Chapter 82: Who the Meowth is This Overachiever?

Vicious had previously failed in his attempt to capture Celebi, but he had nonetheless obtained its genetic material. Recently, through a secret laboratory in the Unova region, he had been conducting cloning experiments on Celebi.

However, cloning a Legendary Pokémon was no easy feat. Most test subjects either perished or were born deformed, completely devoid of any special abilities. This particular specimen was the sole suspected success. While it lacked Celebi's mythical ability to traverse time, it did possess immense psychic power at an King-class level, making it a formidable Psychic-type combatant.

Most importantly, after countless sessions of brainwashing, it had completely lost its ability to think for itself, responding only to Vicious's commands.

With this King-tier Legendary Pokémon in his arsenal, Vicious had instantly ascended to a Elite Four level, becoming the highest-ranking subordinate under Giovanni within Team Rocket.

He had never tested it against a true King-tier Pokémon before, but given how it had collapsed in the middle of battle just now and refused to rise, it seemed that this Celebi was still far from a perfect specimen.

Vicious was deeply frustrated. Not only was his supposedly successful experiment flawed, but after multiple failed attempts, the original Celebi's genetic material had been completely exhausted. Any future clones would only degrade in quality.

As Archer stepped off the command platform, Ariana and the others exchanged complex glances.

Although Archer had always been considered the strongest of the Four Executives, the gap between them had never felt insurmountable. After today, however, it was clear that none of them would be able to compete with him for a long time.

"Hahaha! Brother Archer is truly incredible!" Petrel chuckled, shamelessly fawning over him.

Though Petrel was one of the Four Executives, he was the weakest among them. With no real chance of competing, he had no choice but to cling to Archer's coattails even tighter.

Lucius nodded slightly, exchanging a few words with Proton and Petrel. They were currently carrying out some missions in the Johto region and were making preparations for future operations.

Lucius could clearly sense that every Team Rocket member in the room now looked at him differently—with even greater reverence than before.

The difference between an Elite Four and a non-Elite Four was vast. Respect for the strong was a universal principle, regardless of the organization.

Before long, the meeting commenced, and all of Team Rocket's high-ranking officials, including Lucius, entered the conference room.

Aside from the Executives, the room was filled with top Team Rocket scientists, including Dr. Namba, Dr. Sebastian, and Dr. Zager.

Giovanni began by congratulating Archer and Vicious on reaching Elite Four-class status before launching into his opening speech.

Regarding the recent battle, he expressed his satisfaction and emphasized that even within the organization, members must constantly hone their skills and remain vigilant. Growth through competition would lead to overall strength—a fundamental principle of Team Rocket's philosophy.

In short, he encouraged internal competition, fostering development and expansion through rivalry.

At that moment, Lucius had an idea. He released a portion of his virus from Archer's body.

Hmm? Something felt off…

As soon as he left his host, his vitality began to rapidly decline. It seemed as if the air contained an antibacterial and antiviral agent.

Testing the waters, Lucius quickly reabsorbed the virus back into his body.

Everyone present seemed to have protective measures akin to "Safeguard"-like items. While his virus currently had a high vitality, attempting to resist the sterilization systems while simultaneously infecting others would be incredibly difficult.

"Now, I have something important to tell you all." Giovanni scanned the room, his expression graver than usual. "As senior members of Team Rocket, I expect you to take what I say next very seriously. It concerns the future of all our operations."

The future of all operations?

Aside from the scientists, the Executives, including Ariana and Vicious, exchanged puzzled looks.

Team Rocket operated across two major regions, with considerable influence in several others. Their network was vast, and communication between divisions was often sparse. What kind of event could possibly impact all of their operations?

"You should all be aware of the incident at the Cerulean City Police Department a few days ago." Giovanni paused, turning his gaze toward Archer. "You were in Cerulean City at the time, correct?"

Lucius nodded. If Archer hadn't been there, he wouldn't have had a host to possess...

"At the time, the entire police department was engulfed and purified by Ho-Oh's Sacred Fire. No human or Pokémon inside survived." Giovanni recounted the events.

Sacred Fire…

Half of Lucius's virus had been at that very site, completely incinerated. Only now did he realize that the blinding white flames had been none other than Ho-Oh's Sacred Fire.

But why had the power of a Mythical Pokémon manifested there?

Giovanni didn't leave Lucius puzzled for long.

Yesterday, the Pokémon League had held an emergency video conference. The meeting was presided over by President Goodshow and included Gym Leaders from every major city, the Ultra Beasts Countermeasure Division, top Pokémon researchers, and high-ranking officials from various regions.

The meeting first reported the monstrous invasion in the Orange Archipelago. Then, it confirmed that the Cerulean City Police Department had been cleansed by two powerful individuals from the future, who wielded Sacred Fire. Following this, they shared the prophecy that these future warriors had made about a viral outbreak.

Goodshow concluded that there was an undeniable connection between the monster invasion in the Orange Archipelago and the virus the future warriors had warned about. He ordered all major cities, especially those in Kanto, to remain on high alert. Over the next few days, virus detection devices would be deployed across various regions and cities.

The League had also instructed research facilities to immediately conduct covert studies on the virus, aiming for a breakthrough before widespread public knowledge forced them into a reactive position.

Though the League had not disclosed the names of these future warriors, they clearly placed immense trust in them. Moreover, it was stated that several Mythical Pokémon, including Ho-Oh, had taken an interest in the matter. Raikou, Entei, and Suicune had already entered Cerulean City to eliminate virus carriers.

While the others in the room were still digesting this revelation, Lucius silently listened to Giovanni's speech, feeling both shocked and speechless.

Traveling back from the future just to issue a warning? Was that even possible?

Who the Meowth would go this far?

A thought suddenly struck Lucius. Such an overpowered individual… could it be that fool?

The more he considered it, the more plausible it seemed. This was exactly the kind of absurd stunt that only that fool—the one who could single-handedly lift a Cosmoem, temper his body with Thunderbolt, and blind everyone with his protagonist aura—would pull off.

And if the Legendary Beasts were in Cerulean City clearing out virus carriers… that meant Tyler Jorron and his team had perished that way...

Giovanni's words had answered many of Lucius's questions, but they had also served as a warning. He had always thought he was operating under complete secrecy, even disguising the Sunburst Island incident. Yet, the League had already known of his existence and was making large-scale preparations.

No wonder the system wanted him to establish an organization. This was shaping up to be an all-out confrontation...

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