Kanto region, underground.
Deep underground in the Rocket Hideout.
Inside the laboratory, the lights were bright, causing every inch of the stainless steel surfaces to reflect a pale, ghostly light.
No outside sounds could be heard here, only the monotonous and continuous hum of precision instruments in operation.
Two massive reinforced glass cages stood side-by-side in the center of the laboratory, each imprisoning a Pokémon.
On the left was an Aggron; its heavy metallic body was covered in scratches, and with every breath, it expelled white, turbid air, irritably using Tackle against the cage wall, emitting dull "thud, thud" sounds.
On the right was a Heracross; its iconic giant horn hung limply, and its compound eyes were dull, clearly having been injected with a potent tranquilizer.
Ariana stood before the control console; even her pristine white lab coat could not conceal the sharp, fierce aura about her.
She stood with her arms crossed, her gaze tightly Lock-On the Pokémon in the cages; her eyes didn't look like they were watching living beings, but rather examining two weapons about to be forged and shaped.
"Begin."
She uttered two words; her voice was not loud, but it made every operator in the laboratory straighten up.
A flexible mechanical arm reached down from the ceiling, its movements precise and cold.
It first grabbed an Aggronite engraved with strange patterns and steadily placed it into the groove on the Aggron's body.
Then, it retrieved the Heracrossite and secured it in the same manner.
Everything was ready.
Ariana tapped her fingertip lightly on the control panel, and the Key Stone was brought by the mechanical arm directly in front of the two Pokémon.
One second, two seconds, ten seconds passed.
Nothing happened.
The Key Stone hovered silently; the Aggron was still using Tackle against the wall, and the Heracross was drowsy.
"Hmph."
Ariana let out a cold snort from her nose—the expected result.
Ariel's intelligence mentioned the most critical link—the Trainer.
She turned her head and ordered a nearby team member: "Bring him up."
Soon, the alloy doors of the laboratory slid open, and two burly men wearing Team Rocket uniforms dragged a middle-aged man inside.
The man's mouth was sealed with tape, his hands and feet were bound behind his back, and his eyes were filled with anger and fear, while his throat emitted "woo-woo" struggling sounds.
He was the Trainer of these two Pokémon.
Seeing his partners locked in the cages, the man struggled even more violently, like a trapped beast.
A team member, annoyed by his noise, mercilessly slammed an elbow into the back of his neck; the man let out a muffled groan and immediately went limp, leaving only heavy, ragged breathing.
Ariana turned a blind eye to this; in her eyes, there was only the experimental data.
"Connect."
Several researchers immediately stepped forward and skillfully connected several thick cables to the devices on the man, the Key Stone, and the two Pokémon.
The cold metal clips clamped onto his skin, causing the semi-conscious man to shudder.
The whole scene looked absurd and eerie: a human, two Pokémon, and a stone, forcibly bound together by a pile of wires.
Ariana's eyes flashed with a hint of fanaticism; she walked up to the power switch herself and, without hesitation, pulled the lever all the way down!
"Zzzzt—!"
Blinding blue electric arcs instantly surged wildly along all the connecting cables, emitting a teeth-grinding crackle!
"Arghhhh—!"
The man arched his body violently, convulsing intensely, his eyeballs rolling back, and white foam gushing from his mouth.
The invisible bond between him and his Pokémon was now being forcibly activated and extracted by the violent electrical current!
The Aggron and Heracross in the cages simultaneously let out roars of extreme pain, their voices shrill and filled with struggle.
Just then, a sudden change occurred!
With the Key Stone as the center, ripples of invisible energy spread out, enveloping the Trainer and the two Pokémon.
It was an ethereal connection, invisible to the naked eye, but it could be captured by precision instruments.
The energy index on the screen instantly soared to the red warning line!
Immediately after, two rays of light, even more dazzling and blinding than the electric arcs, erupted from the Aggron and Heracross!
The light swallowed everything, and the entire laboratory was illuminated in a searing white.
When the middle-aged man was completely knocked unconscious by the powerful current and let his head hang limply, the light finally dissipated.
In the cages stood two brand-new figures, exuding terrifying auras.
The Mega Aggron's frame was even larger, its silver-white armor as heavy as a mountain, and the brutality in its eyes was almost tangible.
The Mega Heracross's giant horn had become even more ferocious, its muscles knotted and filled with explosive power.
Their auras were more than a notch stronger than before!
"Success..."
Ariana muttered to herself, staring fixedly at the crazily jumping data on the tablet, her body trembling slightly with excitement.
The intelligence Ariel provided—every word was true! Mega Evolution, this power capable of overturning the world, was now in the grasp of Team Rockets!
Just then, the laboratory door slid open silently again.
A tall figure walked in; he merely stood there, and the temperature of the entire laboratory seemed to drop a few degrees.
All researchers stopped their work and lowered their heads respectfully.
Giovanni.
His gaze swept over the two Pokémon that had undergone Mega Evolution, a trace of undisguisable shock flashing deep in his eyes, but he quickly returned to his calm, unruffled demeanor.
"Ariana."
He spoke, his voice low and magnetic, "You have done well, faster than I anticipated."
Hearing this praise, Ariana immediately reined in all outward emotions, turned, knelt on one knee, and bowed her head deeply.
"Everything is within your control, Boss Giovanni. Your subordinate merely relied on my own day-and-night research and luckily found the key to unlocking this power."
Her voice was incomparably submissive, taking all the credit for herself; regarding the true source of the intelligence—Ariel—she did not mention a single word.
Giovanni's gaze lingered on her for two seconds, seemingly scrutinizing the truth of her words, and finally, he just nodded.
"Very good. Continue your research; I want to see this power mass-produced to become a sharp blade for us to conquer the world."
"Yes, Boss!"
Giovanni turned and left, his tall back disappearing behind the door.
Only after that invisible pressure completely vanished did Ariana slowly stand up.
The respect on her face instantly faded, replaced by an undisguised ambition and mockery.
She picked up a special data tablet nearby, and Ariel's personal file popped up on the screen; the young face in the photo looked particularly eyesore.
"I will unceremoniously accept the credit this time."
Ariana's fingertip gently traced the word "successor" on the screen, and a cold arc curved at the corner of her mouth.
"Being able to provide such important intelligence, my judgment of people is indeed correct."
"As a future successor, it is only right to make some contributions to the organization, isn't it?"
In Ariana's eyes, Ariel was merely a pawn, a pawn that could continuously bring her benefits.
She just didn't expect that the pawn in her eyes possessed potential and ambition far beyond her imagination, to the point where it would become uncontrollable for her.
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