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The war began. The most excited participants weren't Team Rocket members whose protective barrier had just shattered, nor were they Erika and the other worried humans from the Pokémon world. Instead, it was the reckless group of players.
"Kill them all!"
"Take down Team Rocket!"
"Look at all these people! Hurry up and attack! These are contribution points waiting to be earned!"
"After this battle, our group will grow even stronger!"
Many players treated this like a video game, believing that the more enemies they defeated, the more rewards they would receive. They charged recklessly into battle, throwing caution to the wind. Swarms of intermediate-level and even beginner trainers rushed toward the Team Rocket forces, where Senior-level trainers were stationed.
Eddie didn't waste time thinking about the disaster awaiting those foolish players.
His attention wasn't focused on the military conflict unfolding below. Instead, he concentrated on the tracking device in his hand, searching for a specific location.
"Eddie, have you located them yet?"
Gary's voice carried an edge of anxiety. The fighting had already erupted down below, and he needed to find the residents of Pallet Town and his sister as quickly as possible. He couldn't risk the escalating battle accidentally harming any innocent civilians.
"Found it. Over there."
Eddie held the locator firmly in one hand while pointing toward the tallest building in Saffron City with the other—the Silph Company Building.
"I can't be certain where the residents of Pallet Town are being held, but Daisy is definitely there. That's what the locator is showing."
Eddie remained cautious in his assessment. He had no way of knowing whether the Pallet Town residents would still be imprisoned in the basement of Room 677 in the Silph Building this time around. However, Daisy's location was confirmed.
"Then let's move out! But I suggest we split up and enter from different floors using various methods. That way, our chances of finding and rescuing both my sister and the Pallet Town residents will be much higher."
Gary studied the nearly fifty-story Silph Company Building and frowned thoughtfully before making his proposal.
Indeed, searching such a massive building floor by floor as a single group would consume far too much time. Nobody could predict how long that would take.
The efficiency would improve dramatically if the four of them separated and covered different areas simultaneously.
"After we rescue the citizens of Pallet Town and my sister, we'll leave immediately, regroup with the Gym Leaders, and then join the battle below together. Does this action plan sound good to everyone?"
Gary presented this strategy to the group, directing his question primarily toward Eddie, their current team leader.
"I think it's an excellent plan. Splitting up will definitely make it easier to locate where the Pallet Town residents are being held captive. If anyone finds the target, don't forget to contact the others using your Pokédex. In the end, we should escort the hostages away together—otherwise, the ongoing war might put them in danger."
Before Eddie could respond, Ash voiced his agreement enthusiastically.
"Alright then, let's move out, everyone. Good luck, and stay safe!"
Eddie didn't object to the plan. There was no reason to stop them from proceeding.
Gary nodded in acknowledgment, then commanded his Charizard to fly toward the middle floors of the Silph Building.
After bidding farewell to Green and Eddie, Ash had his Aerodactyl grab hold of him and fly toward the lower floors of the Silph Building.
"Green, you go ahead and search for information. Leave the rescue mission to me. But please be careful out there."
Seeing that both Ash and Gary had already departed, Eddie turned to address Green directly.
He understood that Green was deeply concerned about the Pallet Town residents as well—after all, Pallet Town was her hometown too. However, beyond rescuing the hostages, Green also wanted to find clues about her own kidnapping from years ago.
Green blinked in surprise when she heard Eddie's words. Those expressive eyes of hers seemed to shimmer with genuine warmth and gratitude.
"Alright, dear. Then I'm leaving the rescue mission in your capable hands."
Green felt a warmth spreading through her chest as she responded with affectionate words.
After speaking, Green moved closer to Eddie and gently pressed her lips against his.
"We don't have much time right now. Let's find some time to enjoy ourselves properly after this battle is over."
Green spoke in a teasing tone that stirred something within Eddie, then directed her Ditto to float toward the upper floors of the Silph Building.
"That girl... After we deal with the Masked Man, we'll have plenty of time together."
Eddie watched Green's retreating figure with a fond smile.
"But it seems like everyone went to the wrong locations. If my intuition is correct, Daisy should actually be in the basement."
