Team Rocket's Second-in-Command!

"Contestant Makoto's Venusaur has used Magical Leaf! Contestant Luo Yuan's Gabite... wait, Gabite has vanished!?"

The commentator was stunned.

Gabite had clearly been on the field just moments ago.

How could it disappear in the blink of an eye?

Makoto was just as bewildered.

Unlike the commentator, who was watching from a distance, he was standing right across from Luo Yuan and still hadn't caught how Gabite vanished.

However, Makoto didn't panic.

Magical Leaf had a tracking property, homing in on its target automatically.

As long as he followed the direction of the leaves...

Makoto's eyes were fixed on the airborne Magical Leaf. Just as he expected, the leaves arced in mid-air, making a sharp 180-degree turn. Wait—a 180-degree turn?

Alarm bells rang in Makoto's mind. He shouted urgently, "Venusaur, watch your back!"

At the command, Venusaur's vines lashed out behind it without hesitation.

But they hit nothing but air.

"Nothing there? Could it be—" Makoto's eyes widened as he realized what might be happening. Just as he was about to warn Venusaur—

The sound of earth splitting filled the air.

Gabite erupted from underground, landing a powerful uppercut to Venusaur's chin.

The blow sent the nearly 100-kilogram Venusaur reeling backward.

At the same time, Gabite's Rough Skin ability activated, inflicting additional damage on Venusaur.

"What a fantastic Dig attack! Contestant Luo Yuan's Gabite cleverly misled Contestant Makoto's Magical Leaf and caught Venusaur off-guard. But how will Luo Yuan handle the Magical Leaf still chasing Gabite?"

The sharp whoosh, whoosh, whoosh of Magical Leaf closing in filled the stadium.

Luo Yuan had already planned for this.

To stop Magical Leaf, there were two options: destroy the leaves entirely or let them hit a target.

Luo Yuan chose the second option.

Thanks to the psychic link Luo Yuan shared with Gabite, the Pokémon had pinpointed the location of the leaves. Gabite crouched low to the ground, poised like a coiled spring.

With a swift push off its powerful legs, Gabite darted behind Venusaur, using it as a shield.

"Oh! Contestant Luo Yuan's Gabite has used its agility to hide behind Venusaur, turning it into a makeshift shield!"

"Not good! Venusaur, dodge!" Makoto shouted in alarm.

But Venusaur was still recovering from the uppercut and the lingering effects of Sand Tomb, making it difficult to move. It was unable to follow Makoto's command.

Magical Leaf's tracking ability was impressive, but at such close range and with Venusaur's large frame in the way, the leaves couldn't change course in time.

In an instant, the Magical Leaf attack struck Venusaur instead.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Explosions erupted across Venusaur's body, dealing massive damage.

Fortunately, being part Grass and Poison type meant Venusaur only took a quarter of the usual damage from Grass-type moves. Still, the explosions' force was enough to knock Venusaur completely over.

Gabite narrowly avoided being crushed under Venusaur's bulk as it toppled.

Venusaur landed on its back, legs flailing, trying to right itself with its vines for leverage.

But Luo Yuan wasn't about to waste this opportunity.

"Gabite, Sand Attack followed by Metal Claw!"

Gabite kicked up a plume of sand, blinding Venusaur. Then, its claws glinted metallically as they slashed down on Venusaur's exposed body.

"Veeenn!"

Venusaur let out a pained cry, but its training and battle instincts kept it from panicking.

Using its vines to push against the ground, Venusaur flipped itself upright.

Now back on its feet, Venusaur's eyes burned with fury as it unleashed its most powerful move.

Petals fell from the massive flower on its back, gathering into a swirling sea of blossoms that surged toward Gabite.

"Petal Dance!"

With a base power of 120, Petal Dance posed a serious threat to Gabite.

If the attack connected, Gabite would be in serious trouble despite its recent evolution.

But...

"Petal Dance is only dangerous if it lands."

The earlier Sand Attack had lowered Venusaur's accuracy, and Gabite's Sand Veil ability further boosted its evasion.

Amidst the raging sandstorm, Gabite's figure flickered in and out of sight.

The petals all missed their mark, and Gabite dodged the attack with ease.

"The situation isn't looking good for Contestant Makoto. Gabite's high evasion rate makes it nearly impossible for Petal Dance to land. What strategy will Makoto use to turn this around?"

The commentator's voice was full of tension.

To Luo Yuan, however, the commentator was being far too cautious.

In his eyes... "The match is already decided."

Makoto felt the same sense of inevitability.

"It's over..."

The moment Petal Dance missed, Makoto knew he was doomed.

Using Petal Dance had been a gamble.

While the move granted Venusaur incredible power for a short time, it came with steep drawbacks.

Once initiated, Venusaur was locked into repeatedly using Petal Dance, and afterward, it would enter a confused state.

Now that the attack had missed, Makoto could only feel a cold sweat trickle down his back.

For now, Venusaur had not yet succumbed to confusion and continued its relentless assault with Petal Dance. Makoto held onto a sliver of hope for a miracle.

On the field, petals and sand danced together, creating a chaotic yet strangely beautiful scene. Many spectators eagerly snapped photos, wanting to capture the moment.

But no miracle came.

Venusaur, its stamina nearly drained, finally succumbed to confusion.

At the same time, the Sand Tomb binding it quietly faded, lifting the restrictions on its movement.

Yet, free or not, a confused Venusaur made little difference.

Seeing Venusaur's current state, Luo Yuan gave his command.

"Gabite, Iron Tail!"

Wham!

Gabite's tail, shining with a metallic gleam, struck Venusaur with immense force. The impact sent Venusaur skidding backward, its limbs dragging deep furrows into the ground.

