Pokémon: Virus Evolution

Heat.

A scorching wave of heat rushed from behind.

Damn, is something on fire?

A sharp sense of crisis jolted Lucius awake.

Instinctively, he dodged, barely escaping the burning wave.

Holy— that was close! Almost got my butt roasted…

Lucius barely had time to catch his breath.

Wait a sec…

Something's off. How did I move just now?

He suddenly realized that his dodge wasn't a roll or a leap—it was more like… floating.

Am I dead? Have I become a ghost…?

Looking around, he found himself surrounded by a dazzling, multicolored space filled with massive, bizarre tentacled creatures. It was like a fusion of Lovecraftian horror and a fever dream—both surreal and terrifying, an overwhelming sensory overload.

What the hell is this place?!

Just then, a voice echoed in his mind:

[Host consciousness detected. Binding to Virus Evolution System initiated. 1%, 2%, 3%...]

Virus Evolution System? What kind of nonsense is this?

Wait a minute—A SYSTEM?!

Lucius's heart surged with excitement.

I've read enough web novels to know where this is going! A system is the ultimate cheat code for main characters, a fast track to the peak of life! Looks like I've hit the jackpot—I'm the protagonist, baby!

But… what exactly does this system do? Spread viruses?

As Lucius pondered, the progress bar in his consciousness rapidly filled.

[…98%, 99%, 100%. Binding complete.]

[Congratulations. Virus Evolution System successfully bound. Initial status update:

Host: Lucius

Virus Type: Progenitor Virus

Level: Lv1

Hosts Infected: 0/1

Vitality: 50/100

Adaptability: Level 1 (Can only survive briefly without a host)

Evolution Progress: 1%

Abilities: Locked

Mission: Successfully infect a biological host

Warning: Find a host immediately to complete the infection and unlock ability data.]

As the system's voice faded, Lucius's vision sharpened as if enhanced by a high-powered telescope.

The kaleidoscopic world around him became crystal clear.

Still floating in midair, Lucius glanced at himself—and immediately gasped.

Crap… I've turned into a tentacle monster?!

He was now a mass of floating, spherical organisms.

Yes, a mass—

Each individual unit was a round, purple, cell-like body, writhing with dozens of snail-like soft tentacles, enough to make anyone's skin crawl.

Microscopically small, numbering in the billions, his collective body swarmed through the air in a massive cluster.

Lucius tried moving, and the entire viral swarm shifted in sync with his consciousness.

So… I'm the collective mind of this virus?

Lucius quickly grasped his situation—he was like the queen of an ant colony, controlling countless viral entities under one shared consciousness.

Progenitor Virus…? That name sounds familiar…

Before he could ponder further, he noticed his vitality rapidly decreasing.

[Vitality: 49, 48, 47…]

The drop in vitality meant that his viral entities were dying, reducing his overall swarm size.

Damn, that's fast! I need to find a host immediately.

Scanning his surroundings, Lucius quickly spotted several massive cell-like life forms nearby.

Wait a second…

One glance nearly made him lose his nonexistent eyeballs.

Below him, an orange lizard was locked in combat with a boulder-like creature with two arms, both leaping and clashing in a supernatural duel.

What caught his eye most was the small flame burning at the tip of the orange lizard's tail.

A group of humans stood around the battling creatures. Two of them faced each other in the center, radiating an exaggerated sense of determination as they shouted commands.

WTF…?

If I'm not mistaken, that orange lizard is none other than Charmander, and the rock-armed creature is a Geodude…

Holy crap… am I in the Pokémon world?!

A quick glance at his dwindling vitality—down to 42—made Lucius grit his teeth.

Forget which world this is! I need a host first!

Guiding his viral swarm downward, he approached the teenage boy passionately shouting battle commands.

Heh, kid, you should feel honored—Virus Lord Lucius has chosen your body as my new home. (.-`ω-)

"Charmander, use Ember!"

The boy remained oblivious to the invisible threat creeping up behind him, too focused on the battle.

Infiltrate.

Lucius commanded his viral swarm. A dense cloud of microscopic viruses surged into the boy's open mouth and nostrils mid-shout.

The teenager remained completely unaware of the invasion, still yelling in excitement: "Charmander, use Dragon Breath!"

A long, narrow passageway… then an open battlefield.

I'm in! Lucius rejoiced.

Immediately, he directed his viral army to spread throughout the boy's body—invading organs, lymphatic vessels, and bloodstream.

Nothing stood in his way. The boy's immune defenses were completely useless against him.

Other parasites and microorganisms lurking inside? Instantly infected and assimilated.

Heh, humans are so fragile.

Within moments, the virus infiltrated every cell in the boy's body, breaking through cell walls before reconstructing them with enhanced properties.

Strangely, while the Progenitor Virus was incredibly invasive, it didn't simply destroy DNA chains like radiation. Instead, it restructured and modified them, triggering controlled mutations.

Lucius could feel it—after absorbing the boy's genetic data, his viral swarm had grown stronger and more robust.

[Host infection successful. Evolution in progress…]

Host: Lucius

Virus Type: Progenitor Virus

Level: Lv1

Hosts Infected: 1/1 (Human)

Vitality: 40/241, 41/242, 42/243… (Base vitality: 100, Host bonus: 200)

Adaptability: Level 1 (Can only survive briefly without a host, can survive indefinitely inside host)

Evolution Progress: 9%

Abilities Unlocked: Increases host's brain activity by 9% (Exceeding host's biological limit may result in collapse or unknown mutations)

Mission: Successfully infect one lifeform

Lucius carefully analyzed the updated system data, quickly grasping the evolution mechanics.

So that's how it works. My evolution progress increased to 9% because I absorbed the host's genetic data—like gaining experience points.

Now that I've infected this teenager, my vitality isn't decreasing anymore. In fact, it's recovering. And with the host's vitality boost, my total vitality is now at 300.

Does this mean… the stronger my host, the more powerful I become?

Looking further down, he noticed his ability tab had changed.

Increases host's brain activity by 9%?

That sounds like a passive buff… am I actually a beneficial virus?

But the note says exceeding limits could lead to collapse or mutations…

Makes sense. I'm a virus, not a probiotic. At least I'm not turning people into zombies… yet.

All in all, it seems like my presence benefits the host more than it harms them… for now.

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