Pokémon: Virus Evolution

The idea of being a "behind-the-scenes mastermind" wasn't something Lucius had come up with on his own.

If "Mental Corruption" was merely a skill that allowed him to seize control of a Pokémon or a human's body, then it would be quite underwhelming.

Lucius understood that the desire for a physical body was just a lingering obsession from his past human life. In reality, a body of mere flesh and blood was insignificant to him.

As he continued to evolve, his adaptability would only improve. Wasn't it far better to exist as an unseen, untouchable virus rather than being bound to a slow and cumbersome physical form?

His initial experiments on Shinx had left him with one major concern—he feared that this ability would only work on those with weakened consciousness, rendering it ineffective against fully aware individuals.

If that were the case, the skill's potential would be drastically limited.

However, reality proved that this ability was far stronger than he had initially imagined…

Unlike Pokémon and animals, humans are highly intelligent beings capable of continuous learning, analysis, and self-reflection. Their strong cognitive abilities mean that everyone, to some extent, questions their own thoughts and actions.

Mental Corruption did not erase a host's consciousness. It couldn't kill its target's mind. If Lucius directly controlled someone, they would eventually regain clarity and start questioning their own behavior, leading them to resist and counteract the control.

A conflict between two consciousnesses was far from ideal.

But this ability allowed him to implant thoughts, whispering like a devil at one's ear, subtly influencing their mind, and manipulating them without a trace.

Imagine an enraged person, with a voice constantly whispering in their mind: You're furious. This is all his fault. Kill him. If you don't, he'll keep hurting you. Only by killing him can you calm your anger and be safe.

Wouldn't the chances of that person committing murder increase drastically?

And if someone like Cyrus from Team Galactic had this ability, he could whisper into the ears of people every day: The world is beyond saving. We must create a new one. Only I, Cyrus, and Team Galactic can be the true saviors of humanity and Pokémon.

Under prolonged indoctrination, wouldn't Team Galactic's ideology slowly gain widespread acceptance?

Thinking about this, Lucius felt both delighted and somewhat helpless.

He was pleased with the power of his ability but wary of the system's intent in unlocking it for him.

If his guess was correct, then his next mission…

Lucius's "gaze" flickered. As a virus that had mastered the core values of society, he would have liked nothing more than to be a heroic virus that protected the world and upheld justice.

But reality was cruel, and he was ultimately being forced down the path of the "King in the Shadows."

Glancing at his task progress—9 out of 50 completed—Lucius sighed.

If he wiped out all the captured members of the Syndicate here, he could easily complete over half of the task…

Of course, a virus wasn't poison. Killing one person at a time like a slow-acting toxin was far too inefficient.

Once they were all infected, he would send these scumbags on their way together.

Judging by the way they treated Pokémon, these smugglers were ruthless criminals who saw life as nothing more than a commodity. Lucius had no moral dilemma about eliminating them.

...

"Hmph, why is it that we both came here together, but it wants to follow you?" Lyra pouted, feigning displeasure as she eyed Gold and the Treecko.

"Oh, come on, Lyra. You're the strongest rookie trainer in New Bark Town! Naturally, you'd win over Pokémon with your skills. Not like me, who just relies on my charm."

"You—you're asking for a beating!" Lyra was initially pleased at his compliment, but the latter half of his sentence immediately riled her up. "Are you saying I have no charm?"

"Haha, I wouldn't dare!"

After a bit of playful bickering, Lyra was once again amused by Gold's smooth-talking.

As his best friend, she was genuinely happy for him whenever he bonded with a new Pokémon.

At that moment, she felt a tingling sensation on her leg, as if something was rubbing against it.

"Eh? A Shinx?" Gold turned around to see the adorable Pokémon that had just fought alongside them.

Lyra crouched down and stroked the blue-furred head of the little Shinx. Then, she pulled out an Oran Berry from her pocket. "Here."

Shinx happily devoured the berry and continued rubbing against her leg.

"It really seems to like you," Gold observed.

He had been deeply impressed by this Shinx. Despite its smaller-than-average size, it possessed extraordinary physical resilience.

Lyra nodded, her eyes shining with excitement as she looked at Shinx. "Do you want to come with me?"

"Shii~" Shinx nodded enthusiastically.

"Yay! From now on, we're partners!" Lyra cheered, almost jumping with excitement at having caught a Pokémon from Sinnoh.

"See? Still think I was wrong about your charm?" Lyra smirked as she hugged Shinx, shooting Gold a triumphant look.

...

Boom!

A deafening explosion rang through the sky.

As the smoke cleared, only a Gengar and a Dragonite—carrying Oliver Doyle—remained floating midair.

"Teleport, huh…"

"They escaped?" Peyton, the police inspector, asked as he watched Oliver descend from the sky.

Oliver nodded, his gaze deep and contemplative. "I didn't expect her to have a leader-level Psychic-type Pokémon."

"This situation really escalated today," Peyton muttered, surveying the now-destroyed factory and the captured Syndicate members. As a high-ranking officer of the Cerulean City Police Department, this was undoubtedly a major achievement for him.

Although the primary objective hadn't been achieved…

However, given his position, he still had many methods at his disposal…

Following standard procedures, Peyton issued the transport orders for the captives and formally thanked Gold and Lyra for their assistance in this operation.

...

"So this is the power of an Elite Four-level trainer…"

As rookie trainers, Gold and Lyra had been utterly awed by the battle between Oliver and Dolores.

The standard for reaching Elite Four status was to possess at least one Pokémon at the Champion tier and five or more at the Commander level.

It was a goal that 99.9% of trainers could never achieve in their lifetime.

Most rookie trainers would travel and train while challenging the Pokémon League. But what did it matter if they won the League? A champion was crowned in every region each year, yet how many of them ever became Gym Leaders or Elite Four members?

Most eventually faded into obscurity, settling into regular jobs, reminiscing about their passionate youth.

Becoming an Elite Four member was just too difficult…

Why was the Pokémon League the most powerful organization in the world? Because it had at least dozens of Elite Four-level trainers and nearly ten Champion-tier powerhouses leading them.

If they joined forces, they held the power to obliterate an entire region.

This was the true foundation of the Pokémon League's authority.

Regardless of what Gold was thinking, the Lucius inside him remained calm, making no unnecessary movements.

Because that terrifyingly powerful Gengar was standing right in front of him.

That brief moment of mental contact had already told Lucius one thing—Pokémon of this caliber were beyond his current ability to infect and control.

No wonder the system had specifically mentioned an increased infection rate for Pokémon below the Leader level when he analyzed Mightyena's "Intimidate" ability.

The gap between Leader-level and Elite-level was simply too vast…

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