Pokémon: Virus Evolution

Hmph, so that Froslass really does belong to her.

Lucius let out a cold scoff in his mind. Once I restore my virus swarm, I'll make sure to deal with you properly.

Though Dolores was protected by a strange energy barrier, Lucius, who had already gained the ability to "pierce through," wasn't entirely without options.

Froslass, upon hearing Dolores' voice, didn't even pause. It merely glanced at her before continuing its fierce battle against Gengar.

Both Pokémon were overwhelmingly powerful, each move carrying devastating force that threatened to obliterate everything around them.

Though Gengar seemed to have the upper hand, it was holding back, mindful of the people and Pokémon nearby. In contrast, Froslass fought like a phantom, unleashing large-scale, indiscriminate attacks without restraint, forcing Gengar to divert energy to protect those in the vicinity.

"It's not listening to its trainer..."

Lucius' "eyes" lit up with sudden realization.

This situation had appeared before in the original anime—when Ash's Charmander evolved, it refused to obey him.

The official explanation was that the trainer's level wasn't high enough. In other words, the Pokémon's strength had far surpassed what the trainer could control.

Seeing Froslass still attacking recklessly, Dolores' already icy expression became even colder.

Suddenly, the shadow beneath her feet twisted and contorted, revealing a pair of blood-red eyes.

It was alive...

Dolores' lips curled into an exaggerated grin as her body stiffened, seemingly bound in place.

Shadow Tag.

At some point, Gengar had used Substitute, allowing its copy to take control of Dolores' shadow.

"You really did come to Kanto."

A voice came from above the rift.

Standing there was a man in a trench coat, his face calm but carrying a subtle smile.

"Oliver Doyle..."

Dolores gritted her teeth as she uttered his name.

Oliver Doyle...

Lucius felt that name was familiar—where had he heard it before?

But now wasn't the time to dwell on it.

Gold and Lyra, along with the others, were already retreating under the police's protection. The power of the battling Pokémon was simply too overwhelming.

For Lucius, this was the perfect opportunity.

As Gold's infection deepened, the viral energy Lucius had lost was rapidly regenerating.

Most of the Syndicate members had already been arrested—just the perfect targets to spread more of his virus, wasn't it?

Hiding inside Gold's body, Lucius carefully divided his virus, infecting each captured Syndicate member one by one.

As he did, he could sense their frustration.

They had been prepared to abandon this base, but to be captured on their way out…

Lucius could feel their glares of resentment—not at him, but at Gold.

Heh… to be fair, Gold and Lyra were the reason they failed to escape.

Just as Lucius was infecting his third target, the long-abandoned factory—already weakened by the battle's shockwaves—couldn't hold up any longer and collapsed with a deafening crash.

Two figures shot out from the crumbling ruins, hovering midair as they continued their intense standoff.

"I didn't expect Marshal to leave you with two Pokémon at the Leader Level."

Oliver, riding on the back of his Dragonite, observed Dolores with a complex expression.

"Shut up, Oliver!"

Dolores, sitting atop a blue Pokémon wreathed in soft, white clouds, glared at him without backing down.

The Altaria radiated a terrifying aura, its strength nearly on par with Dragonite.

Oliver Doyle... Oliver?! *

Lucius' mind suddenly sparked with realization.

That's right! He was a character from the original games!

Though he never appeared in the anime, he had shown up in multiple game versions.

In Pokémon Black and White, he could be found at the Battle Tower in Castelia City, wielding a team of Pokémon averaging Level 75—stronger than the first Champion battle.

Later, he appeared again in Pokémon Sun and Moon and Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu!/Let's Go, Eevee!

And in the last game released before Lucius' reincarnation, Pokémon Sword and Shield, Oliver could be challenged on the second floor of the Ionia Hotel in Wyndon—right after defeating Champion Leon.

Hah! So even powerful NPCs from the games can have real depth in this world.

Meanwhile, something strange was happening inside Gold's body.

Despite his severe frostbite from earlier, he was now moving as if completely unharmed—his injuries rapidly fading.

"Eh? You're back?"

Gold looked at the Treecko standing next to Lyra and recognized it as the one from the riverbank.

"Treee..."

Treecko blinked and called out.

After hearing Lyra's explanation, Gold understood that Treecko wanted to help rescue the captured Pokémon.

"I see..."

Gold was silent for a moment before suddenly asking, "Do you want to be my partner?"

For a brief second, Gold froze, as if confused by his own words.

Treecko's expression turned slightly strange.

But whether it was moved by Gold's sincerity or his willingness to risk himself to save Pokémon, Treecko didn't hesitate for long before nodding in agreement.

After all, it hadn't completely lost faith in humans yet.

"Haha!"

Gold laughed heartily, picking up Treecko and spinning it in the air.

After all, he was a Trainer—he couldn't resist the thrill of capturing a Pokémon with great potential.

And this Treecko definitely had it.

But as Gold celebrated, Lucius burst into laughter inside his mind.

Hahahaha! Just as I thought—this is the power of Mental Corruption...

Now that he had fully infected Gold, Lucius had activated the ability.

Just like with the Shinx before, a hidden mental link had formed between them.

A moment ago, Gold hadn't even considered capturing Treecko.

But Lucius planted the idea in his mind—subtly, as if it were Gold's own thought.

Even Gold himself was briefly puzzled—Why did I suddenly say that?

But when Treecko responded positively, his joy quickly drowned out any doubts.

From this experiment, Lucius had grasped how to effectively use Mental Corruption.

With Pokémon like Shinx, whose consciousness was weakened by the virus, Lucius could take direct control—like a second personality taking over.

But with someone like Gold, who was fully conscious, the virus could only implant thoughts—disguising them as the host's own.

I see...

So this is what it means to be the hidden boss behind the scenes...

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TL/N:

Oliver Doyle was originally Shigeki Morimoto, a Pokemon designer in reality and an NPC appearing in games. However, I changed it to Oliver Doyle to make it more western. Just like how Ash Ketchum was called Satoshi in japanese.

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