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After his appearance was altered, Roy didn't rush in immediately.
Following the patrol route information gained from interrogating the young man, he walked around methodically before approaching the Team Illuminati encampment.
At the entrance, besides the Illuminati guards, Roy spotted two Zoroark. One was resting, while the other's blue eyes actively scanned everyone entering and exiting, sensing their Aura patterns to confirm their identities. They had recorded the Aura signatures of all legitimate members.
There was no reason to underestimate a Pokémon's intelligence. Studies had shown that Alakazam's IQ could reach 5000. Metagross, a pseudo-legendary Pokémon, possessed four brains with computational power comparable to a supercomputer.
Roy maintained his disguised Aura pattern and walked in calmly.
The Zoroark detected nothing unusual.
The guard glanced at him and suddenly smiled: "#∈¥%..."
Roy froze. He couldn't understand a word—it wasn't Chinese, English, Japanese, or Korean. He had no idea which obscure language the guard was speaking.
The young man whose identity he'd assumed was Chinese, but Roy had overlooked the fact that an international criminal organization would naturally include people from various countries.
Among acquaintances, certain habits always emerged... For instance, if you insulted a close friend in your native dialect, they'd likely understand what you meant.
Seeing the guard's suspicious expression, Roy thought quickly, guessing that he was probably being asked what took him so long...
Thinking on his feet, Roy immediately flashed a slightly mischievous smile. He cupped one hand as if holding something, positioned it below his waist, made a slight rowing motion, and put his other hand near his mouth with a "shh" gesture.
—A universal male signal that needed no translation.
As expected, the guard's face showed disgusted amusement. He laughed, said something dismissive, and waved Roy through.
Roy walked in with a casual smile, cold sweat running down his back.
That was too close—he'd nearly been exposed at the first checkpoint. Thank goodness for quick thinking.
After navigating this nerve-wracking encounter, Roy discovered that further progress was surprisingly unimpeded.
Team Illuminati members placed absolute faith in their Zoroark's abilities. They harbored no suspicions about anyone who successfully entered the base area. Many even greeted Roy with friendly smiles.
The young man he was impersonating seemed quite popular.
'That makes sense—Zoroark's ability has been utilized since Team Illuminati's inception. In over eighty years, there have never been security breaches. That's the blindness of overconfidence...'
Including Roy, only three humans worldwide had mastered Aura powers, and none belonged to Team Illuminati.
The rarity made relevant information scarce.
Team Illuminati remained unaware of what a human Aura user could accomplish.
Even Roy himself, only after Frances and Carter's hints, had experimented and discovered he could mimic someone else's Aura signature.
Beyond deceiving Zoroark, this ability seemed to have limited practical applications...
Roy recalled the base layout information extracted during the interrogation.
The twenty-six tents were divided into four zones: common member living quarters, executive residences, storage facilities, and detention centers.
The common quarters were largest, comprising ten tents.
Executives enjoyed luxurious private accommodations in three centrally-located tents.
Storage facilities occupied seven tents.
The detention center took up six tents.
"Wait, something doesn't add up."
Roy surveyed the Illuminati encampment. These weren't tourist tents but massive structures comparable to two-story buildings.
Considering comfort wasn't a priority for detainees, each tent could hold approximately 30-40 people...
Six tents serving as a detention center meant capacity for 240 people...
'Have they arrested that many students?'
The Pokemon University for Breeders utilized an elite education system with limited annual enrollment.
Capital University had only three hundred students per grade level.
Had Team Illuminati managed to capture eighty percent of them in just one day?
'They must be holding something besides students...'
Roy speculated as he walked toward the detention area, soon encountering two "gatekeepers."
Or rather, gatekeeper Pokémon.
Two Mightyena stood watch.
Most Team Illuminati members were hunting students in the snowy fields at the mountain's base. With manpower stretched thin, Pokémon were filling some security roles.
"Grrrr..."
Hearing footsteps approach, both Mightyena growled and fixed their gaze on Roy.
Their noses twitched slightly, and suspicion flickered in their eyes.
This person's scent seemed strange, yet somehow... familiar?
The "Pokémon Affinity" ability from Roy's system activated, preventing the Mightyena from attacking immediately.
Roy smiled, retrieving two high-grade Pokémon treats he'd obtained from the system, and placed them before the Mightyena.
