Pokémon: Virus Evolution

A One-on-One Battle?

"Treecko?" The small green Pokémon called out hesitantly. However, upon glancing at its exhausted companions—who were barely holding on due to hunger, abuse, and the recent battle—its hesitation quickly turned into determination.

Seeing Treecko take a step forward and nod, Nanwu's lips curled into an almost imperceptible smirk.

Hook, line, and sinker.

Hahaha, it fell for it. But so did you.

Lucius, who had completely infected Nanwu, could clearly perceive his thoughts through the recollection of his past memories.

Nanwu was a squad captain from the Hoenn region, and he had never held much respect for the sadistic brute, Mike, who had come from Unova and acted like he owned the place.

Just a useless fool who relied on his brother's protection to run rampant. Dead men tell no tales.

However, a mass escape of the Pokémon cargo would be a major responsibility on his shoulders as one of the division captains. He couldn't let that happen under any circumstances.

These Pokémon were in bad shape, but together, they still posed a considerable threat. Subduing all of them would likely come at a cost.

At the same time, these Pokémon were part of an order placed by the Houston Corporation. Killing them outright would result in financial losses.

The Houston Corporation didn't buy corpses.

The best approach was to divide and conquer, especially by taking down their leader—Treecko. Crushing its spirit would deal a massive blow to the others' morale.

Then capturing them would be much easier.

What a devious man.

Lucius sighed as he watched Treecko engage in battle with Mightyena.

Pokémon were still Pokémon. No matter how intelligent they were, they could never match human cunning.

This Treecko was smart, but too naive. Whether it won or lost, the Syndicate wouldn't let them go.

Fortunately, Treecko had received a boost from his virus. Facing a Mightyena much stronger than itself, not only had it avoided a swift defeat, but it was also utilizing its superior speed to constantly evade attacks.

Despite Mightyena's larger size and strength, Treecko's agile movements allowed it to kite its opponent using Leaf Blade, frustrating Mightyena to the point where veins bulged on its forehead in sheer rage.

"Mightyena, use Roar!" Nanwu commanded.

"Ooooouuuuuu!" Mightyena let out a deafening howl, sending an almost visible shockwave through the air.

Treecko's mind went numb, its impending Leaf Blade faltering.

"Use Crunch!"

Mightyena bared its sharp fangs, now coated with a dark energy, and charged at Treecko.

The gap was still too large. If this attack landed, Treecko wouldn't be able to get back up.

Just as victory seemed imminent, Nanwu suddenly convulsed in excruciating pain, his breathing obstructed.

"Ugh!" He let out a muffled groan before collapsing to the ground, his face turning a dark purple.

"Captain?!"

"Captain, what's wrong?!"

Two uniformed members closest to him rushed over, even Mightyena—who had been lunging at Treecko—halted in confusion and dashed back toward its fallen trainer.

Perfect timing.

Lucius' consciousness detached from Nanwu and shot straight toward Mightyena.

This was the moment he had been waiting for.

Earlier, when he attempted to infect Poochyena, he had nearly been discovered. Mightyena, being Poochyena's evolved form, was even stronger. If he didn't create a moment of distraction, he wouldn't have dared to make his move.

As expected, Mightyena was entirely focused on its downed trainer and failed to notice Lucius' infiltration.

As expected of a Syndicate captain's Pokémon. Lucius could feel an ominous energy within Mightyena that made even his virus feel discomforted during the infection process.

Luckily, he had previously analyzed Poochyena's Run Away ability, which increased infection speed against Dark-, Ghost-, and Bug-type Pokémon by 10%. Thus, the infection wasn't slowed down.

At that moment, Lucius received a system notification:

[Host body Nanwu has died. Total vitality increased by 10 points.]

From the moment he had unleashed Venomous Plague to Nanwu's death, not even ten seconds had passed.

Additionally, this confirmed that even after leaving a host, the effect of his active skill would not cease.

"The captain… is dead?" one Syndicate member muttered in disbelief.

"What?!"

The members who had been in a standoff with the escaped Pokémon stood frozen in shock.

Just seconds ago, he had been issuing commands, and now he was dead?

The base had only two captains. Now they were both gone.

Was this place… haunted? A shiver ran down their spines.

"Sableye, use Foresight!" one Syndicate member ordered his Pokémon.

A Sableye with a ghostly, doll-like appearance and gleaming gem-like eyes scanned the area with a radiant glow, but it found nothing.

"It's not a Ghost-type Pokémon… What the hell is happening?" the Syndicate member murmured.

"It's poison! Everyone, get your gas masks and antidotes ready!" another sharp-eyed member shouted after checking Nanwu's corpse.

"Quick, put on your masks!"

Compared to capturing escaped Pokémon, the uniformed members clearly valued their own lives more.

Pokémon could always be recaptured. But if they died, it was over.

Within minutes, almost everyone was scrambling for their gas masks, leaving no one to stop the escaping Pokémon.

"Treecko!" Treecko scratched its head in confusion, momentarily stunned by the chaos.

But it didn't waste the opportunity. Without hesitation, it signaled the other Pokémon to run toward the exit.

Just as they reached the door, a blur of movement blocked their path.

"Roooooar!" It was Nanwu's Mightyena.

Mightyena ignored the other Pokémon, its gaze fixed solely on Treecko.

Tears glistened in its eyes.

A one-on-one duel?

Even though Nanwu was dead, Mightyena was determined to carry out his last order.

They wouldn't be able to leave unless they defeated it.

"Treecko!" Treecko raised its arm.

A barrage of fire, leaves, water, and ice rained down upon Mightyena.

All the Pokémon attacked at once.

Ralts' Confusion wouldn't deal much damage due to Mightyena's Dark typing, but it was enough to disrupt its movement.

Mudkip's Water Gun, Grovyle's Leaf Blade, Plusle's Charge Beam, and Cacnea's Poison Sting—all aimed at Mightyena in unison.

In this situation, a one-on-one battle might sound thrilling, but this was no time for chivalry.

To escape, they had to seize every opportunity.

Venomous Plague.

Lucius activated Venomous Plague at the perfect moment.

Although his infection rate on Mightyena was only at 50%, the sudden surge of burning pain filled Mightyena's body, turning its eyes bloodshot.

The poison-induced spasms made it miss its chance to dodge, and the combined attacks struck it directly.

"Awoooooo!"

Even the strongest warrior couldn't withstand a relentless barrage.

Mightyena was tougher than any Pokémon present, but even it succumbed to the onslaught, collapsing in defeat.

As Mightyena fell, Lucius' infection speed accelerated, and soon a system notification popped up:

[Congratulations, host! 100% infection achieved. Evolution state updated.]

[Mightyena's Intimidate ability analyzed. Virus evolution increased by 10%. Infection speed boosted by 30% against non-leader Pokémon.]

[Progenitor Virus evolution at 100%. Upgrading to Level 3.]

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