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"I'm fine!!"
Ash, who was also looking in that direction, suddenly heard a voice that sounded like a young girl's speaking directly in his mind. Even Ash couldn't help but open his eyes wide in amazement.
"This is... telepathy??" Ash said with genuine surprise in his voice.
Telepathy was a specialized form of Psychic ability that allowed the user to communicate thoughts directly without speaking aloud. In reality, it wasn't actually sound at all, because this type of mental connection was the ability to directly transmit your thoughts and intended words into another person's mind.
It felt exactly like hearing someone speak, but in truth, the thoughts were being placed directly into your consciousness without any audible words being spoken.
"Pretty awesome, isn't it!" Sabrina turned her head toward Ash with a hint of pride when she saw his impressed reaction.
Ash nodded unconsciously, clearly fascinated. Telepathy was indeed a rare type of Psychic ability. For example, when Sabrina had suffered from her psychological split in the past, her psychic-powered doll had used telepathy to communicate.
Even many Psychic-type Pokémon were unable to master telepathy, and it was particularly remarkable that Lapras—who wasn't even a Psychic-type Pokémon—could actually possess this incredible ability.
While it was true that Lapras could learn some Psychic-type moves, since it wasn't naturally a Psychic-type, those abilities would definitely be much weaker than a true Psychic-type Pokémon's powers.
"This is what makes my Lapras truly special!" Sabrina said with a warm smile, then turned to look at the cage containing her beloved Pokémon, her expression immediately becoming cold and furious.
She was absolutely livid that these criminals had locked her precious Lapras in such a confined space. Her eyes began glowing with an intense blue light as she focused her psychic energy. The cage was constructed so solidly that even Lapras himself hadn't been able to escape on his own.
The iron bars above the cage instantly began twisting and groaning under the immense psychic pressure. Soon they were twisted together like a giant pretzel, creating a large opening. Lapras was finally able to emerge from his prison, immediately lowering his head to gently nuzzle Sabrina's face in gratitude.
"Okay, okay! Come back and rest first!" Sabrina reached up to touch Lapras's face affectionately, responding with a relieved smile, and then pulled out a Poké Ball to recall her Pokémon for some well-deserved rest.
Ash suddenly remembered that in the video games, when the plot reached this particular point, the people who were rescued from this facility would gratefully give the player character a Lapras as a reward. Could it be that the Lapras that was supposed to be given away was actually Sabrina's own Pokémon?
"Um... excuse me... who are you people?" a bespectacled researcher asked hesitantly as he stepped forward.
The man seemed genuinely frightened, especially after witnessing Sabrina's incredible psychic powers firsthand.
"Don't worry, we're not the bad guys here. The Team Rocket members on the floors below have all been defeated. You're free to escape now!" Ash explained the situation to the gathered researchers.
This laboratory was clearly the main research facility for studying Master Ball technology. Obviously, these scientists had been trapped here by Team Rocket for an extended period, forced to work on perfecting the Master Ball against their will.
It was quite possible that even if Team Rocket had achieved their goals and departed, these researchers might not have been allowed to escape alive. Technology like the Master Ball was incredibly valuable to criminal organizations like Team Rocket, and these people possessed all the technical knowledge needed to create them. The criminals would likely never risk letting them go free.
"Really... is that really true?" one of the researchers asked with hope in his voice.
Hearing Ash's words, all the scientists breathed collective sighs of relief, as if enormous weights had been lifted from their shoulders.
"Really, you should all leave quickly while you have the chance!" Ash confirmed their freedom.
He then moved away from the group and began opening the remaining cages that contained other captured Pokémon, gesturing for them to escape as well.
"Thank you so much for saving us!" all the researchers expressed their heartfelt gratitude before quickly departing with their rescued Pokémon companions.
"The final floor is next!" Ash announced as he walked toward the exit door, then looked down the corridor beside them and continued forward with Sabrina by his side.
They easily defeated the guards stationed at the stairway entrance and successfully reached the top floor of the facility. There were quite a few Team Rocket members on the highest level, but since there were no other prisoners being held up there except for President Silph, there was no need to waste excessive time on systematic room-by-room searches. They headed directly toward the location of the president's office.
When they first arrived at the entrance to the president's office, Ash spotted two familiar figures standing in the corridor—one positioned on the left side and one on the right, effectively blocking their path forward. They were already well-known adversaries.
"Well, well! How did your little shooting spree go down there?" one of them asked with a mocking smile.
The speaker seemed completely unsurprised that Ash had managed to reach this level, but appeared somewhat concerned about the fate of his fellow Team Rocket members.
"Who knows? I'm afraid... it probably didn't go too well for them!" Ash replied with a casual, light smile.
Both men looked at Ash carefully, and their expressions shifted slightly. Sometimes it was genuinely difficult for them to remember that the formidable opponent standing before them was supposedly just a ten-year-old child.
In reality, if they had bothered to check their surveillance systems, they would have discovered that their people were visible in every security camera feed—but every single one of them was now lying unconscious or worse.
Ash wasn't joking when he made that comment. He hadn't specifically held back during his battles, and this wasn't like playing a video game where you politely wait for opponents to see you before they release their Pokémon for a fair fight.
As soon as he encountered Team Rocket members, he attacked directly and decisively. When facing these particular enemies, he had never considered showing any kind of mercy or sporting conduct.
The two people blocking his path were also old adversaries of Ash's. They were Petrel and Proton, two of Team Rocket's four Executives, and they could definitely be described as bitter enemies who were filled with hatred whenever they encountered each other.
"Where are the other two members of your group?" Ash asked bluntly, not wanting to waste any more time as he pulled out a Poké Ball and casually tossed it in his hand.
"Huh? Sorry to disappoint you, but Ariana and Archer aren't here today!" Petrel responded after a moment of confusion, then realized which two people Ash was referring to and answered with his characteristic sneering smile.
"Really? What a shame! I was originally hoping to get my revenge for that four-against-one beating from last time!" Ash said, displaying an expression of genuine regret on his face.
Petrel was momentarily speechless at the boy's boldness. This kid was certainly vindictive, but when he thought about it more carefully, no Trainer would willingly accept being ganged up on and defeated without holding a grudge.
"Four against one?" Sabrina, who had been standing nearby listening to their conversation, asked with obvious confusion after hearing Ash's reference.
"Uh... it's a rather long story. I'll explain it to you later!" Ash replied, feeling that this particular matter couldn't be explained quickly, and now definitely wasn't the appropriate time for lengthy conversations.
"Alright! Tell me all about it when this is over!" Sabrina didn't press for more details, but she was clearly very interested in hearing the full story.
"Stop talking nonsense! Don't even think about getting past us!" Proton, who had remained silent until this moment, finally spoke up with authority.
Inside that office was their boss, Giovanni. No matter what happened, they absolutely could not allow this troublesome brat to get inside and interfere with their operations. Their ultimate goal had not yet been achieved.
"Why don't you try using your numbers advantage to bully me again? Since Archer and Ariana aren't here, you're looking a bit short-handed today!" Ash sneered when he saw their defensive stance.
Regarding his previous defeat, even though he had been outnumbered and overwhelmed, he was still filled with resentment and determination to settle the score.