The pair hesitated, then tentatively sampled the food.
Delicious!
Like the earlier Muk and Arbor, these Pokémon were merely organizational assets. When had they ever tasted such premium food?
The Mightyena's suspicious looks transformed into friendly ones as they buried their muzzles in the treats.
Roy quietly slipped inside the tent.
He spotted several enormous iron cages containing numerous bound people, all currently asleep.
Upon closer inspection, Roy noticed the cages used electronic key card locks.
Could these be broken through brute force...?
Suddenly, Roy sensed something flying toward him and quickly dodged.
"Pfft!" A man in one cage spat at Roy. Missing his target, the man sneered and cursed: "You despicable poachers, doing such immoral things day after day. Aren't you afraid of karma catching up with—"
This kid has no fear... Roy interrupted in a hushed voice.
"Axel."
"Huh?" Axel startled, surprised. "How do you know my name?"
Roy checked their surroundings and, confirming they were alone, touched his face and asked Ditto to temporarily remove his disguise.
"It's me."
"Roy—!" Axel had a tough personality but wasn't foolish. He immediately lowered his voice. "Why are you here?"
"I've come to rescue you. Champion Frances is waiting outside." Roy explained briefly.
"Champion Frances is here?!" Axel's expression showed surprise as his confidence surged.
Roy quickly got down to business:
"Can we break these locks by force?"
"I doubt it." Axel shook his head grimly. "These cages are electrified. Someone concealed a Misdreavus earlier this afternoon. It tried breaking the cage to escape, but alarms triggered and it was recaptured. These scumbags actually executed the Misdreavus on the spot..."
Roy cursed internally.
But Axel soon delivered even worse news.
He pulled down his collar, revealing a black device around his neck.
"They installed these tonight. They're connected to the cages. If a cage is broken, they explode with a bang..." Axel shrugged. "Hey, it's not that bad. Getting your head blown off and scattered across the sky—at least it wouldn't be on your neck anymore..."
Roy couldn't help but laugh at Axel's dark humor. How could he joke at a time like this?
"However, I do have some useful information," Axel added. "When they transported the captured people here, different guards came, but they all used the same ID card."
Hearing this, Roy's eyes lit up as he understood Axel's implication.
Despite the numerous personnel, they all shared a single access card—suggesting the ID cards were stored in a central location accessible to all members.
The storage facility!
That's where he needed to look.
"Wait here."
Roy left these words, restored his disguise, and departed.
Leaving the tent, Roy initially planned to head directly to the storage area, but his earlier observation nagged at him.
Six massive tents seemed excessive for detaining students alone. There must be something else.
Just to be certain, Roy decided to investigate further.
The second tent, the third tent...
After checking two tents, he found they contained only captured students.
When inspecting the fourth tent, Roy discovered something different.
Within the iron cages, alongside students, six scarred Pokémon were imprisoned.
These weren't battle injuries, but...
"Signs of long-term abuse."
Roy frowned as he used his Aura powers to sense their emotional states. As expected, these Pokémon's hearts were filled with darkness, despair, and resentment.
Labels were affixed to the Pokémon cages. Roy glanced at them and saw they contained numerical designations.
Experimental subjects...
These were test subject Pokémon.
Roy sighed, and as he turned to leave, a caged Pokémon awakened, glared at him, and growled.
This Pokémon was yellow with two plug-shaped horns on its head, black stripes across its body, and a lightning pattern on its abdomen.
Roy checked its label.
No. 0131.
An Elekid.
This Elekid's body was covered in wounds, with a particularly horrific bowl-sized scar on its forehead that continuously discharged electrical arcs.
Roy pondered briefly, then retrieved a bottle of high-grade Potion from his system and tossed it into Elekid's cage from about a meter away.
Elekid retreated warily, staring at the Potion bottle before fixing Roy with a vicious glare.
"Spray it on your wounds—it will heal you," Roy offered with a gentle smile and thumbs-up. "Just hold on a little longer. I'll come back for you..."
The Ditto disguising Roy's face, moved by the tragic scenes they'd witnessed, momentarily reverted to its original form before giving Elekid an encouraging thumbs-up.
Seeing Elekid still watching suspiciously, Roy exited the tent.
Approaching the fifth tent, Roy pushed open the door and entered.
