When Ye Li dragged his exhausted body back to Team Rocket's Secret Base, his only desire deep down was for a soft bed where he could sleep soundly for three days and nights. His experiences in the Orange Islands, both the mental strain and the physical exhaustion, had left him feeling like a rubber band stretched to its limit, ready to snap at any moment.
Reality, however, ruthlessly shattered his fantasy. What awaited him was not the vacation he deserved, but an order from Giovanni that was more urgent and more insane than any previous mission.
He, Engineer Wang, Dr. Anya, and their core technical teams were all summoned to a secret laboratory in the deepest part of the base, one with the highest security clearance. Its walls were cast from a special ink-black alloy, their surfaces gleaming with a cold metallic sheen. It was said to absorb the vast majority of energy impacts, with defenses strong enough to withstand a direct hit from a small tactical nuclear bomb. The laboratory's air had passed through multiple layers of filtration. Cold and pure, it carried a faint smell of ozone and felt so oppressive that it was hard to breathe.
At the center of the laboratory, the three sacred symbols brought back from the Orange Islands-the Ice Symbol, the Thunder Symbol, and the Fire Symbol-had each been placed inside a specially made energy container. Deep-blue frost, golden electrical arcs, and crimson firelight slowly swirled within the containers, giving off a primal, sacred aura that made hearts tremble.
Giovanni stood before the symbols with his back to everyone, his silhouette sharply outlined by the three-colored light. Instead of his trademark orange suit, he wore a black combat uniform, making him look even colder and more dangerous.
"You all heard Lugia's warning." Giovanni