Last night, when Lucius' Emperor Strain detached from Silver's body, it awakened Silver from his hypnotic state.
To Silver, the experience of having his body controlled by Lucius felt like a dream—he had vague impressions but no clear memories.
Initially, Lucius intended to infect Bernard, but Bernard's body had undergone extensive scientific modifications, making it too strong. His low genetic compatibility caused his body to collapse immediately upon infection. As a result, Lucius shifted to Dolores, who, in Bernard's absence, was leading this Syndicate operation.
Lucius then began a large-scale viral outbreak, infecting both humans and Pokémon on the ship.
There were over 200 people on board, including crew and passengers, as well as nearly 500 smuggled Pokémon confined in the cargo hold.
Lucius infected them all at the same time.
By now, the virus had evolved into the perfect Veronica strain, preventing large-scale mutations into lower-level creatures like what had happened on Sunburst Island before.
Only a handful of infected individuals lost rationality and human form. Pokémon, possessing superior physical endurance and greater genetic adaptability, exhibited a much higher rate of successful fusion.
Lucius worked tirelessly through the night, finally completing the infection and transformation of all Syndicate members by dawn.
Unlike before, this time, Lucius imprinted the Hive's will directly into every infected subject's mind, issuing an absolute loyalty command.
Now, every infected person would follow the Hive's orders unconditionally, with its will as their highest priority.
If the Hive commanded them to die, they would execute the order instantly, without hesitation.
During this process, Lucius discovered that the elderly man residing next to Dolores was none other than Dr. Onando, the founder of the renowned Onando Research Institute in Unova.
Dr. Onando, an obsessive researcher of ancient Pokémon, had initially agreed to cooperate with the Syndicate only to study a fossilized ancient Pokémon in their possession. However, after infection, he became fascinated with the virus, which dramatically enhanced his physical capabilities.
Lucius could tell—even without infection, the allure of the virus alone would have been enough to persuade this mad scientist to serve the Hive willingly.
Now, Umbrella had itself a new Chief Scientist.
By morning, Lucius ordered Dr. Onando to incinerate all human mutants who had lost their rationality and form. The high-fusion Pokémon were then distributed among the surviving Hive members.
The experiment had been a success—137 new human members had joined the Hive, alongside over 300 high-fusion Pokémon.
Dr. Onando distributed these Pokémon based on their compatibility with their human hosts, with each infected trainer receiving two to three Pokémon on average.
This setup had a major advantage: even lower-level trainers could fully dominate their Pokémon as long as their genetic compatibility with the virus was higher than their Pokémon's. Disobedience was no longer a concern.
Similarly, Dolores' Pokémon had now been fully infected, ensuring that her Froslass would no longer resist her commands.
In a way, under the influence of the Emperor Strain, Dolores had already reached an Elite Four-level power.
As for the mutated Pokémon—they still had their uses. With Team Rocket's ruins exploration coming up, these creatures could serve the same purpose as Rattata—cannon fodder.
...
The massive vessel sailed for two more days, finally arriving at Vermilion City's port on the third night.
As a ship carrying hundreds of smuggled Pokémon, the Syndicate's vessel couldn't afford to go through standard customs inspections. However, this wasn't their first time, and their bribed, corrupt customs officials were already prepared to receive them.
According to League regulations, all foreign entrants were required to register their Pokémon upon arrival. But the Syndicate had no intention of following this protocol.
For the Hive, this method of entry had an even greater benefit—it bypassed the League's newly enforced regulation, which required mandatory health screenings for all incoming travelers at the port.
Guided by their inside men, the Syndicate's crew posed as a regular cargo transport team and swiftly completed the unloading process, seamlessly slipping into Vermilion City.
Lucius watched the operation unfold, observing the bribed customs officers grinning as they pocketed their cash.
He shook his head.
Money truly was the ultimate key—no matter where you were.
While the League did not entirely outlaw the sale of Pokémon, legal transactions required massive tax payments. Smuggling Pokémon, however, avoided these taxes, making it the Syndicate's primary source of revenue.
With a portion of their crew remaining on the ship disguised as sailors, the rest scattered into the city under different identities, planning to regroup at a designated location in three days.
This delay was necessary—moving together in large numbers would draw too much attention from authorities.
Lucius paid no mind to their movements.
Under the cover of night, Dolores arrived at the gates of a luxurious mansion.
"Dolores, you're here! Hahaha!"
As the gates swung open, she stepped inside, greeted by a muscular man with short golden hair, clad in a military-green vest, his body built like steel.
With a broad grin, he spread his thick arms wide, ready for a bear hug.
Dolores swiftly took a few steps back, dodging his embrace.
Right now, Lucius was the one inhabiting Dolores' body—there was no way in hell he was letting this bear of a man squeeze him.
Noticing Dolores sidestep his greeting, the burly man didn't seem to mind. He casually popped open a beer and asked, "No trouble at customs, right?"
"Everything went smoothly," Dolores replied coolly.
"Good." The man nodded, taking a deep swig, finishing half the bottle in one go. "Man, Kanto is such a boring place. Every damn day, I have to entertain a bunch of rookie trainers. I'm about ready to lose my mind."
"Isn't that part of your job as a Gym Leader?" Dolores chuckled.
This man was none other than Lt. Surge, the Gym Leader of Vermilion City. The villa was one of his secret hideouts, a place where he met with the Syndicate in private.
A Gym Leader wasn't just some pushover for rookie trainers to steamroll with baby Pokémon. They evaluated each trainer's strength and potential, tailoring their battles accordingly to challenge and guide them.
Some Gym Leaders enjoyed the role—like Daisy in Cerulean City or Skyla in Mistralton City—but others despised it, Lt. Surge and Volkner among them.
"The Syndicate needs you to stay embedded within the League," Dolores stated before suddenly shifting the topic. "I heard the League has been conducting large-scale searches all over Kanto. Any idea what they're after?"
Lt. Surge's expression darkened as he nodded grimly. "Yeah. It's that virus I reported before. And get this—UB's director seemed to have uncovered something big. But just a few days ago... she vanished."
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