After everything he'd witnessed, Roy thought he was prepared for whatever Pokémon might be imprisoned inside, but what he saw made his hair stand on end.
"This—" Roy was dumbfounded.
The Pokémon in this tent weren't caged but maintained in a dormant state.
They were all red and white, resembling oversized Poké Balls.
Voltorb? No.
—Electrode.
The Pokédex entry for this Pokémon was particularly memorable:
"It absorbs electrical energy from the atmosphere, accumulating massive electrical power. The slightest stimulation can trigger a violent explosion."
Electrode was officially classified as a dangerous Pokémon, banned from private ownership by the League.
And in this tent, Roy estimated more than 60 Electrode sleeping soundly.
Roy rushed to the final tent to confirm his suspicion. Sure enough, it too contained slumbering Electrode.
If these 120+ Electrode were to detonate simultaneously...
Roy had no doubt the combined force could obliterate White Mountain entirely. When the mountain collapsed, nearby cities would suffer catastrophic natural disasters.
Worse still, the dormant volcano beneath White Mountain might reawaken, triggering an eruption that would permanently alter the entire province.
The ruthlessness was staggering.
These Electrode presumably served as Team Illuminati's strategic deterrent. If cornered, they would immediately threaten officials with this doomsday scenario.
Official forces certainly outmatched this Illuminati camp.
Champion Frances alone could annihilate this branch.
However, those with nothing to lose fear nothing, and the government's primary responsibility was protecting civilian lives.
The student hostages provided additional leverage... It would be unconscionable to sacrifice hostages to save hostages—too pragmatically ruthless.
At that moment, Roy finally understood why the Pokémon League so deeply feared Team Illuminati.
These individuals operated without moral boundaries or scruples, possessed substantial financial resources and capabilities, maintained informants worldwide, and were prepared to mutually assured destruction at every confrontation.
This exemplified why honorable tactics often faltered against dishonorable enemies.
"What can be done about these Electrode?"
Roy pondered the dilemma.
If this problem remained unsolved, even rescuing all the students wouldn't permit Champion Frances to launch a full assault.
Just then, the Poké Ball at Roy's waist trembled.
"Dragonite?"
Roy curiously used his Aura to connect with Dragonite's consciousness.
Soon, his expression turned incredulous.
"You're saying you can use Twister to launch all these Electrode into outer space in five seconds?"
"Buzzz!"
The Poké Ball vibrated affirmatively.
"?"
Roy wanted to respond with sheer disbelief.
A Champion's ace Pokémon could accomplish something this extraordinary?
How was this different from divine power...?
The realm of Champions remained distant and unfathomable. Roy didn't dwell on it—with the Electrode problem potentially solved, he immediately headed toward the storage area to locate an ID card.
Darkness had fallen.
Few personnel patrolled the Illuminati base. Roy used his Aura sensing to avoid the guards and successfully reached the storage zone.
Using the same technique to distract the guardian Pokémon, Roy searched tent after tent, finding mostly food, clothing, and electronic equipment.
In the fourth storage tent, Roy discovered a diary that caught his interest.
On its cover, a line of English text read:
"RESEARCH LOG—PROF. CHARLES"
"Research log? Professor Charles?"
Having gained admission to Capital University, a prestigious institution, Roy's English proficiency was solid—he had no trouble understanding.
Opening the research log, Roy read:
[July 23: Alola spiritual domain infiltration successfully executed. The organization obtained two artifacts from the underground temple. Unfortunately, the League intervened before we could complete our mission.
Time constraints prevented thorough examination of the temple murals. We only ascertained that these artifacts relate to divine power. One mysterious item is code-named "Empty Shell."]
[The second acquisition is an unprecedented Pokémon species. Its existence manifests in a most unusual form—essentially a mass of living gas. Its coloration gradually transitions from purple to light blue, remarkably resembling the celestial phenomenon known as a "nebula," hence our assigned code name: "Nebula."]
After reading the first page, Roy was stunned.
Resembling a nebula?
An underground temple in Alola's spiritual domain?
This description immediately brought to mind a specific Pokémon:
—Cosmog.
Though not widely recognized by name, its evolved forms were legendary in the Pokémon world.
—Solgaleo, the sun deity. —Lunala, the moon deity.
These were Cosmog's ultimate evolutionary forms.
In other words, Cosmog was the "child of gods"—literally the offspring of deities.