Infiltrating the Tower

Sabrina asked calmly, "So, where should we go in?"

Xia You looked up at the cameras surrounding Silph Co., then glanced around and pointed at another office building beside it.

"This building is only half as tall as Silph Co. If we can get inside from its rooftop, we can bypass the Team Rocket members on the lower floors."

Sabrina raised no objections. She followed Xia You across the street, blending into a group of office workers as they entered the building.

The two took the elevator to the top floor. At the stairway leading farther up, Sabrina used her psychic powers to twist the lock apart, giving them an unobstructed path to the rooftop.

Psychic powers really were powerful and convenient!

A cool wind blew against Xia You as he stood beside the railing and looked ahead.

The steady stream of cars on the street had become tiny, while Silph Co. across from them was still a considerable distance away.

"What is it? Are you scared?" Sabrina asked softly.

"Not scared, exactly. My legs are just trembling a little..." Rather than putting on a brave face, Xia You admitted it openly. "But there's no way I can back down at a time like this."

With that, he searched the building opposite them and soon spotted a window that had been broken during Team Rocket's invasion.

It was a floor-to-ceiling window that let in plenty of light, but the glass had already shattered. The room behind it was an office, now deserted because of the commotion.

"Let's go in through there!"

When Sabrina gave a slight nod, Xia You gestured to Kirlia. Kirlia immediately came over and wrapped both arms around his waist.

Teleport activated.

The next second, Xia You vanished. When he and Kirlia reappeared, they were already standing inside the office.

He looked back toward Sabrina just in time to see her rise into the air without any wind and fly straight over from the opposite rooftop.

Fine, you've got psychic powers. You win!

Once they were together again, Xia You called softly, "Gastly."

Gastly floated out of his shadow. "What is it?"

Before Xia You could speak, however, Sabrina covered her mouth in a rare display of surprise.

"You can actually talk?"

"What's so strange about that?" Gastly glanced at Sabrina. "It's only human language. Little girl, you really haven't seen much of the world!"

"All right, enough wisecracks," Xia You said. "Go scout the area first. Make sure you get a clear idea of where Team Rocket is."

As Gastly passed through the wall, Sabrina turned back to Xia You, as though seeing him in a new light.

"A Pokémon Trainer, the International Police, a talking Gastly... I never would have thought someone about my age could have experienced so much."

"That's nothing compared to you." Despite their perilous surroundings, Xia You did not seem particularly tense. "You have psychic powers and you're a Gym Leader. You're the one people should envy."

Perhaps she had heard too many compliments to care. Instead, Sabrina asked, "Do you know what Team Rocket is actually after?"

Xia You shrugged, indicating that he did not know.

It had been so long that his memories of the events involving Silph Co. in the game had grown hazy, but he was certain they had something to do with the company's president.

He took out his phone and checked it. Sure enough, just as aboard the S.S. Anne, the signal had been completely jammed.

Before long, Gastly returned.

"Most of the Team Rocket members are concentrated on the lower and upper floors. There are actually very few in the middle."

"What about the employees in the building?"

"They've been gathered into several rooms and are being guarded separately," Gastly said. "But Team Rocket doesn't seem to intend to hurt them, so they're safe for now."

"What do you want to do next?" Sabrina asked.

"There are too many people for the two of us to rescue everyone." Xia You thought for a moment. "I think we should find the president's office and get him out. As long as we can get him to safety, whatever Team Rocket is trying to do will fall through."

Sabrina nodded. "That sounds dangerous, but don't worry. Since I accepted the job, I'll make sure to help you."

"That's certainly reassuring."

Taking a deep breath, Xia You peeked into the corridor, only to pull his head back almost immediately.

"There's a camera right ahead of us. We'll definitely be spotted if we go out like this, so we need to deal with the surveillance before we leave!"

He turned to Gastly and instructed, "Let's split up. Head to the Control Room first and see if you can knock out the entire system. Then meet us on the top floor!"

"Heh heh." Gastly grinned. "Leave it to me. Wrecking things is my favorite pastime-and what I do best!"

With that, Gastly's form faded from the room.

The Control Room on the first floor of Silph Co.

Two Team Rocket members were watching the monitors intently, afraid of missing anything.

Before today's operation, both their Big Boss and their commanding officers had ordered everyone to remain on high alert, without letting their guard down for even a moment.

As ordinary members with lofty ambitions, they naturally carried out that order to the letter.

Although Team Rocket was an evil organization that often did bad things, it actually treated its members extremely well.

Not only was it a massive organization with many large, publicly traded companies operating across regions, but it also gave its members comprehensive benefits, paid their salaries on time, and provided equipment, Pokémon, and other resources. It even held frequent social gatherings, tea parties, and morale-building meetings. That was why its members were so united.

A man's flippant voice suddenly came over the radio. "Hey, hey. How are things looking over there?"

"Reporting, Mr. Lance!" one of the Team Rocket members replied respectfully. "No abnormalities detected around the building's perimeter!"

The voice over the radio asked, "And inside the building?"

The Team Rocket member swept his gaze across all the monitors. "No abnormalities detected on any floor, either!"

"Good." The flippant male voice offered a few words of praise, then instructed, "Stay alert. If anything happens, report it immediately!"

"Yes, sir!"

Setting the radio aside, the member wiped the sweat from his forehead and joked at his own expense, "Man, no matter how many times I talk to those executives, they scare the life out of me every time."

Yet even after he had finished speaking, his partner offered no reply. Puzzled, he quickly turned to look, only to find the other member slumped motionless over the console, apparently asleep!

"Hey, are you kidding me?" He got up, walked over to his partner, and shoved him hard. "You actually dare to sleep at a time like this? You really haven't got a care in the world!"