It must be said, the process of heading to Team Galactic's base went incredibly smoothly, perhaps even too smoothly.
Counting the time spent coming over and searching, it could be said they encountered virtually no obstacles, and even the extremely harsh weather didn't affect Ash's progress. After all, with Mewtwo present, how could such weather conditions possibly hinder them?
With Mewtwo's help, they successfully infiltrated to the entrance of Team Galactic's submarine. Generally, one would need diving equipment to get to this place, but the prerequisite is a calm sea state. If the sea is tumultuous, even Team Galactic's members can't return to the base.
Unless aided by at least Gym Level Psychic or Water-type Pokémon. So with Mewtwo's help, Ash and the others arrived before Team Galactic's submarine with basically no hindrance.
With facial recognition by Mars, they successfully infiltrated Team Galactic's base.
The submarine's interior was a highly precise, extremely compact metallic cylindrical world, like a "steel maze" compressed to its limit.
Ash and the others could already tell just how enormous this submarine was from the outside, but when they came inside, they still couldn't help but marvel at the extent of the internal space. Living in such a place wouldn't feel too oppressive, even underwater.
"Where should we go next?" Lorelei moved her beautiful eyes gently, looking at Ash, letting him make the decision.
In this place, Ash's Aura Power has a natural advantage. Ash should be clear on which direction to take.
Hearing this, Ash closed his eyes, then quickly reopened them, pointing to the right, saying, "Over there, my Aura Power is being obstructed. If nothing is unexpected, that should be where Miss Cynthia is being held."
Being able to block his Aura Power, apart from Divine Domain level power, there wouldn't be any other possibility. So Ash instantly determined the direction.
...
Ten minutes later, under Ash's guidance, the group twisted and turned, using Mars for facial recognition wherever a door needed to be opened. With the highest clearance aboard Team Galactic's submarine, Mars could pass through all the doors requiring authorization inside the submarine.
Along the way, they encountered quite a few Team Galactic members, but under Mewtwo's Psychic ability concealment, they were practically invisible. Mere eyesight wouldn't see through their traces.
They roamed within Team Galactic's submarine as if it were an uninhabited region. Mars, though bound, unwillingly cooperated with them as they followed Ash and the others, her sense of shock growing ever more pronounced.
Why weren't they captured on camera entering the base? Why did Team Galactic members act as if they didn't see them, even when they saw her, their highest commander, bound?
Countless doubts arose in Mars's mind. She knew it had to do with Ash, but how exactly Ash accomplished it, she had no clue.
Watching Ash get closer and closer to Cynthia's location, Mars got a bit anxious, but she knew, being anxious was useless. Even if she purposely made a sound, it would not reach outside; she had tested it inadvertently before.
Now all she could do was pray that Pluton had some high-tech gadgets to detect Ash and the others' arrival. Otherwise, this time Team Galactic would surely suffer a massive loss; not only failing to capture Lugia and Little Lugia, but having to return the Sinnoh Champion who was taken as a bargaining chip, and even losing two of their cadres.
It was a complete and utter defeat!
If only they hadn't thought of targeting Ash first and instead dealt with Lugia's situation first. With Divine Domain level power in their control, handling Ash would be easy!
Ultimately, they underestimated Ash too much, thinking he was just a kid, so they recklessly charged towards Ash's location, resulting in total defeat.
But who would've thought, between Lorelei and Ash, the latter would be tougher to handle? Isn't that absurd?!
Looking at them, who would think Ash would be more challenging to deal with? One carried the title of Elite Champion, while the other, although a League Champion, was basically a Newbie Trainer who hadn't even debuted for a year, vastly different from a Champion Trainer.
She attacked at a time when Lorelei wasn't around, only to find out Ash himself had power comparable to a Champion-level Pokémon—wasn't that just unfair?
In Mars's gaze filled with despair, Ash and the others arrived at a massive iron door, their destination, a space cage infused with Palkia's space power!
"Alright, this is the final door, Mars, you know what to do, right?" Lorelei exchanged a glance with Ash, and after getting a nod from him, she tugged the rope in her hand, dragging Mars, tightly bound, to the front.
"This door requires not only facial recognition but also a fingerprint and password. In my current state, I can't open it." Mars pouted, reluctantly explaining how to open the door.