Vermilion City Gym—Lt. Surge had been fully prepared ever since learning that Volkner had accepted his challenge.
As a fellow Electric-type specialist, Volkner was nearly a decade younger than him. Yet, in professional circuit battles, Volkner had crushed the competition with absolute strength—something Lt. Surge, with his strong sense of pride, could not accept.
At 10 a.m., Volkner had yet to arrive, but the gym was already crowded with media and fans eager to witness the battle between their idol and Kanto's Gym Leader.
Lt. Surge's own disciples were also eagerly preparing the battlefield.
After all, Electric-type specialists were rare. The question of who was superior was an exciting topic for them.
"It's only been a few days, and the security's already this strict?"
Lucius teleported directly into the Vermilion Gym's interior while leaving a Ditto, transformed into his likeness, outside to undergo the necessary security scans.
It seemed the Pokémon League had once again increased their security measures.
After regrouping with Ditto in a secluded area, Lucius made his way to the battle arena.
"Volkner! It's been a while. I'd love to catch up, but my Pokémon are already itching for a fight," Lt. Surge said with a booming laugh upon seeing him.
"Then let's get started. I'd like to see how much you've improved over the years," Lucius replied.
Lt. Surge narrowed his eyes. The way Volkner spoke, as if he were evaluating him, was irritating.
But words were pointless between strong trainers—true skill was proven in battle.
"Go, Raichu!" Lt. Surge sent out his ace Pokémon immediately.
"Go, Jolteon!" Lucius countered with Volkner's Pokémon.
The last time they fought, Jolteon had defeated Raichu. As old rivals locked eyes, sparks flew between them.
"Raichu, use Quick Attack!" Lt. Surge made the first move.
"Rai~!" Raichu dashed forward at high speed, turning into a streak of white light across the battlefield.
"Jolteon, use Pin Missile!" Lucius commanded.
"Jolt~!" Jolteon let out a sharp cry as its needle-like fur stood on end. Countless electrified quills fired like shrapnel, spreading across the battlefield in a dazzling explosion of light.
...
"We finally broke through…"
Ariana and Dolores stood at the entrance of a collapsed underground tunnel.
They had been exceptionally lucky—originally, they had planned to excavate more than ten sites over three days to find an entry point. Despite losing a significant amount of equipment, they had succeeded on only the second attempt, opening a passage to the ruins below.
"It only took a single night—much faster than I expected," Dr. Onando remarked as he stood by the tunnel entrance, scanning for airborne toxins with his detector.
Buried underground for who-knows-how-long, the ruins could contain gases harmful to life. A thorough scan was necessary before entering.
Following Dr. Onando's instructions, Team Rocket and Syndicate operatives began constructing defensive barriers around the entrance, preventing wild Pokémon from interfering.
"What do you think? Do these ruins date back to the same period as the ones you explored in Unova?" Ariana asked, glancing at Dolores.
"That excavation was handled by Team Plasma—I wasn't there to see it myself," Dolores replied, keeping her focus on the passage descending more than thirty meters underground.
"Heh, well then, let's go see for ourselves."
Once the scouting team confirmed that there were no harmful gases, the Team Rocket and Syndicate members geared up with protective equipment and descended into the ruins one by one.
After Ariana and Dolores led their squads inside, the only people left on the surface were those injured during a previous wild Pokémon attack.
Sham was in charge of these wounded operatives. Most of those Ariana had taken below were her direct subordinates, leaving Sham behind as a natural choice.
"Well, since I've got nothing better to do, let's add a few more members to the Hive," Sham muttered, scanning his surroundings before injecting a virus into the camp's water supply…
The tunnel was pitch-black. As the exploration team advanced, Team Rocket operatives installed lights along the way, powered by a generator stationed at the surface.
Normally, modern equipment wouldn't be used in an unexplored ruin, as it could potentially damage invaluable artifacts.
But Team Rocket and Syndicate weren't archaeologists. They had no interest in preserving history—they were here for profit.
"The technology of this civilization seems very different from ours," Dr. Onando mused as he walked, making notes and instructing operatives to collect items of interest.
"They appear to have used crystals as energy conductors," he added, examining the crystal formations embedded in the walls.
"Are these crystals worth anything?" Ariana asked casually.
As a woman, she found the glittering stones hard to resist.
Dr. Onando shook his already-balding head. "The crystals themselves aren't valuable—natural ones are abundant. What matters is how this civilization utilized them."
Seeing Onando already lost in thought, Ariana rolled her eyes.
As they delved deeper, the ruins became increasingly vast, and the tunnel began branching into multiple paths.
At the crossroads, Ariana paused in thought before ordering her team to split up and explore different paths.
Although she made this decision on her own without consulting Dolores, Dolores didn't object. She simply directed her own team to follow suit.
She smirked slightly when she saw two groups of Team Rocket operatives releasing Rattata as they entered separate tunnels.
...
Cinnabar Island.
Blaine gazed at the Dragonite behind the reinforced glass barrier. Though its expression remained calm, its appearance had drastically changed. His concern deepened.
They had been studying the virus extracted from Sunburst Island for days now, yet no breakthrough had been made. Meanwhile, Drake's Dragonite had been completely infected. Today's test results confirmed the worst—these viral agents had infiltrated nearly every cell of its body.
What was even more terrifying was that since yesterday, Dragonite's body had begun to change. It had grown from just over two meters tall to an imposing height of more than five meters. The rapid expansion caused its once plump body to thin down, but rather than appearing frail, its muscular build had become even more defined.
Its small wings had also enlarged, now sprouting long, jagged bone spikes. The wing membranes had torn due to the sudden growth, giving them a tattered and savage appearance, yet the sheer presence of the transformation was awe-inspiring—an overwhelming visual shock.
The once small, conical horn atop its head had elongated and twisted into sharp, menacing curves.
It was... a perfect evolution.
As a Pokémon researcher, Blaine had dedicated his entire life to unraveling the mysteries of evolution.
How could Pokémon undergo such drastic transformations in mere moments, altering not just their form but sometimes even their very typing?
It was one of biology's greatest enigmas.
And now, beyond the realm of conventional evolution, he was witnessing a new form of transformation—one that seemed to grant Pokémon an eerie, perfect genetic adaptability.
"I want to battle it," Lance suddenly spoke, his gaze locked onto the transformed Dragonite.
There was a flicker of something in his eyes—conflict, curiosity, perhaps even unease.
As a Dragon Master, he had spent his life understanding and taming Dragon-type Pokémon. But now, standing before such an unnatural and unparalleled specimen, how could he possibly remain indifferent?
-----
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