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"The Master Ball is the ultimate Poké Ball that our Silph Company has been developing for many years!" Kyoko said seriously, looking at each of the three trainers with grave intensity.
The Master Ball wasn't just a dream for Team Rocket - it represented the ultimate goal for any serious Pokémon Trainer as well. The technology behind it could revolutionize the entire world of Pokémon training and capture.
"A Poké Ball? Is this particular Poké Ball really that powerful?" Misty and Brock exchanged confused glances after hearing her explanation.
It seemed hard to believe that Team Rocket would go to such extreme lengths over what appeared to be just another type of Poké Ball, even if it was more advanced than the standard models they were familiar with.
"Of course it is! The Master Ball represents the absolute pinnacle of Poké Ball technology," Kyoko explained with evident pride in her voice. "Our Silph Company has invested countless years of research and development to create it. This is truly the most powerful Poké Ball ever conceived!"
She paused for effect before delivering the most shocking revelation: "No matter what kind of Pokémon it is - legendary, powerful, or completely wild - it's a super-advanced Poké Ball that can capture any Pokémon with one hundred percent success rate!"
The deep pride in Kyoko's words was unmistakable as she spoke about their groundbreaking technology. Even though this revolutionary development had attracted the dangerous attention of Team Rocket, it didn't diminish her sense of accomplishment in their research breakthrough.
After all, if the Master Ball wasn't something truly extraordinary, it wouldn't have caught Team Rocket's interest in the first place.
Ash had a pretty good understanding of what Team Rocket hoped to accomplish with Master Ball technology. In the broader Pokémon world, the Master Ball wasn't the only device theoretically capable of guaranteeing Pokémon capture.
Team Rocket had been developing their own specialized Poké Ball technology - devices that were not only designed to capture Pokémon with complete certainty, but also to alter the captured Pokémon's behavior, making them more aggressive and significantly increasing their battle strength through artificial enhancement.
It seemed clear that Team Rocket's true objective wasn't necessarily the Master Ball itself, but rather the underlying technology that enabled guaranteed Pokémon capture. They wanted to reverse-engineer and adapt that technology for their own darker purposes.
"You mean it can capture Pokémon directly without any battle at all?" Both Misty and Brock were astonished by this revelation.
Under normal circumstances, successfully capturing wild Pokémon required engaging them in battle first to weaken them and reduce their ability to resist capture. The only exceptions were cases like Ash had experienced, where Pokémon voluntarily chose to join a trainer's team.
Otherwise, attempting to capture a Pokémon at full strength with a standard Poké Ball had an extremely low success rate, unless the target Pokémon was already very weak or injured from previous encounters.
"Exactly right! And it doesn't matter how powerful the Pokémon is," Kyoko confirmed enthusiastically. "As long as the Master Ball makes contact with any Pokémon, that Pokémon will be successfully captured with absolute certainty!"
"That's incredible! No wonder Team Rocket is so desperate to steal this technology!" Misty and Brock were genuinely amazed by Kyoko's explanation.
They had never imagined that such a powerful type of Poké Ball could actually exist. Now they finally understood why Team Rocket had gone to such lengths to target her and Silph Company.
Although their usual goal was stealing Pokémon directly, the Master Ball technology would be incredibly valuable to their criminal organization. If they could obtain the Master Ball design and find a way to mass-produce these devices, they would never have problems capturing any Pokémon they desired in the future.
"However, the Master Ball is still in active research and development phases," Kyoko continued with a worried expression. "Team Rocket has taken complete control of our Silph Company facilities. The company president and all our research scientists are being held captive by them."
"All research and development work can only continue under their direct supervision and control! I accidentally discovered an opportunity to escape today with the help of some brave colleagues who created a distraction."
"I originally planned to contact the police immediately, but I quickly realized that there are Team Rocket informants throughout the city now, so..." Kyoko's voice trailed off as she explained the hopeless situation.
Because she had been controlled and confined within the company building from the beginning of Team Rocket's takeover, Kyoko hadn't known about the situation in the rest of Rainbow City. However, when she managed to escape, she discovered that Team Rocket operatives were positioned almost everywhere throughout the urban area.
