments can thrive.
— Ei