Evening approached.
Saffron City.
The most prosperous metropolis in the Kanto region gradually lit up with brilliant lights amidst the afterglow of the setting sun.
The glass curtain walls of the high-rise buildings reflected a golden radiance, and the streets were bustling with heavy traffic and crowds.
Perhaps this golden hue was the origin of the city's name?
It surely wasn't simply because there was money here, right?
Ash, Misty, and Brock walked side by side on their way back to the Pokémon Center.
They had just come out from a group dinner.
After a week of intense training, it was a rare opportunity to leisurely stroll through this world-famous metropolis.
During this time, Ash had practically been leaving early and returning late every day.
He hadn't had much interaction with Brock and Misty.
After all, the trio couldn't stay here for too long, so he had to seize the time to learn.
It was just that the results... were... a bit awkward.
"Speaking of which, Ash," Misty turned her head curiously, her short orange hair fluttering gently in the evening breeze. "How were the results of your Psychic cultivation at the Saffron Gym this past week?"
"Don't tell me you can actually Teleport like Miss Sabrina now?"
Psychic powers were still a very rare commodity.
It was a pity Misty didn't have any.
Truth be told, she was genuinely a little curious.
Upon hearing this, a complex expression immediately surfaced on Ash's face.
He pulled down the brim of his hat and sighed awkwardly. "Don't ask. It was simply a total mess."
Being kicked out the door at the end was something he found a bit hard to say out loud.
"Oh?" Brock, holding Vulpix, raised an eyebrow with interest. "I heard that Alakazam is one of Miss Sabrina's aces. With it personally guiding you, your progress should have been rapid."
Such an opportunity could be said to be harder to buy than with a thousand pieces of gold.
Countless people spent huge sums of money only to become apprentices or ordinary members at the Saffron Gym.
Wanting to receive top-tier guidance from Sabrina or her Pokémon?
Go wash up and sleep; you can have anything in your dreams.
The Saffron Gym did not lack money.
One could even say it was the wealthiest among all Gyms, even richer than the Celadon Gym.
"Theoretically, that's correct..." Ash scratched his cheek. "But my talent in the Psychic aspect can only be described as 'existing'..."
"I couldn't learn the method Alakazam taught at all, the kind that requires precise calculations to manipulate Telekinesis."
He recalled those headache-inducing formulas and algorithms and couldn't help but shiver.
"For a whole seven days, I couldn't even make a spoon bend a little bit... In the end, I angered Alakazam until it collapsed."
Ash felt it was absurd.
Why was the Psychic development in the Pokémon world done in the same style as the Esper development in Academy City from A Certain Magical Index?
If not for the fact that Ash himself was too important, Alakazam would have wanted to use drugs and electric acupuncture on him... There were actually quite a few means to assist in Psychic development, but they all carried certain risks.
"Pika Pika!" Pikachu, squatting on Ash's shoulder, nodded repeatedly, gesturing with its small paws as if describing Alakazam's thunderous rage at the time.
Pikachu: That fox head was really funny.
"Maa!" Misdreavus, floating to the side, also nodded vigorously, her small face written with dissatisfaction toward that old fox.
Misdreavus: The big fox is infuriating!
Misty couldn't help but laugh out loud. "So, you wasted this whole week?"
"Well, it wasn't entirely without gain." A trace of pride suddenly flashed in Ash's eyes. "Although I couldn't learn Telekinesis to control objects, I mastered the first realm of Agility!"
"Misty, let me show you~~"
Saying that, he took a deep breath, and a nearly imperceptible light flashed in his eyes.
The next moment, Ash's figure suddenly accelerated, appearing several meters away extremely quickly.
Then, with a super backstep, he returned to his original position.
...The physical fitness enhanced by the 5 Badges could now be fully utilized by Psychic power~
The entire movement was smooth and flowing, so fast it was breathtaking.
"This is..." Misty opened her eyes wide in surprise.
She had the feeling she was looking at a Fighting-type Pokémon.
Especially that super backstep of over 5 meters.
"This is the First Realm of my Eight Inner Gates!" Ash started to spout nonsense. "By relaxing the body through meditation, I release my true physical potential."
There were indeed certain similarities.
Naruto · Eight Inner Gates · The Gate of Opening: Removes the brain's restrictions, allowing the body to exert 100% of its capabilities, consuming body energy at an overload to increase attack and speed.
"Alakazam said that the human brain subconsciously limits the body's output to avoid injuring itself. The initial stage of Agility uses mental power to temporarily lift this restriction, allowing the body to exert faster speed and strength."