She had been spotted and pursued almost immediately, leaving her with no choice but to flee into the wilderness areas outside the city limits.
When Ash heard this explanation, he wasn't particularly surprised by the scope of Team Rocket's operation. He had the distinct impression that in the games, one of Team Rocket's major base operations was indeed located in Rainbow City.
"So there's basically no way to contact the police safely right now?" Misty asked with growing concern, looking toward the city with obvious worry.
"Regardless of the risks, I have to find some way to alert the authorities," Kyoko said with determination. "Team Rocket isn't just controlling our staff - they're also capturing numerous wild Pokémon to use as test subjects for their experiments."
"If we don't act quickly..." Kyoko attempted to stand up as she spoke, but she had been running for quite a while in high heels and had exhausted most of her energy. She nearly collapsed as soon as she tried to get to her feet.
"Don't push yourself so hard!" Misty quickly moved to support her before she could fall.
"What should we do, Ash? At this rate, she'll be discovered long before we can reach the police station," Brock said with growing concern.
Although Team Rocket probably wouldn't dare to operate too close to the police station itself, Brock realized there was still a considerable distance between entering the city and actually reaching the police station safely. Kyoko would be easily spotted during that journey.
"Actually, there is one place that's very close by, and there definitely won't be any Team Rocket operatives in the area!" Ash said thoughtfully, looking in the direction of Rainbow City.
From their current position, they could already see the city clearly spread out before them. At the same time, they could also make out a particular building that was visible from quite a distance due to its distinctive architecture and prominent location within the city.
Brock paused for a moment after hearing Ash's suggestion, then followed his gaze toward the specific building Ash was indicating.
"Yes! Of course! That place would be perfect!" Brock exclaimed with sudden understanding when he realized which location Ash was referring to.
Misty and Kyoko looked confused, unable to understand what the two boys were discussing without more explanation.
In any case, since they had encountered Kyoko and learned about her situation, they couldn't simply abandon her to face Team Rocket alone. The three trainers decided to help her sneak back into Rainbow City safely.
The place Ash had identified as being free from Team Rocket surveillance wasn't the police station - it was the Rainbow Gym. While Team Rocket certainly wouldn't be intimidated by a single Gym Leader, it was obvious they wanted to avoid unnecessary complications and wouldn't position operatives too close to an official Pokémon Gym, as this might attract unwanted attention from the Rainbow Gym Leader.
The Rainbow Gym had been built with an extensive ecological park surrounding it, and the facility was located closer to the edge of the city, near the forest areas where they were currently hiding. The location wasn't too far from their position, and if they were careful about their approach, they were unlikely to be detected.
Returning to Rainbow City, the urban area looked exactly the same as it had during their previous visit, but both Misty and Brock remained cautious and alert as they moved through the streets.
Ash removed his trainer's hat and handed it to Kyoko. She understood his intention immediately and put the hat on her head. While it couldn't completely disguise her identity, it would help hide her distinctive appearance somewhat.
"Try to stay relaxed," Ash advised as he walked at the front of their small group, constantly observing their surroundings and staying ready to handle any emergency situations. "The more nervous and tense you appear, the more likely you are to attract attention."
Misty and Brock managed to relax somewhat after hearing Ash's calm guidance. The three trainers walked toward the Rainbow Gym with Kyoko positioned safely in the middle of their group for protection.
However, they had clearly underestimated Team Rocket's extensive surveillance network throughout the city. Although there might not have been any watchers stationed near the gym itself, there were numerous operatives positioned throughout the city streets, and their small group was spotted relatively quickly.
"There's that woman! She's over there!" a voice shouted from somewhere behind them.
Two streets away from the Rainbow Gym, they heard the alarming sound and turned to see a group of Team Rocket operatives rushing toward their position with obvious hostile intent.
"This is bad!" Brock's expression changed dramatically when he saw the approaching danger, but Ash remained surprisingly calm and composed.
This type of situation was actually something he had anticipated and prepared for during their journey back into the city.