Chapter 45: The Third Executive

"However, your good luck ends right here."

Following Lance's words, the Team Rocket grunts successively released their Pokémon, instantly packing the hallway to the brim.

Blake and Sabrina stood back-to-back, pressed tightly against each other, not daring to let their guard down for even a second.

"What should we do now? Should we run?" Sabrina asked softly.

"Of course we can't run," Blake shook his head, then pulled a Poké Ball from his waist and tossed it into the air. "Since we've already made it this far, how could we give up halfway!"

With a flash of blue light, a Pokémon with a wingspan of nearly three meters, a golden body, and crackling with electricity appeared before everyone's eyes.

"It's Zapdos!?"

"Whoa, this is my first time seeing one!"

The Team Rocket grunts exclaimed in shock, and even Sabrina couldn't help but look back, her gaze filled with utter astonishment as she stared at Zapdos.

After all, legendary Pokémon of this caliber were extremely rare; ordinary people would be lucky to catch a glimpse of one in their lifetime, let alone capture it or battle against it!

"Don't panic!" Seeing the commotion among his grunts, Lance shouted loudly to reassure them, "So what if he has Zapdos? Everyone, attack together!"

Blake also gave the command: "Zapdos! Use Thunderbolt!!"

Zapdos originally had no intention of obeying Blake's commands, but seeing attacks heading its way from both front and rear, it let out an angry screech in order to self-preservation and unleashed an indiscriminate attack in all directions.

A fierce bolt of electricity erupted instantly with Zapdos at its center, not only neutralizing the moves of the other Pokémon but continuing to expand until it engulfed most of the hallway.

The moment Zapdos unleashed Thunderbolt, Kirlia grabbed Blake and Sabrina's hands, instantly teleporting to the other side of the corridor to dodge the attack.

The electric glare was blindingly bright, and amidst the crackling sounds, the screams and wails of the Team Rocket grunts could be clearly heard.

By the time the light faded, the hallway was littered everywhere with fallen Team Rocket grunts and their unconscious Pokémon.

"Damn it!"

Lance turned around to look at Blake with a gloomy expression.

Because he was far in the back of the crowd, he had narrowly managed to avoid being hit by the Thunderbolt. Gritting his teeth, he released his own Pokémon.

"Unless you defeat me, don't even think about leaving this place!"

Just like Lambda, another executive Blake had encountered aboard the S.S. Anne, his Pokémon turned out to be Zubat and Weezing.

The sound of footsteps echoed continuously as a fresh wave of Team Rocket grunts came running up from the stairs, taking their positions behind Lance.

"Tsk," Blake sighed. "They just keep coming one after another. What a hassle."

At that moment, Sabrina stepped forward, placing herself in front of Blake and leaving him with nothing more than her captivating silhouette.

"Alright, leave this to me. Now, hurry up and go do what you need to do."

"This..." Blake hesitated briefly, but knowing the situation was critical, this was no time for modesty or dragging his feet. Moreover, Sabrina's extraordinary abilities meant he didn't really need to worry too much.

"Fine, I'll leave Zapdos and Gastly here to help you. Make sure you take good care of yourself!"

Without waiting for Sabrina's agreement, he took Kirlia and sprinted smoothly and unimpeded toward the president's office.

"Damn it! Stop right there!"

Seeing Blake leave, Lance tried to step forward to stop him, but after taking only a few steps, Sabrina calmly tossed out her own Poké Ball, blocking his path.

...

Blake pushed open the office door to find an elderly man slumped on the sofa. Aside from him, there was no one else in the entire office.

Huh? Giovanni isn't here?

Recalling the helicopter he had seen departing earlier, Blake already had his answer.

There was no time to think it over. Judging by the elderly man's demeanor and attire, he clearly wasn't a member of Team Rocket. Blake hurried over a few steps and helped him up.

"Are you alright?"

The elderly man opened his eyes, looked at Blake, and let out a sigh of relief.

"You cops took forever to get here..."

"Sorry," Blake shook his head. "I'm not a police officer. I was just hired by someone to come and check out the situation."

"What!?" The elderly man's eyes widened in disbelief. "You're not a police officer, yet you managed to barge in all the way here? That's incredible! Then what about those Team Rocket members outside..."

"That's right," Blake paused, letting the elderly man hear the continuous screams echoing from the hallway. "They're still outside. We should hurry up and leave."

However, just as he was supporting the elderly man and preparing to have Kirlia use Teleport to get them out of there, a woman's voice suddenly rang out from within the room.

"I knew that guy Lance couldn't be relied upon. He actually let a rat slip inside anyway, completely wasting the boss's trust."

Blake snapped his head around, only to discover that standing in the corner of the office, appearing from who-knows-where, was a woman dressed in Team Rocket's white uniform with red eyebrows and red hair!

Her appearance was like a ghost's—uncanny and utterly untraceable.

"Who are you?" Blake asked.

"Allow me to introduce myself," the woman said, her expression arrogant and vicious. "My name is Ariana. I am both a research scientist and, just like that useless fellow outside, one of Team Rocket's executives."

"Another executive?" Blake looked her up and down. "And a researcher to boot?"

Ariana smiled and nodded, "My primary field of study is researching strange sound waves that force Pokémon to evolve. Coming here today, I originally wanted to see the legendary Master Ball for myself, but I never expected this old man's mouth to be so stubborn."

Sensing that this woman clearly harbored malicious intentions, Blake kept his guard up while replying with a smile: "Since you're a researcher, resorting to violence would really beneath your dignity. How about this, let's pretend we've never laid eyes on each other, and allow us to leave safely. How does that sound?"

"You've got quite a silver tongue, kid," the woman said with an insincere smile. "I wonder if you'd mind telling me your identity?"

"Now how could I do that?" Blake shrugged. "My mother once warned me never to tell my name to vicious-looking, annoying older girls."

They appeared to be joking, but in reality, it was a battle of wits with neither side willing to yield an inch.

"..." Ariana's expression darkened, clearly provoked into anger. "Is that so? Then that makes it all the more reason I can't let you walk away."

With that, she retrieved two Poké Balls from her bosom and released her Pokémon.

One of these Pokémon was coiled up like a massive cobra—Arbok.

The other resembled a giant crow, pitch black all over, with head feathers shaped like a witch's hat and a tail like a broom—Murkrow.

At this point, Blake decided to stop wasting words with her and simultaneously threw out his own Poké Balls.

As flashes of blue light flickered one after another, Ivysaur, Squirtle, Charmander, and Jolteon all materialized inside the office.

In an instant, tension filled the air, and a chaotic battle seemed completely inevitable!