"I will arrange a criminal charge to have you sent to the Indigo Prison," Giovanni stated, outlining the reward for success. "Prepare yourself; no Pokémon are allowed inside. If you successfully rescue Augustus, you will be promoted to an Executive of Team Rocket upon your return."
Knowing the mission was fraught with peril, Giovanni hoped the promotion would provide ample motivation. "Lt. Surge is familiar with the facility. He'll brief you on the specifics. Surge, take over. I have other matters to attend to."
Giovanni left in a hurry. "Feng Che, once you're finished with Surge, my people will transport you immediately. Pack your valuables; you're going in clean."
"Should I call you Feng Che, or 'The Pharmacist'?" Surge asked with a knowing smirk once they were alone. Sabrina had already clued him in. The elusive specialist he had been searching for was right under his nose.
"Please, Lord Surge, don't tease me," Feng Che replied with a sheepish grin.
"Any luck with that sleepy Rowlet?" Surge asked, recalling the bird.
"Not yet. I'm planning a trip to Sinnoh to find Shaymin after this. They say it might have a cure," Feng Che sighed.
"Fair enough. If we can't fix it, I'll find another way to compensate you. Now, listen closely to what I know about the 'Hive'."
Surge's expression turned grave. "Augustus was already an Elite-tier trainer before he was taken. This implies the prison is guarded by at least one 'Shadow Elite' of the League—someone who doesn't exist on official records. The facility is located a thousand meters beneath the Indigo Plateau. The environment is brutal."
"The area is rich in Dark-Iron deposits and is guarded by swarms of Magnemite and Magneton. If a prisoner even twitches toward the exit, the Magnemite emit high-frequency sonic alarms and deliver lethal electric shocks. There's a twenty-meter wide moat filled with vicious Basculin and their evolved form, Basculegion. They say the Basculegion here evolved by devouring the souls of prisoners who died in the water."
"Special ability users aren't spared either. They use specialized chains to suppress psychic or elemental powers. The interior is a labyrinth known as the 'Hive.' Our scouts have heard a constant buzzing from the perimeter—it's highly likely they maintain a swarm of Beedrill as biological security."
Mewtwo, can you hide your presence from their sensors? Feng Che sent a telepathic message.
[Mewtwo: Easily. I can turn invisible to human eyes and electronic sensors alike.]
Good. I'll leave my Poké Balls with you. Once I'm inside the cell, you can return them to me.
"Any valuables you want in the Rocket vault?" Surge asked.
"Just myself," Feng Che joked.
"Very well. It's time. You must trigger a mass breakout within fifteen days. The success of our total offensive depends on the chaos you cause inside."
Feng Che nodded calmly. A riot in the Indigo Prison would be the ultimate distraction for the Kanto League.
A Rocket specialist spent the next half hour disguising Feng Che. When they were done, a youth with a jagged cross-shaped scar on his cheek stared back from the mirror.
"Your name is Daro. Remember it."
Feng Che donned the prisoner's rags and was handcuffed. He was first processed through a holding cell in Viridian City before being loaded onto a heavy transport truck bound for the plateau.
[Mewtwo: I have masked myself with psychic energy. I will ensure your safety.]
"Don't talk, you dregs of society!" a League investigator barked at the prisoners in the truck. "You've committed unforgivable acts. Consider it a mercy that the League is letting you live to work the mines. Do your time, reform, and serve the state."
The Indigo Prison: Entrance
The air was thick with the scent of ozone and Dark-Iron.
"Look at all that ore," Feng Che thought, eyeing the deposits. "Combined with the ultra-pure and meteoritic iron I have, my Corviknight's defense could reach a whole new level."
"Line up for inspection! Any resistance will be met with lethal force!" a guard shouted, brandishing a laser rifle.
[Mewtwo: I've placed a psychic seal on your own powers. Their scanners will only see a normal human.]
Thanks, Mewtwo.
Feng Che passed through the infrared scanners. Once cleared, a guard clamped heavy, matte-black shackles onto his wrists and ankles.
[Mewtwo: These shackles are strange... they're siphoning my residual psychic energy. My telekinesis is being absorbed.]
Drained-Iron, Feng Che thought. It was a hyper-rare metal that siphoned energy—the holy grail for Steel-type growth. If Corviknight can absorb this, its last weakness will vanish. They're using this for common shackles? There must be a massive vein of it down here.
He looked at the mountain of spare shackles behind the guard. They were likely an alloy, but the presence of Drained-Iron was unmistakable.
The prisoners were herded into a courtyard where the Warden awaited. He was a short, rotund man with a goatee and a calculating, greedy gaze. Several storage rings glittered on his fingers.
"Greetings, dregs. I am Warden Dorus, though you may call me the Beedrill King or 'Lord Dorus.' You are now in the 'Hive Hell.' Do not dream of escape. Countless souls have tried; they now feed the Basculegion in the moat. Work hard, and I might show you mercy. Cause trouble, and you'll become fish food."
A Vespiquen buzzed imperiously beside him as he strolled away.
Feng Che was shoved into Cell 811—a tiny, two-square-meter concrete box. The doors were magnetically sealed by a patrolling Magnemite. The room contained a cold iron cot, a toilet, and a sink. That was it.
The underground temperature was freezing, nearly ten degrees colder than the surface. The thin, foul-smelling blanket on the bed offered no comfort.
Mewtwo, scan for cameras.
[Mewtwo: Clean. They don't waste power on monitoring the individual cells.]
Good. Let's get these off.
[Mewtwo: I brought a few of the laboratory's Ditto with me. They should be useful.]
Mewtwo released a small pink Ditto. The creature rippled, sliding its jelly-like form into the keyholes of the shackles. With a soft click, the "Drained-Iron" restraints fell to the floor.
Feng Che rubbed his bruised wrists and began to plan.