CHAPTER 1501: UNDERCOVER RESCUE

In the middle of the night, the building of the biotech company was pitch black, but the security guards were patrolling with flashlights, accompanied by fierce Pokémon.

When Yuga and Mismagius entered the building, they didn’t alarm a single guard.

There was still someone guarding the elevator that led to the secret laboratory, though it wasn’t the same person from earlier that day.

Mismagius didn’t need to use psychic power like Azao’s Meowstick to control the guard. Instead, it brought Yuga through the wall, and without triggering any alarms, the two of them remained invisible as they entered the interior of the laboratory.

This laboratory was very large, but its structure was not complicated. Despite it being the middle of the night, there were still many people busy working inside. There were also numerous Team Rocket members in black uniforms patrolling.

Most of the researchers working here ate and slept in the lab and rarely went outside. That was also why someone like Alex was needed as the liaison.

The moment Yuga arrived, the imprisoned Celebi immediately sensed his presence. Inside the glass chamber, it opened its eyes and looked anxiously in Yuga’s direction. But because Yuga was currently in a cloaked state, Celebi couldn’t see him.

Yuga was still wearing the special suit made from Ghost Vines by Mewtwo, so Celebi couldn’t sense Yuga’s aura at all. The only reason it could sense Yuga’s presence was because of the blessing it had once given him.

Yuga walked to Celebi’s side. Seeing that no one was nearby, he softly called out to it.

"Celebi..."

Finally confirming that its sensing wasn’t wrong, Celebi was just about to show excitement when Yuga quickly added, "Don’t get excited, stay calm."

Celebi was indeed quite clever. Knowing not to alert anyone, it promptly closed its eyes again and obediently lay flat inside the glass chamber.

Yuga continued whispering, "I can’t get you out tonight, so I can’t alert them yet. Once I return and bring the League to surround this place, I’ll come back and rescue you."

Celebi lightly nodded to show its understanding. It could afford to wait a bit longer. It hadn’t been mistreated here—after all, it was an important test subject—so its treatment had been fairly good, aside from the first time it arrived.

When it thought of that first time—its entire power being forcibly extracted from its body, that sensation akin to having its skin peeled and bones torn—it couldn’t help but shudder.

Yuga then asked, "Do you know where Professor Pedro and Amina are?"

"Celebi~ Celebi~"

Celebi softly chirped twice and gave Yuga the location of Professor Pedro. However, it didn’t know where Amina had been taken.

Following Celebi’s instructions, Yuga quickly found the room where Professor Pedro was staying. There were people specifically guarding that area, and Professor Pedro was already asleep, so Yuga didn’t disturb him.

After making several rounds within the lab and getting a clear grasp of its layout and personnel arrangements, Yuga quietly left once more.

The next day, Yuga called Diantha and told her about the existence of Team Rocket’s secret lab in Camphrier Town. He then waited for the Kalos League to send people to assist him.

He could definitely manage to rescue Celebi and Professor Pedro by himself, but if he wanted to completely wipe out all the Team Rocket members stationed there, that would be a bit difficult.

The reason he didn’t contact the Camphrier Town police was that he had already learned from Mismagius that Team Rocket member named Klee was connected to the Camphrier Town mayor.

With the mayor already compromised, the police force could no longer be trusted. Since the town didn’t even have a gym, the mayor was effectively the highest-ranking official in Camphrier Town.

After hanging up the call with Diantha, Yuga went to the black market again. He had agreed to meet Azao today. Even though he had already gotten the intel he wanted, since they had made an appointment, he still had to go.

At the same time, he also needed to make sure Azao wouldn’t reveal his existence to his father.

As soon as Yuga arrived at the black market, Azao’s men invited him into his office. The moment he entered the room, Azao immediately lashed out, "That Mismagius yesterday was yours, wasn’t it? You actually dared to send a Pokémon to spy on me!"

Yuga smiled and countered, "Shouldn’t you be thanking my Mismagius for saving you?"

Azao said angrily, "That’s a completely separate matter! If you came to me for help but didn’t trust me, what does that say about you?"

Hearing this, Yuga suddenly withdrew his smile. He stared directly at Azao and said, "Then should I trust you? I believe you’ve found out who I am by now, haven’t you?"

Azao fell silent. After returning home yesterday, he had immediately looked into Yuga’s identity. Given that he already knew what Yuga looked like, finding out who he was wasn’t difficult at all.

