"Sir, please… we need your support. Otherwise, Captain D will…"
The Team Rocket grunt, his face still swollen, tried desperately to plead after overhearing the conversation between Lambda and Dr. Namba.
"Huh? Why are you still here?" Lambda glanced at him with open disdain. "Trash like you can die whenever. Your D Group is just a temporary unit anyway. If there's a real fight, it'll still depend on Groups A, B, and C."
He waved his hand impatiently. The Team Rocket members beside him immediately stepped forward and dragged the man out.
"Sir, please… support… sir!" the grunt shouted, struggling uselessly. Lambda did not even spare him another glance. Anyone working under him had to be prepared to be discarded at any time.
Once the room fell silent again, Dr. Namba adjusted his glasses and spoke calmly. "You haven't changed. Treating your subordinates like this, aren't you worried they'll rebel someday?"
Lambda let out a cold snort. "If they had the courage, they wouldn't be trash."
Though Dr. Namba operated under Lambda's command, the truth was that they were merely collaborators. Lambda sought to rise above the other Four Executives, while Dr. Namba aimed to become Team Rocket's leading scientist. Their partnership was built on mutual ambition… and equally ruthless methods.
Back on Ash's side…
"Well? Have you figured out the cause?" Shiro asked, watching Ash carefully examine the red Gyarados.
Although Shiro also possessed Aura, his control was far inferior to Ash's, and he certainly couldn't analyze something at the cellular level like Ash could.
"Yeah… I've got a general idea," Ash replied, his gaze focused. "There are multiple genetic abnormalities in this Gyarados. Its cells are completely unbalanced, some are excessively strong, while others are extremely weak."
"Especially the pigment cells. They're abnormally dominant. Normally, after evolution, it should turn blue, but it's retained the red coloration of Magikarp."
Using his visual perception ability, Ash had already identified several key issues. This red Gyarados had clearly been forced to evolve, leaving most of its internal systems unstable, while a few aspects had become dangerously overdeveloped.
"Is that why it's in so much pain?" Sabrina asked softly, reaching out to touch the struggling Gyarados with a rare hint of sympathy.
"Exactly. In normal organisms, cell strength varies slightly, but remains balanced. In this case, the cells fluctuate wildly between extremes, except for the pigment cells, which are consistently dominant."
"And the genetic structure is a mess. The DNA sequencing is completely disordered. This Gyarados was forcibly pushed through evolution."
Ash's expression turned serious. Weak cells were neither an illness nor an injury, which explained why his Aura had no effect. It could only sustain life temporarily, not fix the underlying problem.
"Forcibly evolved… something like that is actually possible?" Shiro frowned. "When it comes to evolution, you're the best I've seen. Your Pokémon always evolve at their peak and even surpass their limits."
"That's different," Ash shook his head. "I only guide evolution after a Pokémon's potential is fully developed. This… is artificial evolution. Completely different."
Shiro fell silent for a moment before asking, "Can it be saved? If even you, a master of pharmacology, can't do anything, then even the Joy family won't be able to help."
He looked at the red Gyarados with clear interest. As a Dragon-type specialist, Shiro didn't limit himself strictly to Dragon Pokémon. Aside from Dragonite, he also trained Pokémon with dragon-like traits or overwhelming presence.
And this red Gyarados… was exceptional.
Though Gyarados itself was common, a red variant like this was extraordinarily rare. Combined with its near Elite-level strength, it had tremendous potential. With proper training, it might not become his ace, but it would certainly be a powerful addition.
But as Ash had already said…
Its cells and genes were far too unstable.
Training it in its current state was nearly impossible.
"It's not that there's no hope at all," Ash said after a moment of thought. "The DNA sequencing is disordered, but it's still barely holding together. Otherwise, it wouldn't have successfully evolved in the first place."
He paused, his eyes narrowing slightly as he continued his analysis.
"As for the genetic side, even though I can observe it, I don't have a way to fix it. DNA isn't something you can interfere with casually. One mistake, and the consequences could be catastrophic."
Shiro's expression turned serious. He understood the implication. This wasn't something that could be solved with brute force or simple treatment.
"But the cellular issue is different," Ash continued. "If I destroy the unstable cells and use Aura to stimulate regeneration, I can guide its body to produce new, balanced cells. That should at least relieve its pain and stabilize its condition."
Shiro nodded. At the very least, that meant the situation wasn't hopeless.
"In that case… what about the DNA problem?" Shiro asked. "We can't let Team Rocket get away with doing something like this to Pokémon."
Even if the red Gyarados could be stabilized for now, if its genetic structure collapsed in the future, it could still die at any moment.
Ash shook his head slightly. "For now, it's not as dangerous as it sounds. The issue with its DNA is in the arrangement, not in its integrity."
He looked at the struggling Gyarados and continued calmly.
"The fact that it successfully evolved means the genetic chain didn't break. In other words, despite the abnormal sequencing, it's still a complete and functional genetic structure."
"There are only two outcomes for something like this. Either it collapses entirely, or it stabilizes into a new form."
Ash's gaze sharpened slightly.
"And since it's still alive and functioning… that means it succeeded. It's just… different from normal Gyarados."