Team Rocket's Second-in-Command!

As Luo Yuan clasped hands with Deoxys, a notification from his system rang out unexpectedly.

[Ding! Congratulations, Host, for capturing Deoxys and achieving the milestone: "A New Beginning, Legendary Pokémon Trainer!" You've earned 1 Lottery Spin.]

Luo Yuan paused, a bit surprised to see a milestone unlocked for capturing Deoxys—but on reflection, it made sense.

After all, this was the first Legendary Pokémon he had captured; reaching a milestone for such an accomplishment wasn't unreasonable.

Watching Luo Yuan and Deoxys exchange a friendly handshake, Sabrina visibly relaxed and asked, "What's its name? Did you succeed in capturing it?"

Her gaze stayed fixed on Deoxys with curiosity; this was her first time encountering a Legendary Pokémon up close.

At her question, Luo Yuan snapped out of his thoughts and nodded. "Its name is Deoxys, and yes, I've successfully captured it."

This confirmation came after Luo Yuan had sensed the clear, accepting intent from Deoxys itself.

For him, capturing a Pokémon didn't just mean physically placing it in a Poké Ball. It required mental acceptance too—otherwise, it could end up as rebellious as Ash's Charizard.

And with a Legendary, this need for mutual understanding was even more important.

Ordinary Pokémon might resign themselves to fate once caught in a ball, but capturing a Legendary was never that simple.

Countless organizations had tried to capture Legendaries, only to fail in the end. Why?

One major reason was that they'd failed to win the Legendary's recognition.

Take the soon-to-be-born Mewtwo, for example. Giovanni had neglected Mewtwo's mental conditioning, never building any real bond with it, and in the end, that failure led to disaster.

While Luo Yuan had managed to capture Deoxys in its weakened state, he couldn't say there was a deep bond between them yet.

But Deoxys had conveyed an unmistakable recognition, which marked a successful start.

Moreover, Deoxys was notably different from Earth's native Legendaries.

Other Legendaries like Kyogre and Groudon were notoriously difficult to handle. Gaining their acknowledgment was close to impossible.

But Deoxys was different.

Luo Yuan remembered its personality description from the Hoenn files.

"No distinct emotions, but it is both loyal and dislikes conflict, attacking only when absolutely necessary."

Loyalty meant that as long as Luo Yuan didn't mistreat it, Deoxys would never betray him. It was hardwired into its DNA.

At this thought, Luo Yuan couldn't help but smile.

Deoxys couldn't quite interpret his expression.

But it quickly stopped trying to figure it out as Luo Yuan placed a hand on it, channeling the healing power of Viridian.

A warm energy surged through Deoxys, its injuries mending and its strength returning.

Even the fractures in its core began to show signs of healing. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Its energy quickly rose to a safe level, and just as Deoxys was savoring the relief of its healing wounds, Luo Yuan suddenly paused.

"?"

Though Deoxys's face showed no expression, Luo Yuan could tell what it was thinking.

He sighed, shrugging. "Sorry, I'm out of energy for now. We'll finish next time."

The Viridian power provided by the system was generous but not infinite.

He had already used some to help Dragapult.

And for a Legendary like Deoxys, still suffering from severe wounds, the energy required was even greater; Luo Yuan's remaining power wasn't enough for a complete healing.

To finish the job, he'd have to wait until his Viridian power recharged.

Hearing his explanation, Deoxys nodded and stood quietly by his side, not saying a word.

Silent and loyal—a reassuring partner to have around, Luo Yuan thought. Much less complicated than the existentially-minded Mewtwo.

Satisfied, he recalled Deoxys into its Poké Ball, ready to check out the lottery reward he'd just unlocked.

Suddenly, his communicator beeped.

Matori's urgent voice came through: "Luo Yuan, where are you? I couldn't reach you earlier."

"Oh, it was probably interference from the psychic energy here. I'm on Birth Island. What's going on?" Luo Yuan asked, frowning slightly.

Matori sounded tense, which was unusual.

He'd already rescued the Rocket grunts before setting out to find Deoxys, so the situation should have been stable. Had the League sent another Elite Four member?

"Luo Yuan, come to Three Island, quick!" Matori said. "Lance is there, and he's teamed up with Lorelei. Sird and Orm are barely holding on!"

Luo Yuan: "..."

He had only been making an idle guess.

The League really had sent another Elite Four member—and it was Lance, of all people.

Matori's message that Sird and Orm were struggling made perfect sense. Even together, the Three Beasts were no match for a combined assault by Lorelei and Lance.

Rocket's hold over the Sevii Islands had always relied on Giovanni's presence in Kanto, which kept Lance, Agatha, and Bruno occupied.

But now that Giovanni was tied up elsewhere, the Three Beasts were out of luck.

On the other end of the line, Matori, interpreting Luo Yuan's silence as reluctance, added in a strained tone, "Luo Yuan, I know you don't get along with the Three Beasts, but... I need your help!"

Her words made Luo Yuan realize she'd misunderstood.

While he wasn't exactly friends with the Three Beasts, he wasn't one to let personal feelings get in the way of an emergency.

But he didn't bother explaining.

"Understood. Don't worry, I'm on my way."

After ending the call, Sabrina brushed her hair aside and asked, "Want me to come with you?"

Against Lance, she feared Luo Yuan might have a tough time alone.

"No need. If you show up, you might risk exposure. Besides—" Luo Yuan shook the Master Ball containing Deoxys.

After the brief Viridian treatment, Deoxys was now back to the strength it had when they'd first encountered it.

Paired with Dragapult and Gengar, Luo Yuan was confident.

"Head back for now. Let's meet at the airship," he said, mounting Dragapult's back.

"Alright!"

Sabrina nodded, silently resolving to catch a few more Pokémon of her own so she wouldn't be left behind in situations like this.

She watched as Dragapult shot upward with Luo Yuan, soaring in the direction of Three Island.

---

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