Team Rocket’s Second-in-Command! [96]

Seeing Koga’s expression, Luo Yuan offered a few words of comfort. “Don’t think too much of it. Not every Pokémon can be as strong as my Dragapult.”

Dragapult had won this fight through sheer speed.

In terms of raw speed, even Lance’s Dragonite would be left in the dust compared to Dragapult. There weren’t many Pokémon out there that could dodge Crobat’s toxic assaults so effortlessly.

Besides, even with Dragapult’s speed, if it hadn’t been for Luo Yuan’s telepathic guidance, it would’ve been hard-pressed to avoid that surprise Poison Fang.

In other words, Crobat’s defeat wasn’t all on Koga.

Koga: “…I’ll…take that as you trying to make me feel better.”

He took a deep breath, centering himself.

Crobat wasn’t his strongest Pokémon. After that battle, he’d gained some insight into Dragapult’s moves and was ready to deploy his second Pokémon and turn the tide.

But just as he reached for his next Poké Ball, he noticed Luo Yuan recalling Dragapult.

“Dragapult wasn’t injured. Why switch it out?” Koga asked, puzzled.

“Well, you did say you wanted to understand the gap between yourself and Lance and Lorelei, right?”

“Yes, but…”

“Switching out Dragapult will give you a clearer sense of what they faced.”

With a smile, Luo Yuan pressed the button on his Master Ball.

A flash of white light illuminated the battlefield.

A moment later, Deoxys stood in battle form, its sleek body lined with red and blue, four tentacle-like arms hanging at its sides.

At Luo Yuan’s signal, Deoxys released its suppressed aura.

Immediately, Koga felt an intense, almost overwhelming presence emanating from Deoxys.

“That pressure…this is…Deoxys?”

Facing a Legendary Pokémon, even Koga’s training as a ninja couldn’t fully mask the shock in his eyes.

His face grew serious as he ran through his mental notes on Deoxys.

“A Psychic-type Pokémon, capable of switching between multiple forms…”

Psychic-type—a direct counter to his Poison-type.

After a moment’s consideration, Koga’s hand landed on a Poké Ball at his belt.

Among his team, only his Ghost/Poison-type Gengar could stand up to a Psychic Pokémon.

“Go, Gengar!”

A deep purple Gengar materialized on the battlefield, its mischievous grin spreading across its face.

“Hehehe…”

But Gengar’s laugh abruptly died when it spotted Deoxys.

Feeling the full force of Deoxys’s aura, Gengar froze, its grin stiffening mid-laugh.

Behind Luo Yuan, his own Gengar peeked out of the shadows, letting out a hearty chuckle at the other Gengar’s shock.

“...”

Blushing slightly from the laughter, Koga’s Gengar quickly gathered itself, shaking off its nerves and preparing for the battle.

Seeing his Gengar finally steady, Koga focused intently on the battle ahead.

He was determined to see for himself just how powerful this Legendary, which had fought off both Lance and Lorelei, truly was.

“Gengar, strike first! Use Shadow Ball!”

Gengar formed a dark, pulsating Shadow Ball and hurled it at Deoxys.

Luo Yuan didn’t give Deoxys any commands.

Issuing instructions would be overkill here.

Unfazed, Deoxys watched the Shadow Ball approach, its eyes flashing blue as a Light Screen materialized in front of it.

Boom!

The Shadow Ball exploded against the barrier, leaving cracks and dark scorch marks, but the Light Screen held firm.

“...”

Koga’s gaze lingered on the unbroken Light Screen, a complicated look crossing his face.

He was beginning to get a sense of what Lance and Lorelei must have felt.

But Deoxys wasn’t just a passive target.

After absorbing Gengar’s attack, Deoxys’s eyes glowed again, and a wave of psychic energy surged toward Gengar.

Koga swiftly regrouped. “Gengar, dodge it! Then use Shadow Sneak!”

Grinning again, Gengar sank into the shadows, slipping into another dimension. When it reappeared, it was directly behind Deoxys.

“Now, use Toxic!”

Gengar exhaled a thick purple fog, attempting to envelop Deoxys in its poisonous haze.

But Deoxys, having battled Gengars before on Birth Island, was more than prepared for Shadow Sneak.

Hum.

With a subtle psychic hum, the air around Deoxys shimmered as it activated a spherical protective shield, laced with tiny points of light.

Safeguard!

The toxic gas dissipated harmlessly upon contact with the Safeguard, vanishing like frost in sunlight.

Unfazed, Gengar lashed out with Shadow Claw, its claws raking against the protective sphere.

Screeeech!

The sound of the claw scraping against the shield was ear-piercing.

Safeguard wasn’t meant to block direct attacks, so it shattered under the force of Shadow Claw.

Seeing his chance, Gengar lunged, Shadow Claw poised to strike Deoxys.

But Deoxys didn’t flinch, using its psychic powers with blinding speed.

Psycho Boost!

A torrent of psychic energy burst forth from Deoxys’s core, washing over Gengar like an unstoppable wave.

Barely able to react, Gengar was blasted back as if hit by a speeding train.

Its round body flew across the battlefield, slamming hard against the gym wall.

And it didn’t end there.

Before Gengar could recover, Deoxys extended a tentacle, forming a Shadow Ball with alarming speed, and launched it straight at the battered Ghost-type.

Boom!

The Shadow Ball exploded on impact, leaving Gengar sprawled on the ground, unable to continue.

“...”

Watching all this, having only issued two commands from start to finish, Koga was finally starting to understand what Lance and Lorelei had gone through.

“I’m done here.”

Koga sighed, glancing at Deoxys, which stood calmly, waiting for him to send out another Pokémon.

This battle wasn’t feasible.

If he could use six Pokémon to surround Deoxys, then perhaps there’d be a sliver of hope.

But in a one-on-one fight...it was nothing but a hopeless struggle.

Recalling his fainted Gengar, Koga turned to Luo Yuan. “If you were to rate my strength against the Champions you’ve faced, where do you think I stand?”

Among Team Rocket’s executives, Luo Yuan had probably fought more Champions than anyone.

“Hmm…with Crobat, Gengar, and the rest of your main team, I’d say you’re not quite on par with Lance or Lorelei, but you’d definitely hold your own among the Champions.”