It seemed that the scent was coming from this dust.
Dolores was unaware that, during her moment of unconsciousness, Bernard's body had undergone a horrifying transformation beside her.
His skin cracked open with countless fissures, exposing pulsating muscle tissue beneath. His fingernails had hardened into razor-sharp white chitinous claws, and his once robust physique twisted and contorted, shredding through his suit.
At first, he mutated into a grotesque, alien-like creature. Then, his body convulsed violently, splitting apart entirely, and disintegrating into chunks of flesh.
This was the first time Lucius had encountered a mutant whose physique was so exceptional that the enhancement exceeded human biological limits, causing their muscles and organs to collapse under the strain.
Lucius glanced at his system panel. At this moment, the Veronica Virus had increased the infected body's physical attributes by a staggering 341%, more than tripling its original strength.
If the host's initial physique was ordinary but had a high genetic compatibility, they would evolve into a "superhuman" far superior to an average person. However, if the host was already physically strong but lacked sufficient genetic fusion, they would surpass their limits, leading to catastrophic collapse or unpredictable mutations.
After igniting his Toxic Flame to reduce Bernard's remains to ashes, Lucius saw Dolores slowly regain consciousness.
Due to the strange circumstances of both collapsing earlier, Dolores had no time to dwell on the origin of the dust. Instead, she immediately rushed next door and knocked on Bernard's room door.
Suddenly, as she knocked, her gaze became vacant. Her hand paused mid-motion as if entranced. She turned around and, following the voice echoing in her mind, stepped back into her own room.
Controlling Dolores into sleep, Lucius began scanning her memories.
Just as Tyler Jorron had mentioned before, Dolores was once a traditional Pokémon Trainer who traveled across regions to hone her skills. A few years ago, she had even secured second place in the Unova Vertress Conference.
Such an achievement was largely thanks to her father, an Interpol officer.
Her father, Marshal, was the head of Unova's Interpol division and a Trainer of Elite Four caliber. Since childhood, he had meticulously trained her, hoping that she would one day join the League, succeed him, and safeguard Unova's security.
Had nothing gone wrong, her life would have likely followed her father's expectations—entering the League system and becoming either a Special Investigator or an Interpol officer.
However, an unforeseen incident three years ago changed everything.
For over a decade, unknown creatures had been emerging from Ultra Space, wreaking havoc across various regions. The League classified these interdimensional entities with specific designations and collectively referred to them as "Ultra Beasts."
To counter and research Ultra Beasts, the League selected top Interpol agents and experts from various fields to form a specialized unit—the UB Countermeasure Headquarters—exclusively responsible for dealing with Ultra Beast incursions.
As an Interpol officer and an Elite Four-level Trainer, Marshal naturally became an integral member of the UB division, eventually rising to a supervisory position.
Three years ago, an Ultra Wormhole suddenly appeared in the Whirl Islands, allowing an unidentified Celesteela to breach into this world.
The UB Countermeasure Headquarters immediately issued an order to deport the Celesteela back through the Ultra Wormhole. The operation was initially under the jurisdiction of the Johto supervisor, Oliver Doyle, but since Marshal happened to be in Johto, he assisted in the operation alongside the regional team.
The battle proceeded smoothly. Two Elite Trainers, combined with UB's advanced technology, swiftly subdued the Celesteela. However, just as they were preparing to deport it, Marshal received a direct transmission from a high-ranking official in Alola, instructing him to secretly transport the captured Celesteela to a designated location.
Oliver quickly realized what was happening and confronted Marshal, arguing that such an action violated the UB Countermeasure Headquarters' protocols. However, Marshal believed that the Alolan official had the means to permanently resolve the Ultra Beast threat, and assisting her would ultimately benefit humanity.
During their heated argument, a Blacephalon suddenly emerged and launched a surprise attack, instantly killing Marshal and several UB personnel in a massive explosion.
It turned out that two Ultra Beasts had emerged from the Whirl Islands' Ultra Wormhole, not just one.
With great effort and at a significant cost, Oliver managed to force both Ultra Beasts back into Ultra Space.
Upon returning to UB Countermeasure Headquarters, Oliver reported the entire incident. The League concluded that Marshal's insubordination had contributed to the deaths of multiple agents. However, since he was already deceased, no further disciplinary actions were taken.
Though the case was officially closed, the tragedy left deep scars on his family. Soon after Marshal's death, his wife, lost in grief and distracted while crossing the street, was struck by a car and killed. Meanwhile, Dolores faced ostracization, and even the Pokémon her father had left behind refused to obey her.
Amidst her downward spiral, the very man who had defeated her in the Vertress Conference—Bernard—reappeared in her life.
Handsome and powerful, he offered her warmth during her lowest moments.
One night, after an intimate encounter, Dolores lay beside him and asked, "Why do you always, intentionally or unintentionally, tell me about the darkness and hypocrisy of the Pokémon League?"
Bernard gazed at her with an intensity she had never seen before and said, "Because I want you to join us."
"Join... Syndicate."
Dolores lowered her gaze. "I knew it..."
From a young age, she had been trained by her father, an officer in the International Police. She had already pieced together Bernard's true identity from various clues—it was only a matter of getting him to admit it himself.
Cruel and ruthless as he was, this man truly loved Dolores. So much so that he didn't hesitate to reveal himself as the son of the Syndicate's leader.
Disillusioned with the Pokémon League, Dolores accepted his offer and joined the infamous underground organization, the Syndicate. Within three years, she had risen through the ranks, becoming the head of the Syndicate's Vermilion City division in Kanto.
After the Cerulean City branch was destroyed by Oliver Doyle—and with all personnel wiped out in the Cerulean Police Department incident—Dolores had fled straight to the Unova headquarters.
Now she had returned, standing alongside Bernard to oversee the Syndicate's joint operation with Team Rocket—an excavation project in the underground ruins.
Having scanned her memories, Lucius now fully grasped the situation on this ship.
The entire vessel, from crew to passengers, consisted solely of Syndicate members. And the highest-ranking officer onboard had just been reduced to ashes by Toxic Flame—Bernard himself.
No wonder that crew member reacted so strangely. The moment he saw me, he knew I didn't belong here. Of course—there were no outsiders on this ship to begin with…
Beyond the human Syndicate operatives, the cargo hold was filled with smuggled Pokémon—shipments meant for certain corporations and families in Kanto.
How convenient. We're in the middle of the open sea, far from prying eyes. The perfect place to experiment on Veronica…
-----
Want to read ahead of schedule?
Join here for advance chapters: patreon.com / madbot635