In fact, this part didn't involve any profound operational techniques; it was basically 'vigor creates miracles'.
...Don't look at it as a physical enhancement; essentially, it was a mental technique.
Brock nodded in understanding upon hearing this. "This is indeed a way of applying mental power, but it leans more towards strengthening oneself rather than affecting the outside world."
"However, Ash, your Psychic talent isn't great~"
"This leans more towards the utilization of pure mental power."
"A Psychic's mental power and an ordinary person's mental power are a bit different."
"A Psychic's mental power can also be called special Alpha waves; it isn't just simple mental strength."
"This is also the reason why, clearly, many Pokémon and people have powerful mental strength, yet the Psychic-type is classified separately."
"A typical example of this is Alakazam's pre-evolutionary form, Kadabra."
[Kadabra's body emits special Alpha waves that induce headaches if one gets too close. When it closes its eyes, the special Alpha waves emitted from its body are twice as strong as usual. It possesses powerful mental strength. The greater the danger it encounters, the stronger its power becomes. Every time it uses its power, the special Alpha waves emitted from its body cause machines to malfunction. When a Kadabra is nearby, strange things like clocks running backward seem to occur. Sometimes, mysterious shadows appear on television screens; it is said that those who see these shadows will suffer misfortune. If it stares at a silver spoon to concentrate, the Alpha waves it emits will increase; gold spoons don't seem to work. It is said that without a spoon, it can only use half of its usual Psychic power. If one does not possess powerful mental strength, one cannot become a Kadabra's Trainer. It uses mental power to float in the air while sleeping, using its springy tail as a pillow. It also stores mental power in the star on its forehead in preparation for evolution. There are rumors that a boy with psychic abilities who assisted in Psychic research suddenly transformed into a Kadabra.]
"Powerful mental strength does not equal powerful Psychic power."
"Even if they are both brainwaves, they are not the same thing."
Strictly speaking, the efficiency of [Psychic Alpha Waves] is much higher than pure [Mental Power].
To describe it using game terms like extra multipliers:
Psychic Power · Alpha Waves — Extra ×3
Mental Power — Extra ×1
The gap becomes larger the further one goes.
Especially when performing high-precision operations.
"According to Silph Co.'s research, every Psychic-type Pokémon's Alpha waves have slight differences, which can be used to identify the identity of the Psychic-type Pokémon."
"However, at the initial stage, there actually isn't much difference."
Brock paused, then suddenly revealed a mysterious smile. "Actually, I also know a little bit of similar technique."
Under Ash and Misty's surprised gazes, Brock gently placed the Vulpix in his arms onto the ground, then took a deep breath.
"Let me perform one for you~"
They saw his legs bend slightly, and in the next moment, his whole body shot out like an arrow leaving the string.
That's right!
It was Agility!
"Wait for me!" Ash's competitive spirit was immediately aroused. Blue light flashed in his eyes, and he chased after him.
Two boys chased each other on the streets of Saffron City, their figures casting long shadows under the setting sun, causing passersby to look sideways.
"These two idiots..." Misty held her forehead helplessly.
She was just about to follow when she suddenly sensed something strange.
From the shadows at the corner of the street, a familiar figure slowly walked out.
The afterglow of the setting sun shone on him, drawing out a distorted, long shadow.
It was Cross.
But the Cross before them was like a different person compared to a week ago.
His face was terribly pale, his eye sockets sunken deeply.
His entire aura was as gloomy as an evil ghost crawling out of hell, his body radiating a chill that made one uncomfortable.
"Long time no see..." Cross's voice was hoarse and distorted, the corners of his mouth cracking into a bizarre smile. "It seems you've had a pleasant time in Saffron City?"
Misty subconsciously took half a step back, staring at him vigilantly. "Cross? Why are you here?"
At this moment, Ash and Brock also sensed something was wrong and quickly returned to Misty's side.
They ran fast, and they came back fast.
Pikachu's fur stood on end all over its body, its electrical sacs bursting with dangerous sparks.
Misdreavus let out a threatening low growl, purple mist churning around her body.
"Why am I here?" Cross laughed neurotically. "Of course, it was to wait for you... This whole week, I have been watching your movements every moment..."
Cross didn't fully believe Marshadow and Butch at first.
But when Cross discovered that Ash was always running to the Saffron Gym... he completely believed the remarks Marshadow and Butch had made about Ash earlier—this guy was a second-generation powerful and wealthy kid!
After all, it was hard for an ordinary person to run to the Saffron Gym all day long.
Ash frowned as he looked at Cross.
"Cross."
