"Of course, while Kyogre may be slumbering there, entering its resting place won't be easy for you." Lucius continued, "I assume you already understand this; otherwise, you wouldn't have been lurking around Stern."
Kyogre's resting place was highly concealed, requiring an exceptionally advanced deep-sea submarine to access. In the original timeline, they had relied on the state-of-the-art submarine developed by Devon Corporation and constructed by Stern's Shipyard to reach it.
From Shelly's memories, Lucius knew they had already obtained the lustrous Blue Orb. It was precisely because of this artifact that Archie had developed ambitions of controlling Kyogre.
"Understood." Shelly nodded lightly. Lucius' words had given her enough direction.
"Good." Lucius nodded in approval. "I need you to assemble a Hive unit to assist Team Aqua in locating Kyogre."
As Lucius issued the command, Shelly felt an immediate compulsion to carry it out.
This was Hive… terrifying.
"Alright, I'll be leaving now. I hope your mission proceeds smoothly." Lucius bid farewell to Shelly and boarded a ship bound for Vermilion City in Kanto.
It was going to be a tedious journey, lasting three to four days, but Lucius did not waste time. Instead, he shifted his attention to other ongoing plans.
Due to the recent involvement of Flora, Zeyan, and Maeva—who were considered outsiders—the researchers of the Hjelle family had begun to underestimate Umbrella. Apart from Ophelia, they believed there were no true experts within the corporation. However, the recent addition of the renowned Unovan scholar, Dr. Onando, had significantly raised Umbrella's standing in their eyes.
Scientists like Dr. Onando, who owned private research institutes, usually worked under commissions from influential families and corporations rather than joining an organization full-time. His decision to align with Umbrella was a testament to the company's potential.
At the same time, the Hjelle family had uncovered a disturbing truth—the bio-protein Ophelia had introduced bore an alarming resemblance to the virus currently under intense scrutiny by the Pokémon League. Yet, what did it matter? The League was conducting its own research as well. If the Hjelle family could gain control over the virus before the League did, they might even surpass the Joy family in influence. Taking a few risks was worth the reward.
What they didn't realize was that Umbrella was merely a facade. The true orchestrator behind the scenes was Hive.
Through a series of collaborative studies between the Hjelle Research Institute and Umbrella, many senior researchers from the Hjelle family had, knowingly or unknowingly, become part of Hive. Some of the core members of the family had even been recruited during facility visits and inspections.
This ancient Kanto family had, in a short time, been covertly infiltrated. Only Hive was capable of such silent yet rapid expansion.
Meanwhile, there was finally news of Giovanni, who had gone into hiding after escaping Viridian City.
Giovanni was well aware that there was a traitor among Team Rocket's upper ranks. Since his escape, he had remained in the shadows. Now, however, Lucius had learned of his whereabouts—he was in Goldenrod City, Johto.
Silver was heading there.
Fearing for his son's safety, Giovanni had secretly contacted Dray, instructing him to bring Silver to his side.
A pawn that had been set in place for so long was finally about to serve its purpose.
Lucius immediately ordered Proton, Attila, and Hun to intensify their infiltration of Team Rocket's Kanto operations. Resources were allocated strategically, and actions were initiated from multiple fronts.
For seasoned officers, this was a simple operation—dispersing the Rocket members into separate missions. Once a base had even one or two Hive members, they could systematically infect the rest, ensuring full assimilation.
Newly assimilated Rocket members would then return to their respective bases, continuing the cycle of infection and recruitment. The expansion rate was explosive.
During this period, the Pokémon League launched its first large-scale virus inspection operation in Kanto.
Following the League's orders, all commercial establishments were required to use scanners to detect infections. Every individual passing through was screened, and any infected persons were immediately taken into quarantine.
Since all Hive members were infected, most of them remained hidden within Rocket bases or under Umbrella's protection. Those who were captured did not resist and simply cooperated with the League's quarantine procedures.
"Commander, per your orders, we have conducted a covert investigation into most of Team Rocket's bases. Here is our report." Butch, the green-haired officer, saluted as he handed the document to Pierce.
Pierce skimmed the report for barely ten seconds before his brows furrowed deeply.
What is going on?
Following Giovanni's secret directive, Pierce had discreetly assigned his most trusted Special Operations Unit to investigate the inner workings of Team Rocket. Their mission was to root out the mole.
But in just two days, the Special Ops teams had reported back with disturbing findings. One of the strangest was that nearly all Team Rocket bases had experienced an inexplicable decrease in personnel.
While the lower ranks of Team Rocket had always been fluid, there had always been a steady influx of recruits. However, this widespread, simultaneous drop in numbers across all bases was unprecedented.
Even more bizarre, several bases had reported power outages and communication blackouts within the same timeframe—just in the past few days.
What was happening?
Even with his sharp instincts and extensive experience, Pierce found himself momentarily unable to piece everything together.
One thing was certain—if he could determine where these missing operatives had gone and what had transpired during the communication blackouts, the truth would become clear.
"Butch, find out exactly what happened inside the bases during the blackouts. And locate those missing Rocket members." Pierce issued his orders without hesitation.
In his mind, the solution seemed simple—question the personnel present during the blackouts. If one person couldn't provide answers, he would interrogate multiple people until he pieced together the full picture.
As for the missing operatives, he would track when and where they had vanished, who they had been with, and what their last known movements were. The pattern would emerge quickly.
But to his surprise, Butch did not move.
Instead, he gave Pierce an unsettling smirk.
"Commander, you're about to get your answers very soon." Butch's voice carried an eerie undertone.
Pierce narrowed his eyes. Something was wrong.
Just as he was about to demand an explanation, the office lights flickered and died. The entire base had lost power.
"Prepare for battle!" Pierce reacted instantly, issuing orders.
"There's no need to worry, Commander," Butch replied, his tone casual. "The signal will be back shortly."
"You…" Pierce started, but before he could continue, a sharp pain coursed through his body. His legs gave out, and he collapsed into his chair.
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