Team Rocket's Second-in-Command!

Drake sat in the cabin, hand resting on his belt, remaining vigilant.

Five days earlier, when the S.S. Anne first docked, he'd received a warning from the Kanto League. They'd learned that Team Flare was planning to steal his Evolution Keystone and Mega Stones.

Drake hadn't believed it at first.

After all, he was the formidable Dragon-Type Elite of Hoenn—thinking Team Flare could swipe something under his nose seemed like a joke.

But when the Kanto League agents arrived and uncovered a few Team Flare operatives planted within his security detail, Drake had broken out in a cold sweat.

Two of the exposed spies were, shockingly, key members of his security team.

Had he been unaware, Team Flare might have actually succeeded.

To thank the Kanto League for their assistance—and to settle matters himself—Drake decided to join forces with them to capture Team Flare in one clean sweep.

Yet now, some time after departure, Team Flare had yet to make an appearance.

Faint noises of commotion drifted in from outside. Uneasy, Drake picked up his radio.

"What's the situation out there?"

"All clear, Elite Drake." The response crackled over the radio.

"Alright, keep on guard..." Drake relaxed slightly as he put the radio down.

Then, without hesitation, he grabbed a Poké Ball.

"Altaria, Dragon Pulse!"

His Altaria, body fluffed by wings as soft as cotton clouds, appeared in the room.

"Alt!"

With a high-pitched cry, Altaria released a violet Dragon Pulse straight at the door.

Boom!

The door shattered in an instant.

Through the splintered wood, a Muk stationed outside the door took the full force of the attack, slamming into the wall and losing its ability to fight.

"We've been discovered..." Behind her mask, Sabrina glanced at the unfortunate Muk, a flicker of surprise in her eyes.

She hadn't expected Drake to pick up on their presence.

"What's going on? Elite Drake?"

League trainers stationed nearby heard the commotion and rushed toward Drake's room.

Before they could even reach the hallway, the waiting Team Rocket operatives burst into the rooms, catching the League trainers off guard.

Listening to the sounds of battle echoing from the surrounding rooms, Drake's expression darkened as he recognized his attackers.

"Team Rocket!"

It wasn't Team Flare, as he'd been led to expect, but the infamous Team Rocket, a Kanto organization he knew was in a different league from Team Flare.

And they'd managed to slip in this close without him noticing...

"What happened to my security outside?"

He had stationed guards beyond the cabin door—how had no warning reached him?

"You mean these two?"

A distorted voice came from behind Sabrina's mask as she gestured to her Alakazam. Its spoon twitched, and two hypnotized League trainers stumbled forward.

"I'm curious, though. How did you figure out something was off? We made sure to keep quiet," Sabrina asked.

"They're my crew members. They always call me 'Captain,' not 'Elite Drake.'"

Drake's eyes narrowed.

That single slip-up had been enough for him to catch on.

"I see... That's where we went wrong."

Sabrina nodded in understanding.

Although hypnosis allowed her to control someone, it only influenced actions, not speech habits. Without knowing specific nuances beforehand, replicating natural behavior was nearly impossible.

"But no matter."

Sabrina smirked as she surveyed the room.

While she'd been chatting with Drake, the Team Rocket elites—almost double the number of League trainers—had overwhelmed those stationed in the surrounding rooms.

Now, all that stood between the Evolution Keystone, the Mega Stones, and Team Rocket was Drake and his trainees in the cabin.

Her eyes fell on a silver metal case on the table.

Sensing her gaze, Drake let out a derisive snort.

"So, you're after the Mega Stones as well. If you think you'll just waltz out of here with them, you'll have to get through me first."

Drake's confidence stemmed from his title as the Dragon-Type Elite.

With a sharp glance at the silver case, Drake snatched it, leaping out the window to the deck outside.

Don't get him wrong—he wasn't running away.

The sheer size of his Dragon-types made it difficult for them to fight effectively in such a cramped space.

Drake's trainees followed him outside.

---

To their surprise, however, the Team Rocket members hadn't pursued them right away.

As they wondered why, a voice rang out from above.

"Elite Drake! Your name is known throughout Hoenn. I'm honored to finally meet you."

They looked up.

Standing on the back of a Dragapult, looking down at them, was a figure they'd seen in countless intelligence reports, a face they couldn't mistake.

"The Tech Hunter?"

Drake's expression shifted.

If it had been Team Rocket alone, he could have taken it in stride.

But what was the Tech Hunter, a notorious Hoenn mercenary, doing here in Kanto!?

His Dragapult didn't require Mega Evolution stones, so why was he here?

And did his timing mean he was working with Team Rocket?

These thoughts raced through his mind, things he'd have to factor in later.

But he knew there was no time to linger. Focused, Drake raised his head, locking eyes with the Tech Hunter in his black armor.

"Altaria, Dragon Pulse!"

He chose to strike first!

Whatever the reason, if he could take his opponent down, that's all that mattered.

It had to be said, Drake's Altaria was every bit the well-trained powerhouse one would expect from a Dragon-Type Elite.

Purple energy gathered instantly, firing towards Dragapult with a concentrated pulse of dragon energy. Its sheer power forced Luo Yuan to take the attack seriously.

After all, this Altaria was an Elite-level opponent.

But Luo Yuan showed no sign of panic.

These days, who wasn't at least Elite-level? 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

"Dragapult, Dragon Pulse!"

At Luo Yuan's command, Dragapult's eyes glinted with ferocity as it opened its maw, unleashing a crimson Dragon Pulse toward Altaria.

Boom!

The two Dragon Pulses collided mid-air, bursting in a dazzling explosion.

The shockwave sent Luo Yuan's and Drake's capes billowing.

When the smoke finally cleared, Drake's trainees looked to see Altaria's once-pristine wings now bearing charred patches, while Luo Yuan's Dragapult stood unscathed.

Their gazes met, each realizing something that sent a chill down their spines:

"Master... is being overpowered!"

---

T/N: I forgot what I was gonna say