The Master Ball?
So that really was their target!
Just then, Sabrina shifted uncomfortably. She had been holding the same position for so long that her body had understandably grown stiff.
But this movement, while providing some relief, brought her into even closer contact with Natsui.
Feeling a few soft places, Natsui's heart couldn't help but beat faster, and even Sabrina's breathing grew heavier.
Fortunately, the Team Rocket Grunts really did just rest for a moment before leaving the lounge. Once their voices had completely faded, the two of them scrambled out of the locker.
After being cooped up for so long, Natsui took a deep breath of fresh air. He wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but perhaps from being so close to Sabrina, had some of her feminine scent clung to him?
To avoid any mutual embarrassment, Natsui didn't look at Sabrina's expression. Instead, he walked to the door and slowly poked his head out to observe.
A dark, round face was staring right back at him…
Natsui jumped in fright, only to realize it was his own Gastly.
"What are you doing out here!?"
"It's because you two were being so slow." Gastly floated in from the side, its suspicious gaze shifting back and forth between Natsui and Sabrina. "Strange, what were you two doing just now? How come her face is a little red?"
"Hey, hey, don't say things like that!" Natsui quickly tried to cover Gastly's mouth, but his hand passed right through its gaseous body. "We were just hiding from a Team Rocket search party!"
"Relax, Team Rocket has already left." Gastly chuckled mischievously, clearly taking Natsui's explanation as a poor cover-up. "Since everything's fine, we should get going."
Leaving the lounge, the pair entered the staircase and headed upstairs.
Unfortunately, the building was crawling with too many Team Rocket members. They hadn't gone far before they ran head-on into a few grunts.
"Who are you!?"
Seeing Natsui and Sabrina, whose clothes were clearly different from the researchers', one of the grunts shouted. But before they could even act, in the next second, all of them were enveloped in psychic power and turned into small dolls by Sabrina!
This was the same move she had once used against Brock and Misty during Ash's gym challenge. Those affected by it had no power to resist and could only be manipulated at will.
But even though they had dealt with these few, the shout from before had alerted others. Many Team Rocket Grunts who heard the cry rushed towards their location.
"I guess this won't be as smooth as we hoped!"
The two of them took off, running up the stairwell as more and more Team Rocket Grunts gave chase from below.
"Intruders!"
"What happened? Didn't the control room see them!?"
"Darn it, how did they get in? Report to the executives, quickly!"
After running up a few more floors, their path was soon blocked by another group of Team Rocket Grunts.
Now, with chasers behind and a blockade in front, their route was completely sealed off.
Seeing this, Natsui decisively took out a Poké Ball and sent out Kirlia.
"Gastly, use Hypnosis! Kirlia, use Psychic!"
Both Pokémon unleashed their moves at the same time. The Team Rocket Grunts, before they even had a chance to call out their own Pokémon, fell to the ground one after another like bowling pins.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Natsui and Sabrina continued to run upwards.
...
Silph Co. top floor, President's office.
As the ultimate boss of Team Rocket, Giovanni, dressed in a black suit with his hair impeccably styled and a stern expression, was currently standing in the office, looking down on an old man before him.
The old man sat on the sofa. Though he was over seventy, he was full of spirit. Despite the predicament, his expression remained unchanged, showing no signs of panic.
"Old man," Giovanni's voice was low and slow, sounding extremely oppressive, "for the safety of your employees, you'd better tell me quickly where you've hidden the Master Ball!"
"You can forget about it. How could I possibly hand over such a dangerous Poké Ball to people like you!" the old man said with a calm expression. "I just never expected that the infamous leader of Team Rocket would personally lead a team to take over my company today. It's truly surprising."
Giovanni was completely unmoved by the old man's sarcasm.
In fact, after meticulously searching the building and not finding the Master Ball, this old man had become his last hope. Furthermore, because of his age, he wouldn't use brute force on him.
Just then, a Team Rocket Grunt walked to Giovanni's side and whispered a few words in his ear.
"Intruders?" Giovanni shot the grunt a cold look, his authority radiating effortlessly. "Why are you only discovering this now?"
Cold sweat instantly beaded on the grunt's forehead. "It's… it's because they broke into the control room first, knocked out our people, and destroyed the equipment, so…"
He never thought that such a meticulous plan could still have unexpected variables.
"Who are the intruders?"
The grunt quickly replied: "There are two intruders. One of them has been identified, it's the Saffron City Gym Leader, Sabrina! The other is a male, around the same age as Sabrina, but his specific identity has not yet been determined!"
"Sabrina!?"
A murderous glint flashed in Giovanni's eyes.
Anyone else would be one thing, but as an official Gym Leader of the Pokémon League, Giovanni had naturally met Sabrina on several occasions.
His own identity as the Viridian City Gym Leader was a very good cover. If Sabrina were to find out his true identity, it would indeed be a great loss.
Thinking of this, he looked back at a Team Rocket Executive who had been leaning against the wall the whole time.
"Lance, I'm leaving things here to you. Don't let them leave alive."
The executive called Lance was a man with short, teal-colored hair, wearing a standard-issue black Team Rocket cap.
Hearing the order, he gave an elegant bow and said respectfully, though in a frivolous tone, "Please rest assured, my lord. It will all be over soon."
...
Just as Natsui and Sabrina, panting for breath, finally reached the top floor, they suddenly heard the loud roar of propellers outside the window. A helicopter, in an instant, departed from the Silph Co. building and disappeared into the distant sky.
They entered the floor and locked the stairwell door behind them. Just as they were about to breathe a sigh of relief, they heard a round of applause from in front of them.
Lance, clapping as he walked, approached the pair and praised them, "To be able to break through our Team Rocket's tight encirclement to get here, I must say, you two are quite impressive."
Beside Lance, numerous Team Rocket Grunts swarmed in to surround them. And behind the pair, with a loud crash, the pursuing Team Rocket members broke down the stairwell door and poured into the hallway.
------------------------------
Featured projects:
Goddess Training Manual — 450 chapters (R‑18 novel)
Second Generation Villain (Revised Version) — 35 chapters (R‑18 novel)
Detective Conan Fanfic — 350 chapters (R‑18)
The Heroine Wants to Join My Harem — 910 chapters
I Am the Villain's Father — 350 chapters
I Have 90 Million in Funds — 23 chapters (R‑18 novel)
I Have Caught a Pokémon — 100 chapters (R‑18 novel)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
👉 Join and support these projects at: patreon.com/LEYI396
— Don't miss a single chapter or any manga translation done on demand!