Chapter 45: The Third Cadre

Chapter 45: The Third Executive

"However, your good luck ends here."

As Lance spoke, the Team Rocket members released their Pokémon one after another, momentarily crowding the corridor to capacity.

Xia You and Sabrina stood back-to-back, pressed close together, not daring to relax for a single second.

"What do we do now? Should we run?" Sabrina asked softly.

"Of course not." Xia You shook his head, then pulled a Poké Ball from his waist and tossed it into the air. "Since we've come this far, how could we possibly give up halfway!"

With a flash of blue light, a Pokémon with a wingspan of nearly three meters, a golden body, and electricity radiating from its entire form appeared before them.

"It's Zapdos!?"

"Whoa, this is my first time seeing one!"

The Team Rocket members cried out in shock. Even Sabrina couldn't help but turn her head, her eyes filled with astonishment as she looked at Zapdos.

One had to know that such a Legendary Pokémon was extremely rare; an ordinary person might not see one in their entire lifetime, let alone catch it or battle it!

"Don't panic!" Seeing the commotion among his subordinates, Lance shouted to calm them. "So what if he has Zapdos? Everyone, attack together!"

Xia You also gave the command: "Zapdos! Use Thunderbolt!!"

Zapdos originally had no intention of obeying Xia You's command, but seeing attacks coming from both front and back, it let out a furious cry and launched an indiscriminate attack in all directions to protect itself.

A violent burst of electrical light erupted from Zapdos, instantly neutralizing the other Pokémon's moves and continuing to spread until it covered more than half of the corridor.

The moment Zapdos unleashed Thunderbolt, Kirlia grabbed the hands of Xia You and Sabrina, using Teleport to instantly move to the other side of the corridor, dodging the attack.

The electrical light was blindingly bright; amidst the crackling sounds, one could even hear the screams and wails of the Team Rocket members.

By the time the light faded, the corridor was filled with fallen Team Rocket members and their Pokémon.

"Damn it!"

Lance turned to face Xia You with a dark expression.

Because he had been far back in the crowd, he had narrowly escaped being hit by the Thunderbolt. Gritting his teeth, he released his own Pokémon.

"Unless you knock me down, don't even think about leaving this place!"

His Pokémon, much like Lambda—the other executive Xia You had encountered on the St. Anne—were Zubat and Weezing.

The sound of footsteps echoed continuously as more Team Rocket members ran in from the stairs, standing behind Lance.

"Tsk." Xia You sighed. "They just keep coming. This is truly troublesome."

At that moment, Sabrina took a step forward, standing in front of Xia You, leaving him only her alluring silhouette.

"Alright, leave this to me. Now, go and do what you need to do."

"This..." Xia You hesitated slightly, but he knew the situation was urgent and there was no time for politeness. Moreover, with Sabrina's outstanding abilities, he didn't need to worry too much.

"Fine. I'll leave Zapdos and Gengar here to help you. You must be extremely careful!"

Without waiting for her consent, he took Kirlia and ran toward the President's office, facing no further resistance.

"Damn it! Stop right there!"

Seeing Xia You leave, Lance tried to step forward to stop him, but after only a few steps, Sabrina calmly threw out her Poké Ball, blocking his path.

...

Xia You pushed open the office door and saw an elderly man slumped on a sofa. Aside from him, there was no one else in the entire office.

*Huh? Giovanni isn't here?*

Recalling the helicopter that had just departed, Xia You already had his answer.

There was no time for deep thought. Seeing that the old man's temperament and attire clearly did not belong to Team Rocket, Xia You hurried forward to help him up.

"Are you alright?"

The old man opened his eyes, looked at Xia You, and breathed a sigh of relief.

"You police officers are far too slow..."

"I'm sorry." Xia You shook his head. "I'm not a police officer. I was just commissioned to come here and check the situation."

"What!?" The old man's eyes widened in disbelief. "You're not police and you still broke in here? That's incredible. Then those Team Rocket members outside..."

"That's right." Xia You paused, allowing the old man to hear the continuous screams coming from the corridor. "They are still outside. We should hurry and leave."

However, just as he was supporting the old man, intending to have Kirlia use Teleport to take them away, a woman's voice suddenly rang out from within the room.

"I knew that fellow Lance was unreliable. To think he'd let a little mouse slip in; he's truly wasted the Leader's trust."

Xia You spun around abruptly, only to find a woman wearing the white Team Rocket uniform, with red eyebrows and red hair, standing in the corner of the office!

Her appearance was as eerie and seamless as a ghost.

"Who are you?" Xia You asked.

"Allow me to introduce myself." The woman's expression appeared haughty and fierce. "My name is Athena. I am both a research scholar and, like that incompetent fellow outside, one of the Team Rocket Executives."

"Another executive?" Xia You sized her up. "And a researcher at that?"

Athena nodded with a smile. "My primary focus is researching the abnormal frequencies that force Pokémon to evolve. I came here today hoping to see the legendary Master Ball, but I didn't expect this old man to be so stubborn."

Seeing that the woman clearly had ill intentions, Xia You grew wary while maintaining a smile. "Since you are a researcher, it would be beneath your dignity to get into a fight. How about this: let's act as if we've never met and let us leave safely?"

"You're quite the smooth talker, kid," the woman said with a smirk. "I wonder if you'll tell me your identity?"

"I can't do that." Xia You shrugged. "My mother once warned me never to tell my name to big sisters with fierce faces who are quite unpleasant."

Though they appeared to be joking, they were actually in a standoff, neither willing to back down.

"..." Athena's face darkened, clearly angered. "I see. In that case, I certainly cannot let you leave."

As she spoke, she pulled two Poké Balls from her coat and released her Pokémon.

The two Pokémon were an Arbok, its body coiled like a giant cobra, and a Murkrow, which resembled a giant black crow with feathers on its head like a wizard's hat and a tail like a broom.

By now, Xia You stopped wasting words and threw out his own Poké Balls simultaneously.

With flashes of blue light, in the next second, Bulbasaur, Squirtle, Charmander, and Jolteon all appeared in the office.

In an instant, the tension reached a breaking point. A chaotic battle seemed inevitable!

(End of Chapter)