Perhaps it was during the moment of viral rebirth that the need for energy became urgent. Lucius no longer suppressed the hunger—at that instant, the Leviathan Virus drained every ounce of energy from Volkner's body.
His mortal shell collapsed into nothingness, vanishing in the blink of an eye. What remained were two exposed meteorite cores within his body—now fully visible, and irresistible to the virus. The Leviathan began devouring them greedily.
These meteorites were the energy cores of Deoxys, each one brimming with mental energy exceeding even the thresholds of a Champion-tier Pokémon.
The Leviathan Virus consumed with the force of a whale breaching the surface, inhaling the psychic essence at a terrifying rate. The gleaming stones dulled rapidly, their luster fading visibly with each second.
This isn't good.
If this keeps up, they'll be reduced to dust.
Seeing the cores nearing depletion, Lucius forcefully halted the Leviathan's feeding frenzy.
Thankfully, having drained both meteorites, the Leviathan was no longer ravenous. These cores were more like rechargeable batteries—they could be reused, not recklessly exhausted in a single burst.
More surprisingly, when Lucius examined himself using his microscopic vision, he noticed he had grown significantly—though still imperceptible to the human eye.
He glanced at his internal status interface.
...
Host: Lucius
Virus Type: Leviathan Virus
Current Parasite Host: 0/1
Level: Lv.3
Vitality: 54,345
Adaptability: Grade 8
– Capable of symbiosis with aquatic matter
– Permanent survival in most environments
– Resistance to both extreme heat and cold
– Can endure standard non-extreme space environments
– Long-term survivability within a host
Evolution Rate: 70%
Abilities:
DNA Rewriting: Can modify the infected host's DNA, boosting abilities by up to 1000%. (Exceeding biological tolerance may cause collapse or unknown mutations.)
Metabolic Acceleration: Enhances regenerative speed by 1000%. (Over-regeneration may lead to premature decay.)
Devouring Energy: Grants the host the ability to absorb natural energy sources to restore itself.
Bioelectric Persistence: Host functions do not rely on heart or brain; cellular bioelectricity persists post-mortem.
Genetic Compatibility ≥99%: Grants immunity to all side effects.
[Locked...]
Active Skills:
Venomous Plague: Inflicts 10–50 damage per second based on infection rate. Can be neutralized at will by the Emperor Strain (帝王株).
Mental Corruption: Varies based on infection, causes progressive psychological degradation.
Heart of the Emperor: Grants absolute control over all infected hosts.
Toxic Flame: Allows the parasite host to ignite airborne viruses with infected blood, creating toxic explosive flames.
Shared Vision: ....
[Locked…]
Mission: Devour Primal Genes – 1/10 Acquired
Next Evolution Path: Unknown
...
The Leviathan Virus was evolving into something monstrous. Its vitality had surged; its adaptability had broken through all prior limits. Heat, once its greatest threat, was now meaningless.
Heh.
There's no one on this planet left who can restrain me.
If I evolve before facing Groudon, I'll even be able to take down Mewtwo face-to-face. If I don't hold back—even he could be infected.
Draining two meteorite cores had only gotten him to Level 3. How much more would be needed to level up again?
Lucius thought for a moment. Recharging the cores wasn't an issue now—Hive had been fully legitimized. With access to half the world's resources, energy was no longer a concern.
But what mattered more now was the new task assigned by the system:
Mission Objective: Devour 10 Primal Genes (1/10 completed)
The first one—without question—had come from Kyogre.
The term "Primal Genes" clearly referred to the genetic material of Pokémon like Kyogre—the ancient ones born at the dawn of the world.
With full assimilation of Kyogre's genetic memory, Lucius now possessed countless secrets about the world's origin.
According to what he had seen, aside from Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina—the ones crafted by Arceus himself—the other Mythical Pokémon were primordial natural spirits born from the world itself.
While they inherited Arceus's essence, their true "parent" was the planet.
Pokémon born in that ancient era alongside Kyogre included: Mew, Rayquaza, Groudon, Ho-Oh, Lugia, Xerneas, Yveltal, Zygard, Zacian, Zamazenta, Eternatus, and Regigigas.
These beings had absorbed the majority of the world's natural energy.
Later, after an undefined passage of time, Kyurem fell from space and, after absorbing some of Arceus's energy, split into Reshiram and Zekrom.
At another point in time, dimensional rifts connected this world with another—allowing powerful lifeforms to cross over. Among them were Solgaleo, Lunala, and Necrozma—now revered as the Sun God, Moon God, and Lightbringer.
As for those now labeled "Legendary Pokémon," most of them—aside from the trio created by Ho-Oh: Entei, Suicune, and Raikou—were more commonplace during earlier civilizations.
Pokémon like Shaymin, Meloetta, the Legendary Birds, the Regi Trio, the Mushroom Trio, the Four Treasures, and even Latios/Latias were all once far more abundant.
But with the passage of time, war, and environmental shifts, most went extinct—only a few survived, and rare sightings gave rise to legends across different human eras.
Now that he understood all this, Lucius finally had direction.
The so-called Primal Genes had to come from those ancient beings—like Mew, Rayquaza, Xerneas, or Zacian.
The only uncertainty was whether Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina were included in that count.
Now that the path was clear, it was time to decide which one he'd go after next.
Heh... Lugia, looks like you're up first.
Among these Pokémon, the only one whose location Lucius could pinpoint—based on the original timeline—was Regigigas, currently sealed. The others were roaming freely, which meant finding them would take considerable effort.
With his next objective decided, Lucius teleported directly to Mahogany City in Johto.
Now that Volkner's body had been consumed, he existed only as a microbial entity, yet that didn't stop him from using his psychic powers.
Without the burden of a human form, the mental energy required for teleportation was significantly reduced.
In his microbe form, Lucius drifted into a local gourmet diner.
Most patrons were glued to the TV on the wall, which was broadcasting news about the recent Groudon incident at Mt. Chimney.
"Poor Hoenn... first the south got wrecked by Rayquaza's Draco Meteor, now the northwest's been devastated by a rampaging Groudon." A diner patron shook his head with a sigh, his voice filled with sympathy.
"Yeah, we're lucky here in Johto. Ever since the Hive wiped out Team Rocket, things have gotten a lot safer," his companion, a young woman, added.
So focused were they on the news that neither noticed the "Delicious Tail" snack on their table gradually disappearing—as if devoured by an invisible mouth.
Lucius watched the invisible snacker with amusement.
Heh... this guy. Ever since escaping, he's been wandering around every day, eating his way through Johto's culinary scene...
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