Clad in black uniforms with a bold red "R" on their chests, accompanied by the signature Koffing and Arbok, the invaders were unmistakable.
Even if Lysandre had been slow to realize, he now knew—Team Rocket was here.
As he watched the intruders and recalled Chalmers's earlier report about Malva's disappearance, Lysandre quickly pieced the situation together.
Malva had only just returned from Kanto, and now Team Rocket was invading their base. Coupled with her unexplained disappearance and subsequent reappearance, Lysandre couldn't deny it anymore.
"Has Malva betrayed us?" Chalmers asked, his voice tinged with disbelief.
Lysandre didn't answer directly. Instead, he issued a command.
"I'll find Malva myself. You handle these Rockets! Also, have Xerosic secure the critical parts of the lab."
Even amidst the chaos, Lysandre's mind remained sharp.
From his perspective, this was still Team Flare's turf. Though caught off guard, they had the advantage of numbers and familiarity with the environment.
To him, the intruders weren't a significant threat. Finding Malva, who held an extensive knowledge of Team Flare's secrets, was his top priority.
However, just as Lysandre turned to act, a loud explosion rocked the room.
Instinctively, he threw a Poké Ball, summoning his Pyroar to shield him.
Boom!
The room's door was violently blasted open. Pyroar leapt forward, using its body to protect Lysandre from the flying debris.
Amid the swirling dust, a red-and-blue figure hovered in the air, its tentacles swaying ominously.
Footsteps echoed from behind the smoke.
Whoosh!
An invisible gust blew the smoke away, revealing Luo Yuan, dressed in his sleek black Tech Hunter armor, standing alongside Malva.
"You dare show your face here…" Lysandre growled at Malva, not even bothering to ask why she had betrayed Team Flare.
His gaze shifted to Luo Yuan. "So, this is the one you're relying on? The so-called Tech Hunter…"
Reports had already linked the Tech Hunter to Team Rocket, but the scale of this operation suggested a far closer connection than mere employment.
Malva avoided Lysandre's piercing stare, turning her head slightly but remaining resolute.
"As we agreed, Lysandre is yours," she said to Luo Yuan.
"Of course." Luo Yuan gave a small nod and gestured to Deoxys beside him.
Swish!
In an instant, Deoxys vanished, reappearing as a blur beside Pyroar. Its tentacle lashed out.
"Knock Off!"
Caught off guard, Pyroar was sent flying across the room, its held Charcoal clattering to the ground.
Lysandre's expression darkened. Wasting no time, he threw two more Poké Balls.
Bang! Bang!
In twin flashes of light, a Mienshao with white fur and purple markings appeared alongside a roaring red Gyarados. The two Pokémon quickly interposed themselves between Deoxys and the recovering Pyroar.
In the confined space of the room, it was impossible for Deoxys to bypass them and reach Pyroar again.
The arrival of Mienshao and Gyarados gave Pyroar enough time to recover and rejoin the fight, forming a three-on-one scenario against Deoxys.
Unfazed, Deoxys calmly switched to its Defense Forme, effortlessly holding its ground against the trio.
---
Meanwhile, Malva faced Chalmers, who was trying to launch a surprise attack on Luo Yuan.
Malva's Houndoom stood between them, growling menacingly at Chalmers's Dragalge.
Though Dragalge's seaweed-like body twisted in agitation, it hesitated, clearly uneasy.
As Chalmers's main battler, Dragalge had sparred with Malva's Houndoom many times before. And judging by Dragalge's current nervousness, the results of those matches were obvious.
"Dragalge, calm down! Use Acid Spray!" Chalmers barked, forcing himself to stay composed despite the sweat on his palms.
Splurt!
Dragalge spat a stream of corrosive purple liquid toward Houndoom.
Houndoom's eyes gleamed with disdain. With a light push from its hind legs, it leapt gracefully out of harm's way, letting the Acid Spray sizzle uselessly against the floor.
Without missing a beat, Houndoom used the momentum from its landing to spring forward again. Its jaws opened, gleaming with sharp fangs.
"Crunch!"
With one swift bite, Houndoom clamped down on Dragalge's body, ignoring the poisonous barbs along its skin.
This was Malva's tried-and-true strategy—Houndoom might suffer from being poisoned, but Dragalge never lasted long enough for it to matter.
Letting out a pained screech, Dragalge writhed in an attempt to shake off Houndoom's grip. But Houndoom wasn't letting go.
"Inferno!" Malva ordered.
Scorching flames erupted from Houndoom's mouth, engulfing Dragalge completely.
Pinned by Houndoom's claws, Dragalge could do little to escape the flames.
Chalmers gritted his teeth and quickly released another Pokémon.
"Braviary! Air Slash!"
The mighty Braviary swooped in, its wings slicing through the air to send a barrage of razor-sharp wind blades at Houndoom.
Forced to retreat, Houndoom released Dragalge, sparing it from further damage.
However, the battered Dragalge had already suffered severe burns and was now inflicted with a burn status.
"...This isn't looking good," Chalmers muttered under his breath, his frustration mounting.
He glanced at Lysandre's side of the battlefield, hoping for some relief.
But things were worse there.
---
When Lysandre had summoned Mienshao and Gyarados to aid Pyroar, Luo Yuan responded by sending out Dragapult and Gengar, the latter emerging from Malva's shadow where it had been hiding.
Now it was three against three.
With Deoxys's Defense Forme holding the frontline, Dragapult and Gengar launched relentless attacks.
Even with Pyroar's champion-level strength, it was quickly overwhelmed by the coordinated assault.
Lysandre gritted his teeth as his Pokémon struggled to keep up, realizing that the supposed Tech Hunter was far more formidable than he had anticipated.