Just as Ash was ruthlessly "returned" by Alakazam due to his "dull aptitude" and left the Saffron Gym in low spirits...
Saffron City, the Underground World.
Here, a Team Rocket base remained active.
You ask if Sabrina knows about this? She certainly does. It's just that Team Rocket hadn't dared to cause trouble before, so Sabrina pretended not to see them. After all, she couldn't beat Giovanni.
Deep within this hidden and massive Team Rocket base, however, a different kind of undercurrent was surging.
In the conference room within the base's core area, the atmosphere was already heated with the competition and hostility common within Team Rocket.
"Yo~ Isn't this our elite duo, Cassidy and Butch?"
Jessie crossed her arms, speaking in her signature tone laced with a hint of sharpness, a fake smile plastered on her face. "What's the matter? Not enjoying your high-level missions up above? You have time to come down to the grassroots level to inspect us?"
She deliberately emphasized the words "elite" and "grassroots," dripping with sarcasm.
Jessie, James, Cassidy, and Butch had graduated from the Team Rocket training camp in the same cohort. Their relationship wasn't exactly terrible, but it certainly wasn't good. They wouldn't get into a physical fight, but mutual mockery was never in short supply.
"Exactly, exactly!" James immediately chimed in. Although he tried to sound tough, he seemed a bit lacking in confidence. "Heard you recruited some incredible rookie recently? What, did you botch the mission and need us to wipe your ass?"
If Cassidy and Butch replied "yes," it would make James even more smug. Although the two sides were competitors, strictly speaking, Cassidy and Butch had a higher level of professional competence.
As for the reason? Naturally, it was because those two were more lacking in conscience.
Due to their past life experiences, Jessie and James still had some scruples when taking action. After all, Jessie had once taken the entrance exam for a Pokémon Medical School and could compete with Chansey. James was a young master from a wealthy family and had no need to do evil for profit. If James really wanted benefits, he could just go home; there was no need to work himself to death in Team Rocket.
Meowth squatted by Jessie's feet, licking his paws, and added in a sarcastic tone, "Meow~ Maybe Boss Giovanni finally realized that the two of them only talk big, so he banished them back here, meow~"
Meowth's self-confidence had been bursting recently. His strength, which had been stagnant for so long, had actually started to improve due to cultivation? For Meowth, this was simply unimaginable.
Faced with the joint ridicule of the idiot trio—Jessie, James, and Meowth—Cassidy and Butch's expressions were naturally unsightly.
"Hmph!" Cassidy snorted coldly, elegantly flipping her long blonde hair, her eyes full of disdain. "Jessie, mind your own business! I heard that last time in Cerulean City, you guys got thrown in the slammer by a little brat and his Pokémon? And you actually needed someone to bail you out? How embarrassing~~~"
Cassidy taunted them right to their faces. She considered her professional abilities to be far superior.
...Well, it was also true that the work pressure on the two of them was greater. Team Rocket's organizational structure was quite formal; it wasn't some ragtag group.
Work naturally came with performance pressure. Fundamentally, Team Rocket was a large, cross-regional listed company that provided comprehensive social welfare to its subordinates.
Team Rocket would provide a signing bonus upon joining and collect an entry fee. After becoming a subordinate, one had to pay monthly fees and annual gifts, while Team Rocket Headquarters would provide resources such as salaries, equipment, or Pokémon. Subordinates who performed well could participate in social gatherings, tea parties, and pep rallies hosted by Team Rocket.
In short... Team Rocket was formal to an absurd degree.
"That was just an accident!" James retorted, his face flushing red.
"The progress of our mission is not something you are qualified to question." Butch put his hands in the pockets of his flashy shirt, putting on a cynical air. Deep in his eyes, however, was the arrogance belonging to an elite member. "As for the rookie we brought..."
Butch's gaze glanced at Cross, who had been standing silently behind them the whole time. Cross's face was gloomy, and his eyes burned with suppressed anger.
"...His potential is not something a third-rate combination like you could imagine."
Cross's existence itself carried a hostility that warned strangers away, causing Jessie and the others to subconsciously restrain themselves a little, though they continued to trade verbal barbs.
