Team Rocket’s Second-in-Command!

Mega Beedrill and Mega Gengar stood locked in a tense standoff.

Compared to Sabrina, who had previously used Mega Alakazam to battle Luo Yuan, Giovanni was far more knowledgeable about Mega Evolution.

And he was fully aware of Mega Gengar's ability: Shadow Tag. This much was clear from Beedrill's noticeably cautious movement since Gengar's Mega Evolution.

The tension didn't last long.

With Mega Beedrill still under the effects of Curse, its health was steadily draining.

Time was running out for Giovanni and his Beedrill.

Recognizing this, Giovanni decisively raised his hand. "Beedrill, use X-Scissor!"

"Bzzz!"

With a high-pitched hum, Beedrill shot forward like an arrow, its wings buzzing at a feverish pitch.

Beedrill's already impressive speed had practically doubled post-Mega Evolution, closing the gap between it and Dragapult's speed.

Its afterimage was still visible in its starting position when Beedrill's true form appeared directly in front of Gengar.

Its stingers, gleaming with a deadly chill, crossed to form a scissor shape aimed straight at Gengar.

With Mega Gengar now grounded and unable to Levitate, it was harder to evade Beedrill's attack despite its increased speed.

Though Bug-type moves dealt minimal damage to Gengar, the force behind Beedrill's high-speed assault was not to be underestimated.

"Phantom Force!"

In a high-stakes battle like this, even a single second could determine victory or defeat, so Luo Yuan used telepathy to relay his command instantly, cutting any delay.

With this psychic connection, Gengar reacted immediately.

Connected to an alternate dimension, Mega Gengar vanished in an instant.

Beedrill's stingers sliced through empty space, carving deep trenches into the ground as it skidded to a stop, only managing to halt its momentum after a few meters.

At the exact moment Beedrill halted—

"Kehehe~!"

With a silent chuckle, the white form of Gengar appeared behind Beedrill, standing directly on its shadow. Raising one hand, Gengar unleashed a Shadow Ball aimed at Beedrill's back.

The Shadow Ball whizzed through the air toward its target.

Beedrill, highly sensitive to shifts in the air, immediately sensed the threat from behind.

But rather than turning to face the danger, it responded to the threat of Shadow Tag with surprising calm.

"U-turn!"

Bzzz—!

With a burst of wingbeats, Beedrill propelled itself straight up.

It hovered near the limits of Shadow Tag's range, then spun in midair and dove back down at Gengar.

"Use Fell Stinger!" Giovanni commanded from afar, seizing the opportunity to counterattack.

"Fell Stinger? Giovanni taught Beedrill that move too?"

Luo Yuan hadn't expected Beedrill to have Dark-type Fell Stinger in addition to the Ground-type Drill Run.

Even though Fell Stinger wasn't a Bug-type move, it, like Ground-type moves, was strong against Ghost-types like Gengar.

With Gengar's relatively low health, taking a direct hit could mean a quick defeat.

So…

"Phantom Force!"

Gengar used the move again, vanishing out of Beedrill's reach.

But this time, Beedrill anticipated it. Without hesitating, it spun around, jabbing its stinger backward.

Gengar, appearing behind Beedrill, smirked at the sight.

"Lick!"

Gengar's long red tongue flicked out, grazing Beedrill's face and causing it to shudder briefly.

With a chuckle, Gengar slipped back into Beedrill's shadow, rendering its counterattack useless.

From an outsider's perspective, all that could be seen were two red eyes gleaming from within Beedrill's shadow.

Though the hasty Lick hadn't paralyzed Beedrill, it did throw it off balance. And with Gengar now hiding in its shadow, Beedrill couldn't strike back.

Adding to the frustration, Gengar would occasionally sneak in a Shadow Claw from the shadows, forcing Beedrill to stay alert and on edge.

Beedrill, unable to relax for even a second, was laser-focused on the shadow beneath it.

Gengar's tricky maneuvers had Matori glancing at Luo Yuan in astonishment.

Luo Yuan wasn't too bothered by the look.

As he would say, "Hey, I didn't teach Gengar these tricks. Why look at me?"

Whatever others might think, Gengar's tactics were proving highly effective.

As Gengar's sneaky attacks wore down Beedrill's stamina, and with the Curse steadily draining its health, Gengar showed no signs of leaving the shadow.

Finally, Giovanni gave an order, his voice clipped with urgency.

"Beedrill, fly up!"

With Gengar's size, staying hidden in Beedrill's shadow required the shadow to be large enough.

By reducing the size of its shadow, Gengar would be forced out.

And the best way to make a shadow smaller? Gain altitude.

Beedrill ascended skyward, shrinking its shadow to the point that Gengar had no choice but to emerge, using Shadow Tag to tether Beedrill back down.

But drawing Gengar out was exactly what Giovanni and Beedrill wanted.

"Drill Run!"

Finally spotting Gengar, Beedrill didn't hesitate. Fueled by frustration from the constant teasing, it dived at Gengar with all its might.

"Another Phantom Force? No… using the same move three times in a row would be risky. Giovanni wouldn't fall for it."

Luo Yuan analyzed the situation, then gave a new command to Gengar. "Double Team, then use Dark Pulse!"

On the ground, Gengar multiplied—one shadow splitting into two, then four, then eight… in the blink of an eye, the field was filled with Gengar clones.

Beedrill's Drill Run stabbed into one of the decoys.

Just as it tried to locate the real Gengar, an ominous, icy aura emanated from one of the clones.

This aura briefly stunned Beedrill.

Even a veteran like Beedrill couldn't fully overcome the instinctive paralysis of fear for that one split second.

Luo Yuan caught it instantly.

In a battle like this, a split second could decide everything.

"Gengar, use Shadow Claw to pin down Beedrill's movement, then finish it with Shadow Ball!"

With its health now critically low after the Dark Pulse and the lingering Curse, Beedrill was one solid hit away from defeat.

If Shadow Ball hit, Beedrill would be finished—no doubt about it.

But… Giovanni's expression showed no trace of alarm.

Watching the Shadow Ball forming in Gengar's hands, Giovanni remained calm as he raised his hand.

"Beedrill, use Outrage!"

---

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