"Athena should still be in the lab with Blaine and the others right now. Do you want to go in and check?"
Proton pondered for a moment before making this judgment. After all, aside from the lab, that woman had nowhere else to go—especially now that the experiment had shown clear progress.
"Let's go in and take a look. Besides... I think I'll find something I'm looking for there."
Maki was, of course, referring to Mewtwo, which had yet to be fully created. However, based on Proton's description of the progress, it was highly likely that this future monstrous Pokémon had already been born. It simply hadn't fully awakened to reveal its terrifying power yet.
How to restrain Mewtwo's strength was a problem that had been on Maki's mind for a long time, but this was fundamentally at odds with Team Rocket's goals.
After all, Giovanni's vision was to create a Pokémon capable of single-handedly altering the current power balance. That was the very reason Mewtwo had been brought into existence. If they forcibly suppressed its power—not to mention whether it was even possible—then what use would Mewtwo have left?
In truth, Giovanni and Blaine had considered this issue from the very beginning. However, when they hadn't even seen a shadow of Mewtwo, how could they talk about control?
But now, things were different. The biggest problem that had Giovanni and Blaine troubled was precisely how to control the powerful creature they had created.
The island itself was vast, though Team Rocket had concealed it using special means. Unless someone came close enough, it was impossible to detect its existence.
And anyone who did enter a certain range would either be executed or captured alive by Team Rocket's forces.
Escape? That was out of the question. To flee from Team Rocket's attack range, your Pokémon's flight speed would need to outmatch Proton's Crobat.
Proton's Crobat was near-Champion level in strength, and Crobats were already known for their speed. Even Giovanni's Dragonite was only on par with it in terms of velocity—there was no way it could outpace the bat Pokémon.
In fact, without the burden of carrying passengers, Crobat might even be faster.
Summoning another Crobat, Proton provided Maki with a temporary mode of transportation.
This second Crobat was clearly weaker than the first, but as a mere means of transport, it was more than sufficient—almost overkill, even.
With Crobat's speed, the two swiftly traversed half the island, arriving at the central base.
"If we cover its body with powerful armor, I believe we can establish some level of control—so long as the armor's system is directly connected to its brain. It's not impossible."
"Forcibly restraining a Pokémon with external force is absolutely unacceptable! One day, that external shackle will be broken from within, and when that happens, we'll suffer the backlash of our own creation!"
"If we make the armor strong enough, there will be no such risk!"
"Do you even understand what we're creating? We are making the ultimate Pokémon! Do you think a piece of scrap metal can contain it?"
The moment Maki stepped into the room, he was greeted by an intense argument. He glanced at Proton, who simply shrugged in resignation, seemingly accustomed to this sort of chaos.
The ones arguing were two elderly men in white lab coats.
The bald one, whose shining head practically radiated wisdom, was unmistakably Blaine. His opponent was another top researcher within Team Rocket—Dr. Fuji.
Though their argument was heated, the two actually had a close relationship. Their debates were always for the sake of pushing their experiments forward.
Meanwhile, Ariana sat to the side, leisurely sipping tea, showing no intention of intervening.
"Hey, old man, do you know why you've lost all your hair? It means you've used up all your wisdom over the years—that's why it abandoned you!"
"Ha?! You think you're so great just because you have a few more strands of hair than me? I… I'll pull your beard off!"
Having been struck at his sore spot, Blaine glared furiously at Dr. Fuji. Without hesitation, he reached out and grabbed a handful of the latter's beard.
"Y-You… No manners!"
As a professional scientist, Dr. Fuji was evidently unskilled in verbal sparring. After struggling for a while, this was all he could come up with.
Maki turned to look at Proton again, silently asking: Are they always like this?
Proton gave a calm nod.
"Ahem!" Standing beside Maki, Proton cleared his throat twice, drawing the attention of the two bickering researchers.
As for Ariana… she had already noticed Maki and Proton's arrival. However, she was too busy enjoying the show to care. After all, their usual arguments rarely escalated to physical altercations, making this a rare spectacle.
Naturally, she had to grab some popcorn and enjoy the scene.
"Somebody, help! Get him off me!"
Dr. Fuji, having spotted Maki and Proton, patted Blaine's hand, signaling him to let go of his beard.
"Hmph!"
Though reluctant, Blaine had to give some respect to Giovanni's son. With a disgruntled huff, he finally released his grip.
"You two seem to be having quite the lively discussion."
Maki's lips twitched slightly as he spoke.
"Ahem! Just a normal academic debate."
"Precisely."
Dr. Fuji coughed twice as he explained, while Blaine nodded in agreement.
"So, young master Maki, what brings you here?"
Blaine asked.
Those familiar with him knew he was a highly arrogant man. However, he had deep respect for Maki—not merely because he was Giovanni's son.
Years ago, Blaine's strongest Pokémon had been a Magmar. However, with age, its power had waned. In fact, most of Blaine's Pokémon suffered the same fate.
Two years ago, based on Maki's suggestions, Blaine had designed the Magmarizer, which allowed his Magmar to evolve into Magmortar.
While evolution couldn't restore lost years, it had given Blaine a second wind in battle.
More importantly, it allowed his partner Pokémon to stay by his side for longer—a gift more precious than anything to a true Trainer.
"I want to know more about that Pokémon."
As soon as Maki spoke, the relaxed atmosphere evaporated. Everyone's expressions turned serious.
"Then, young master, follow me. You might just be in for a surprise."
Dr. Fuji's face lit up with confidence. After all, what they had created was a being infused with their collective life's work.
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