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Looking at Eddie suddenly 'wake up' and then say such words, Sabrina reacted immediately. Her face flushed red and her eyes turned cold.
"You... you were already awake?!"
Eddie sensed something was wrong when he heard that. Using the little strength he had just recovered, he reached out and pressed on Sabrina's head, pulling her toward him.
"Oh my god, I was the one who initiated it, but somehow Sabrina ended up being the one taking the lead?!"
Eddie was breathing heavily. He didn't have the energy to speak and could only complain silently in his heart.
"Hmph! If it weren't for your weakened state, I would have suffocated you to death just now."
Although Sabrina's tone was quite harsh, judging from her rosy complexion and the smile at the corners of her mouth, it was clear that she was obviously enjoying the experience.
Eddie's mouth twitched when he heard this. He didn't know what to say, so he concentrated all his thoughts into two words and spoke them aloud.
"...Thanks."
Sabrina looked at Eddie's weak appearance. She had never thought about doing anything harmful to Eddie in the first place, and now her heart softened as she showed some rare tenderness.
"Forget it. I'm just glad you're okay. What's the situation now? How did the previous battle turn out?"
Sabrina gently placed the powerless Eddie in her arms so that he had someone to lean on for support, then asked about the battle situation.
"I just fainted. How would I know? You fainted too. If you hadn't helped me wake up, I still wouldn't be conscious yet."
When mentioning the word "helped," Eddie deliberately emphasized it, causing Sabrina's face to turn red again.
But before Sabrina could react, Eddie immediately changed the subject.
"I don't know the details, but my Pokémon know. Let me ask them."
Although, upon seeing Mew, the three legendary birds, and his group of Pokémon standing before him, Eddie could already guess the general outcome.
After his Pokémon explained, Eddie understood what had happened while he was unconscious.
After he used his ultimate technique, his body could no longer bear the strain and he collapsed.
Since he had fainted, Giovanni naturally took the opportunity to try to eliminate him.
As a result, Mew, the three legendary birds, and Mewtwo appeared one after another. The five legendary Pokémon, along with Eddie's own Pokémon, protected him.
Seeing this, Giovanni had no choice but to retreat. He left after saying some threatening words.
"It seems Giovanni has retreated, but Team Rocket and the Alliance forces haven't received the news yet. After all, one retreated and the other fainted. Since neither Giovanni nor I showed up, everyone doesn't know the specific situation."
Even though no one dared to stay near their battlefield, Eddie could still hear the sounds of fighting in the distance. He naturally knew that the war wasn't over yet.
"Sabrina, you should return to the Golden City Gym and rest first. Actually, except for the upper echelons, the general public doesn't know the true identities of you three executives. I'll go and make a suggestion to the Alliance, asking them to pardon you and put all the blame on Giovanni instead."
Eddie was full of confidence at this moment and had already arranged the next steps for Sabrina.
In fact, Eddie's proposal was what the Alliance would have done originally in the canon timeline.
After all, if four Gym Leaders were convicted at once, the impact would be enormous.
What is a Gym Leader? They are the strongest force in every city. While enjoying the privileges and rights that come with being a Gym Leader, they are also the guardians responsible for protecting their locations.
Countless people aspire to become Gym Leaders. Many trainers become trainers specifically to achieve that goal.
So what would happen if the Alliance now told the public that four of the eight Gym Leaders in the Kanto Region were actually members of Team Rocket?
What would the people of Kanto think when they learned that half of the Gym Leaders had betrayed them? They would only feel panic and begin to distrust the Alliance's rule. They might even develop a rebellious attitude. If four Gym Leaders rebelled at once, everyone would think that the fault might not necessarily lie with those rebellious Gym Leaders, but rather with the darkness within the Alliance itself, which would make people feel extremely concerned.
Although Eddie and the Gym Leaders all knew that the Alliance in this world was actually very conscientious and fair, and its leadership was quite benevolent, the general public who weren't exposed to these inner workings wouldn't think so. In order to maintain stability, the Alliance would never remove the positions of four Gym Leaders at once.
Therefore, the Alliance wouldn't remove the Gym Leader positions of the three Team Rocket members. Instead, they would announce Giovanni's identity as the man behind Team Rocket and put all the blame on him.
If the Gym Leaders of Vermilion City, Golden City, and Viridian City confessed their guilt with a good attitude, accepted the Alliance investigation, and agreed to restrictions on their personal freedom for a certain period of time, the Alliance could give them a chance to reform and allow them to continue serving as Gym Leaders.
This was the Alliance's arrangement for the three Team Rocket members. Eddie didn't know whether the Alliance had thought of this approach yet, but regardless, he could propose it to them.
Eddie was no longer an unknown person. He was the "hero" who had defeated Team Rocket. With this identity, everyone would pay attention to any suggestions he put forward.
Furthermore, his proposal aligned with the Alliance's principle of maintaining stability. If the Alliance already had this arrangement in mind, then they would be on the same page. If the Alliance hadn't thought of this arrangement yet, Eddie's proposal would be tantamount to solving a major problem for them. They would probably be even more grateful to Eddie and listen to his opinions in the future.
That's why Eddie confidently claimed he could protect Sabrina.
"...I'm an executive of Team Rocket. Why should I listen to you?"
Sabrina was deeply moved when she heard this, but she couldn't help speaking such sarcastic words.
"Oh~~~ You said you won't listen to me?"
Eddie raised his eyebrows, not quite understanding what Sabrina meant.
However, when he saw Sabrina's mouth curl up involuntarily, Eddie suddenly understood.
"You actually won't listen to your man? Then don't blame me for punishing you according to my family rules."
"Mmm~~~Hmm..."
"It's really... domineering, but... I like it."
"Mmm... haa..."
Author's Note: There are some intentional gaps in this chapter, but it was written that way on purpose. Everyone understands.