"So that's how it is..."
Lucius stroked his chin, realizing that if Anabel hadn't saved him, he would have kept using Teleport to escape all the way to Johto, only to eventually be killed by Ho-Oh.
The Emperor Strain was the supreme controller of all viruses. Once it perished, the infected organisms would completely lose control, leading to rampant mutations.
To think that Ho-Oh, in its relentless pursuit to kill him, had burned everything in its path from the ocean to Johto, disregarding the countless innocent lives—both human and Pokémon—that perished in the process.
At this close range, Lucius could barely sense Anabel's inner thoughts.
Years ago, the battle between Kyogre and Groudon nearly led to civilization's collapse.
Lugia, in an effort to neutralize the viral crisis, had prepared to destroy another world.
Now, Ho-Oh was causing mass destruction and casualties in its attempt to exterminate the virus.
It was evident that Mythical Pokémon saw neither humans nor ordinary Pokémon as anything more than insects, disposable and expendable at their whim.
Had Anabel not contained the virus within a subspace, Ho-Oh's flames would have soon reached the Sevii Islands.
Because of this, Anabel's trust in Mythical Pokémon plummeted.
"Since you saved me, I assume you already have a plan for what comes next?" Lucius asked.
"You said you'd erase Team Rocket from Kanto within three days—I saw it with my own eyes," Anabel replied. "Didn't you claim you would eradicate all criminal organizations to bring world peace? We can work together. Between being wiped out by monsters and seeing a peaceful future, I'd rather fight for the latter."
Lucius chuckled. "Excellent. The Hive welcomes your cooperation."
Then his smile faded. "But how do I know you're sincere and not just a pawn for the Mythical Pokémon to deceive me?"
"You already know I'm sincere," Anabel frowned. "But what do you want me to do to prove it?"
Volkner was the Emperor Strain—there was no way he couldn't perceive her true intentions. He was merely demanding a pledge of loyalty.
"Simple. Convince Noland and Brandon to join the Hive," Lucius said indifferently.
Anabel fell silent.
His intention was clear—he wanted her to infect Noland and Brandon, undoubtedly for their Legendary Pokémon, Articuno and the Regis.
Given her position, she had a good chance of succeeding, but...
Lucius didn't press her. Anabel was the only infected individual immune to his direct control. However, that didn't mean he couldn't influence her. If he grasped her desires, he could still manipulate her actions.
After a long pause, Anabel finally nodded. "I'm not doing this to be your servant. I just want to see if you can truly achieve what you claim."
"Of course. To achieve world peace, power is essential. The stronger the Hive becomes, the closer we get to our goal," Lucius smiled.
Assigning such a high-stakes mission as Anabel's first task had been a gamble. He hadn't been certain she would accept it.
But her willpower as a Champion-level Trainer was stronger and more decisive than he had expected.
And once someone accepted an order the first time, it became easier to command them in the future.
Lucius had Gardevoir use Heal Pulse on Anabel before they parted ways.
Tomorrow was the seventh day of Anabel's agreement with Lugia—she had to bring this to a conclusion.
Exhausted from being hunted by Ho-Oh, Lucius issued orders to Ophelia, Dolores, and Proton before finally falling asleep.
When he woke up, it was late at night. A flood of system notifications had appeared.
Two of them stood out:
[Regirock's 'Sturdy' ability analyzed. Virus evolution increased by 2%. New ability unlocked: 'Close Call'.]
[Close Call: The Emperor Strain retains 1 HP from a fatal blow and temporarily regresses to an ordinary virus.]
[Regice's 'Clear Body' ability analyzed. Virus evolution increased by 2%. New ability unlocked: 'Purity'.]
[Purity: The virus and infected hosts are immune to any external ability reductions.]
It seemed Anabel had succeeded…
After evolving into the Veronica Virus, infecting a single Pokémon or human no longer yielded even 1% progression. Additionally, most abilities extracted from Pokémon provided little practical benefit.
At this stage, the virus's adaptability had outgrown any immunity benefits from external abilities.
Furthermore, once an infected Pokémon reached the Leader or King level, they hardly needed the virus's active abilities.
No matter how lethal Toxic Flame was, it couldn't compare to a Leader-level Pokémon's Fire Blast.
Thus, the truly valuable viral enhancements were still those with utility—Mental Corruption, Hypnosis, and Paralysis.
Since evolving into the Veronica Virus, Lucius had noticed that the more advanced the virus became, the more perfected its genetic structure grew. The higher the genetic integrity, the less effective each new infection became.
Thus, he had no choice but to focus on Legendary Pokémon—infecting even one Raikou was far more beneficial than hundreds of ordinary Pokémon.
Before facing the Mythical Pokémon, recruiting and upgrading more Legendary Pokémon was the best strategy.
Lucius shifted his consciousness toward Brandon. The man was still awake, meditating inside a secluded cave.
Lucius could sense him exploring the virus within his body.
To his surprise, Brandon felt no pain or conflict about his infection. Instead, he was curious—excited, even.
From Volkner's memories, Lucius recalled how staunchly anti-virus figures like Professor Rowan, Cynthia, and Brandon had been. They had insisted the League conduct a worldwide purge, eliminating all infected before their numbers could grow.
Yet now, upon experiencing the virus firsthand and feeling his own physical enhancements, Brandon's perspective had flipped completely.
Humans are so fickle, Lucius thought, amused.
Before Brandon sat a Celebi—none other than Anabel herself.
She was using telepathy to teach him how to utilize virus-related abilities.
It was unnecessary—Lucius could have simply used pheromones to transmit the knowledge instantly—but he chose not to interrupt her.
Instead, he delved into Brandon's memories.
After returning to the Indigo Plateau, Anabel had approached Brandon under the pretext of discussing Legendary Pokémon.
She had then infected him and ensured he successfully infected the three Regis—Regirock, Regice, and Registeel.
Being Rock, Ice, and Steel types, the Regis' inorganic nature would have made infection difficult. However, the Veronica Virus had evolved to the point where even non-organic beings could now be assimilated.
From Brandon's memories, Lucius learned that Noland had already returned to Hoenn after his battle with Anabel, so she had yet to infect him.
Lucius continued browsing—Champion-level Trainers' memories contained many hidden secrets.
Before long, he came across the events of the Indigo Plateau meeting three days ago...
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