Chapter 163: Secretary

After watching Ash leave, Archer turned his gaze toward the young woman sitting on the sofa. His expression darkened, and his patience wore thin—he had no interest in wasting any more time on this secretary.

"I'll ask one last time. In which research room is the Master Ball development data stored?" Archer's voice was cold and sharp, just as Ash was about to step out the door.

The question, of course, was not directed at Ash but at the young woman on the sofa—Silph Co.'s president's secretary.

Hearing Archer's question, Ash hesitated for a brief moment but ultimately resisted the urge to turn around. He continued walking out while keeping an ear on the conversation behind him.

"Don't even dream about it! I would never let Team Rocket get their hands on that information!" The secretary's voice was filled with defiance, her glare sharp with hatred.

"So that's how it is, then…" Archer sighed, shaking his head slightly. He glanced at the door again and suddenly called out, "You—wait."

Ash stopped in his tracks, turned slightly, and lowered his head. "Master Archer, are you calling me?"

"That's right." Archer motioned for Ash to come closer. Once Ash stood before him, he pointed at the secretary. "Since she refuses to cooperate, she has no further use to us. Make her disappear."

The secretary's eyes flickered with fear, but she clenched her jaw, refusing to let herself break. She understood exactly what Archer meant by "disappear."

Ash hesitated for a brief moment but quickly composed himself. He nodded. "Understood, Master Archer."

He stepped toward the secretary, looking into her terrified yet resolute eyes. Without hesitation, he reached out and grabbed her by the arm. With her hands tied behind her back, struggling was useless.

"Even now, you still refuse to speak… I must admit, your loyalty to Silph Co. is commendable." Archer smirked slightly. It was a rare moment of admiration—but that was all.

"Take her away. Report back to me when it's done."

"Yes, Master Archer." Ash tightened his grip on the secretary's restrained hands, forcing her forward. No matter how much she struggled, she couldn't break free.

Archer paid them no further attention. To him, this was a trivial matter, not worth his time.

He returned to his desk and sat down, eyes scanning the computer screen in front of him. Displayed on it was a detailed map of the entire Silph Co. building.

From here, he carefully examined the floors, searching for any clues as to where the Master Ball development data might be hidden. Even if the secretary refused to talk, there was still the president of Silph Co. With Petrel's skills, Archer was confident they'd get the information out of him eventually.

And through the secretary's fate, he would make the president understand—Team Rocket was neither merciful nor kind.

"You bastards will pay for this! The Pokémon League will never let you get away with this!" the secretary shouted as she was pushed forward by Ash. Her defiance echoed through the hallway, catching the attention of several Team Rocket grunts nearby.

A man, seemingly in charge of this floor, stepped forward with a puzzled expression. "What's going on here?"

Ash remained silent, simply tightening his grip on the secretary and continuing to drag her along.

"Master Archer ordered me to deal with her," Ash stated plainly, his tone emotionless.

The officer smirked. "Ah, I see. Good. We can't have any loose ends, after all."

The secretary clenched her fists behind her back, glaring at everyone around her. "You're all just criminals! You think you can take Silph Co.'s technology and not pay the price? The League will wipe out Team Rocket!"

Ash remained indifferent to her words.

He led her down a long hallway, heading toward the lower floors of the building where fewer people would witness what was about to happen.

Meanwhile, in the Silph Co. President's Office…

Inside the top-floor office, Giovanni leaned against the window, looking out at the night skyline of Saffron City. A cigarette burned between his fingers as he listened to the latest report from one of his subordinates.

"Archer is handling the situation?" Giovanni asked without turning around.

"Yes, sir," the grunt replied. "He's already taken control of most of the facility. We're still searching for the exact location of the Master Ball data, but the scientists are being… uncooperative."

Giovanni exhaled a slow stream of smoke. "That was expected. No matter. Continue as planned. We'll break them eventually."

The grunt nodded and left.

Giovanni tapped the ash from his cigarette and turned his gaze to the large desk in front of him, where a single Poké Ball rested.

"This city will soon belong to us," he muttered to himself.

Back in the Lower Floors of Silph Co.

Ash and the secretary had reached an isolated part of the building. There were no cameras, no witnesses—just a cold, empty corridor.

The secretary panted slightly from struggling, but her determination had not wavered.

"You don't have to do this," she said suddenly, looking at Ash. "You're not like them. You can still walk away from this."

Ash's expression remained neutral.

"Master Archer gave me an order."

"You're just a pawn to them!" she snapped. "The moment you're no longer useful, they'll throw you away too! Is this really what you want?"

For a brief second, something flickered in Ash's eyes—but it was gone in an instant.

Before the secretary could say anything else, he tightened his grip on her.

"I don't want to hear another word."

The secretary clenched her jaw. She knew her fate was sealed.

Ash dragged her forward again, disappearing deeper into the building.

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Elsewhere, in the Underground Hideout…

A man in a dark coat sat in a dimly lit room, watching a monitor displaying a live feed from Silph Co. His fingers tapped rhythmically against the table.

A woman stood beside him, arms crossed.

"Do you think they'll actually find the data?" she asked.

"They will," the man replied. "The real question is—how long before the League gets involved?"

The woman smirked. "If we time it right, it won't matter. We'll have everything we need before they even know what happened."

The man nodded. "Then let's make sure this plays out exactly as planned."

He leaned forward, watching as Ash led the secretary into the depths of Silph Co.

The game was far from over.

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