"Sabrina's psychic powers are too strong. As soon as she enters this transmission channel, the channel will collapse directly," Xia Bo explained.
"I asked Sabrina for her opinion, and she recommended you in the end. She said that your current psychic powers are sufficient to carry out this mission, and that there is also a hint of spatial quality within your psychic powers, suggesting you have ample spatial talent," Giovanni then explained why he knew Aoki was sensitive to space.
That was why they had called him here from so far away.
It turned out everything had been instigated by Sabrina.
Could it be that because he hadn't visited her the last time he passed through Goldenrod City, she had been holding a grudge?
Aoki felt a slight headache coming on.
This mentally unstable woman...
However, Aoki wasn't particularly angry.
This matter may seem dangerous, but wasn't it also an opportunity?
An unknown, unexplored space.
Just think about how much benefit Aoki had gained from Celebi's space.
And there should be no one else in this space, only Aoki and wild Pokemon.
This kind of environment was what he liked most.
In the wild, humans were often much more terrifying and troublesome than Pokemon.
Moreover, Xia Bo had also said that this teleportation device had the capacity for one round trip. As long as he wanted to, he could come back at any time. The completion of the mission itself was still debatable.
However, with no one there to watch him, wouldn't it still be up to him to decide what happened inside?
If there was no trace of Mew, then Team Rocket would not have to spend a massive amount of resources on this research.
If there really was a Mew, then they might face a massive, coordinated attack from Team Rocket later.
Aoki nodded.
Seeing Aoki agree, Xia Bo's face suddenly showed joy.
"Please wait a moment. I'll go prepare and we'll be able to teleport soon," Xia Bo said as he was about to leave.
"Wait a moment. Take a rest for two days first, and then teleport after two days," Giovanni interrupted, stopping the slightly overexcited Xia Bo.
"Yes! Yes! We need to prepare first. Only when we are fully prepared can we carry out this mission successfully. We don't know how long it might take before he can come back," Xia Bo said, slapping his forehead as he realized this.
Aoki didn't object either.
"You should prepare first. If you have any needs, you can raise them. At the same time, you'd best arrange your own affairs beforehand," Giovanni said to Aoki.
After hearing what Giovanni said, Aoki lowered his head and thought for a while.
"First, we need to confirm that this space actually exists. I don't want to be teleported there only to be lost shuttling back and forth in a vast, alien dimension. And this teleportation device that can make a round trip, is it safe and reliable? I am not doubting your ability, Dr. Xia Bo, after all, it concerns..." Aoki stopped there, and everyone understood what he meant to say next.
"You can rest assured about this. We have already determined the specific size of this space and have even managed to scan some of its basic terrain distribution. Before you go, we will provide you with a map of this space. As for this teleportation device, we're only conservatively estimating a single round trip. In fact, according to our calculations and analysis, even two round trips shouldn't be a problem. It's just that each transmission requires a certain buffering time; it might take three to seven days to accumulate enough energy before it can teleport again," Xia Bo explained, not seeming angry at Aoki's questioning.
After all, this mission not only concerned Aoki's life but also Team Rocket's pursuit of Mew. On this point, no one dared to cut corners or deceive Sakaki, otherwise, they would have to bear the full weight of Giovanni's wrath.
"And we have also conducted some preliminary tests, but the cost is simply too high. Even our Team Rocket can scarcely afford it, so we can only send one person to investigate first. If there really is a Mew, we will give you a device before you go, one that can help us establish a more economically viable space bridge. We will teach you how to use it then," Xia Bo added.
Giovanni also nodded, looked at Aoki, and said to him, "No problem."
Seeing that Giovanni had nodded his approval, Aoki put aside the last bit of worry in his heart. Giovanni's word was still highly credible.
"Then I... need to use the laboratory's computers to look up some information. At the same time, since I don't know how long I might be staying there, I would require a large amount of supplies to allow me to stay in that space longer and conduct a more comprehensive exploration," Aoki stated his conditions.
This was, in fact, an equal exchange.
Giovanni hesitated for a moment and did not agree immediately. After looking at Aoki intently once more, he finally nodded and said, "Okay."
After saying that, he walked directly out of the laboratory. As he left, a voice came back, "Xia Bo, Officer Aoki's requests are now left to you to fulfill."
"Yes!" Xia Bo replied promptly.
"Come on, Officer Aoki, I'll take you to our computer room. What kind of information are you looking for? Our lab houses all the data collected since the founding of Team Rocket. It's far more than one or two computers can hold; it's an entire computer cluster. If you can tell me specifically what you're looking for, the search will go much faster," Xia Bo offered.
Aoki nodded, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "I want to find some information about Pokemon training, their potential, and their skills."
What Xia Bo had implied was that Aoki would likely only be able to access a portion of the data. This level of access already represented significant authority granted to him. It was only because Sakaki had agreed that he had this privilege; otherwise, no one here, not even Xia Bo himself, would have the right to access all the information freely.
Soon, the two arrived at a somewhat cold, server-filled room with red and green lights flashing everywhere. Huge computer mainframes were lined up throughout the space. It truly looked like an extensive computer cluster.
"Here is the terminal where you can search for the information you want. Aoki, although you have obtained the authority granted by the leader, I still must remind you that each person can only use this terminal for a maximum of thirty minutes. After that, you will need to apply again for further access," Xia Bo reminded him as a final precaution.
Aoki nodded to show that he understood. Then Xia Bo left, leaving Aoki alone in the room. If Aoki did not come out within half an hour, Xia Bo would return to check on him.
Aoki pulled out a chair and sat down in front of the only monitor. His right hand controlled the computer's mouse and keyboard, while his left hand, avoiding the sight of any room monitors, gently placed a finger on the cool metal casing of the computer's main processing unit.
In an instant, the microcurrent generated from Aoki's fingers established a direct connection with the computer's interior.
'System, download the data,' Aoki ordered internally.
Suddenly, Aoki felt the amount of microcurrent on his fingers intensify, bringing a slight numbing sensation. His eyes remained fixed on the contents displayed on the screen without any expression, appearing completely absorbed in his research.
In reality, there was another screen projected in Aoki's mind's eye by the system—a progress bar showing the download of the massive data trove.
Only... the progress bar was moving excruciatingly slowly.
At the same time, in a separate monitoring room, Xia Bo stared intently at the feed showing Aoki looking up information, watching closely for any sign of suspicious activity or small moves.
'System, filter the download. Keywords: potential, skills, training, Pokemon,' Aoki thought, seeing the sluggish speed of the progress bar. There was clearly not enough time; he could only download selectively, prioritizing the most critical information.