However, none of them noticed that amidst the quarrel filled with the smell of gunpowder, a deeper, more secretive power was quietly spreading in the shadows.
The source was right beneath Cross's feet. It was his own shadow, which looked no different from other shadows under the lighting.
Lurking within Cross's shadow, the Mythical Pokémon—Marshadow—began its move.
Its body rippled slightly in the absolute darkness, like an undercurrent at the bottom of the water. An intangible spiritual force carrying [Shadow], like a drop of ink falling into still water, used Cross's shadow as the core to silently and extremely slowly diffuse into the surroundings.
This force was not a brute mental impact, but more like an "assimilation" and "impregnation." Like the tiniest spores, it quietly attached itself to the edge of the thoughts of every Team Rocket member in the command room, penetrating into the most defenseless cracks of their minds.
Although it wasn't written on Marshadow's ability panel, Marshadow indeed possessed the power to manipulate hearts. Both humans and Pokémon could be controlled by Marshadow.
Marshadow's goal was not to simply seize control; that would be too obvious and easily trigger alarm, especially in the Saffron Gym. Marshadow could sense that Sabrina had left, but the Saffron Gym still had a powerful Psychic user. Even if that Psychic user's strength was far inferior to Sabrina's.
But Marshadow remained cautious. Okay... if it hadn't discovered that Sabrina had run off, it wouldn't have come to Saffron City at all. Among all human powerhouses, Sabrina was the type Marshadow hated the most—a hard counter.
Marshadow's goal was to imperceptibly distort and guide. Without these people noticing, it would plant seeds of obedience deep in their hearts, twisting their judgment so that at critical moments, their thinking would involuntarily lean toward the direction Marshadow desired.
Jessie was still chattering, complaining that Cassidy and Butch had stolen a "fat job" that originally belonged to them. James chimed in, but a trace of imperceptible confusion occasionally flashed through his eyes. Meowth's paw-licking motion paused slightly, as if he was thinking about what he wanted to say just now.
Even Cassidy and Butch, while retorting, found that the speculation regarding Boss Giovanni's true intentions for this mission and the trace of unease deep in their hearts were quietly amplified by this shadow power...
Each had their own different plans and ideas. These ideas and plans would interfere with each other, presenting unexpected results.
The quarrel continued. But a subtle change, like a virus, had already silently been sown and sprouted within this command room of the Team Rocket base.
Cross still lowered his head, the shadows obscuring most of his face, making his expression unclear. Marshadow's power was resonating with the flames of anger burning within him. He clenched his fists, the corners of his mouth hooking up into a cruel and vindictive arc.
Ash... and... those... two... gym... bodyguards... right?
After completely controlling and utilizing Team Rocket's resources to arm himself, he would definitely make them pay the price!
However, chatting and bickering was just chatting and bickering. The Team Rocket members here did not hold the dominant power. Whether it was Jessie, James, Cassidy, Butch, or Cross... essentially, they all came here to serve as subordinates to the base person-in-charge.
After Sabrina left, the Team Rocket members here were finally about to begin their operation.
After all, this was Saffron City; the one in charge here wouldn't be small fry. This was different from the Game Corner in Celadon City, which was essentially the headquarters of Celadon University. Team Rocket actually found it hard to carry out any major activities there.
But Saffron City was different. The Saffron City Leader, Sabrina, was essentially a collaborator with Team Rocket. She would turn a blind eye to Team Rocket's activities. Of course, while that was said, the truth was they still didn't dare to offend Sabrina.
And now that Sabrina had left, then according to a certain tacit understanding, Team Rocket could begin their operation.
Under the gaze of everyone, the base person-in-charge finally walked out.
"Everyone, I apologize for delaying you for a while."
The speaker was Team Rocket's Supreme Executive—Vicious. This was the highest rank within Team Rocket's normal hierarchy, second only to Giovanni. An Executive among Executives—a Supreme Executive.
He was also a pure Team Rocket member, a genuine villain.
He appeared to be a sturdy middle-aged man. He had short, light-colored hair, a round face, and a noticeable double chin. He wore a yellow mask featuring red eye patterns and a protrusion resembling a beak. Over his Team Rocket uniform, he wore a red vest. The red slashes on the mask, in particular, gave him a mysterious and evil feeling.
