Chapter 41: Silph Company’s Rocket Team

Silph Co. headquarters!?

Is this not the very corporate building occupied by Team Rocket in the Pokémon games!?

Xia You observed more closely. Although everything appeared normal on the ground floor—with security guards patrolling and the receptionist sitting at the front desk, yawning with boredom—he felt that something was inherently wrong.

Just then, a police car wailed past him, its sirens blaring. It did not stop at Silph Co., but instead sped toward the distance. Xia You peered into the distance and listened intently; it seemed that a riot was breaking out several streets away.

Strange. How could the entire city have changed so much just in the time he spent inside fighting a gym battle? It was as if something major was unfolding.

He walked into an empty alley, climbed to a vantage point, and pulled out his binoculars to look at the upper floors of the Silph Co. building. The smoke had already cleared, and he could see several figures in black uniforms, each emblazoned with a large "R" on their chests, herding a group of researchers elsewhere while using fire extinguishers to douse the remnants of a fire.

It was Team Rocket!

He thought for a moment, found a public telephone booth, and dialed the police emergency number. The phone rang for a long time before being answered. However, the information he received after reporting the situation left him shocked.

"What? You’ve already sent officers to the Silph Co. building and found nothing unusual?"

"That’s right!" the voice on the other end replied. "And we’ve been there twice already. Everything is normal; we found nothing! There are disturbances caused by Team Rocket all over the city right now. We are overwhelmed and have no spare manpower to deal with a prank like yours!"

"Huh?" Xia You quickly countered, "This isn't a prank, I..."

Halfway through his sentence, Xia You sighed and hung up the phone. He had already figured out Team Rocket’s plan. They had called the police themselves, forcing the officers to inspect the building. Once the police arrived and found everything normal, they dismissed it as a prank and returned to the station. Meanwhile, Team Rocket sent peripheral grunts to create disturbances across the city to draw the police away, allowing their main force to seize the building.

Even if the researchers managed to call the police, those who arrived would be met by Team Rocket grunts disguised as staff in the lobby. Because of the previous "pranks," the police would not investigate too thoroughly, dismissing it as yet another false alarm. With that, they could proceed to take over the entire Silph Co. with confidence!

What a brilliant strategy.

As someone who opposed such evil organizations, Xia You could not just stand by. He took a few photos with his phone and sent them to Looker. However, these photos were taken a bit too late; they did not capture the Team Rocket members or the captured researchers, but only the dissipating black smoke and the glow of fire.

Looker’s call came through quickly.

"Is this really a major operation by Team Rocket?" Looker asked, his tone excited yet tinged with regret and self-reproach. "Damn it, I’m currently in Saffron City investigating a Team Rocket base. Even if I rush over now, I’m afraid it will be too late."

"It is indeed a major operation," Xia You said slowly. "And judging by the situation, they have likely already completely taken over the building."

Looker asked: "Did you call the police?"

"Of course."

"What did they say? Did they respond?"

Xia You smiled bitterly and recounted what he had heard and his own deductions.

"I see..." Looker grasped the situation. "It seems they planned this well in advance. But why attack that place?"

Silph Co. was the most famous manufacturer and distributor in the Pokémon world; many products, including Poké Balls, were produced by the company. Given Team Rocket’s financial resources, they shouldn't need those Poké Balls. Moreover, if this were exposed, it would inevitably trigger a massive police counterattack. No matter how he looked at it, Looker couldn't understand their motive.

"Why worry about that?" Xia You said dismissively. "Even if Team Rocket is there to wish the boss of Silph Co. a happy birthday, we can't let them get away with it!"

"You're right," Looker laughed, then changed his tone. "However, these photos don't show the Team Rocket members. Even if I submit them to headquarters to negotiate with the police, I'm afraid they won't be trusted."

Xia You was stunned: "Is your status in the International Police so low? You don't have any influence at all?"

"Ahem... let's not talk about that..." Looker coughed awkwardly. "The most urgent priority now is to find out what they are planning. Can you help me with this?"

Although Xia You was already inclined to help, he replied, "Hey, hey, as an International Police officer, is it really appropriate to involve an ordinary person in something so dangerous?"

"You are no ordinary person!" Looker flattered him. "Judging by the S.S. Anne incident, it's clear you are a kind-hearted elite trainer. Besides, I won't let you go in alone. I will immediately send a request to the Pokémon League and use my personal connections to have them send someone to assist you!"

Someone from the Pokémon League? Do they even handle things like this?

After hanging up, Xia You stood in the shadows and observed the Silph Co. building until, after a while, a woman around his age walked up behind him.

Xia You turned around and was shocked to see Sabrina!?

"Why are you here?"

Seeing Xia You, Sabrina was equally surprised. She looked slightly stunned and said, "The Pokémon League just contacted me, saying an International Police officer needed help. I never expected it to be you."

"I'm not an International Police officer," Xia You said, waving his hands quickly. "I'm just helping him out. Have you heard about what's going on?"

Sabrina shook her head. "They only said it was urgent, that I should come here to help and follow instructions, so I rushed over."

Having Sabrina’s help was a massive advantage. Xia You explained the whole situation to her once more.

"So, we just need to enter the building and find out what's happening inside?" Sabrina turned to look at the Silph Co. building. "Then how should we get in?"

"Sneaking in through the first floor is impossible," Xia You said, having already formed a plan. "I was planning to have Kirlia use Teleport to send me inside from the air and have Gastly scout around, but since you’re here, let’s go in together!"