Chapter 43: Replacing the Wardrobe and What I Heard

However, no matter how hard he shook and pushed the teammate, there was still no sign of life or waking up.

A sudden jolt of panic surged through him. Just as he was about to shout out, he suddenly sensed some movement behind him. He hurriedly spun around, only to find a pitch-black, round, oversized face pressed right against his own.

Before he could even let out a scream, a thick, broad tongue dripping with saliva had already licked across his face.

In an instant, the world began to spin uncontrollably. Just like his companion, he collapsed straight to the ground, passing out cold.

"Heh-heh-heh..." Gastly chuckled maliciously, "Have a nice nightmare!"

Having taken care of the two Team Rocket grunts, Gastly glanced around at the various monitoring equipment before him. It materialized a Shadow Ball beside itself and hurled it directly at the main control unit. The next second, amidst a flurry of sizzling sparks, row after row of screens flickered and died.

"That should do it, I suppose."

Looking at its handiwork, Gastly nodded with satisfaction. Just as it was about to vanish into thin air, the walkie-talkie nearby suddenly crackled to life.

"Monitoring room? I thought I heard some noise just now. Did something happen over there?"

Gastly's form began to shift, finally transforming into the exact appearance of the Team Rocket grunt from moments ago.

It picked up the walkie-talkie and, using the exact voice and tone of the original owner, replied, "Reporting in, everything is normal here. The noise just now was just me accidentally bumping into a chair."

"Is that so?" The person on the other end of the radio didn't suspect a thing. "Keep up the surveillance!"

...

Inside the fifteenth-floor office, Xiaoyou peeked out into the corridor once more. Seeing that the red light on the monitor had vanished, he knew Gastly had succeeded. He gestured to Sabrina, and the two of them quickly made their way toward the stairs.

Under these circumstances, they naturally wouldn't dare take the elevator. If they were discovered now, they would truly be trapped with nowhere left to run.

Yet, much to their dismay, their luck turned sour right from the start. Just as they were about to reach the stairway, chaotic footsteps suddenly echoed from within.

Xiaoyou's heart skipped a beat. The footsteps were practically right on top of them, sounding as though they would cross paths at any second. And because they had already walked quite a distance down the hall, there was simply no longer enough time to turn back and return to the room they had just left.

Before he could even react, Sabrina grabbed his sleeve and yanked him into a nearby room.

The moment they pulled the door shut, they heard several people emerge from the stairwell and step directly onto their floor!

Exchanging a glance with Sabrina, both of them knew all too well that they were still a long way from the top floor and absolutely must not expose their whereabouts. Simultaneously, they turned their heads to scan the room for a hiding place.

This room appeared to be a recreation lounge belonging to Silph Co. Inside were a few billiards tables and sofas, with potted plants resting in the corners. At the very back stood a row of tall, side-by-side lockers.

They hurried over to the lockers and reached out to pull the doors open, only to find that several in a row were securely locked!

Just as Sabrina was about to use her psychic powers to force the locks open, Xiaoyou happened to try another cabinet door and found it unlocked. Realizing this locker was just the right size to conceal both of them, and hearing the approaching footsteps grow louder by the moment, Sabrina didn't hesitate. She slipped inside first.

Xiaoyou retrieved a Poké Ball, recalled Kirlia, and squeezed into the locker as well.

No matter how spacious the locker might be, accommodating two people still made it rather cramped. Xiaoyou and Sabrina were pressed closely together, making physical contact inevitable, and their very breaths brushed against each other's faces.

Yet, neither of them had the luxury of dwelling on it at the moment. As the door to the lounge was pushed open, several Team Rocket grunts slowly walked inside.

One of them instructed, "Everyone, search thoroughly again. Make sure you don't miss a single person!"

"Oh, come on, boss," another complained. "Haven't we already searched the entire building once? Why do we have to search it all over again?"

"Idiots," the leader barked in reprimand. "This company is massive, and those researchers are extremely cunning. Who knows where a stray fish might be hiding? Our plan cannot afford any mistakes. Keep your eyes peeled and search carefully!"

The footsteps drew closer. One of the Team Rocket grunts walked up to the locker, reached out, and pulled the door, but it didn't budge. He shook it roughly, and upon confirming it wouldn't open, he moved on to the next one.

Several lockers in a row were locked. When he finally reached Xiaoyou's hiding spot, Xiaoyou's heart sank, and he readied himself to burst out and fight. However, when the Team Rocket grunt pulled on the handle, it remained completely motionless, just like the others.

"How come all of these are locked?" the grunt muttered under his breath.

Xiaoyou felt a wave of astonishment and glanced sideways at Sabrina, realizing she had silently exerted her psychic powers.

The leader called out from the other side of the room, "Are they really not opening? Huh? They're all locked? Forget it then, let's hurry up and move to the next room."

"Ugh?" someone grumbled in discontent. "Boss, let us take a break. We've searched several floors in a row, and our legs are truly giving out."

"That's right, just let us rest for a little while," the rest of the Team Rocket members chimed in chorus.

After a brief moment of hesitation, the leader finally nodded, "Alright then. We'll rest right here for five minutes, and then we resume operations."

The grunts let out cheers of relief and promptly settled down onto the sofas.

Inside the dim and enclosed locker, Xiaoyou and Sabrina remained completely silent. The air circulation here was poor, and as time dragged on, it began to grow stuffy while the temperature steadily rose.

Out in the lounge, taking advantage of the rare respite, the Team Rocket grunts let their minds wander and began chatting casually among themselves.

"Boss, with an operation this massive, what is our actual goal anyway?"

As low-ranking grunts, they knew very little about the specific details of the mission. Driven by sheer curiosity, however, they hoped to coax some information out of their leader during the break.

At first, the leader was reluctant to disclose anything. But worn down by everyone's overlapping questions, he paused for a moment and finally spoke.

"Fine, fine. I can't tell you much, but I can reveal a little bit," he gave a soft cough and continued, "Aside from the assets of this company, our true target is a special type of Poké Ball they are currently developing in secret—the Master Ball!"

"A Master Ball!?" a grunt asked, bewildered. "What's that?"

"It's the rarest and most precious Poké Ball in existence." Speaking of the Master Ball, a look of yearning crept into the leader's eyes. "It is said that no matter what kind of Pokémon it is, as long as you use this ball, you don't even need to battle or wear down its stamina—you can capture it with a hundred percent success rate!"

"It's that powerful!?" The Team Rocket members gasped in astonishment.

"Of course," the leader laughed heartily. "Why else do you think Team Rocket went to such great lengths to seize this place? Once we truly get our hands on such a Master Ball, capturing powerful and rare Pokémon in the future will no longer be just a dream!"