Team Rocket's Second-in-Command!
Chapter 422: Team Rocket’s Second-in-Command! [422]

Chapter 422 - Team Rocket’s Second-in-Command! [422]

Houndoom, Skuntank, Muk, Machamp...

A large wave of Pokémon appeared on the battlefield.

Since they had come to Kanto and might have to fight Team Rocket, Mars and Jupiter had brought only Team Galactic's best trainers—elite among elites.

Not only were they strong, but they were also highly coordinated.

However, in front of Kanto's League trainers—who were well accustomed to fighting Team Rocket—even excellent teamwork wasn't enough to break through their blockade.

Unlike Rocket, whose teams were almost always built around their signature "Rocket Trio," Galactic's Pokémon roster was far more diverse. This lack of uniformity made it difficult to execute highly optimized battle strategies.

As a result, the battle quickly fell into a deadlock.

Mars and Jupiter, who had initially expected their subordinates to gain the upper hand, were caught off guard.

Their original plan had been to use their forces to break through the League's defenses and escape amidst the chaos. But now, not only had that plan failed, but their subordinates were actually starting to be pushed back.

And they didn't have time to step in and help.

Because Giovanni and Lorelei had already singled them out.

Standing before Lorelei was her Cloyster, grinning maliciously. Beside Giovanni stood his Rhydon, its heavy armor glinting under the light.

Luo Yuan remained on the sidelines. Since this battle was part of the ongoing rivalry between Lorelei and Giovanni, he, as one of the judges, had no intention of interfering.

Mars and Jupiter's expressions stiffened when they saw Lorelei and Giovanni approaching, but they had no choice. Gritting their teeth, they braced themselves and stepped forward to face them.

"Bronzong, it's up to you!"

Mars chose Giovanni as her opponent.

Even though Bronzong, a Steel-type, had a natural disadvantage against Giovanni's Ground-types, its Levitate ability nullified that weakness entirely—turning an apparent disadvantage into an advantage.

Of course, Giovanni immediately saw through her intent.

But he didn't switch out Rhydon.

Not because he was underestimating her—he simply didn't consider Mars a threat worth adjusting his strategy for.

Rhydon locked eyes with Bronzong, its gaze filled with disdain.

Bronzong, irritated by the condescension, began emitting an eerie, resonating chime.

"Bronzong, [Extrasensory]!" Mars commanded.

The engravings on Bronzong's body glowed brightly, and an invisible psychic force rushed toward Rhydon.

The strength of [Extrasensory] lay in its imperceptibility. Because it was a formless attack, it was nearly impossible to anticipate or block. On top of that, if it landed, it had a chance of making the opponent flinch.

Against Luo Yuan, this tactic would have been useless—he would have seen through it instantly.

Giovanni didn't possess Luo Yuan's mastery of Psychic-type techniques, but his training with Rhydon had honed its instincts to a razor-sharp edge.

Though the attack itself was invisible, Rhydon trusted its battle-honed intuition. The moment Bronzong attacked, it sidestepped sharply—evading the [Extrasensory] with ease.

Mars's brows furrowed.

She had known the Elite Four were troublesome opponents, but Giovanni was proving even more difficult than she had expected.

"Bronzong, [Gyro Ball]!"

Bronzong began spinning rapidly.

With its base Speed stat of only 33, [Gyro Ball]—which increased in power the slower the user was compared to the opponent—became an incredibly potent weapon.

The spinning Bronzong hurtled toward Rhydon like a whirling top.

But Giovanni's expression remained utterly calm.

"Rhydon, dodge."

Rhydon moved fluidly, dodging the [Gyro Ball] with an almost unnatural grace.

Then, completely ignoring the fact that Bronzong was still spinning at high speed—

Its fist ignited with flames, and it struck.

The friction from Bronzong's [Gyro Ball] left marks on Rhydon's fist, but the Ground/Rock Pokémon didn't flinch.

Its burning fist smashed into Bronzong, sending it flying.

A deep, blackened imprint was left on Bronzong's metallic body, and it let out a pained, echoing chime.

The [Fire Punch] had been super effective.

But what unnerved Mars the most wasn't the move itself—it was the way Rhydon had powered through the damage from [Gyro Ball] without hesitation, delivering its attack with unyielding force.

The sheer willpower Rhydon displayed—and the fact that Giovanni had trained it to fight like this—made her wary.

While Mars battled Giovanni, Jupiter was left to deal with Lorelei.

"Skuntank, [Flamethrower]!"

Following Jupiter's command, Skuntank unleashed a blazing stream of fire toward Cloyster and Lorelei.

Yet, Cloyster didn't move.

Just as the flames were about to reach it, Cloyster abruptly used [Withdraw].

The intense heat scorched its thick shell—but the attack failed to penetrate through.

And [Flamethrower] had its limits.

The moment the fire subsided, Lorelei issued her counterattack.

"Cloyster, [Spike Cannon]!"

Cloyster snapped its shell open, and the sharp spike on its head launched forward at high speed.

Skuntank immediately leaped aside, narrowly dodging the first barrage.

A series of explosions erupted behind it as the spikes struck the ground.

Though none of the attacks had directly hit Skuntank, the shockwaves from the blasts still rattled it.

Most noticeably—Skuntank's long tail, usually curled over its back, was now singed black from the near-misses.

And Cloyster wasn't stopping.

It continued firing [Spike Cannon] relentlessly, as if it had unlimited stamina.

Though Skuntank managed to evade the attacks, its erratic dodging forced it to weave unpredictably through the battlefield—often passing dangerously close to other Galactic trainers.

Even if [Spike Cannon] didn't hit Skuntank, the stray projectiles struck their own teammates.

In no time, the battlefield was thrown into chaos.

Team Galactic's trainers were sent flying in every direction.

Kanto's League, already holding the advantage, seized the opportunity to press harder, pushing Galactic into an even worse position.

For too long, these trainers had been suppressed by Team Rocket. Now, finally, they had the upper hand—and they weren't going to waste it.

They fought with even greater intensity.

Jupiter's mood soured at the sight.

She realized she couldn't let this go on any longer.

"Shellos, help Skuntank!"

Seeing her opponent attempt a two-on-one fight, Lorelei smirked.

"Slowbro!"

A Slowbro materialized on the battlefield.

But unlike Luo Yuan's usual vacant, spaced-out Slowbro, this one had sharp, focused eyes—its aura completely different.

The moment it appeared, its eyes gleamed blue.

Without hesitation, it unleashed [Psychic]!

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