"A win is a win, a loss is a loss."
"This look of yours, willing to degenerate just because you lost once..."
"I suggest you'd be better off hiding in a corner by yourself; taking your resentment out on others is meaningless!"
Ash didn't really want to battle Cross right now.
In his expectation, it should be at least after Charmeleon evolved into Charizard.
Then he would let Charizard reclaim the victory.
"Willing to degenerate?" Cross seemed to have heard something funny.
"Hahahaha—" He threw his head back and laughed loudly, the laughter filled with madness.
"You're right, I have indeed fallen... but do you know?"
"This feeling of depravity... is wonderful!"
His shadow revealed a hint of anomaly under the setting sun.
Brock keenly noticed this, and his face became solemn. "Ash, be careful, he's not quite right."
Brock suspected Cross was possessed by a ghost.
Indeed, some Ghost-type Pokémon liked to do this kind of thing.
The strength of Ghost-type Pokémon generally didn't lie in frontal combat, but in causing trouble secretly in the dark.
"Not quite right? Hahaha!" Cross laughed wildly. "I just stopped playing house in Gyms like you guys!"
He suddenly pointed his finger at Ash:
"Do you know?"
"What I hate the most is your self-righteous attitude!"
"Clearly relying on family background and bodyguards, yet pretending it's all your own effort!"
Cross now completely believed that Ash was a rich young master and a second-generation power.
Uh.
Actually, he had met a real rich young master, James, and a second-generation power, Jessie, before.
Unfortunately, those two acted so shabby that it really wasn't right; ordinary people really couldn't tell.
"Family background? Bodyguards?" Ash looked blank. "What on earth are you talking about?"
What kind of family background or bodyguards did he have?
If one insisted... it was just that his mother, Delia, had once been a student of Professor Oak.
But regarding the economic situation of Ash's family... Oak hadn't provided any help.
Professor Oak himself highly advocated letting things take their natural course.
Generally speaking, unless it was something necessary, he wouldn't interfere.
"Still playing dumb!" Cross's face twisted with anger.
"But forget it..."
"I will make you all regret this!"
Saying that, he suddenly turned and ran towards a small alley.
Ash and the other two exchanged glances and chased after him without hesitation.
"Is he planning to do something bad?" Brock said.
"Let's chase him!" Ash knew that with Sabrina gone, the entire Saffron City was no longer as safe as before.
And it just so happened that Sabrina's absence was caused by him.
Ignore it?
Impossible!
In short, check the situation first. If something is wrong, call the Saffron Gym!
Misty gripped Gyarados's Poké Ball.
Ready to release it at any time.
This chase was extremely eerie.
Cross's speed wasn't particularly fast, yet he could always avoid their encirclement at critical moments, as if deliberately guiding them to a certain place.
His shadow constantly twisted and deformed while running, wriggling on the walls like a living creature.
"He seems to be taking us somewhere," Brock warned as he ran.
Blue light flashed in Ash's eyes as he pursued relentlessly using Agility. "Whatever trick he wants to play, we must make things clear today!"
"Hey! You guys!" Misty had been left behind by this point; she had to release Starmie and use Telekinesis to drag herself along.
However, because of this, Misty didn't have to worry about breathing issues while moving.
"Cross's physical condition is abnormal!"
"Why is his physical fitness even better than you two?"
"What on earth is in Cross's shadow?"
Misty looked at Cross running ahead, then looked at her two teammates using Agility beside her.
Brock and Ash were using Agility, even if the duration wasn't long.
Why can you, Cross, run so fast?
The chase lasted for about ten minutes.
When Cross suddenly stopped at an intersection, Ash and the others also skidded to a halt, then immediately gasped at the scene before them.
Unknowingly, they had been led to the front of the Silph Co. headquarters building.
The headquarters of the most prestigious enterprise in the Kanto region looked exceptionally eerie in the twilight at this moment.
Although the entire building was brightly lit, it was terrifyingly quiet.
The main entrance, where employees should still be entering and exiting at this time, was tightly closed. Through the glass curtain wall, one could see that the lobby was empty.
Even more disturbing was the faint purple mist permeating around the building, and the air wafted with a faint sweet and fishy smell.
"This is..." Misty's face turned pale, and she had a vague feeling that something was wrong. "What happened to Silph Co.?"
Brock's brows locked tight. "Too quiet... unnaturally quiet."
Just then, Cross slowly turned around.
He wore a ferocious grin of a successful scheme on his face. "Welcome to the trap, everyone."
"Trap?" Ash looked around vigilantly.
Although he knew that once Sabrina left, all kinds of monsters and demons would pop out.