Yuga’s name and stories were all over the internet—it was easy to find with a simple search.

Yuga continued, "Your father is obviously engaged in acts of betrayal against the League, and you are his son. So should I trust you?"

"I..."

Azao wanted to defend himself, but didn’t know what to say. It was true that his relationship with his father wasn’t good, but the fact that they were father and son was undeniable.

After a few seconds of silence, Azao suddenly asked, "What have you found out? How serious are the crimes my father committed? What will happen to him if he gets caught?"

No matter what, they were still father and son. Even if their relationship was bad, Azao couldn’t help but worry.

Yuga couldn’t give a clear answer toAzao’s question, because he himself wasn’t sure how deeply the mayor of Camphrier Town was entangled with Team Rocket.

"I can’t answer that," Yuga said with a slight dodge, "But you could try to help reduce your father’s punishment."

"How?" Azao asked, and then he suddenly realized something. "You want me to go undercover?"

Yuga nodded. "That’s right. If you’re willing, I can help secure a lighter sentence for your father."

Azao hesitated. He knew that with Yuga’s position, if he promised it, he could certainly make it happen. But if he became an undercover agent, that would mean personally sending his own father to prison.

Seeing Azao’s hesitation, Yuga added, "You should be well aware—since I’ve appeared here, your father definitely can’t escape anymore. If you really care about him, why not try to do something for him?"

Azao thought for a moment. That’s right! Things had already come this far... Besides, his father had done so many bad things—getting punished was what he deserved!

He wasn’t doing anything wrong!

So Azao clenched his teeth and agreed.

"Alright then. Let me congratulate us on a successful cooperation in advance!"

Hearing this, Yuga smiled and then summoned his Mismagius.

"My Mismagius will be staying with you from now on. It will protect you and assist you."

Azao knew that what Yuga said was just lip service. The real purpose of Mismagius was to monitor him and make sure he didn’t tip off his father.

"Then thank you."

Azao accepted Yuga’s arrangement and didn’t expose the true reason for Mismagius following him. That could be considered a small gesture of goodwill in accepting this partnership.

So before the reinforcements from the League arrived, Yuga and Azao launched an even deeper investigation into Team Rocket’s operations in Camphrier Town, including the connection between Team Rocket and the biotech company, and the role Mayor Itō of Camphrier Town played in all of it.

With Azao as the insider, and with the powerful assistant Mismagius by his side, Yuga quickly grasped the full list of all Team Rocket members lurking in Camphrier Town. At the same time, he clarified Klee’s true identity and learned that Amina had been taken away from Camphrier Town by Giovanni.

Yuga couldn’t understand—what did Giovanni want with Amina? Even though Amina was a Champion level Trainer, when he defeated her, all of her Pokémon had been severely injured and left in the forest outside Crown City, and afterward, they were taken in by the League.

What use was a Champion level Trainer without any Pokémon?

While Yuga was investigating Team Rocket in Camphrier Town, the Kalos League was also secretly launching a thorough investigation into Mayor Itō of Camphrier Town. However, the more they investigated, the more they realized just how complicated the situation really was.

That biotech company in Camphrier Town had once received funding from Lysandre, and Itō was the one who had acted as the intermediary between the two sides.

And that wasn’t all—Itō had also pulled in several other investors for that company multiple times.

Now, that company had become the cover for a secret Team Rocket laboratory, and the web of connections was terrifying to think about in detail.

Once Yuga’s investigation results were combined with those from the Kalos League, the evidence of Itō’s crimes became undeniable.

That day, Itō was in his office handling work when suddenly, several people wearing the uniforms of the League’s Supervision Bureau stormed in.

"Mayor Itō, please come with us," the leader of the Supervision Bureau team said expressionlessly.

The situation happened so suddenly that Itō’s face was full of shock. The appearance of the Supervision Bureau meant that he was now officially under investigation by the League.

Why? He couldn’t remember where he could’ve gone wrong.

Itō was shaken inside, but he tried to maintain his composure on the surface and cautiously asked the captain, "May I ask what crime I’ve committed? I’ve always served the public with dedication and integrity—how could it come to this, with the League sending the Supervision Bureau for me?"

The captain coldly replied, "Mayor Itō, there’s no need to ask questions. You’ll have plenty of chances to defend yourself later."

