The Devon Corporation was an industrial powerhouse on par with the Silph Co. and the Macro Cosmos Group, wielding immense influence over the Hoenn region.
Meanwhile, the Greater Mauville Holdings was a major player in energy development and urban construction, standing as one of Devon's fiercest competitors.
Their key projects included the Seafloor Energy Extraction Platform, Sea Mauville; the underground metropolis and power plant, New Mauville; and the Mauville City redevelopment initiative. It was even rumored that Greater Mauville Holdings maintained business ties with the Oreburgh Mining Hub in the Sinnoh region.
Wattson, the Mauville City Gym Leader, also served as Greater Mauville Holdings' chief project planner, overseeing the New Mauville initiative. Likewise, Stern had previously worked as an undersea excavation specialist for the company.
It seemed that Stern had deep connections with both of these corporate giants.
Lucius used Teleport to discreetly follow Stern into the Harbor Tower.
"Whew, those reporters are relentless..." Stern exhaled heavily upon entering an office.
"Well, that's what happens when you're so successful and attention-grabbing." A voice, poised yet confident, teased him.
"Haha, but if I weren't successful, how else would I have caught the attention of a beauty like you?" Stern chuckled before embracing and kissing the woman.
The two were quickly getting lost in each other when Stern's phone rang.
"Hmm... What? Alright, I understand."
As he ended the call, his expression darkened.
Sensing the shift, the woman tactfully refrained from speaking.
"There's some trouble at Devon—I need to head over." Stern stood up.
"Alright, stay safe." She nodded.
"Don't worry. In Hoenn, there aren't many who'd dare lay a finger on me." Stern smirked confidently.
As she watched Stern leave the building, the woman pulled out a communicator. "The target is en route to Devon."
Heh, how interesting. It seemed they had planted a spy right beside Stern.
Lucius had recognized her instantly—the tan-skinned woman with strikingly blue eyes was none other than Shelly, a high-ranking executive of Team Aqua.
Talk about luck. It appeared that Team Aqua was hiding in plain sight within the harbor district.
As Shelly returned to her office, Lucius extended a tendril of the virus and directly injected it into her body.
Like Archer before her, Shelly carried a charm imbued with Safeguard-like properties, but against the now Level 3 Veronica Virus, it posed no resistance.
What once felt as difficult as drilling through solid rock was now as effortless as puncturing paper—it took barely ten seconds for the virus to fully penetrate her defenses.
Shelly had just stepped into her office when her vision suddenly darkened. A violent spasm of pain wracked her body, and she collapsed onto the floor.
Within two minutes, visible mutations had begun.
Lucius frowned. It seemed her genetic compatibility was low—what a shame. Still, given her position as a high-ranking Team Aqua executive, it was worth intervening.
Suppressing the virus' mutagenic effects, he stabilized her condition. Gradually, her body recovered, and soon, her mind cleared.
As she slowly picked herself up, her gaze fell upon the man sitting on the sofa before her—Volkner.
"Volkner..." Shelly, as a high-ranking operative of a major organization, naturally recognized the faces of every Gym Leader within the League.
Lucius took a moment to appreciate her appearance—beads of sweat glistened on her forehead, and her long, dark hair veiled part of her face. She was undeniably attractive, but he was not one to be swayed by beauty alone. Instead, he spoke calmly. "Everything you need to know is already in your mind."
"In my mind..." Shelly realized that new memories had suddenly surfaced—clear and vivid. Among them, one name stood out the most: "Hive."
She glanced down at her hands, only to see them suddenly engulfed in a sickly, putrid flame.
"Congratulations. You are now part of Hive. Consider this our gift to you." Lucius smirked.
Everyone who joined Hive underwent significant physical enhancements—greater vitality, heightened abilities, and newfound powers. And in return? Only one thing was required: loyalty.
Of course, once inside Hive, disloyalty was simply not an option.
"..." Just moments ago, she had been carrying out Team Aqua's mission. Now, she found herself inducted into an entirely different organization. The shift was so abrupt that Shelly felt momentarily disoriented.
"So, the virus that the Boss spoke of is real..." she murmured.
Not long ago, Archie had warned her that the League was investigating a virus sweeping across Kanto, a contagion wreaking havoc. She had never expected it to appear in Hoenn, much less right before her eyes.
"Haha, of course it's real. Now, I have a task for you." Lucius grinned.
"A task?" Shelly's expression grew complicated. Her unwavering loyalty to Team Aqua made her resist Hive, but the virus bound her fate to them regardless.
"Relax. This is something that benefits both Team Aqua and Hive." Lucius stated matter-of-factly. "I know that Team Aqua has been searching for Kyogre. I can tell you its exact location."
"What..." Shelly gasped.
Volkner claimed to know where Kyogre was?
For years, Team Aqua had only managed to piece together vague clues, confirming that the Legendary Pokémon slumbered somewhere in Hoenn. And yet, this Gym Leader from Sinnoh was saying he knew its precise location?
"Don't be so surprised. The information Hive possesses far surpasses what you can imagine." Lucius said indifferently.
This much is certain—for me, the Virus Knight, you are all just NPCs. Every twist and turn of the story is already in my memory, down to the exact moment when your roles come to an end.
"Tell us where Kyogre is. What does Hive want?" Shelly demanded.
From her tone, Lucius could tell that she still considered him a member of Team Aqua. This wasn't something that could be changed in an instant, but he didn't mind taking his time.
"Hive's objective is simple—to witness this great moment alongside Team Aqua," Lucius replied.
"…?" Shelly was puzzled by his response.
That sounded more like an empty statement than a demand. But Hive wasn't an organization that would settle for something so trivial.
From what she knew about Hive, their methods were far more sophisticated than Team Aqua's corporate-style obsession with expanding the oceans. There was no way they would be satisfied so easily.
But since Volkner had already spoken, she didn't press further. After all, she was part of Hive now, too.
Noting Shelly's expression of realization, Lucius knew the seed had been planted. He wasted no time and stated, "Kyogre's slumbering place lies beneath the dark sea at the foot of the northern mountains of Sootopolis City."
In the game, this location was called the Cave of Origin.
Sootopolis City…
Having grown up in Hoenn, Shelly was well-acquainted with the city. Located near the eastern-central part of the region, it was famous for its frequent weather anomalies—phenomena that experts attributed to ocean currents colliding in that area.
But now, she understood. The true cause of these disturbances wasn't the currents—it was the presence of a Mythical Pokémon in deep slumber.
Shelly's heart pounded.
The legendary Pokémon that Team Aqua had been searching for all these years… and just like that, the answer had been laid before her.
And judging by Volkner's tone, he wasn't speaking lightly.
Hive… was far more mysterious and powerful than even the intel in her mind had suggested.
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