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With only Pikachu and Scyther by his side, plus Jigglypuff who had been following him around, Ash moved forward through the corridor toward the source of the smoke ahead.
When he reached the area, the thick smoke had gradually cleared away. Dodrio, Graveler, and Tauros all lay unconscious on the ground, their bodies sprawled in various positions. The three Team Rocket members had also collapsed—some flat on the floor, others slumped against the walls.
All of them shared one common trait: they no longer had the strength to continue battling. Ash walked past their motionless forms without sparing them a glance and pressed onward to the next room in the facility.
Ash methodically searched through each room he encountered, systematically freeing the people and Pokémon trapped inside. Some of these Pokémon were being held for illegal research purposes, while others served as prizes for the Game Corner's commercial operations.
Ash showed no hesitation in his mission. Every time he discovered Pokémon or imprisoned people in a room, he would swiftly defeat the guards stationed there and release all the captives without exception.
As he continued this pattern of rescue operations, Ash began to notice a strange sensation growing within his heart—an increasingly intense feeling of excitement and stimulation. It felt strangely natural, as if this was exactly what he was meant to be doing in this world.
This type of unrestrained, rule-free battle seemed to make his blood pump faster than gym battles or even League competitions ever had. The raw intensity of these encounters awakened something primal within him.
Just as he was processing these unfamiliar emotions, Ash continued forward and approached another corner of the facility. Suddenly, he sensed a powerful gust of wind rushing toward him, and his instincts kicked in as he abruptly stopped in his tracks.
A human figure came flying through the air, surrounded by an eerie blue psychic energy. The person shot past Ash's position, sailed across to the opposite side of the fork in the corridor ahead, and crashed heavily into the ground with a sickening thud. The figure remained motionless after the impact.
Both Pikachu and Jigglypuff jumped in surprise at the sudden spectacle, and Ash himself paused momentarily to examine the fallen person. He could clearly see the distinctive Team Rocket uniform on the unconscious figure.
"Hmm?" Ash muttered to himself.
"Stop hiding in the shadows. Come out!" a woman's cold, commanding voice echoed through the corridor, reaching Ash's ears.
Ash's expression shifted slightly as recognition dawned on him—that voice sounded remarkably familiar, though he couldn't immediately place it.
Ash had no intention of concealing his presence and walked directly into the open. When he finally saw the person standing at the corner, he felt a jolt of surprise run through him.
The other person displayed an equally shocked expression upon seeing Ash emerge from the shadows.
"Ash?" the woman called out hesitantly.
"Sabrina?" Ash responded with equal uncertainty.
The person standing before him was indeed Sabrina, the Psychic-type Gym Leader from Saffron City. Sabrina also recognized Ash immediately, though she seemed genuinely surprised that the young trainer would appear in such a place.
Sabrina's appearance had changed dramatically since their last encounter, and Ash almost didn't recognize her at first glance. She was wearing a form-fitting burgundy short skirt that perfectly highlighted her mature figure. Black stockings wrapped around her long, slender legs, and burgundy boots completed the sophisticated ensemble.
Her original long dark green hair had been dyed a stunning shade of purple, which complemented her new outfit beautifully. The transformation was so complete that she looked like an entirely different person compared to their previous meeting.
"Why are you here?" Ash asked, his brow furrowing with concern.
Although Ash was familiar with Sabrina and they had shared significant experiences together in Saffron City, seeing her in this particular location made him instinctively cautious and suspicious.
Based on their previous interactions in Saffron City, there had been nothing particularly unusual about Sabrina except for the effects her powerful Psychic abilities had on her personality and behavior.
However, Ash distinctly remembered that in the Pokémon Special manga series, Sabrina was actually affiliated with Team Rocket. Not only Sabrina, but in that special storyline, Lt. Surge from Vermilion City Gym and Koga from Fuchsia City Gym were also secret Team Rocket members.
Throughout his journey so far, nothing had seemed out of the ordinary, which had led Ash to believe that this world didn't follow the same storyline as the special manga. But now, encountering Sabrina in this Team Rocket facility, his wariness was automatically triggered.
Sabrina possessed incredible Psychic powers and even had the ability to read minds, but she was unwilling to use her telepathic skills on Ash. She had always regarded Ash as one of her most genuine and trusted friends, someone she would never violate in such a way.
However, she was still keenly aware of Ash's sudden defensive attitude toward her YUG2presence. For some inexplicable reason, while she had felt genuine happiness at seeing him again after such a long separation, Ash was now displaying clear signs of suspicion and distrust.
The realization created an unexpected feeling of hurt in her heart. Had she done something wrong to make him so wary of her? Everything had been perfectly fine between them back in Saffron City, so what had changed?
"I... I'm looking for my Lapras," she answered Ash's question, her voice carrying a slight undertone of wounded feelings.
"Lapras?" Ash repeated, clearly surprised by her response.
The revelation that Sabrina had come to find her Lapras caught Ash completely off guard. In his memory, Sabrina had never owned a Lapras among her team of Pokémon.
However, Ash realized that Sabrina's appearances in his experiences had been relatively limited. Just because she didn't have a Lapras in the anime didn't mean she couldn't have one in reality. After all, reality was reality, and time didn't stop moving forward when he wasn't around to witness it.
It was perfectly natural for other people to have their own adventures and acquire new Pokémon during the times when their paths didn't cross. Thinking about it more carefully, the Team Rocket member who had just been launched through the air appeared to have been hit by a Psychic attack, which would have been Sabrina's doing.
If Sabrina truly was affiliated with Team Rocket as he had briefly suspected, she certainly wouldn't be so ruthlessly attacking her own teammates! This logical reasoning helped put his mind at ease.
Sabrina was also acutely aware of the subtle changes in Ash's demeanor and found his behavior somewhat puzzling. Just moments ago he had been clearly suspicious of her, but now he seemed like a completely different person.
Seeing Ash lower his guard against her brought Sabrina a sense of relief and comfort.
"Well, Celadon City recently opened express train connections to various cities throughout the region. I wanted to give myself a well-deserved vacation and decided to visit Celadon City for some relaxation and sightseeing," Sabrina began to explain.
"Later, I heard about an excellent Pokémon care center here, so I brought my Lapras there for some professional maintenance and health checks. Unfortunately, while I was there, some criminals came to the facility and robbed many Pokémon from the center."
"I managed to find a few people who witnessed the incident, and after reading their thoughts and memories, I was able to track the thieves to this location!" Sabrina provided a complete explanation of the circumstances that had led her here.
Ever since Ash had left Saffron City, Sabrina had returned to her normal duties and continued working as a Gym Leader. However, the gym trainer position had become increasingly monotonous and boring over time.
After the completion of the new railway station in Celadon City, it had established connections to many major cities throughout the Kanto Region, including Saffron City. When she decided she wanted to go out and relax somewhere, her natural choice as a young woman was Celadon City.
She had come to Celadon City specifically for its famous perfumes and tourist attractions. She had also planned to visit some highly recommended shops from her travel guidebook, but she hadn't expected that taking Lapras for routine maintenance would lead to such an unexpected adventure.
"I see now!" Ash said, feeling completely reassured after hearing Sabrina's thorough explanation.
"What about you? Why are you here?" Sabrina asked with genuine curiosity.
"We just returned to Celadon City earlier today, and then we encountered..." Ash began to recount his own story from the beginning, explaining how he and his Pokémon had become involved in this situation.
After hearing Ash's complete explanation, Sabrina finally understood why Ash had appeared in this Team Rocket facility as well.