Upon hearing the first mission, everyone immediately became serious.
Regardless of whether they had truly joined Hive willingly, the fact that they had joined was now unchangeable.
"The first mission is to explore the Crystal Onix's nest."
"Crystal Onix?" The group exchanged glances. They had all been to Sunburst Island, clearly aware of the related legend.
"That's just a legend, right? I've lived on Sunburst Island for over thirty years and never seen one," the glass shop owner couldn't help but say.
"Heh, just because you haven't seen it doesn't mean it doesn't exist." Lucius smirked, tossing out a grey Poké Ball.
With a flash of white light, a ten-meter-long, crystal-clear Onix appeared before everyone, its body shimmering like natural glass.
"Wow, what a beautiful Pokémon! Such large crystals must be worth a fortune," Flora exclaimed. As a woman, she had no resistance to shiny, valuable things.
In terms of appearance, Crystal Onix wasn't particularly stunning—Onix's original design wasn't exactly attractive—but its rarity and the widespread legends surrounding it gave it an aura of value.
"...It really exists," the glass shop owner muttered after a long silence.
Ignoring their astonishment, Lucius continued, "This Crystal Onix differs from ordinary Shiny Pokémon. Shiny Pokémon only display color variations due to genetic mutation, with no difference in strength or growth potential compared to their species counterparts. However, the Crystal Onix underwent a fundamental transformation, changing its type entirely—it is no longer Rock-type, and its weakness to Water-type moves is gone."
He glanced around but didn't elaborate further.
After a brief pause, the self-proclaimed future prodigy Zeyan suddenly looked up. "Are you suggesting that the Crystal Onix's mutation was caused by an external force?"
"External force?" Flora blinked. "Couldn't it just be a genetic mutation?"
Zeyan shook his head. "Pokémon type changes are usually driven by environmental factors—like Meowth. In Kanto, Meowth is Normal-type, but in the Galar region, it's Steel-type, and in Alola, it's Dark-type. These differences stem from local climate, environment, and ecology."
Lucius nodded approvingly. This kid Zeyan had potential—his fusion rate with the virus might be lower than Flora's, but his intelligence and knowledge were clearly superior.
Even with viral modifications, individual differences in knowledge and ability still existed. A single leader couldn't control everything. If Lucius was the Emperor Strain, then high-fusion individuals were essential to handle the finer details of Hive's operations.
If they were simply waging a virus swarm-style war like an undead plague, infected Pokémon would suffice. But to build an organization, Lucius needed intelligent, high-fusion operatives.
Zeyan was a promising seed.
"I see... Although Sunburst Island is surrounded by the sea, its species are no different from those in Kanto. The reason for the Crystal Onix's mutation is likely hidden in its habitat," deduced the female trainer Maeva, catching onto Lucius's line of thought.
Indeed, in the original anime, the protagonists found the Crystal Onix but never investigated the cause of its mutation.
But now that Lucius was here, he naturally sought to uncover the truth. It was improbable that an Onix would randomly mutate—especially from a Rock-type vulnerable to Water into a creature dwelling underwater. The transformation was too drastic.
Moreover, as someone who could manipulate genetic sequences with the Emperor Strain, Lucius was particularly intrigued by anything capable of inducing such significant changes in Pokémon.
"Now that everything is clear, let's set off." Lucius scanned the group.
"Yay! Hive's first mission, let's go!" Flora cheered, while the others exchanged uneasy glances.
Understandable—Flora had come from Mandarin Island and wasn't fully aware of what had happened on Sunburst Island. The others, however, had witnessed the island's devastation by a King-class Dragonite's Draco Meteor and still harbored lingering fear.
"Relax, there's no danger. The League can't afford to bother with you right now." Lucius smiled faintly.
When they arrived at Sunburst Island, the atmosphere was strangely bustling.
Unlike when they had escaped, the docks were now crowded with ships—many large vessels, including repurposed cruise liners, were anchored offshore. White-suited personnel in protective gear were constructing a maritime research facility two kilometers from the coast.
The base's foundation was only partially complete, but its size suggested it would rival Team Rocket's Nanyl Island branch once finished.
It seemed the League was planning for a long-term presence. Their response was far more serious than Lucius had anticipated.
Last night, Lucius had already felt something was off—the League's reaction had been unnervingly quick.
Even if Mandarin Island was a commercial hub, the moment the first mutants appeared, the League had locked down the area, deployed armed helicopters, and coordinated professional trainers to eradicate the infected—all within hours. They had even burned the remains to prevent any chance of secondary infections.
On Sunburst Island—a small, ordinary island—Lucius's attack had been a midnight ambush. Based on Archer's knowledge of League operations, it should have taken the League until morning to respond.
Yet they had immediately dispatched the Elite Four's Drake and Champion Lance—one for search and rescue, the other for extermination—wiping out the mutants with alarming efficiency.
What surprised Lucius even more was that after killing the mutants, Lance froze the entire island in ice—as if he knew the virus could still spread after the hosts' deaths.
Even now, the League's decision to build a permanent sea-based laboratory rather than modifying a single ship and flying in equipment seemed excessive.
The League was taking this far more seriously than Lucius had expected.
A sudden thought struck him—his first large-scale operation in Cerulean City had been inexplicably foiled by white flames, consuming both the building and its occupants. Yesterday, his infected operatives Tyler Jorron and Kuran had been struck down by lightning.
Something strange was happening...
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