Pokémon: Virus Evolution

"Damn, what the hell is this?" Lucius cursed under his breath as he looked at his dwindling HP, which had now dropped to less than 200.

A sudden ice storm had swept through the area, attacking everyone indiscriminately. In an instant, he felt that half of his viral swarm—those heading toward Gold—had been annihilated.

"With my Adaptability already at Level 3, my weaknesses should have been reduced to only a few extreme cases like high temperatures. I shouldn't even be affected by the cold… so how did I get wiped out by an ice storm so quickly?"

There was no time to dwell on it—he had an even bigger problem to deal with.

The ice storm had filled every corner of this floor, affecting everyone and every Pokémon in the area.

Even those in peak condition suffered severe frostbite, while the already injured Pokémon collapsed on the spot, frozen into ice sculptures.

And because Lucius had previously infected Nuzleaf with the Venomous Plague, weakening its vitality, it was now suffering from the Ice-type attack, which naturally countered Grass-types. Its HP had plummeted to a critical low.

If Nuzleaf died, Lucius wouldn't be able to use it as a host to recover his own health.

"Should I leave?"

Lucius considered his options. If he left Nuzleaf's body now, he'd likely be exposed to another wave of ice-based attacks. Without a host, there was no way he could survive another hit.

"ROOOOAR!!"

Dragonite let out a thunderous roar, its disproportionately small wings flapping furiously as its hefty body rocketed into the sky like a cannonball.

Without hesitation, Dragonite gathered an overwhelming energy within its mouth, forming a glowing sphere that quickly burst into a dazzling golden-red beam—

A Hyper Beam, as brilliant and destructive as a cosmic ray, cut through the factory like a blade.

A moment later, a series of violent explosions erupted across the site.

Dragonite flapped its wings once more, summoning a Hurricane, sweeping up the shrapnel and rubble from the explosion and scattering them far beyond the factory grounds.

"Oliver… What… What was that?" Officer Peyton stared at Oliver Doyle, his years of cultivated composure failing to hide the shock in his eyes.

A Pokémon Trainer at Elite Four level…

Oliver Doyle… had the strength of a Pokémon League Elite Four?

"Go save the survivors," Oliver said without wasting time. He sprinted toward the factory without waiting for a response.

Peyton adjusted his police cap, which had been lifted slightly by the storm's aftershock, then hurried after Oliver.

"Hisss…"

The moment they reached the factory entrance, Peyton took a sharp breath—

And yes, this time it was a literal cold breath.

A massive three-to-four-meter-wide fissure had opened in the ground, revealing an expansive underground facility beneath the factory.

What was truly terrifying was that the entire facility was coated in ice. Even from the entrance, one could feel the bone-chilling cold radiating from below.

The ice covered not only the ground and walls but also the trapped people and Pokémon inside. The entire underground level looked like it had been drained of all color, leaving only a frozen, lifeless world.

"Move, move! Get down there and start the rescue!" Peyton immediately ordered the officers outside to rappel into the underground facility.

At the same time, the Tactical Entry Team and Lyra had finally made their way through the debris-filled tunnels and arrived at the scene.

"Gold! Gold, are you okay?!"

The moment Lyra saw Gold lying unconscious near the corridor entrance, she ran straight to him.

"So cold…"

She reached out and touched his face and arm, only to find his skin frigid to the touch.

"Gengar, use Psychic."

Still standing aboveground, Oliver tossed out a Luxury Ball, releasing a Gengar, a black, ghostly Pokémon with a terrifying yet oddly comical grin.

Gengar hovered in the air, its crimson eyes glowing blue.

"Gold, you're awake!"

Lyra gasped as she saw Gold's eyelashes tremble. Overcome with relief, she wiped away the tears welling in her eyes.

At the same time, every other unconscious person and Pokémon in the underground area stirred awake.

"What terrifying power…"

Lucius suppressed the fear rising within him.

If he had a beating heart, it would have been pounding its way out of his chest right now.

Just moments ago, as he debated whether to abandon Nuzleaf and find a new host, the ceiling exploded. Then, a raging storm of pure force swept through the underground level, carrying away all the debris from the explosion.

In its wake, a massive gap in the ceiling exposed the sky above.

What was even more horrifying was how precisely controlled the explosion and storm had been—tearing the ceiling apart flawlessly without causing any major structural collapses.

Before Lucius could react, a surge of psychic energy flooded Nuzleaf's mind, jolting it back to consciousness.

As the secondary consciousness residing in Nuzleaf's body, Lucius also felt the full force of this psychic wave.

Luckily, it wasn't hostile—it was merely an awakening pulse. Once it revived Nuzleaf, it dissipated.

"There you are. Gengar, use Will-O-Wisp."

Oliver's voice rang out.

Gengar flicked its stubby hands forward, conjuring countless purple ghostly flames, which rained down on a shadowy corner of the facility.

A transparent, diamond-shaped mirror flickered into view, absorbing the flames and creating ripples across its surface.

After the attack subsided, a small, white, humanoid Pokémon slowly emerged.

"Froslass…" 

Lucius immediately understood where that devastating Ice Storm had come from.

Froslass's attack must have been a combo technique—one that blended Ice-type energy with another elemental force. That would explain why his virus swarm had been so thoroughly obliterated.

And Gengar… Gengar had just used a massive Psychic-based ability. Not only had it awakened everyone, but it had also located the otherwise-invisible Froslass.

After all, while a body can turn invisible, a mind remains dynamic.

Lucius felt a chill—not from the ice, but from the realization that he had underestimated the Pokémon of this world.

Both this Froslass and Gengar had Leader-level strength at the very least—meaning they possessed the power to kill him.

Seeing Froslass reveal itself, Gengar wasted no time. It clasped its hands together, forming a black chain of Dark Pulse, then launched it straight at Froslass.

Froslass's form flickered, transforming into a blue gust of icy wind, dodging the attack.

Seizing the moment while Froslass was preoccupied, Lucius abandoned Nuzleaf and shot toward Gold's body.

For some reason, Froslass's attack had been completely indiscriminate—harming both Syndicate members and the trapped Pokémon alike. Most of them had already lost their ability to fight, and the remaining few were quickly being subdued by the incoming officers.

The battlefield had descended into chaos—just the way Lucius liked it.

Gold was still weak, and for Lucius…

A weakened host was an opportunity.

"Froslass, return."

A cold voice echoed from the factory's entrance.

A tall, slender figure stepped into view.

Dolores…

Even from a distance, Lucius immediately recognized her.

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