Team Rocket's Second-in-Command!

Luo Yuan made his way to the lower levels of the base, heading toward the interrogation room.

Before addressing the situation with Malva, he needed to meet with Giovanni first.

Inside, Giovanni sat on the couch, his expression grim as he stared through the one-way glass at Sird on the other side.

Mewtwo was seated on another couch not far behind him, engrossed in a book. When Luo Yuan entered, Mewtwo only glanced up briefly in acknowledgment before returning to its reading.

Luo Yuan's sharp eyesight quickly caught the title of the book. Mewtwo wasn't reading its usual fare of religion or philosophy anymore; it had moved on to a text on genetics.

"If this keeps up, Mewtwo might just become the first Pokémon professor in history," Luo Yuan thought with a mix of humor and genuine awe.

This wasn't mere speculation. With its immense psychic power, Mewtwo's brain operated at a highly advanced level, enabling it to process and analyze information at a speed far beyond any human. Luo Yuan had witnessed this firsthand many times.

Shaking his head to clear away these thoughts, he stepped forward.

"Boss Giovanni!" Luo Yuan called.

Giovanni's tense expression relaxed slightly upon seeing him.

"You handled things well in the Sevii Islands," Giovanni said, his tone approving.

He praised Luo Yuan's actions: not only had Luo Yuan apprehended Sird, but he had also rescued the Team Rocket grunts who had been marked for sacrifice in the original plan.

No other executive could have performed better.

"What do we do about Sird?" Luo Yuan asked, glancing at the figure beyond the glass.

"For now, keep her locked up," Giovanni replied. "Don't release news of her capture. I'll have Matori impersonate her and periodically send harmless information to Team Galactic. We might be able to use this to our advantage against them in the future."

It was clear Giovanni hadn't let anger cloud his judgment. His decision was calculated and precise.

Luo Yuan didn't ask how Giovanni had learned of Sird's connection to Team Galactic. With Mewtwo present, no one below Luo Yuan's psychic caliber could resist its hypnotic interrogation.

"On another matter," Giovanni continued, pulling a silver card from his pocket.

"This is Professor Elm's contact information. You'll need to coordinate with him regarding Silver and Petrel."

"I understand." Luo Yuan accepted the card. Aside from a phone number, it contained no other details.

Truthfully, Luo Yuan was quite curious about Elm and the Masked Man. He wondered how far the Masked Man had progressed with his plan to capture Celebi in this world.

---

Leaving the interrogation room, Luo Yuan headed to the cell where Malva was being held.

Malva looked at him with a complicated expression.

"Well? Have you made your decision?" Luo Yuan asked, a faint smile on his lips.

Malva took a deep breath, steadying herself in the face of his calm demeanor.

"I've made up my mind," she said finally. "I'll join Team Rocket."

This decision was one she had arrived at after much deliberation.

She had joined Team Flare out of belief in Lysandre's ideals. But after witnessing Luo Yuan's power, she no longer believed Lysandre and Team Flare could stand against Team Rocket.

Having repeatedly crossed Team Rocket, Malva understood that the organization—especially Luo Yuan—was now dead set on wiping Team Flare off the map. It was only a matter of time.

Team Flare's future was bleak.

Rather than die a meaningless death with them, joining Team Rocket had become the logical choice.

"You've made the right decision."

Malva's choice saved Luo Yuan a great deal of trouble. After all, spreading the word about her being a Team Flare executive and convincing the League would have required considerable resources in the Kalos region.

Luo Yuan reached into his bag and tossed her a Poké Ball. "Your Pokémon."

Accepting her new reality as a Rocket member, Malva clipped the Poké Ball to her belt.

"I suggest you address your followers on social media. Your recent disappearance has caused a bit of a stir," Luo Yuan remarked casually.

Malva bit back the urge to snap at him—it was, after all, his fault—but she swallowed her frustration, knowing she stood no chance against him.

"And Lysandre? What's your plan for dealing with him?" Luo Yuan asked.

While the public might not think much of Malva's sudden reappearance, Lysandre would undoubtedly suspect something.

Malva shook her head, unsure of how to handle the situation.

She held plenty of sensitive information about Lysandre and Team Flare—information that could cause an uproar in Kalos if leaked. Lysandre wouldn't hesitate to act against her.

"It seems you're unprepared," Luo Yuan sighed. In the end, it always came down to him.

Still, for someone of her caliber—a trainer with Elite Four-level strength—it was worth the effort.

"Here's the plan," Luo Yuan said after a moment of thought. "You'll keep Lysandre calm for now. I'll accompany you to Kalos to deal with Team Flare."

With some time to spare before his official appointment in Johto, Luo Yuan saw an opportunity to handle the problem once and for all.

Eliminating Team Flare in one fell swoop would ensure they wouldn't cause trouble in the future. Giovanni would surely support this plan.

Malva stared at him in stunned silence.

He was really going to destroy Team Flare.

As someone who had been part of Team Flare's upper echelon, Malva knew better than anyone how deeply entrenched they were in Kalos's political and business circles.

But from another perspective, with Luo Yuan's power, Team Rocket's resources, and her insider knowledge of Team Flare's hidden bases, they could surgically dismantle its leadership.

Once the top brass was gone, the remaining grunts would pose little threat.

Still, the idea of turning on her former organization so soon after joining Team Rocket left Malva conflicted.

Logically, she knew it was the right choice. Emotionally, she struggled to accept it.

Noticing the turmoil on her face, Luo Yuan patted her shoulder.

"Don't overthink it. From the moment you joined Team Rocket, you left yourself no other option."

He gestured toward the security camera overhead.

Seeing it, Malva realized their entire conversation had been recorded. If she refused to cooperate, Luo Yuan could simply send the footage to Lysandre...

She'd be utterly doomed.

This mission against Team Flare, she realized, could also serve as a trial to prove her loyalty to Team Rocket. Only by helping Luo Yuan dismantle Team Flare could she gain true acceptance within the organization.

With that, Malva fell into silence, her thoughts a tangled mess.

From the moment she began entertaining Luo Yuan's proposition, she had unknowingly stepped into his carefully laid trap.

---

T/N: Mewtwo fr chill