Team Rocket's Second-in-Command!

Lorelei couldn't help but feel a deep sense of regret.

This was her miscalculation—

And because of it, the League now had to fend off both Team Rocket and Team Galactic at the same time.

At least Luo Yuan is here...

Her gaze shifted toward Luo Yuan, who was directing Deoxys in battle against Mewtwo.

Truebird and Orm, however, immediately seized the opportunity presented by her momentary distraction.

"Pelipper, [Hurricane]!"

Truebird's Pelipper flapped its wings forcefully, sending a violent gust of wind roaring toward Cloyster and Slowbro!

Cloyster reacted instantly, snapping its shell shut to withstand the attack.

But Slowbro wasn't as lucky.

It was only a fraction slower than Cloyster, but unlike its heavily armored ally, it had no real means of defending itself in an open space like this.

Without [Mega Evolution], the Shellder clamped onto its tail provided no additional protection.

WHOOSH!

The fierce winds howled, sending Slowbro swaying dizzily, as if it had just downed an entire barrel of alcohol.

At that moment, Orm struck as well.

Following his command, dozens of Shuckle scuttled toward Cloyster, latching onto its shell with their many tentacles in an attempt to pry it open.

Meanwhile, Jumpluff took to the air, scattering clouds of [Stun Spore] in all directions.

A thick yellow haze filled the battlefield, and with [Hurricane's] help, the paralyzing dust was carried straight toward Slowbro.

By the time Lorelei snapped back to her senses, it was already too late.

"Slowbro, get out of there!"

But Slowbro, still struggling to keep its balance in the storm, had no way to escape.

It could only watch helplessly as the golden spores surrounded it—

And within moments, a numbing sensation spread across its body, rendering it completely immobile.

And the nightmare wasn't over yet.

The [Stun Spore] hadn't been the only thing Jumpluff had scattered.

Mixed within the haze were [Leech Seeds].

The moment they made contact, they burrowed into Slowbro's skin, taking root and rapidly draining its energy.

Paralyzed and unable to resist, Slowbro could do nothing but watch as the vines coiled around its body.

And then—

WHOOSH!

With nothing left to defend itself, Slowbro was caught in the full force of Pelipper's [Hurricane].

Its body was lifted off the ground and sent crashing hard against a nearby wall.

Lorelei's chest tightened at the sight.

Without hesitation, she sent out two more of her main Pokémon—Jynx and Dewgong.

"Jynx, [Powder Snow]!"

As soon as it emerged, Jynx exhaled a frigid gust of icy powder toward Jumpluff.

Meanwhile, Lorelei had Dewgong fire an [Ice Beam] to assist Cloyster, whose shell was on the verge of being pried open. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

A wave of frost swept across the battlefield.

A layer of ice instantly coated Jumpluff's body, forcing it to retreat.

Orm winced slightly, feeling a pang of sympathy for his Jumpluff.

He quickly recalled it before the situation worsened.

With Jumpluff down, the task of dealing with Jynx now fell to Truebird.

Not the least bit flustered, she had Pelipper launch a [Hydro Pump] to interfere with Jynx's attack.

Then, she sent out her second Pokémon.

"Xatu, [Future Sight]!"

The seemingly dazed Xatu stood on the ground, its eyes glowing a deep blue.

Jynx wasn't about to be outdone.

Its own eyes shimmered with the same eerie glow.

Nothing visibly happened—

But in their minds, the two Pokémon were already locked in an intense battle in the realm of future events.

And judging by the playful smile on Jynx's face—

It had the upper hand.

Luo Yuan, who was still directing Deoxys against Mewtwo, took note of this development.

He figured he should lend Matori a hand.

"Mewtwo."

Through their psychic link, he passed along a silent command.

Mewtwo understood immediately.

Blocking Deoxys' tentacles with its spoon, it took a brief moment to cast [Future Sight] as well.

Jynx had already been gaining the advantage over Xatu—

But Mewtwo's sudden intervention took it completely by surprise.

Compared to Jynx, Mewtwo's psychic abilities were on an entirely different level.

With Mewtwo siding with Xatu, everything Jynx had built up was instantly torn apart.

In an overwhelming display of dominance, Mewtwo crushed Jynx's mental defenses with ease.

Jynx staggered backward, its eyes wide with fear.

Mewtwo withdrew its psychic energy and returned its focus to Deoxys.

And then—

A few seconds later, the air above Jynx began to distort.

A massive wave of psychic power crashed down from the sky.

This was [Future Sight]—

Carrying the full force of Mewtwo's attack.

Xatu wasn't about to let this opportunity slip by.

It flapped its white wings, sending two razor-sharp [Air Slash] blades slicing through the air, striking Jynx just as the psychic energy engulfed it.

In an instant, Jynx collapsed.

Two of her Pokémon had been knocked out in such a short span of time—

Lorelei's heart clenched.

A growing sense of unease spread through her.

She turned toward Cloyster's battle—

And things weren't looking good there either.

Despite Dewgong's assistance, there were simply too many Shuckle.

The ground was swarming with them, and more kept emerging from below, crawling all over Cloyster's shell.

Dewgong continued to attack, but against Shuckle's absurdly high defensive stats—

It barely made a dent.

Cloyster was trapped in a dire predicament.

If it didn't open its shell, it wouldn't be able to attack and shake off the Shuckle.

But if it did open its shell...

Its soft, vulnerable body would be exposed, and the Shuckle would swarm in before it could even launch an attack.

After all these years, Lorelei was once again reminded of just how disgustingly effective Orm's Shuckle swarm tactic was.

But there was no other choice.

Cloyster was completely immobilized.

She couldn't even recall it, because the Shuckle clinging to its surface were blocking the Poké Ball's retrieval beam.

Gritting her teeth, Lorelei sent out Lapras to assist Cloyster.

Compared to Lorelei, Giovanni was handling his battle with a sense of leisurely amusement.

Despite facing both Mars and Jupiter at the same time—

He remained utterly unbothered.

His Aggron and Rhydon flanked them from both sides, keeping them completely suppressed.

And in front of him, Beedrill stood like a loyal sentinel—its sharp eyes scanning the battlefield for anything that might threaten Giovanni.

And whenever an enemy showed even the slightest opening—

Beedrill would strike in a flash, eliminating them in a single blow.

---

T/N: gosh matori is so hot, honestlyyyyyyyyyy time to make a SIOC x Matori Yuri fanfic