Chapter 44: Layer Upon Layer of Obstacles

Chapter 44: Layered Obstacles

A Master Ball?

So that really was their goal!

At that moment, Sabrina shifted uncomfortably; she had been holding the same position for so long that her body had inevitably become stiff.

However, while this movement provided some relief, it also brought her into even closer contact with Xia You.

Sensing the touch of several soft areas, Xia You's heart rate quickened, and even Sabrina's breathing became heavier.

Fortunately, those Team Rocket members only rested for a short while before leaving the activity room. Once they could no longer hear their voices, the two hurriedly scrambled out from the changing locker.

Having been stifled for so long, Xia You took a deep breath of fresh air. He wasn't sure if it was an illusion, but because he had been so close to Sabrina, he seemed to carry a faint scent of a girl's perfume on him.

To avoid mutual embarrassment, Xia You avoided looking at Sabrina's expression. Instead, he walked to the door and slowly poked his head out to observe the surroundings.

A dark, round face was staring right back at him...

Xia You jumped in fright before realizing it was his own Gastly.

"Why are you out here!?"

"It's because you two were too slow," Gastly floated in from the side, its suspicious gaze scanning Xia You and Sabrina back and forth. "Strange, what were you doing just now? Why is her face so red?"

"Hey, hey, don't talk nonsense!" Xia You hurriedly tried to cover Gastly's mouth, but his hand passed right through its body. "We were just hiding from the Team Rocket search party!"

"Don't worry, Team Rocket has already left," Gastly gave a mischievous grin, clearly taking Xia You's explanation as a cover-up. "Since everything is fine, let's get moving."

Leaving the activity room, the two entered the stairwell and headed upward.

Unfortunately, there were far too many Team Rocket members in this building. Before long, they encountered several members head-on.

"Who are you!?"

Seeing Xia You and Sabrina, whose attire was clearly different from that of researchers, one of the members shouted. However, before they could act, the next second, they were all enveloped by Psychic energy, and Sabrina turned them into tiny dolls!

She had used this move against Brock and Misty when Ash challenged the Gym, and those caught in it had absolutely no ability to resist, left entirely at her mercy.

However, despite dealing with these few individuals, the previous shout had still alerted others. Many Team Rocket members who heard the commotion began rushing toward their location.

"As expected, things aren't going as smoothly as planned!"

The two sprinted up the stairs, while beneath them, more and more Team Rocket members were closing in.

"Intruders!"

"What happened? Did the monitoring room not detect them!?"

"Damn it, how did they sneak in? Report to the Executives immediately!"

After running up several more floors, their path was quickly blocked by another group of Team Rocket members.

Now, with pursuers behind and blockers ahead, their route was completely sealed.

Seeing this, Xia You decisively took out a Poké Ball and released Kirlia.

"Gastly, use Hypnosis! Kirlia, use Confusion!"

Both Pokémon launched their moves simultaneously. Before the Team Rocket members could even summon their own Pokémon, they fell to the ground one after another like bowling pins.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Xia You and Sabrina continued running upward.

...

Silph Co. Building, top floor, President's Office.

As the ultimate boss of Team Rocket, Giovanni—dressed in a black suit with his hair meticulously combed and a commanding presence—stood in the office, looking down at an elderly man.

The old man sat on the sofa. Although he was well over seventy, he was full of spirit. Despite being in a predicament, his expression remained calm, showing no sign of panic.

"Old man," Giovanni's voice was low and slow, carrying an immense sense of pressure. "For the safety of your employees' lives, you'd better tell me quickly: where have you hidden the Master Ball!"

"You might as well give up on that idea. How could I hand such a dangerous Poké Ball over to people like you!" the old man said calmly. "I just truly didn't expect that the notorious leader of Team Rocket would personally lead a team to occupy my company today. It is quite a surprise."

Giovanni remained unmoved by the old man's sarcasm.

In fact, after a thorough search of the building yielded no sign of the Master Ball, this old man had become his last hope. Furthermore, due to his age, Giovanni would not use brute force against him.

At that moment, a Team Rocket member walked up to Giovanni and whispered something in his ear.

"Intruders?" Giovanni gave the member a cold look, his authority radiating naturally. "Why are you only discovering them now?"

Cold sweat instantly broke out on the member's forehead. "This... it's because they broke into the control room first, knocked out our men, and sabotaged the equipment, so..."

He hadn't expected such a meticulous plan to encounter variables.

"Who are these intruders?"

The member hurriedly replied, "There are two intruders in total. One has already been identified as the Cerulean Gym Leader, Sabrina! The other is male, roughly the same age as Sabrina, but his specific identity has not yet been confirmed!"

"Sabrina!?"

A flash of murderous intent crossed Giovanni's eyes.

Others might be one thing, but as a formal Gym Leader belonging to the Pokémon League, Giovanni had naturally met Sabrina several times.

His identity as the Viridian Gym Leader served as an excellent cover for him; if Sabrina were to discover his true identity, it would indeed be a significant loss.

Thinking of this, he turned to look at a Team Rocket Executive who had been leaning against the wall.

"Lance, I'll leave things here to you. Do not let them leave alive."

The Executive called Lance was a man wearing a standard Team Rocket black cap with short, teal hair.

Upon hearing the order, he gave an elegant bow and replied respectfully in a frivolous tone, "Please rest assured, my Lord. It will all be over very soon."

...

When Xia You and Sabrina finally reached the top floor, panting heavily, they suddenly heard the loud thrumming of rotors outside the window. A helicopter vanished into the distant sky, leaving the Silph Co. building in an instant.

They entered the floor and locked the stairwell door. Just as they were about to breathe a sigh of relief, they heard a burst of applause from in front of them.

Lance walked toward them while clapping, praising them, "To be able to break through our Team Rocket encirclement and make it all the way here... I must say, you two are quite impressive."

Beside Lance, many Team Rocket members surrounded them. Behind the two, following the sound of a violent impact, the pursuing Team Rocket members crashed through the stairwell doors, swarming into the long corridor in a single wave.

(End of Chapter)