Chapter 40: Houston Base

When the two purified the virus in Cerulean City but found that they themselves had not disappeared, they realized that, in a sense, their mission to save the world had failed...

Even so, their return was not meaningless.

Thus, they ascended to the Indigo Plateau, doing their best to contribute more to this world.

After all, this world still held their familiar family members and friends, as well as their younger selves, who were currently happily traveling and training in the Johto region alongside Brock.

At the very least, their younger selves in this world would not have to endure the same pain in the future.

As for them, they had to go back.

The surviving defenders were already struggling against the relentless horde of undead Pokémon. Without them, the situation would only worsen. While this world had many companions and family members, the other side had countless comrades who had fought alongside them, risking their lives together.

They would never abandon their comrades.

"Pikachu, are you ready to go back?" Ash looked at Pikachu on his shoulder and smiled apologetically.

If Pikachu stayed here, it might lead a happier life...

"Pika, Pika~" Understanding Ash's thoughts, Pikachu nuzzled against his face, expressing through its actions that no matter what happened, they would never be separated.

Ash felt a warmth in his eyes and softly said to Celebi, "Celebi, let's go back."

"Bii~" Celebi floated up lightly, radiating a mysterious vibration. Space rapidly collapsed and twisted, forming a deep, endless wormhole.

"Goodbye, beautiful world." Ash took a final deep look at the vast blue sea beyond Cinnabar Island, then took Misty's hand and, together with Pikachu, leaped into the wormhole.

"What remarkable young people," Blaine commented, appearing behind Lance at some point.

"Indeed." Lance nodded, his gaze dark and contemplative as he withdrew his eyes from the now-vanished wormhole. "So, Blaine, do you think the President's proposal can be implemented?"

...

As night fell, Lucius arrived at the Houston Corporation's storage facility.

Due to the need to store large-scale equipment and cover up Team Rocket's secret activities, this warehouse was built on the outskirts of Cerulean City, far from major residential areas.

"Huh, quite a crowd here..."

Following the memory fragments from Ophelia, Lucius had estimated that the area would be relatively quiet at night. He hadn't expected such a commotion.

After a moment's thought, it made sense. In the wake of the Cerulean City Police Headquarters incident a few days ago, the city had been in turmoil. Various delinquent groups, like motorcycle gangs, had taken advantage of the overstretched law enforcement and public fear to cause chaos. Many citizens and companies had already fallen victim to robberies.

Ordinarily, trying to rob Team Rocket would be pure suicide, but there was always a chance that some clueless small-time gang might stumble in. That would be troublesome. Calling the police wasn't an option either; too many of Houston's assets wouldn't hold up to an investigation. Strengthening nighttime security at the warehouse was the better choice.

Of course, the presence of Silph Co. supplies here was also a significant factor.

"Around ten or so people, and about the same number of Pokémon outside their Poké Balls."

Lucius no longer relied solely on his eyes and ears for information. Sitting in his car from a distance, he could sense the number and strength of lifeforms in a certain range through biological detection.

Moreover, anyone who had been infected by the new virus—if they were within a hundred miles—was completely within his control, and he could access any information he desired from them at any time.

After a moment's consideration, Lucius commanded the Emperor Strain to exit Scott's body, transforming into an invisible viral swarm that spread through the air into the storage facility.

Once Lucius left, Scott, still in the driver's seat, slowly closed his eyes, his breathing steady.

The warehouse layout was identical to Ophelia's memories. Various large-scale mechanical equipment was neatly arranged inside, and several guards roamed around with flashlights, patrolling the area.

Using his biological detection ability, Lucius navigated inward, following a hidden ventilation system down into the underground section of the warehouse.

It seemed that every villainous organization had a penchant for underground bases.

Whether it was the Parasol Company in that other world or the Syndicate and Team Rocket here, they all seemed to share this obsession.

In fact, this underground base was even livelier than the surface. There were more than thirty people inside, scattered in small groups, and a small laboratory.

What made Lucius feel a sense of familiarity was that, aside from a few scientists in white lab coats, everyone else in the underground base wore the same solid black uniform, with a bold red "R" emblazoned across their chests.

Hahaha, he had finally seen it—the iconic villain attire.

In the earliest versions of the original story, Team Rocket grunts all dressed like this. In later versions, the player could even acquire this outfit for infiltration missions.

Tsk, should he just wipe out this entire Team Rocket division?

Out of these thirty or so people, at least one or two might have a high compatibility rate for mutation experiments...

Lucius seriously considered this for a solid five seconds before deciding against it.

These past few days happened to coincide with the supply transfer between Team Rocket and Syndicate. If this base were wiped out overnight, it could disrupt their ongoing cooperation.

And Lucius was quite interested in that particular ruin.

Lucky for them...

Glancing at the black-uniformed members, completely oblivious to the grim reaper standing among them, Lucius felt a tinge of regret. He had never had any moral qualms about eliminating organizations like this.

Finding this Team Rocket division was just an unexpected bonus. His real purpose tonight was to investigate the Pokémon acquired by Houston Corporation.

Houston Corporation was one of the few companies officially licensed to buy and sell Pokémon. Its biggest business partner was the Game Corner under Silph Co.

Of course, from Tyler Jorron's memories, Lucius already knew that Houston's primary role was actually to serve Team Rocket. The number of Pokémon it handled through legal channels was just a fraction of the real volume.

After all, as a massive criminal syndicate operating across multiple regions, Team Rocket's daily operations led to an enormous Pokémon attrition rate.

Recently, they had been attempting to infiltrate the Hoenn region, clashing frequently with the local crime syndicates. In some large-scale operations, they lost hundreds of Pokémon at a time, making a constant supply of replacements a necessity.

As one of Team Rocket's partner companies, Houston had to purchase Pokémon from all over the world just to barely meet their demand. Syndicate was one of their primary channels for acquiring smuggled Pokémon.

Found it...

Using Tyler Jorron's memories as a guide, Lucius wandered around the base for a bit before locating the hidden entrance leading further down. At the same time, he sensed a massive concentration of lifeforms below.

So this was where Houston stored their Pokémon.

Now, this was the work of a proper crime syndicate. Compared to Syndicate's shabby, run-down factory, Team Rocket's facilities were on a completely different level.

Lucius descended deeper underground. As soon as he entered, he was met with a staggering sight—countless metallic cages arranged in perfect rows, packed so densely that at a glance, he couldn't even estimate how many Pokémon were trapped inside.

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