"Now, I will begin to announce the target and plan for this operation."
As Vicious finished speaking, iron gates began to descend around the hall where the numerous Team Rocket members were gathered. The operation plan had begun, and accidental leaks could not be tolerated.
Once these iron gates fell, the inside would be completely sealed off from the outside. It would be impossible for ordinary radios and the like to transmit intelligence anymore. At the same time, everyone would begin to monitor each other to prevent any moles from leaving.
"The purpose of summoning everyone this time is related to Silph Co."
"It is said that Silph Co. is researching the strongest Poké Ball—the Master Ball."
"The objective of our operation is to seize the samples and research data."
"The so-called Master Ball is a Poké Ball that can theoretically capture a Pokémon with absolute certainty."
"If we obtain this thing, it will definitely be of great help to our Team Rocket's cause."
"So, I hope everyone will do their utmost in this operation."
"The organization will remember those who make outstanding contributions."
Although Vicious didn't say specifically what the reward would be, Team Rocket had always been generous internally. These words mobilized the enthusiasm of the members below.
There was no helping it; they had been locked up here for too long. It was laughable. They were told there was an operation in Saffron City and were sent over, but after arriving, they had been kept locked inside the base, forbidden to go out. They didn't dare to run around on their own either, fearing they would be targeted by Sabrina. After waiting so long, they finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel.
As he spoke, Vicious glanced at Cross; he noticed a slight anomaly. After all, he was a Team Rocket Supreme Executive, not some phony. However, although Vicious noticed the problem, he didn't intend to solve it.
How should one put it? What does the fate of Team Rocket have to do with him, Vicious?
That was roughly it.
It was just that before he obtained enough strength, he couldn't switch sides yet. After all, once he lost Giovanni's protection, it would be truly hard to get by. If Giovanni hadn't defeated Sabrina, Team Rocket wouldn't even dream of operating normally in Saffron City.
It was just a pity that Sabrina was too difficult to deal with. Even though Giovanni defeated Sabrina, the price for Team Rocket's operations in Saffron City was that Giovanni himself could not come over.
"Hehehehe..."
Vicious chuckled softly. Everything was within his plan. Including Sabrina's departure.
In this world, Sabrina wasn't the only one who could predict the future. Many Psychic-type Pokémon could do such things. It was just that predicting the future was hard to guarantee accuracy. I know, you know, I know you know... exactly what kind of future will happen depends on everyone's choices?
"But this time, I won the bet."
Vicious thought of Giovanni. One day, he would steal Giovanni's throne!
Just then, a strange voice sounded in Vicious's ear—"It is the guide of shadows, Marshadow."
"Hehehe... Interesting." Vicious touched the Dark Ball on his clothes. "Malamar, do you think we can..."
This was the foundation of his ambition. The Dark Ball was a special Poké Ball. It could turn any captured Pokémon vicious, increasing its power; the captured Pokémon would lose its freedom and obey all of the trainer's commands. However, if the Pokémon had strong willpower, the Dark Ball's control ability might be alleviated or even fail, and the Dark Ball that captured it would be destroyed.
"...Dark Balls created by our power may not necessarily be useful against Marshadow." The strange voice, that is, Malamar, was somewhat speechless.
As rare Pokémon that could be called naturally evil, Malamar actually got along quite well with most evil organizations. It was just that among these evil organizations, few caught their eye.
The one they noticed first was actually Giovanni. They watched Giovanni lead Team Rocket to become bigger and stronger, and considered whether to contact him. But after observing the possibilities through Future Sight, they decisively gave up. The probability of controlling Giovanni was too low, and it was easy to get themselves killed.
In the end, the one they picked in Team Rocket was Vicious. Yes, Malamar and Vicious were in a cooperative relationship. And Vicious's Dark Balls were achieved by the power of the Malamars.
"Isn't there still you?" Vicious didn't care much about Malamar's modesty. If one Malamar wasn't enough, then use two, three...
While they were allies, they were also calculating against and using each other. If possible, Vicious certainly wanted to squeeze more power out of the Malamars.
"...Jie jie jie..." Malamar didn't reply, simply leaving with a laugh. It was going to make contact with Marshadow.
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