"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA…!!!"
Lambda's scream tore through the underground hangar, so sharp and prolonged that several nearby Rocket members turned pale and started vomiting on the spot.
"You… you monster!!!"
His face twisted in agony and humiliation, veins bulging across his forehead as he roared at Ash. Since becoming one of Team Rocket's elite executives, he had never suffered such pain.
"Oh, so you can feel pain," Ash said indifferently. "I thought everyone in Team Rocket had already lost that ability… maybe I was mistaken. I'm just testing it."
Before Lambda could react, Ash lifted his foot and stomped down on his intact right leg.
Boom!
The force drove Lambda's leg straight into the ground, crushing it completely.
"AAAHHH!!!"
A few seconds later, the pain finally registered fully, and Lambda's howl echoed again, even more desperate than before. His entire body trembled uncontrollably, his teeth clenched so hard they nearly shattered.
"What the hell are you trying to do?!" he roared, his voice breaking under the strain.
"That's my line," Ash replied coldly. "But I don't need your answers… you can just enjoy what little time you have left."
His expression was calm, but the killing intent behind it was suffocating, like that of a seasoned executioner.
"Is this guy even human…?"
Lambda's thoughts spiraled into fear. From the moment Ash appeared, he had been completely overwhelmed. All his schemes, all his calculations… none of it mattered. He didn't even have the chance to use them.
Ignoring him, Ash turned his attention to the nearby machine.
"So this is the forced evolution device…"
He approached it, his Sharingan analyzing every detail of its structure.
"It uses conflicting electromagnetic waves to generate radiation… forcing Pokémon to mutate and evolve. No wonder it affected the forest, draining the energy of nearby Pokémon and even triggering abnormal evolution… like with Articuno."
Thanks to the knowledge he had obtained before, Ash quickly grasped the core principle behind the device.
"This isn't something you could've built on your own… there's someone else behind this."
He turned back toward Lambda, his gaze sharp.
"No… I'm the only one," Lambda forced out, his lips twitching from the unbearable pain.
He wasn't protecting anyone out of loyalty. He knew exactly what would happen if he talked. If Giovanni found out he had betrayed the organization, death would be the least of his worries.
Unless everyone here died, there was no way out.
"That kind of loyalty is almost touching," Ash said flatly. "Too bad the price of silence is a bit high."
Crack!
"AAAAAAHHHH!!!"
Ash stepped down on Lambda's wrist and twisted. Bone snapped instantly, blood spraying across the floor as another scream ripped from Lambda's throat.
"I wonder," Ash continued calmly, "when Giovanni finds out your hands and feet are useless… will he still bother saving you?"
There was no hesitation in his actions. In another life, on another battlefield, he had already walked this path countless times.
This was nothing new.
"I'll talk! I'll talk!!!"
Lambda finally broke.
"Just… stop… treat me… I'll tell you everything!!!"
Staring at his mangled limbs and the blood pooling beneath him, he realized the truth. If he stayed silent, he would die here.
And right now… survival mattered more than anything else.
"Then talk… and maybe you'll live a little longer."
As Ash spoke, a small sapling suddenly sprouted from the ground behind him. In an instant, it grew into a sturdy wooden pillar. He casually sat down on it, as if watching a performance unfold.
"T… there's also someone else… his name is Shira…"
Lambda's voice trembled as his blood continued to pool beneath him. He tried to force the words out, but before he could finish, another voice cut in.
"Is it this guy?"
Ash glanced up.
"It seems I missed quite the show."
Shiro stepped forward, his gaze landing on Lambda's mangled body. Even he was slightly taken aback. It was a pity he hadn't witnessed the moment Ash crushed him.
"You're done on your side?" Ash asked, his eyes shifting to the bound Rocket member lying on the ground.
"Yeah, mostly," Shiro replied. "A few escaped, but it doesn't matter. Your shadow clones are still outside, they won't get far."
He nudged the tied-up man forward.
"I found this one trying to blend in with the regular grunts. If I hadn't noticed him, he might've slipped away."
The man he dragged out was none other than Ariana.
After tossing her onto the ground, Shiro walked over and stood behind Ash, then pointed down at her.
Ash gave a faint shrug and looked back at Lambda.
"Looks like… you've run out of time."
Given Lambda's current condition, he wouldn't last more than another minute or two. His fate was already sealed.