After the intense training battle concluded, Red used his Viridian Power to heal all of his Pokémon. To ensure Cubone could grow and develop as quickly as possible, he captured it in a Poké Ball and teleported it to Professor Oak’s lab, instructing the Professor to prepare all the necessary food for its growth.

Then, Red returned to Saffron City alone. On his way back, he happened to see a woman being pursued by a squad of Team Rocket grunts.

Seeing this, Red sent out Scyther and the Millennium Gengar to help, interrupting Team Rocket’s attempt to capture her.

“Damn it, this kid’s Scyther is too strong!” a grunt exclaimed in horror. All the Pokémon they sent out were no match for Scyther’s attacks; they were defeated by sharp slashes in just a few moves.

“Boss, what should we do with these people?” the Millennium Gengar asked. It didn’t think Red would be foolish enough to let them escape and expose his whereabouts.

“Gengar, use Psychic to control their movements,” Red commanded. Hearing the order, Gengar’s eyes glowed blue, and it used its psychic power to restrain the grunts, preventing them from moving at all.

To avoid alarming the Team Rocket forces still at Silph Co., Red instructed Gengar to hypnotize the grunts, making them forget everything that had just happened. Once the hypnosis was successful, Red used his own power to teleport the small squad to another location, allowing the woman to escape safely.

“Thank you, young man!” the woman said gratefully. If Red hadn’t appeared in time, she would have been caught.

“Who are you, and why is Team Rocket hunting you?” Red asked, looking at the woman’s injured leg.

“I am the president’s secretary at Silph Co.,” she explained, her voice trembling. “And Silph Co. has been occupied by Team Rocket!”

“Why would they occupy Silph Co.?” Red asked, puzzled.

“It’s the Master Ball! The Master Ball had been strictly banned by the League, but recently the League seems to have received intelligence from its agents. The intelligence states that Team Rocket is creating a powerful Pokémon that resembles a weapon of war. To deal with this Pokémon, the League made an exception and secretly ordered Silph Co. to produce the Master Ball again!”

(Is it to prevent the birth of Mewtwo? It seems the Pokémon League has also secretly ordered agents to infiltrate Team Rocket. As expected, none of these organizations are simple…)

Red speculated that some high-ranking League officials might already know Giovanni’s true identity, but due to issues of interest, they hadn’t exposed him. After all, some dirty business had to be handled by an overtly evil organization like Team Rocket to maintain the Pokémon League’s pristine reputation. But clearly, Team Rocket’s creation of Mewtwo had crossed the line, trampling on their unspoken agreement with the League.

The Master Ball is a Poké Ball that can perfectly contain the power of a Legendary Pokémon and can capture almost any Pokémon with a 100% success rate. However, the ball was boycotted by many righteous individuals, who believed it violated the spirit of being a trainer, forcibly restricted a Pokémon’s freedom, and disrespected those who truly aspired to become a Pokémon Master.

When most Pokémon battle a trainer, they are sometimes attracted by the trainer’s commands or impressed by their excellent training. Only then are they willing to be captured and grow as a companion. The Master Ball completely negated this process, trampling it into the mud. It was the equivalent of imprisoning a Pokémon in an endless cage.

“What a terrifying Poké Ball!” the Millennium Gengar murmured, trembling. A part of the reason it was captured by Red was to become stronger. If it were truly caught by a Master Ball, it would be a torment to its spirit.

“However, restarting Master Ball production is not going smoothly and is still in the development stage,” the secretary continued. “But the leader behind Team Rocket is threatening the president and researchers, intending to seize control of the Master Ball once it’s produced. Now, the researchers are being held under surveillance and forced to manufacture it! What’s even more painful is that the radical elements within Team Rocket have suggested experimenting on wild Pokémon to verify if the current Master Ball can forcibly capture them. Because of this, the lives of many wild Pokémon are already in critical condition!”

“If this continues, more wild Pokémon will be persecuted by Team Rocket,” Red said coldly.

After hearing the secretary’s words, Red understood the gravity of the crisis. If Giovanni truly obtained the Master Ball, it would mean that Mewtwo would have to obey his commands for its entire life.

“The president was worried about this, so he tried to seek help from the outside,” the secretary said helplessly. “But the restart of the Master Ball was a secret mission, so it wasn’t publicized. The League didn’t want too many forces to know about it. Unexpectedly, Silph Co. was infiltrated by Team Rocket’s spies. Now, their surveillance of the company is too strict, making it impossible to contact the outside world!”

“I was entrusted by the president to seek help from the police in Celadon City, which is why I managed to escape. I can’t stay here!” With that, the secretary got up, preparing to leave. Saffron City had already been infiltrated by Team Rocket’s informants, making it impossible to get help from the local police.

“Do you think it’s still the right time to seek help from the police?” Red said faintly. “I’m afraid that as soon as the police arrive, Team Rocket will immediately withdraw, and the radicals might even resort to cruel methods.”

Red’s words made the secretary pause. He was right; rash action might lead to terrible consequences.

“I’ll help your Silph Co.,” Red said confidently. “I’m quite confident when it comes to Team Rocket.”

He recalled Scyther and Gengar, then put a hand on the secretary’s shoulder. Under her puzzled gaze, he used Teleport to arrive at the Saffron City Pokémon Center. After learning that Giovanni himself was at Silph Co., Red knew he had to gather his strongest team.

“Red, why are you changing your lineup so hastily? Is something serious going on?!” Professor Oak asked over the video phone.

“Professor, please instruct the League to send Lance to Saffron City. Team Rocket already knows about Silph Co.’s plan to restart the Master Ball, and now Silph Co. has been completely controlled by them!” Red said urgently.

“What?! The Master Ball plan was restarted? And it’s been controlled by Team Rocket?!” Professor Oak said in disbelief. If they didn’t mount a rescue in time, the Pokémon League would lose a crucial means of suppressing Team Rocket.

“I’ve received all the Poké Balls,” Red said, seeing the transfer complete. “Please take care of the Pokémon I sent over. There’s no time for explanations now; I have to go to Silph Co.!”

With that, Red hung up the phone, cutting off Professor Oak’s attempt to stop him. He gripped the Poké Ball of his Beedrill, his eyes revealing the unshakeable confidence of a powerful trainer.

(I’m counting on you, my first partner.)

(End of Chapter)

***

(End of Chapter)

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