Pokémon: Virus Evolution

Oliver seemed to admire Gold and Lyra's bravery and wit, inviting them to join him for dinner that evening.

Faced with the invitation from an Elite Four-level powerhouse, the two naturally accepted with great excitement.

Fortunately, once things settled down, Oliver recalled both his Dragonite and Gengar into their Poké Balls, allowing Lucius to breathe a slight sigh of relief.

Meanwhile, the other half of his virus swarm seized the opportunity to infect more than thirteen members of the Syndicate during the cleanup process.

However, these infected individuals couldn't simply be eliminated all at once. If too many people died of poisoning simultaneously, it would raise suspicions and attract the attention of certain individuals.

Whether it led to the discovery and development of a vaccine or the creation of modified viral strains akin to Umbrella's experiments, neither outcome would be favorable for Lucius.

With his extensive experience playing Plague Inc., he understood that a virus must first spread extensively before increasing its lethality. Otherwise, intelligent minds would figure out a countermeasure too quickly.

Due to Oliver's presence, Lucius refrained from making any moves inside Gold's body. Instead, he focused on controlling the other half of his virus swarm, which was running rampant inside the police station's holding cells.

By the time night fell, more than a hundred people had already been infected.

Among the infected were not only Syndicate members and criminals detained for other offenses but also a few unlucky individuals who just happened to be at the station when Lucius decided they were fair game.

Lucius had no intention of killing indiscriminately without cause, but when it came to mere infection, he had no reservations whatsoever.

After all, every new infection meant more experience points—no such thing as too much...

During this process, one particular woman caught Lucius's attention.

Host: Ophelia

Species: Human

Type: Normal

Ability: Suppression

HP: 408 (260 base HP + 148 Progenitor Virus enhancement)

Attack: 11

Defense: 10

Special Attack: 1~2

Special Defense: 8

Speed: 11

Occupation: Secretary to the Vice President of Silph Co., Pokémon Researcher, Level 47 Pokémon Trainer, League Shadow Ops Agent

Skills: Undercover Operations, Surveillance, Counter-Surveillance, Pokémon Genetic Engineering Research, Fire-type Pokémon Training Techniques, etc.

Heh, this woman certainly had her fair share of secrets…

As Lucius lay dormant within her, he sifted through her most hidden and undisclosed memories.

From the fragmented recollections, he learned that this beautiful, composed, and sharp-witted woman with long, straight black hair hailed from Saffron City in the Kanto region. Though her parents were ordinary people, she had been a prodigy since childhood.

After receiving her first Pokémon, she chose not to embark on a traditional journey but instead pursued an academic path.

At fifteen, she leveraged her top-three ranking from Saffron City's premier Pokémon Academy to enter the Indigo League tournament, competing against trainers who had earned at least eight badges. Despite her lack of real-world battle experience, she still managed to place in the top four.

At sixteen, she published a paper titled Genetic Variations in Remoraid and Octillery Evolution, earning an exceptional admission offer from the world's top-ranked Goodshow Pokémon University*.

Upon graduating last year, she declined offers from several prestigious research institutions and instead joined the largest corporation in Kanto—Silph Co. Within just one year, she had ascended to the position of Vice President's secretary, effectively stepping into the company's management level.

Though only twenty years old, her meteoric rise was dazzling—an overpowered character, almost as if she had a protagonist's script.

Had Lucius not already accessed her memories, he might have suspected she was another reincarnated traveler with a cheat code.

However, he now knew that all of this was merely her public identity. Beneath the surface, she carried a secret so well-hidden that not even her parents knew the truth:

She was an agent of the League's Shadow Ops.

Unlike the Investigation Unit, led by Lance as the Chief Investigator, the Shadow Ops was a highly classified division of the Pokémon League. Extremely covert, only a select few high-ranking officials knew of its existence.

For years, the Shadow Ops and the Investigation Unit had worked as the League's dual enforcement arms—one in the light, the other in the shadows—thwarting countless crises. As a result, these two departments wielded some of the greatest authority within the League.

The exact number of Shadow Ops agents, their identities, and their missions were among the League's most closely guarded secrets. Fewer than five individuals within the entire organization had access to this intelligence.

According to Ophelia's memories, the Shadow Ops had taken notice of her when she was thirteen. She began undergoing covert training at fifteen and didn't start receiving official League assignments until she turned nineteen.

Her current mission: infiltrate Silph Co.

Silph Co.'s headquarters was situated in Kanto's most bustling metropolis, Saffron City. Its enterprises spanned the globe, boasting hundreds of bestselling products, including the widely-used Silph Scope and various specialty Poké Balls popular among trainers. As one of the world's leading corporate giants, even the Pokémon League dared not underestimate its influence.

As for why the League needed an undercover agent inside Silph Co., others might not know—but Lucius understood immediately.

The president of Silph Co. was none other than Giovanni, the Gym Leader of Viridian City.

Now that was a major player…

It appeared that in this world, Giovanni's role as Team Rocket's boss remained unknown to the public. Most people only saw him as the Viridian City Gym Leader and the figurehead of a massive corporate empire.

Even Ophelia was unaware of his true identity. Based on her memories, Giovanni rarely appeared in Saffron City or at Silph Co. headquarters, spending most of his time in Viridian City instead.

As a result, company affairs were primarily managed by the Vice President, which allowed Ophelia—his secretary—access to many of Silph Co.'s classified operations, as well as her ultimate mission target:

A secret Pokémon genetic engineering research laboratory located in the Orange Archipelago…

Lucius hadn't expected that his casual attempt to infect a few Pokémon smugglers would lead him to such a high-value target.

Especially considering her designation as a Level 47 Pokémon Trainer—

This meant she was significantly stronger than Tyler Jorron, a B-rank Rocket Executive.

It seemed that both Silph Co. and Houston Corporation were merely cover organizations for Team Rocket…

Or perhaps, Team Rocket was merely a darker extension of Silph Co.

In Lucius's memories of the original story, players had to infiltrate Silph Co. to obtain the Silph Scope, which allowed them to identify ghosts in Lavender Town's Pokémon Tower. Additionally, the legendary Master Ball—a device with a 100% capture rate—was also obtained there.

Tch, it looked like he was about to unearth a major secret.

Completely unaware that her deepest secrets had already been exposed to a hidden entity, Ophelia continued driving toward her hotel.

She had just finished assisting the Cerulean City Police Department with a commercial dispute involving Silph Co. and another corporation. Though it wasn't a significant case, the bureaucratic nature of it left her mentally drained.

Suddenly, her phone rang.

"Doo-doo-doo~ Doo-doo-doo~"

She answered, and a sweet yet teasing voice came through the speaker:

"Busy as ever, huh? You're in Cerulean City and didn't even tell me? Have you found someone else and decided to abandon me?"

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TL/N:

This should be an institute that the president of Pokemon League Competition Committee, Charles Goodshow, created.

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