Lucius couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Because Anabel had blocked the pheromone signals, she had no way of knowing just how powerful the Emperor Strain's control was. Speaking in front of the infected was equivalent to shouting directly into the Emperor Strain's ears.
Blaine, Lance, and the others thought they were the ones monitoring Dragonite, but in reality, Dragonite had been monitoring them all along.
Lucius could access Dragonite's memories at any time, allowing him to track their research progress and eavesdrop on their conversations.
Including this time.
And this particular conversation was too important—so important that it forced Lucius to reconsider all his future plans.
According to what Lugia had told Anabel, the greatest threat to the world right now was the intelligent virus introduced into this world by a higher-dimensional entity.
That "intelligent virus" clearly referred to himself. But what about the "higher-dimensional entity"?
Wasn't it the system that had brought him into this world?
If that were the case, then the Mythical Pokémon of this world were capable of perceiving the system's existence...
And what's more, Lugia actually possessed the ability to banish all infected into an alternate dimension. Lucius didn't know how it planned to do that, but he absolutely could not let it happen.
Heh. Originally, his strategy had been to infiltrate the Pokémon League from the top down, working his way into the highest levels of power. But now, it seemed he would have to adopt a different approach—one of rapid, uncontrollable expansion, spreading like wildfire.
According to his previous plan:
First, Umbrella would expand by infiltrating ancient and hidden factions, starting with the Hjelle family.
Second, through Sham and Silver, he would penetrate Team Rocket, while Dolores would work her way into the Syndicate, securing a foothold within the criminal underworld.
Third, through the Crystal Cave and Gardevoir, he would reach the Legendary Pokémon.
Fourth, he would commercialize the virus, distributing it as a product and seeding it among the general public.
Once all these efforts matured and converged, he would possess an organization rivaling the Pokémon League itself.
But now, circumstances had changed. Thanks to the warnings from the future, the League was already on high alert. And now, even the Mythical Pokémon were taking notice.
Although Lugia mentioned that Arceus had imposed some kind of agreement, Lucius doubted it was a binding restriction. At most, it was a temporary truce—one they could break and renegotiate once the battle was over.
Time was of the essence. He needed to move faster.
Sham's Crobat circled overhead, watching as the Team Rocket grunts below succumbed to the virus.
Any who lost control and mutated into mindless creatures were immediately burned to ashes by Toxic Flame. Those who retained enough cognitive function to remain rational were injected with pheromones, assimilating them into Hive.
Meanwhile, deep underground, Dolores and her team made an exciting discovery.
They had stumbled upon a massive research complex—one eerily similar to the one Team Plasma had unearthed beneath Unova. This was another biological research lab from an ancient civilization. Their ancestors had once attempted to resurrect prehistoric Pokémon here.
Even now, remnants of their technology and numerous ancient Pokémon fossils remained intact.
"This is incredible… This find alone is worth at least half a year's profit for Silph Co.," Ariana's eyes gleamed with greed as she examined the rare fossils.
Onando was just as thrilled. Beyond the fossils, the technology of this lost civilization was priceless. If they could crack its secrets, it could accelerate scientific progress across the entire world.
Suddenly, a commotion broke out outside, accompanied by high-pitched squeaks and chatter.
"Your Rattata seem to be out of control," Dolores murmured.
"Hmm. Maybe something in this ruin is disturbing them," Ariana replied calmly, directing her Pokémon to investigate. A flicker of satisfaction crossed her eyes.
The Rattata were originally brought along to detect potential dangers within the ruins. But since this site was clearly just an abandoned scientific facility with no active security measures, Ariana had other plans for them.
She had ordered her Team Rocket grunts to stage an "accidental" outbreak, using the Rattata to attack the Syndicate operatives. In the ensuing chaos, Team Rocket would seize the most valuable spoils.
Seeing that Dolores did not move to intervene, Ariana felt relieved. Without her interference, the Syndicate's regular personnel would be overwhelmed with ease.
Then, Ariana smelled something foul.
The air around her grew oppressively hot.
She turned to look at Dolores, only to see that the dimly lit lab had been illuminated by the flames burning in her palm.
"You…?" Ariana froze. Was Dolores a Psychic?
Before she could react, Dolores flicked her hand, sending a ball of fire hurtling toward her.
"Aaaahhh—!" Ariana's screams filled the air as flames consumed her entire body.
Her Pokémon, including Arbok, simply stood by, watching in eerie silence.
"Help… Save me…!" Ariana pleaded with her Pokémon, but they remained motionless, standing alongside Onando and Dolores, observing as she writhed in agony.
"Why…?"
Before she could finish the question, Ariana and her confusion were reduced to ashes.
What she didn't know was that, during the previous wild Pokémon outbreak, all of her Pokémon had secretly been infected with the virus.
Outside, the squeaking and chattering had gradually subsided.
While traveling from Cerulean City to the depths of the forest, Dolores had deliberately avoided infecting the Rattata, since premature mutations would have hindered their plans.
But now that they had reached the ruins, that concern no longer applied.
With thousands of Rattata present, all it took was introducing the virus into their food supply.
The earlier outbreak had not been Ariana's doing at all—it was the result of thousands of Rattata mutating simultaneously.
"Let's go," Dolores ordered.
Her team systematically eliminated any Rocket Grunts whose fusion ratio was too low to retain reason. Then, they gathered everything of value from the ruins and made their way back to the surface.
Above ground, Sham was already waiting with the other Hive operatives.
And with that, Team Rocket and the Syndicate's joint ruins expedition had ended in a decisive victory for Hive.
Just as Dolores, Onando, and their group finished loading the recovered artifacts onto their repaired trucks, a loud rumbling echoed in the distance.
Two helicopters were approaching rapidly…
Onando and Dolores exchanged glances. They had entered under the pretense of researching rare plants, but with such a massive excavation and the ruins now fully exposed, that excuse was no longer going to hold…
The roar of a helicopter filled the air as it descended. Several individuals dressed as park rangers leaped from the aircraft and strode toward them with purpose.
But Dolores' attention was drawn elsewhere—toward the woman stepping out of the helicopter.
She had long, flowing red hair and wore a pair of glasses, exuding an air of refined elegance. But what truly caught the eye was the striking visual impact of her figure, accentuated by her impressive bust—a presence that commanded attention.
As a woman herself, Dolores had no interest in her physique. What truly mattered was her identity.
She was Lorelei, the Ice-type Elite Four member of Kanto.
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