After breaking through the barrier, Eddie had used both his Aura powers and Psychic abilities to sense the underground levels of the Silph Building. He first detected whether anyone was present below, then used his Aura to "see" their exact positions.
Through this method, he discovered that unlike the Pallet Town townspeople who were imprisoned together in a warehouse, Daisy was locked alone in what appeared to be a lounge. It seemed that as Professor Oak's granddaughter, she had received somewhat special treatment from her captors.
"I'll rescue the hostages first, then go help Ash and the others. I hope they can hold out until then."
After making this decision, Eddie mounted his Garchomp and headed toward the main entrance of the Silph Building. Although he was traveling in the same general direction as Ash, his actual destination was underground, which meant he needed to enter from the first floor.
In truth, a significant part of Eddie's reason for agreeing to Gary's split-up plan was to let the others draw the attention of Team Rocket's three executives. This would allow him to conduct the rescue operation without facing major obstacles.
Meanwhile, in the Silph Building's surveillance room, the three Team Rocket executives were monitoring both the war raging outside and the movements of Eddie's group.
Lt. Surge and Koga appeared excited, as though they could already envision Team Rocket's complete takeover of the Kanto Region. However, Sabrina, who served as the commander-in-chief of this operation, wore an increasingly dark expression.
Saffron City was Sabrina's hometown. The city where she had grown up was now a battlefield, and it would be foolish to claim she felt nothing about this situation.
Even Koga and Lt. Surge beside her could understand Sabrina's conflicted feelings. If this war were taking place in their own hometowns, neither of them would be in good spirits either. So despite their current excitement, they deliberately avoided showing it too obviously, not wanting to upset Sabrina further.
Of course, neither Koga nor Lt. Surge realized that Sabrina's dark expression stemmed from another source entirely. When she had witnessed Green's earlier actions—specifically that kiss—she had inexplicably felt a surge of anger rising within her.
"Hahaha, these foolish kids actually split up? Koga, let's divide and conquer those two boys. Sabrina, you stay here to protect this location. That girl who shared the kiss earlier will probably arrive here soon enough."
"As for Eddie, judging from his current path, he'll likely join the main battle after rescuing the hostages. Let's eliminate these three first before he can interfere."
Lt. Surge noticed that Sabrina's expression was growing increasingly stormy. Not wanting to remain in such an uncomfortable atmosphere, he pointed at the surveillance monitors showing Eddie and his companions and made this tactical suggestion.
What he didn't realize was that when he mentioned "the girl who shared the kiss," an inexplicable fire of rage ignited in Sabrina's heart. Her face was no longer merely gloomy—it had transformed into something ice-cold and dangerous.
However, the two men failed to notice the shift in Sabrina's expression, or perhaps they deliberately chose to ignore it.
"That's exactly what I was thinking. I'll take Gary. He and I have unfinished business from the Pokémon Tower incident."
Koga studied Gary's image on the surveillance screen. If Agatha hadn't controlled him during the Pokémon Tower incident, he would have already settled things with Gary in a proper battle. Now he finally had the opportunity to make up for that missed confrontation.
"Excellent! Although I'd prefer to face Eddie directly, that guy is currently focused on the rescue operation, so I'll choose Ash instead. If it hadn't been for this kid's interference, I could have defeated Eddie aboard the S.S. Anne!"
Lt. Surge pointed at Ash's image on the screen. He firmly believed that if Ash hadn't desperately blocked attacks and assisted Eddie during their previous encounter, he would have emerged victorious.
Of course, he would only maintain this belief because he remained unaware of Eddie's true trump cards.
"Go ahead then. Just keep the battle confined to your designated floors."
Sabrina spoke coldly before walking out of the surveillance room. She was heading to find a more spacious area where she could wait for Green's arrival.
"Let's get out of here. I really don't want to stay in this room any longer."
Lt. Surge felt relieved once Sabrina had departed, then quickly urged Koga to leave as well.
Koga nodded in agreement. He too felt uncomfortable remaining there. Nobody wanted to stand beside someone radiating such cold fury—it created an awkward and suffocating atmosphere.
After that exchange, the two executives headed toward their respective opponents, prepared to engage Ash and Gary in battle.