“The Pokédex won't open! What's going on?” Xiao Mao frowned, feeling this was related to the sudden thunderstorm.
Professor Oak's Pokédex was equipped with teleportation capabilities. The only way for it to malfunction would be a magnetic field disruption near the power plant, rendering the Pokédex unusable, thus disabling its teleportation function.
“My phone has no signal either.” Xiao Mao took out his phone and found it had no signal, which was clearly out of the ordinary.
Cianwood City was a major metropolis. A city built in this area wouldn't be prone to such severe weather conditions, as it would negatively impact the city's development.
Something strange was definitely going on.
Xiao Mao looked towards the power plant. The sky was still shrouded in a layer of dark clouds, which continued to expand outward.
“Did something happen at the power plant?” Xiao Mao suspected something had happened at the power plant.
“Crobat, ask the Magnemites in the area, especially those near the power plant, about any recent happenings at the power plant.” Xiao Mao instructed.
While he lacked Psychic-type Pokémon, which would allow him to understand what they were thinking, he could still have Pokémon communicate with other Pokémon. By simply changing the way he asked, he could still get the answers he needed.
“Cro!”
Crobat nodded and began inquiring about the power plant from the nearby Magnemites.
Pokémon residing near cities generally tended to be friendly. Plus, there was no animosity between Crobat and Magnemites. The Magnemites willingly answered Crobat's questions.
“Cro!” Crobat returned to Xiao Mao's side and conveyed the information it had gathered.
Despite not understanding Crobat's speech, Xiao Mao had been with it for long enough to grasp its meaning.
Indeed, as Xiao Mao had guessed, something had happened at the power plant, but Crobat couldn't articulate exactly what.
“Crobat, I have a task for you. You must hurry back to the Pokémon Center and inform Nuzleaf. I'll wait for her here.” Xiao Mao said.
Swish!
As soon as Xiao Mao finished speaking, a figure appeared beside him.
“Cro!”
“Nuzleaf!”
Both Xiao Mao and Crobat were taken aback.
Before they could even go looking for her, Nuzleaf had arrived herself.
“Nuzleaf, how did you get here?” Xiao Mao asked.
“I was worried about you, so I came to check on you.” Nuzleaf said with concern.
“Did something happen in the city?” Xiao Mao sensed something was amiss from her words.
“The city is experiencing a power outage. I couldn't get through to the power plant when I called. You mentioned you were looking for Magnemites near the power plant, and I was worried about you, so I came to check.” Nuzleaf explained.
Based on Nuzleaf's explanation, it was certain that something was wrong at the power plant.
“Nuzleaf, ask these Magnemites what happened at the power plant.” Xiao Mao said.
“Alright.” Nuzleaf also understood the seriousness of the situation and went to inquire from the Magnemites roaming nearby.
The thunderstorm had persisted, but no lightning strikes had occurred. It was strange, really. The thunderstorm had been going on nonstop since it started, but not a single drop of rain had fallen.
Such peculiar weather patterns could only be caused by legendary Pokémon. Perhaps a legendary Pokémon had entered the power plant.
But logically, considering that the power plant was manned, it seemed unlikely that a legendary Pokémon would actively approach it.
“Xiao Mao, the Magnemite told me that a group of people recently came to the power plant. They drove away all the wild Pokémon in the surrounding area and also took control of the power plant's employees.” Nuzleaf said.
Xiao Mao was stunned. It turned out his suspicions were correct, and the power plant was indeed in trouble. It seemed someone had taken over the power plant.
The world of Pokémon had advanced power generation technology. One power plant didn't require many employees, so it wouldn't be too difficult for someone to seize control of the plant.
“Nuzleaf, let's head over to the power plant.” Xiao Mao said.
“Okay.”
Nuzleaf had no objections.
Therefore, the two of them made their way to the power plant.
......!
Inside the power plant's monitoring room.
Two individuals dressed in R-marked uniforms were intently observing everything on the screens.
Unbeknownst to them, two unfamiliar figures had appeared behind them.
“Hey, it's your shift change.” A voice echoed from behind.
The two individuals staring at the monitoring screens immediately turned their heads. Their eyes met a pair of glowing eyes gazing at them, and instantly, their eyelids drooped, revealing a sleepy, drowsy expression.
“Hypnosis is complete. You can ask your questions now, Xiao Mao.” Nuzleaf said.
Xiao Mao walked over to the two Team Rocket members, but didn't rush into questioning. He first glanced at the images on the monitors. The screens displayed several views, all monitoring the power plant's entrances and exits, as well as key locations within the facility.
“Zapdos!!”
One of the views showed Zapdos restrained by a cage constructed from iron pipes. Zapdos was continuously releasing lightning, attempting to break free from its confinement, but its electric attacks had no effect on the steel pipes.
Upon being reminded by Xiao Mao, Nuzleaf also noticed the lightning on the monitoring screen. She was shocked. It was the first time she had ever encountered a legendary Pokémon.
“Why is Zapdos here?” Xiao Mao asked.
“We lured Zapdos here.” The female Team Rocket member responded.
“What's your plan?”
The Team Rocket members stated, “To assist Dr. Silaf in capturing Zapdos.”
Xiao Mao was taken aback.
Xiao Mao knew Dr. Silaf. This doctor's research was cruel, focused on replacing legendary Pokémon with machines. In simpler terms, his goal was to imbue machines with the power of legendary Pokémon.
In the Pokémon anime's extended universe, Dr. Silaf had attempted to transfer the power of Raikou into a purple crystal, but his experiment failed.
Unbeknownst to Xiao Mao, Dr. Silaf had also set his sights on Zapdos.
However, with Xiao Mao present, Dr. Silaf's plan was destined to fail.
“How many of you are there?” Xiao Mao inquired.
“There are four of us in total. Including us, there are two elite members. They are the main personnel responsible for this operation.” The two responded in unison.
Xiao Mao scanned the monitors. At Zapdos' location, there were indeed two Team Rocket members present. They were two males, wearing white Team Rocket uniforms, distinct from the two in the monitoring room.
Within Team Rocket, ordinary members wore black uniforms, while elite members sported white or grey uniforms. The attire of executives had no restrictions, as long as they displayed the Team Rocket logo.
“What Pokémon do the two elite members have?” Xiao Mao asked.
“They have a Marowak, a Rhydon, and a Magneton.”
Marowak and Rhydon were both Ground-type Pokémon, perfect for countering Zapdos. Team Rocket had made thorough preparations for this operation.