Gabite didn't stop there.

"Dragon Breath!" Luo Yuan called out.

Gabite opened its jaws, unleashing a blast of purple flames. The wave of energy enveloped Venusaur, spreading paralysis throughout its body. The pain and fatigue caused Venusaur to momentarily regain clarity, but by now, it was too late to affect the outcome.

"Gabite, don't give it a chance. Finish it with Double-Edge."

Summoning all its strength, Gabite launched itself at Venusaur in a full-body tackle.

Boom!

Venusaur was sent flying, tumbling across the ground before coming to a halt.

The repeated hits, combined with Gabite's Rough Skin ability, proved too much for Venusaur to endure.

When it finally stopped rolling, Venusaur lay unconscious.

The referee stepped forward, carefully examined Venusaur, then raised his flag to announce the result:

"Venusaur is unable to battle! Gabite wins! The victor of this match is Contestant Luo Yuan!"

"Luo Yuan!"

The crowd erupted into cheers, even though the outcome had been largely expected.

Three matches. Nine consecutive wins.

The commentator's voice rang out again: "Congratulations to Contestant Luo Yuan for becoming the first trainer to advance to the Top 32 in the preliminaries!"

Luo Yuan's expression remained calm.

For someone aiming for the championship, advancing through the preliminaries wasn't something to celebrate.

In fact, he felt slightly disappointed. Gabite still hadn't evolved into Garchomp.

"Looks like I need a stronger opponent," Luo Yuan thought.

After waving to the crowd, he recalled Gabite into its Poké Ball.

Just as he was about to release Dragonite and leave, Makoto suddenly raised his head and asked, "Mr. Luo Yuan, could I ask you how to become a stronger Pokémon Trainer?"

"Hmm?"

Luo Yuan was taken aback.

In all his countless battles, it was the first time an opponent had asked him for advice after a match.

He looked at Makoto, who wore a sincere and humble expression.

Moved by being addressed as "Mr. Luo Yuan," he paused to think before answering.

"Expand your knowledge base. Learn scientific training methods and develop effective battle strategies. Spend time with your Pokémon to build a strong bond."

These were the principles Luo Yuan had followed over the years to become an exceptional trainer—apart from his reliance on his system.

Of course, there was one crucial element he didn't mention.

And that was: "Spend enough money."

Raising Pokémon was expensive, and cultivating strong ones required a significant investment. Any powerful Pokémon owed its success to enormous resource backing.

Take Giovanni's Beedrill, for example.

It might seem like an ordinary Pokémon that could be caught in any Viridian Forest.

But expecting a random Beedrill to reach championship-level strength was pure fantasy. Behind Giovanni's Beedrill was immense natural talent and even more massive financial support.

Even the type of food Pokémon ate during training could make a measurable difference in their potential.

Luo Yuan left out this harsh truth because it clashed with the League's idealistic values.

After hearing Luo Yuan's advice, Makoto fell into deep thought.

Seeing this, Luo Yuan didn't say more.

He summoned Dragonite, climbed onto its back, and gave its neck a pat. With a powerful flap of its wings, they soared into the sky.

Watching Luo Yuan disappear into the clouds, Makoto clenched his fists. Determination flickered in his eyes.

"Next time, I won't lose so badly!"

---

The third round of preliminaries featured only 64 contestants, spread across four venues. The matches concluded within a single day.

Ash and Gary both advanced without issue.

Interestingly, after the preliminaries, Jessie, James, and Meowth formally submitted their earnings to "Boss K."

After deducting operational costs, they reported a staggering profit of three billion.

Their video recordings and tournament guides were selling like hotcakes across Kanto and Johto, receiving rave reviews.

Even though they had relied heavily on Team Rocket's personnel and analysis experts to produce the "Indigo Conference Guide," the profits were extraordinary.

Giovanni, upon hearing the report, remained silent for a long time.

No one could tell if he was marveling at their business acumen or lamenting how long it had taken to discover their talents.

Even Matori began to view the trio in a new light.

"I'll transfer the three billion to the organization's secret account later," Luo Yuan said. "By the way, do you have any leads on the traitor Giovanni mentioned?"

The investigation had begun while Luo Yuan was competing.

At this, Matori shook her head.

She had tried various methods to lure the spy out, but the traitor had yet to take the bait.

Luo Yuan wasn't surprised.

The likelihood of Team Flare planting a spy within Team Rocket was slim. The traitor was likely Sird, one of Team Galactic's Three Commanders.

With this in mind, Luo Yuan said, "Matori, could it be that your investigation is focused on the wrong level?"

"What do you mean?"

"You've only been looking at mid-level operatives. What if the spy is someone higher up?"

"Impossible!" Matori immediately denied it.

Her reasoning was simple: even the youngest of Team Rocket's senior officers, Luo Yuan, had five years of experience. If a high-ranking spy existed, their cover would be impossibly deep.

Still, her trust in Luo Yuan made her reconsider the possibility.

"If there really is a spy among the senior staff..." Matori frowned deeply. "What do you plan to do?"

A high-ranking spy would pose a grave threat to Team Rocket, even endangering its very foundation. The situation demanded a decisive solution.

Luo Yuan smiled.

"Giovanni has authorized me to handle this matter entirely."

"So, I have an idea."

"For specialized tasks, we need specialized people."

"I'm planning to establish an Internal Affairs Division within Team Rocket to root out traitors and infiltrators. What do you think?"

Matori nodded in agreement. Given the circumstances, creating such a department seemed necessary.

"What will you call this new division?" she asked.

Luo Yuan's smile widened.

"The Internal Affairs Division of Team Rocket. How does that sound?"