Sage recalled Pikachu as she prepared to send out her next Pokemon when suddenly Sage noticed that Sabrina was smirking as Sage narrowed her eyes in suspicion.
What is she up to" Sage thought as she was about to say something when suddenly a chilling voice echoed through the Silph Co. announcement system:
Attention all Team Rocket members. We have successfully obtained the Icy Rock and the disk so the next phase of our plan is about to begin.
Sage's breath hitched.
No... Sage muttered as she hurriedly swung her bag around and rummaged through it and when she reached inside, panic flooded through her veins as both the Icy Rock and the disk were gone.
Sabrina's soft laughter snapped Sage's attention back to the battlefield as the Psychic Gym Leader's smirk widened with her crimson eyes gleaming with amusement.
I must admit, you're a strong trainer but you lack awareness" Sabrina said with a faint smirk on her face.
What do you mean?" Sage demanded as her anger flared.
Sabrina chuckled.
The boss knew you and your little friends would storm this building so he had a clever plan to have me distract you while Koga sneaks in and steals the Icy Rock and the disk" Sabrina explained.
Sage's jaw clenched in anger.
She had been played. All this time, she had thought she was winning, dominating the battle but in reality, she had been nothing more than a pawn in Team Rocket's elaborate scheme.
Where did they take the Icy Rock and the disk?" Sage demanded as she took a step forward.
That's for us to know and for you to find out" Sabrina playfully said as before Sage could react, Sabrina vanished.
The eerie silence that followed only fueled Sage's frustration.
Sage eyes darted across the battlefield, searching for any clues and that's when she spotted something shining on the ground.
She knelt down and picked it up as her eyes widened in shock.
It was the Marsh Badge.
Sabrina had left it behind as Sage clenched her fists in anger as she couldn't understand why Koga and Sabrina joined Team Rocket and if that was the case are the other Gym leaders apart of Team Rocket.
I'm not letting Team Rocket get away with this" Sage muttered under her breath.
Determined, Sage sprinted towards the tunnel's exit and at the end, she found an elevator with its doors wide open and without wasting time, she stepped inside and the moment she did, the doors automatically closed and the lift began its ascent to the top floor of Silph Co.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As the elevator ascended, Sage's Rotom Phone buzzed and she pulled it out and saw a text from Daisy:
All Team Rocket members have fled Saffron City. The barrier is down.
Sage let out a small sigh of relief but the tension in her body didn't ease as she knew that Team Rocket now had the molten rock, the lightning rock and the icy rock in their possession and knew they were one step closer to achieving their goals.
The elevator reached the top floor, and the doors slid open and the sight that greeted her was chaos.
A huge hole had been blown into glass wall of the President office, allowing the wind to rush into the building and papers and debris were scattered everywhere.
In the center of the room, Blue and Leaf were comforting the President of Silph Co who looked visibly shaken.
But Sage noticed something immediately.
Red was nowhere to be found.
What happened here?!" Sage asked as she rushed forward.
Blue turned to her with his expression grim.
The Team Rocket boss stole something from President and that is a highly advanced Pokéball called the Master Ball—a device that can catch any Pokémon without fail" Blue explained.
Sage's eyes widened in alarm. If Team Rocket had something like that, they could capture legendary Pokémon without effort as this was worse than she thought.
But that's not all," Leaf added with her voice unsteady.
We found out something else... something huge" Leaf said.
What is it?" Sage asked cautiously.
Blue took a deep breath before speaking.
The Team Rocket boss... is Red's father" Blue said as Sage froze.
The Team Rocket boss was Red father as Red had always searched for his father, always wondered where he had gone—only to discover he had been leading Team Rocket all along.
His name is Giovanni and he told Red the reason he abandoned him and his mom was because he wanted to achieve his dream of awakening Aviation so he can assume control over the entire Kanto Region" Blue said.
Sage felt sick as team Rocket wasn't just stealing Silph Co.'s technology for profit. They were planning something far bigger.
And... how did Red take it?" Sage asked cautiously.
He didn't say a word. He just... left" Leaf said with sadness in her tone.
Silence filled the room as Sage could only imagine how devastated Red must have been as his father—the man he had been searching for all these years—was the enemy.
We can't focus on that now. We need to regroup with Daisy and come up with a plan before it's too late" Blue said with determination in his eyes as he knew Red could take care of himself.
Sage nodded with determination hardening in her eyes.
She had failed to stop Team Rocket this time but this wasn't over.
They would stop Giovanni.
And they would save Kanto.
