The neon glow of Celadon City faded into the rearview as Zeth pushed his bike through the mountain pass toward Saffron City. The weight of the Rainbow Badge in his pocket brought his total to six—Boulder, Cascade, Thunder, Soul, and Marsh were already secured in his hidden tactical case. Only two remained: the scorching heat of Blaine's volcano and the shadow of the Earth Badge held by the Boss himself.
But Saffron was no longer the bustling commercial hub of Kanto. As Zeth crested the final ridge, he saw the city was encased in a shimmering, kinetic barrier. Rotors of Rocket transport choppers beat the air, and the central skyline was dominated by the monolithic Silph Co. skyscraper, now flying the crimson 'R' flag from its spire.
"Data-Zero, status on the Saffron perimeter," Zeth whispered, pulling his goggles down.
[Environmental Scan: Saffron City is under 'Level 4 Lockdown.' The Silph Co. signal-jammer is active, cutting off all League emergency frequencies. Note: High concentrations of 'Purple-Tier' signatures detected within the building. Recommendations: Stealth Infiltration.]
Zeth pulled over into a derelict warehouse on the city's edge. He needed his team at peak synchronization for what was coming. The Silph Co. occupation wasn't just a heist; it was a decapitation strike against the League's technological heart.
"Out, everyone. We're going in quiet."
"Croagunk, you're on point," Zeth commanded. "Sense the security traps. Charizard, keep the aura tight—I don't want a single photon of light escaping our position."
nstead of the front gates, Zeth navigated the city's maintenance tunnels. The air was cool and smelled of damp concrete and electricity. They moved like a single shadow, the Lunar Charizard's aura dampening the sound of their footsteps and the hum of their breathing.
Suddenly, Croagunk's body gave a violent shiver—Anticipation had flared.
"Stop," Zeth hissed.
From around the corner, two Rocket Grunts patrolled, accompanied by a Lvl 42 Weezing and a Lvl 40 Muk. They were guarding a high-voltage junction box.
"Weezing's Self-Destruct is primed," Zeth noted, his eyes narrowing. "If they blow that, the whole sector collapses. Croagunk, Poison Touch the gas vents on that Weezing. Disable the ignition."
The Croagunk blurred, moving through the pipes above. It dropped silently onto the Weezing's back, its purple-stained fingers jamming into the creature's release valves. The toxic sludge acted like a sealant, neutralizing the explosive gas before it could spark.
"Now, Houndoom, Crunch! Keep it silent!"
The Houndoom lunged from the darkness, its jaws locking onto the Muk before it could let out a sludge-cry. Within seconds, the guards were unconscious and the Pokémon neutralized.
They reached the basement service elevator of Silph Co. The door was mag-locked with a 128-bit encryption, but Zeth didn't use a hacker tool. He placed the Primal Amber Core near the sensor. The ancient energy resonated with the building's power grid, causing a momentary surge that tripped the manual override.
The elevator doors hissed open.
"We're in," Zeth said, his hand resting on the Emerald Shelgon's shell. "Data-Zero, locate the Master Ball prototype and the Chairman's office. If the League hasn't sent their 'Heroes' yet, we're taking the prize first."
[Warning: High-tier signature detected on the 5th floor. Analysis match: Team Rocket Executive Petrel. He is currently 'cleansing' the research data.]
"Petrel is a snake," Zeth muttered. "But he's a snake with the keys to the vault. Let's go."
he service elevator lurched as it bypassed the main security tiers, the Primal Amber Core pulsing in Zeth's bag like a rhythmic heart. The scent of ozone and high-grade industrial coolant filled the small metallic box.
"Data-Zero, status on the 5th floor," Zeth whispered, his hand resting on the hilt of his tactical knife.
[Sensors Online. Floor 5 is flooded with 'Halon-G' fire-suppressant gas. Petrel has triggered the emergency purge to flush out Silph security and any League infiltrators. Toxicity: High.]
"Good. Most trainers can't breathe in there. We can."
The doors chimed and slid open. A wall of thick, yellowish-white vapor rolled into the elevator. Zeth didn't cough; he had his respirator sealed. Beside him, the Emerald Shelgon (Lvl 38) stepped out, its Overcoat ability flaring. A shimmering, pressurized film of energy expanded from its shell, pushing the toxic Halon gas back and creating a small, breathable pocket for the rest of the team.
The service elevator lurched as it bypassed the main security tiers, the Primal Amber Core pulsing in Zeth's bag like a rhythmic heart. The scent of ozone and high-grade industrial coolant filled the small metallic box.
