Team Rocket's Second-in-Command!-Chapter 374: Team Rocket’s Second-in-Command! [] [200 PS]

"So, you even came prepared with a ball," Luo Yuan chuckled.

He turned back to Nihilego.

"Now, will you enter this on your own, or do I have to beat you senseless first?"

With the Ultra Wormhole closed, Nihilego had no way to return to Ultra Space. Letting it roam free would undoubtedly cause trouble, so Luo Yuan resolved to capture it.

Behind him, Deoxys conjured a Shadow Ball in its chest, ready to attack if necessary.

Sensing the energy radiating from the Shadow Ball, Nihilego, like any normal Pokémon, might have reacted with anger.

But the simple-minded Ultra Beast lacked even the concept of pride.

To it, Luo Yuan was an undeniable powerhouse. Having already chosen submission once, capitulating again didn't make much difference.

In the end, Nihilego willingly entered the Beast Ball Luo Yuan held.

With Nihilego captured, the next matter at hand was addressing the Aether Foundation—and Lusamine's situation.

---

Lusamine stirred from her unconsciousness and found herself lying in her bedroom.

"What... happened?" she murmured, clutching her throbbing head.

She vaguely remembered being pursued by Luo Yuan, summoning Nihilego, and then being swallowed by the Ultra Beast. She had controlled Nihilego to launch an attack...

But everything after that was a blank.

From the fact that she was unharmed and resting in her bed, had she... won?

But where was Nihilego?

And Team Rocket? What had happened to Aether Paradise during her blackout?

As questions swirled in her mind, the door to her bedroom suddenly opened.

"Who's there?"

Lusamine instinctively grabbed the blanket to cover herself, her gaze fixed on the doorway.

Normally, her servants or staff would knock before entering. So, who could it be now?

A short-haired woman wearing a Team Rocket uniform and glasses stepped into the room.

Upon seeing the Rocket uniform, Lusamine's hand shot to her belt for her Pokéballs—only to find them gone.

Her Pokémon had disappeared.

Noticing Lusamine's reaction, Matori—Team Rocket's executive secretary—remained unfazed.

"Please follow me. Luo Yuan is waiting for you, Chairwoman Lusamine."

"Who are you?" Lusamine's voice was sharp, her tone laced with defiance.

Matori's words hinted at a truth Lusamine didn't want to accept.

"Did I forget to introduce myself? My apologies," Matori said with a polite smile. "I am Matori, Team Rocket's executive secretary. It's a pleasure to meet you, Chairwoman Lusamine."

---

Under Matori's escort, Lusamine walked through the Aether Paradise building toward the conference room.

Along the way, she noticed that the familiar faces of her staff had vanished, replaced by strangers patrolling the halls.

Though they wore Aether Foundation uniforms, it was clear from their demeanor that these people were Team Rocket agents.

Every time Matori passed by, they stopped whatever they were doing to salute her.

Foll𝑜w current novℯls on ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm.

Lusamine's Pokémon were confiscated, leaving her no room to resist.

Instead, she coldly observed the facility—once her domain—now unrecognizably overtaken.

By the time they reached the conference room, Lusamine saw two familiar figures stepping out.

One was Faba, whom she hated so much her teeth ground together in rage. The other was Guzma, another traitor.

Guzma avoided her gaze, guilt written all over his face. Faba, on the other hand, looked smug, his expression devoid of remorse.

Lusamine stared at Faba with a cold, penetrating glare but said nothing as she walked past him, following Matori into the room.

Inside stood Luo Yuan.

"Luo Yuan!"

At the sight of him, anger surged within Lusamine.

If anyone bore the brunt of her hatred, aside from Faba, it was Luo Yuan—the instigator of it all.

Not only had he orchestrated this entire mess, but his cat-and-mouse pursuit earlier had humiliated her beyond words.

Yet, beneath her fury was an overwhelming sense of helplessness.

The fact that Luo Yuan stood here unharmed meant he had defeated Nihilego after she lost consciousness.

Her final gambit—summoning the Ultra Beast—had failed. She was utterly powerless against him now.

Luo Yuan, seeing the look on her face, knew his plan had succeeded.

Someone as prideful as Lusamine wouldn't wear such an expression unless she had completely despaired of ever overcoming him.

"You seem to be recovering well," Luo Yuan remarked casually.

After capturing Nihilego, he had initially planned to wake her up.

But the effects of Nihilego's neurotoxins had lasted far longer than he expected, even with the aid of the Viridian Forest's power.

Left with no choice, he'd had her moved to her bedroom and instructed Matori to alert him when she regained consciousness.

"Recovering?" Lusamine's instinct was to resist cooperating with Luo Yuan, yet she couldn't stop herself from asking.

She had no memory of what happened and could only get answers from him.

---

...

Huh. You really stuck it out all the way to the end.

Didn't think you had the patience. Guess I was wrong.

WiseTL's the one who actually made all this come together. I'm just here putting a bow on it... or, well, shoving it in a backpack and calling it a day. Same thing.

If you had fun, you know what to do:

👉 [patreon.com/WiseTL]

Heads up—Patreon's 50% off for all tiers during May. So if you were on the fence? Now's the time.

And if you're the social type, there's a Discord too. Pretty decent spot to hang out—no battles required.

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Alright. That's enough standing around. Go on—before you make it weird.

—Leaf