But you monsters and demons have too much nerve, directly attacking Silph Co.?
This is a major taxpayer!
"That's right..." Cross's voice became even hoarser. "Did you think I was just waiting idly this past week?"
"No... I have been preparing for this moment all along."
His shadow twisted violently on the ground, as if it would detach from his body at any moment.
Ash looked at this anomaly. "Your shadow..."
"You noticed?" Cross smiled weirdly. "This is all thanks to you... If not for your 'encouragement,' how would I have met that Lord, and how would I have obtained such wonderful power?"
He opened his arms, as if embracing some invisible thing.
"That Lord told me, as long as I lead you here, my mission is complete..."
Before his voice fell, ear-piercing alarms suddenly sounded around the Silph building.
Immediately after, countless red laser points shot down from high up the building, precisely locking onto Ash and his two companions.
"This is..." Brock's face changed drastically. "Laser sights..."
Instantly, Brock released Onix as well.
"Ash, get behind me!" Misty exclaimed, releasing Gyarados at the same time.
However, the released Gyarados didn't attack immediately but looked at the building.
There was a powerful energy entity there.
Onix and Gyarados protected Ash and the others, but neither rushed to attack.
Cross laughed maniacally. "It's too late!"
"You have already become Team Rocket's prey!"
"Lord Vicious will definitely be very satisfied with this 'gift'!"
Accompanying his laughter, the main entrance of the Silph building crashed open.
A group of Team Rocket members wearing black uniforms with a bright red "R" printed on their chests filed out, quickly surrounding Ash and the trio.
The leader was a sturdy man wearing a bird-beak mask. His low laughter came through the mask:
"Well done, Cross."
"I, Vicious, accept this 'greeting gift'."
Theoretically speaking, Cross was not qualified to speak to Vicious face-to-face.
But with Marshadow, it was different.
The Malamar behind Vicious had reached an agreement with the Marshadow influencing Cross.
Of course, their agreement was like a cease-fire treaty—waste paper that could be torn up at any time.
But before tearing it up, it was still somewhat useful.
And regarding all this hidden underneath, Cross knew nothing.
He still thought he had simply been chosen by Vicious.
Ash stared at Cross wide-eyed. "You actually joined Team Rocket!"
This was indeed a bit unbelievable.
After all, Cross was also a League Trainer.
Even if he performed poorly before and made some mistakes, there was still a chance to repent.
But joining Team Rocket meant it would be very hard to turn back.
"Joined?" Cross's expression became even more vicious. "I just chose the correct path! That Lord was right; only power is the eternal truth!"
"Well said~ I have high hopes for you~~" Vicious nodded with satisfaction, then turned to Ash and the others.
"Now then, welcome everyone to my Silph Co.... only, unfortunately, just for a little while."
Give Vicious another 8 guts, and he still wouldn't dare to destroy the Silph Co. headquarters.
That would mean making a complete enemy of Sabrina.
But if he just grabbed a wave of loot and ran, Sabrina wouldn't bother to care.
The Gym Leaders who supported Giovanni had a cooperative relationship with Giovanni, simply convinced by Giovanni personally.
For Giovanni's sake, they could give Team Rocket some operational convenience.
But if Team Rocket personnel dared to be too arrogant, then they would still die if they deserved to die.
Especially Sabrina.
If one fell into Sabrina's hands and was turned into a doll... that would probably be worse than death—life imprisonment in a dark room where you can't move!
Vicious made a hand gesture, and the surrounding Team Rocket members began to retreat.
They had just come along to boost morale.
If a fight really broke out, looking at that Onix and Gyarados... the only one present with the qualifications was Vicious.
He was the only Team Rocket Senior Executive who had come.
"Be careful... partner!" A faint light vaguely appeared in Ash's eyes.
The System Achievement [Item Enhancement ×1, Effect: Can enhance the performance of an item] he got from seeing Sabrina earlier hadn't been used yet.
Originally, Ash planned to pick a good time to make Pikachu more confident.
Now it seemed this was the opportunity.
He wondered to what level he could enhance the [Light Ball LV30]?
____
👻🔥The Director is back! But with a brand new look, heheh...🔥👻
New Story: Classroom of the Elite: Black Sphere Academia
✅ Get immediate access to 40 early chapters for all stories.
✅ Enjoy exclusive material and special announcements!
Help us unlock these community rewards:
🎯 100 Powerstones = +1 Bonus Chapter for everyone
🚀 140 MEMBERS = +5 extra chapters across ALL STORIES!
👻 P - Walnut-chan