As he spoke, he signaled to the agents behind him. Two Supervision Bureau members immediately stepped forward and handcuffed Itō.

When Itō was escorted out of the office, all the town hall staff looked shocked. They gathered in small groups and whispered to one another, extremely curious as to why the always-respected Mayor Itō was being arrested.

Mayor Itō was a man who cared deeply about appearances. The whispers of his subordinates made his face flush red with humiliation.

As he stepped out of the town hall, Mayor Itō instantly saw Azao standing at the entrance. Suddenly, he seemed to realize something and was stunned on the spot.

He said to the captain escorting him, "Can I have a few words with my son?"

The captain didn’t say anything but gave tacit approval.

Itō walked over to Azao and asked in a low voice, "Is my arrest related to you?"

Azao opened his mouth but didn’t say anything, yet that was more than enough for Itō to confirm what he suspected.

"You hate me that much? You wish I were dead?" Itō demanded.

Azao still said nothing. Itō could no longer contain the rage in his heart. He raised his foot and viciously kicked Azao to the ground.

"Everything I did—wasn’t it all for you?" Itō shouted angrily. "You’re my only child, my only family! Everything I did—wasn’t it all for you!!"

He knew there was no escape from this calamity. It might have been fine if his deeds had remained hidden, but once the League came knocking, there would be nothing they couldn’t find out!

Hearing his father’s words, Azao endured the intense pain, clutching his stomach as he stood up. Without arguing with his father, he looked him straight in the eyes and asked, "Was it really all for me?"

Seeing the terrifyingly calm look in his son’s eyes, Itō suddenly found himself speechless.

At that moment, he felt that his son was a complete stranger, as if he had never truly known him. The question—"Was it really all for me?"—kept echoing in his mind.

And just like that, Itō was taken away in a daze by the Supervision Bureau agents, while Azao stood silently watching his father’s retreating back, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

At the same time, on the other side, the League’s Investigation Bureau dispatched a large team to surround the biotech company, drawing the attention of many bystanders who stopped to watch.

As soon as the Investigation Bureau charged in, intense fighting broke out inside, but the League had come well-prepared—nothing, not even a fly, was going to escape.

Before all this, Yuga had already stealthily infiltrated the lab. He and Mismagius split up—Mismagius went to Celebi, while he and Gengar headed to Professor Pedro’s location.

Inside Professor Pedro’s room, Alex was talking with Professor Pedro, trying to convince his former teacher to join Team Rocket. The room was filled with the noise of the teacher and student arguing, which the Rocket members guarding outside had already grown used to.

Led by Gengar, Yuga phased through the wall and appeared directly before Professor Pedro and Alex.

Alex was shocked and shouted in alarm, "Who are you? How did you get in here?"

Yuga ignored Alex and looked straight at Professor Pedro, saying, "Professor, I was sent by the League to rescue you."

Just as Professor Pedro was about to rejoice, Alex started yelling.

"Guards! Someone come, help!"

The people outside heard the commotion and rushed in, but Gengar took them down the moment they entered. And so, Yuga, Professor Pedro, and Gengar—carrying the unconscious Alex—successfully rendezvoused with Mismagius, who had rescued Celebi.

By the time the rest of the Team Rocket members in the lab realized something was wrong, the Investigation Bureau had already stormed in.

After a fierce battle, all Team Rocket members were captured—none managed to slip through.

As there were still many matters to deal with, Yuga handed Professor Pedro and Alex over to the Investigation Bureau.

After Yuga finished handling all the remaining tasks, he was informed by the Bureau that Alex had died.

He had committed suicide. Upon waking and learning that all of Team Rocket’s operatives had been captured, Alex fell into emotional collapse. Taking advantage of a moment when his guard wasn’t paying attention, he used a shard from his broken eyeglasses to end his life.

Although Alex had only recently joined Team Rocket, he had shown an unexpected level of loyalty. Fearing the League’s interrogation and the possibility of leaking Team Rocket’s secrets, he chose to end his life.

The reason Alex had been specially recruited by Giovanni into Team Rocket—and even tasked with persuading his own teacher to join—was because he was involved in one of Team Rocket’s major plans. The technology that he and Professor Pedro possessed played a vital role in that plan.

That’s why Alex knew some of Team Rocket’s most confidential secrets, and to prevent them from being revealed, he chose suicide.