"Data-Zero, status on the 5th floor," Zeth whispered, his hand resting on the hilt of his tactical knife.
[Sensors Online. Floor 5 is flooded with 'Halon-G' fire-suppressant gas. Petrel has triggered the emergency purge to flush out Silph security and any League infiltrators. Toxicity: High.]
"Good. Most trainers can't breathe in there. We can."
The doors chimed and slid open. A wall of thick, yellowish-white vapor rolled into the elevator. Zeth didn't cough; he had his respirator sealed. Beside him, the Emerald Shelgon (Lvl 38) stepped out, its Overcoat ability flaring. A shimmering, pressurized film of energy expanded from its shell, pushing the toxic Halon gas back and creating a small, breathable pocket for the rest of the team.
The hallway was a graveyard of unconscious Silph employees. Through the haze, a series of Lvl 44 Koffing and Lvl 45 Raticate patrolled, their eyes glowing red with stimulant-injections.
"Petrel's 'Cleansing' squad," Zeth muttered. "Shelgon, Dragon Claw! Don't let them signal the Executive."
The Shelgon moved with surprising speed. Despite the low visibility, its Overcoat allowed it to ignore the stinging gas that would have blinded any other dragon. It slammed into the lead Raticate, its claws glowing with draconic energy. The impact sent the rodent skidding through the laboratory glass.
[Ability Mastery: Overcoat (38%) is successfully filtering the Halon-G particles. Mobility: 100%.]
"Croagunk, Anticipation! Find the hidden turrets!"
The Croagunk (Lvl 35) shivered, its gaze snapping to a ceiling tile. It leapt, its purple-stained palms jamming into a concealed laser-turret before it could lock onto Zeth's heat signature. The Poison Touch corroded the internal optics in seconds.
They reached the high-security research vault at the end of the hall. The door had been blasted open from the inside. Standing over a shattered mainframe was a man in a high-collared Rocket uniform, his face twisted into a permanent, mocking grin.
Petrel.
"Well, well," Petrel cackled, not even turning around. "The 'Anomaly' everyone's talking about. You're a bit late for the party, kid. The Boss wanted the 'Master' data scrubbed. If he can't have it, nobody can."
Petrel kicked a pile of smoking circuit boards. Beside him, a Lvl 50 Weezing hovered, its dual-heads leaking a concentrated, purple miasma.
"Where is it, Petrel?" Zeth asked, the Lunar Charizard (Lvl 39) landing behind him, its Eclipse Aura turning the yellow gas into a swirling, dark-green vortex. "The Master Ball prototype. I know the Chairman kept the physical shell in this vault."
Petrel laughed, a dry, hacking sound. He stepped aside, pointing to a central pedestal. It was empty. The glass casing hadn't been broken; it had been opened with a valid biometric code.
"You think the Chairman is a hero? He's a businessman," Petrel sneered. "He moved the prototype to an off-site location weeks ago—somewhere even the League can't track. Saffron was a distraction. We came here for the data to build our own. And that data? It's currently burning."
Zeth looked at the empty pedestal. The Master Ball—the ultimate capture tech—was gone. The heist was a ghost chase.
[Data-Zero Analysis: DNA traces on the pedestal do not match Petrel or any known Rocket Executives. They match... 'Red' and 'Blue' patterns, but they are aged. Someone moved the prototype long before the occupation.]
"You've been playing with fire, kid," Petrel said, his Weezing expanding. "And now, you're going to burn with the evidence. Weezing, Sludge Bomb!"
"Not today," Zeth whispered. "Rhyhorn, Lightning Rod! Ground the electronics! Cloyster, Protect! We're leaving!"
As the lab exploded in a cloud of purple sludge and fire, Zeth and his team retreated into the ventilation shafts. The Master Ball wasn't in Saffron. The power balance of Kanto hadn't shifted yet—but the mystery of who actually held the prototype was now a bigger threat than Team Rocket itself.
Zeth stood on the roof of a neighboring building, looking back at the smoking Silph tower. He didn't have the ball, but he had the Research Logs Data-Zero had managed to scrape before the wipe.
"The Chairman didn't hide it from Rocket," Zeth said, looking at the encrypted file. "He hid it from everyone."
[Data-Zero Decryption: Location identified... 'Cinnabar Sub-Volcano Trench.' The prototypes were moved to Blaine's jurisdiction for 'Volcanic Disposal.']