Silver Rock Island.
Damalanchi crawled out from the smoking ruins of the temple. Looking at the broken remains of the League's elite forces, tears of frustration and age welled in his eyes. He had invested astronomical amounts of manpower and resources—even risking the wrath of the Sasaki clan—to organize this hunt for Lugia.
And yet, the "duck" had flown away right as he was about to take a bite. The failure to capture Lugia was a devastating blow to his prestige.
Black and White stood silently as they presented the casualty reports. After a long silence, Damalanchi finally spoke, his voice raspy but cold.
"Send the wounded to the Pokémon Centers imdiately. I take full responsibility for this failure. If not for the interference of Team Rocket and the rogue Elite Four mbers, I would have succeeded."
His grip tightened on his cane, slamming it against the jagged stone. "We must curb the power of Team Rocket and the Four Heavenly Kings. Issue the order: in the na of 'Sweeping Evil and Eliminating Cri,' we will purge every faction associated with Giovanni."
His eyes flashed with a ruthless light. "This failure taught sothing. I was too narrow-minded; I thought only a God could grant control over Kanto. But now I see our greatest weakness is a lack of truly powerful trainers. Otherwise, you wouldn't have been pushed back so easily."
"I am opening the League's Secret Treasury to you. We will elevate your strength. This loss is temporary—now that I know why we failed, I won't let it happen again."
Damalanchi swept away his gloom. "Black, White... the stability of Kanto rests on us. We will drive Rocket and the traitors out. I am filing a formal report with the Global Pokémon Federation against Agatha (Kiku) and Lorelei (Kanna) for collusion and harming League interests."
He was a man who grew more stubborn with every defeat. He would pin the chaos of Kanto entirely on the two "traitors" and use the Federation's leverage to reclaim control.
The Laboratory of Resurrection
An hour later, Lt. Surge's stealth jet touched down at the Rocket airfield. While Sabrina and Surge went to report to Giovanni, Feng Che was practically dragged away by Dr. Fuji.
"Feng Che, that specific Genesect is deteriorating rapidly! We have to start the experint now or we'll lose a primary research specin," Fuji said breathlessly.
Inside the lab, Feng Che was startled by the sight in the massive stasis pod. In just a few days, the "vegetable" Genesect had grown significantly. Its muscles were bulging, looking dense enough to intercept bullets with its bare skin.
"To keep it alive, we've pumped it full of high-grade nutrients," Fuji sighed. "Its physical shell is peak-condition, but the scans are definitive: it's brain-dead."
A few days ago, it was rely unconscious. Now, the machines registered zero neural activity. The creature was even larger than a Buzzwole now.
"I'll start the tal-bonding tests on the deceased specins first," Feng Che suggested. "Once we have the data, we can armor this one. Don't worry, Doctor—with here, I can keep the body from dying. But for the brain... well, I'm a cultivator, not a miracle worker."
"Isolate this one in its own pod. I need to mix a specialized potion to inhibit its hyper-growth. If it keeps expanding at this rate, its genetic code will collapse into a puddle of sludge."
Feng Che, it's not dead, wtwo's voice echoed in his mind. It's actually stabilized. This might be the strongest Insect Mythical in history. Its muscle density is off the charts. If it's plated in steel, it will likely transition into a Bug/Steel/Fighting hybrid.
wtwo, a master of genetics in its own right, sounded genuinely excited.
wtwo, can you suppress its consciousness? Feng Che asked. I don't want Fuji to know it's recovering. If he thinks it's a living creature, I'll never have a reason to take it with .
I can keep it in a psychic slumber and even tweak Fuji's mories if you like, wtwo offered.
No need to touch Fuji's mind yet, Feng Che cautioned. This is Team Rocket; I don't know what failsafes he has. You cannot be exposed. If Giovanni finds out you're here, the entire organization will hunt to the ends of the earth. Just keep the bug asleep while I brew a stabilizer.
Feng Che set to work at the lab bench, expertly mixing a "Bug-Type Advancent Solution" to balance the creature's runaway cell replication.
"Feng Che, I've gathered the minerals," Fuji called out. He clapped his hands, and researchers wheeled in crates of teorite Iron, Anti-Magic Iron, Ultra-Pure Steel, and Fire-Pattern Steel.
Feng Che looked at the collection. He also had a secret stash: Earth Ore, a hyper-rare mineral from the Bertha (Kikuno) family mines that allowed a Pokémon to recover stamina just by touching the ground. He had "liberated" several kilograms of it—worth billions—from the Red Moon Priest's vault.
"Go! Incineroar, Ninetales!"
Feng Che released his Pokémon. To forge armor for a Mythical, he needed the finest "furnaces" and "quenchers" in existence.
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