"One of us..." Lorelei gave a bitter smile, realizing that she no longer felt any resistance toward the idea.
"Since the Elite Four is now part of Hive, we'd appreciate your cooperation in delivering these acquisitions to the organization," Dolores said calmly.
Lorelei knew that she had no other choice but to fully commit to Hive. As a member of the Elite Four, she was well aware that the Pokémon League's research on the virus had made no progress. If the League discovered that she was infected, she would be subjected to endless containment.
Instead, she looked down at her hands—now smooth and flawless like polished jade. She could feel the immense improvements in her body's capabilities, even the assets she took pride in had become firmer and more pronounced.
Joining Hive didn't seem to be without its benefits.
"Let them go." Lorelei glanced at the nearby park rangers, now frozen solid in blocks of ice, their faces still frozen in expressions of terror.
"Of course." Dolores signaled to her Pokémon to thaw the rangers. "They can become part of us as well."
As Dolores and her group departed with their forces, Lorelei boarded a plane for her return trip.
With Lorelei on board, the next phase would be much easier.
Lucius pondered for a moment before issuing a remote command for Lorelei to teleport directly to Saffron City.
Given the tight schedule ahead, taking a plane would be too slow.
This was the first time Lorelei had received a direct order from the Emperor Strain. Without hesitation, she commanded her Jynx to use Teleport, propelling her swiftly toward Saffron City.
During the journey, she was amazed to find that not only did she not resist the command—she found it entirely natural.
Lucius also abandoned his original plan to head to Fuchsia City. Instead, he and his Gardevoir teleported straight to Saffron.
Teleport was a psychic technique that allowed the user to pull their body into subspace and fold that space to relocate instantaneously.
However, the act of folding subspace consumed an immense amount of mental energy. Most Pokémon could only use it a handful of times before exhaustion set in, and the range was usually limited. This was why very few people relied on Teleport for travel.
But with Lucius' Gardevoir and Lorelei's Jynx both being at the Champion level, their psychic reserves were practically bottomless. With this level of strength backing them, they could afford the luxury of using Teleport for rapid movement.
Saffron City was the largest metropolis in Kanto and home to Team Rocket's largest branch.
In fact, this so-called "branch" had long since absorbed all the functions of the headquarters. However, due to the wishes of the previous leader—Team Rocket's founder and Giovanni's mother—the official headquarters had been designated on the Sevii Islands.
Of course, by now, the so-called headquarters in the Sevii Islands was nothing more than a title. In reality, the Saffron branch had taken over all operational roles.
Before long, Lorelei arrived at the designated location.
A young man with golden hair and sharp features stood waiting.
"Volkner? You're the leader of Hive?" Lorelei's eyes widened in disbelief. This Gym Leader from Sinnoh—who was even considered a future candidate for the Elite Four—was actually Hive's mastermind?
She didn't assume Volkner was a mere infected like Dolores and the others. The sheer oppressive aura radiating from him was far beyond that of any ordinary host.
"No need to be surprised, Elite Four Lorelei. Hive has many members you wouldn't expect." Lucius chuckled but offered no further explanation.
Then, he began laying out the plan for the upcoming operation.
"If we pull this off, Team Rocket's influence in Kanto will be eradicated within a day…" Lorelei listened in shock.
Team Rocket had entrenched itself in Kanto and Johto for years—so deeply that even the League struggled to uproot them. Yet, Hive had already infiltrated half of Team Rocket's bases in Kanto…
"The key is the Saffron City base, which is why I needed you here." Lucius continued.
Logically, after Giovanni was drawn away by Vicious, Lucius' first move should have been to seize the Saffron headquarters. However, the base was simply too massive—housing not only multiple high-ranking officers but also a large number of researchers.
If the operation were exposed too soon, Giovanni would rush back, resulting in an all-out war.
Aside from Gardevoir, none of Lucius' other King-level Pokémon specialized in psychic abilities, making it difficult to maintain full control of the situation.
However, with Lorelei's Jynx and Slowbro assisting, everything would be much smoother.
"You seem to know a lot about Team Rocket." Lorelei eyed him warily. A Sinnoh Gym Leader possessing such detailed knowledge of Kanto's criminal underworld… Hive was more formidable than she had imagined.
Lucius simply smiled, offering no further clarification. Without delay, he teleported directly into Team Rocket's base with Lorelei.
Naturally, the first objective of any base assault was the control room.
Lucius commanded his Electivire to overload the base's electrical grid, cutting off all outgoing signals.
With communications severed, Lorelei made her move. She appeared in the lobby of Team Rocket's Saffron branch, where Jynx and Slowbro unleashed a wave of psychic interference, incapacitating most of the personnel inside.
"Lorelei?! How did you find this place?!" Proton's eyes widened in shock.
He was completely immobilized by the psychic field, unable even to reach for his Poké Ball.
"Naturally, I had some guidance…" Lorelei replied coldly as she began releasing the virus.
For a brief moment, she hesitated. But hesitation did not stop her actions.
Meanwhile, Lucius teleported directly to the research sector, where he quickly subdued the Rocket scientists, including their lead researcher, Dr. Zager.
"Who are you?" Dr. Zager, frozen in place, managed to ask with difficulty.
"Allow me to introduce myself." Lucius smiled nonchalantly. "My name is Volkner, and I represent an organization called Hive."
"I know that all of you are distinguished scholars who use your research to push society forward. But Team Rocket is too small—too weak—to provide you with the resources you truly deserve." He swept his gaze across the room. "Which is why I extend to you an invitation—join Hive and work for me."
Team Rocket is too weak?
Everyone present was in shock. Even the Pokémon League wouldn't dare to make such a bold claim. What gave this so-called Hive the audacity to speak so arrogantly?
"Hive? Never even heard of them. You'd better let us go if you know what's good for you!" Dr. Namba shouted.
"That Gardevoir… it seems to belong to Archer," Dr. Sebastian called out.
They finally recognized it...
Lucius shook his head at the sluggish response time of these so-called geniuses.
The last time Archer was here, he used this very Gardevoir to defeat Vicious' Celebi. That battle had been recorded and sent to every member of Team Rocket.
"Take a good look, everyone—this is the power of an Executive. Work hard, and the organization will cultivate you in the same way..."
"So it's true. After Archer was ambushed, his Pokémon ended up in the League's hands," a researcher from Sinnoh muttered. "I know you… You're a Gym Leader from Sinnoh."
He turned to face Volkner.
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