Team Rocket's Second-in-Command!-Chapter 372: Team Rocket’s Second-in-Command! [] [50 PS]

Not that it surprised Luo Yuan. Calmly tapping around the room, he quickly found and opened a hidden passage behind the mirror.

Stepping through, Luo Yuan saw Lusamine standing by a sophisticated machine.

"So, this is your trump card?" Luo Yuan asked, looking at the device.

Lusamine didn't respond.

She stared at Luo Yuan, wanting him to understand the cost of crossing her.

With revengeful satisfaction swelling in her heart, she activated the machine.

Luo Yuan immediately felt a familiar energy, reminiscent of Cosmog, ripple from the machine. A beam of energy shot from it, casting onto the ceiling of the collection room.

Seeing this, Luo Yuan quickly deduced the machine's purpose.

It was likely designed to simulate Cosmog's energy, enabling it to open an Ultra Space portal.

It seemed that despite Cosmog being in the Aether Foundation's custody for so long, Lusamine had managed to achieve some results.

But did she seriously think this alone could deal with him?

Just as Luo Yuan mused, the energy beam finally began to shift.

As he expected, the energy gathered on the collection room's ceiling, forming a shimmering multicolored portal.

An oppressive aura seeped through the portal as Lusamine stared upward, excitement shining in her eyes.

A single translucent tentacle cautiously emerged from the void... followed by more, until a white, semi-transparent Nihilego appeared in the collection room.

"Nihilego..."

If Luo Yuan remembered correctly, Nihilego resided in the Ultra Deep Sea. It seemed Lusamine's portal led directly there.

But... Luo Yuan glanced at Lusamine.

Now that she had summoned a wild Nihilego, how did she plan to deal with him?

Just as Luo Yuan wondered what Lusamine's next move might be, she abruptly took two steps back.

A transparent glass wall descended, separating her and Luo Yuan—trapping him with Nihilego.

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"..."

Was that it?

Luo Yuan had thought Lusamine had some grand plan for returning to the collection room.

But no—her strategy was simply to summon an Ultra Beast, lock him inside with it, and let the beast handle him.

It was crude and straightforward, to say the least.

Luo Yuan couldn't help but wonder—if the Ultra Beast actually killed him, did Lusamine have a plan for dealing with it afterward?

And if he defeated the Ultra Beast, there was no way he'd spare Lusamine.

Unless... she was banking on both sides suffering mutual destruction? That was far too optimistic.

Luo Yuan found Lusamine's plan absurd, though in truth, this was exactly what she had in mind.

Release an Ultra Beast to fight Luo Yuan, rely on him to weaken the beast, and then swoop in to capture it while both were incapacitated.

Her confidence stemmed from the controller in her hand, which could open and close the portal at will, and the Aether Foundation's specially developed Beast Balls designed to capture Ultra Beasts.

"Become the stepping stone for my Ultra Beast conquest!" Lusamine declared, her usual haughty expression returning.

Of course, it would've been more convincing if she weren't barefoot on the cold floor instead of wearing heels.

Luo Yuan found her antics baffling.

Meanwhile, Nihilego, having emerged from the Ultra Wormhole, finally noticed the two humans below.

Its jelly-like, springy body swayed in the air like a girl twirling mid-dance.

Hovering for a moment, Nihilego didn't attack Luo Yuan as Lusamine had hoped.

Instead, it turned and floated toward her.

Apparently, Nihilego found Lusamine—separated by a glass wall—far more interesting than the man right in front of it.

As Nihilego drifted closer, Lusamine's smug expression froze.

This was nothing like what she had envisioned!

Wasn't Nihilego supposed to attack Luo Yuan?

"...Chairwoman Lusamine, it seems to like you more," Luo Yuan remarked, barely suppressing a laugh.

The reasoning wasn't hard to deduce.

Though Nihilego was an instinct-driven Ultra Beast, that didn't mean it lacked a sense of self-preservation.

On the contrary, its lack of cognition heightened its danger perception far beyond that of other Ultra Beasts.

To Nihilego, Luo Yuan's powerful psychic presence made him a walking danger zone—especially with Deoxys standing beside him.

Everyone knew to pick the soft target. Nihilego ignoring Luo Yuan and heading for Lusamine didn't surprise him at all.

The logic was sound, but Lusamine refused to accept it.

This was supposed to be her trump card, her weapon against Luo Yuan. Yet now, the Ultra Beast had turned on her!

And Luo Yuan's mocking words only made it worse.

Lusamine trembled with rage.

But Nihilego wasn't done.

Headbutt!

Nihilego slammed into the transparent glass, its jelly-like body compressing on impact like a falling blob of gelatin.

Thud!

A heavy sound echoed as the reinforced glass quivered, prompting Lusamine to instinctively retreat several steps.

Fortunately, the glass held strong, and she breathed a sigh of relief. At least she had prepared for this...

"Now, surely you'll target Luo Yuan," Lusamine muttered, glaring at Nihilego.

Surely, the Ultra Beast would understand which target was easier now.

But...

---

...

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