The invisible thief gorging itself at the table was none other than the cloned Mewtwo that Lucius had extracted from X-Laboratory. Right now, it was sneaking bites of the restaurant's famous dish: Delicious Tail.
That so-called Delicious Tail was, in fact, smoked Slowpoke Tail—a delicacy purchasable in several mainline Pokémon games.
When Lucius first removed it from X-Laboratory, he had already implanted a Mental Parasite within it.
Of course, the excuse given was to "keep in regular contact," and the clone—naively raised in confinement—had agreed without suspicion.
Moments ago, relying on their mental connection, Lucius had quickly tracked it down.
With Volkner's body destroyed and other human hosts proving incompatible with the Leviathan Virus, Lucius had chosen this clone as his new vessel.
Manipulating the virus, he bound it to the morsels the clone was currently enjoying. Oblivious, the clone swallowed it down in a single bite.
After all, the air teems with trillions of microbes at any given moment—who could possibly notice?
The Leviathan Virus entered the clone's body along with the food.
This clone possessed formidable psychic strength—forcing an infection risked backlash. But through slow infiltration, carried in food, the invasion was subtle and untraceable.
After devouring the Delicious Tail, the clone remained invisible as it exited the restaurant.
"Hey! Where did my food go?" the man, who had just finished watching the news, turned back to his plate with a shout.
"Didn't you eat it yourself?"
"No, I didn't…"
The clone Pokémon soared out of Mahogany Town, weaving through forest, cave, and mountain spring with effortless grace—until suddenly, it felt eyes on it.
Hm? Someone can see through my invisibility?
Intrigued, the clone immediately projected its psychic field.
What it encountered was a Pokémon with orange-red fur and a mane that flowed like drifting white smoke.
Steel bands adorned its powerful limbs. Blades of coarse brown fur jutted from its back, and on its cheeks were red six-pointed star markings. A golden, clover-shaped crest shone from its forehead—an imposing presence.
Wow. You're not like the others.
The clone locked eyes with the creature, its curiosity piqued.
This was the first Pokémon to ever pierce its cloaking, and more importantly—the first that truly felt powerful.
The clone didn't recognize it. But Lucius did.
It was Entei, the loyal enforcer of Ho-Oh, and one of the Legendary Beasts.
What's it doing here?
Lucius, now fully evolved into the Leviathan Virus, had long since shed his old aura. He was confident that Entei wouldn't detect him hidden within the clone.
The two Pokémon stared at one another for a moment before Entei spoke first.
"My name is Entei."
"I'm Phantasm," replied the clone. It seemed to have chosen this new name after exploring its identity.
"Phantasm?" Entei tilted his head slightly, clearly unfamiliar with the name.
"I was born in a human laboratory—created using Mewtwo's genes," Phantasm answered without hesitation.
Unlike Mewtwo, who once struggled with his origin, Phantasm had fully embraced its nature and saw no shame in being a clone.
"Created by humans…" Entei's gaze shifted slightly, though his tone remained even. After all, he himself was no naturally born being. There was no disdain in his voice.
"So, what are you doing here?"
"Not much. Just wandering around and eating stuff. Human food is really tasty," Phantasm smacked his lips with a satisfied expression.
"There's a place nearby where wild Pokémon gather. Lots of berries and tasty things to try. Want to come?" Entei offered suddenly.
"Sure!" Phantasm had only heard of berries—staple foods for herbivorous wild Pokémon—but had rarely tried them, having mostly feasted on cuisine from human cities.
Pleased by Phantasm's agreement, Entei turned and sprinted into the deep mountains with agile grace.
Phantasm floated behind him, hovering effortlessly.
A gathering spot for wild Pokémon…
Lucius didn't believe for a second that Entei was just playing tour guide to some wide-eyed newbie. Not now—not when Ho-Oh's plan was in motion.
This was the critical phase. Entei undoubtedly had a mission.
They headed north, soon leaping over Lake of Rage, entering the forests at the far northern edge of Johto.
This area was much like the jungles north of Cerulean City—untouched by humans, still wild and raw in its natural splendor.
As Entei picked up speed, he kept glancing back at Phantasm. Seeing the clone keep pace so effortlessly, he gave a silent nod of approval.
Soon, they had plunged deep into the forest, far from human settlements.
Heh. So that's the plan.
They hadn't yet arrived at their destination, but Lucius already understood Entei's goal.
He sensed a special infected entity up ahead.
Azelf.
This Being of Willpower had remained behind when Lucius and the Champion Leaders were cast into the Distortion World. Left there by Lugia, its mission was clear: take over for the Emperor Strain, command the infected hosts, and incite war between the Hive and the Pokémon League—driving humanity into self-destruction.
According to the divine laws upheld by Arceus, Mythical Pokémon were forbidden from directly interfering in human affairs. But if humans turned on one another in war, dragging Pokémon into their conflicts, then the legendaries would be free to intervene under the pretense of protecting the innocent.
What they didn't expect… was that Lucius and the Champions would return so quickly. Lugia had no choice but to use its power to shield Azelf from the Emperor Strain's senses—just as it had done with Anabel.
But now, with Lucius infused with the full might of the Leviathan Virus, breaking Lugia's interference was merely a thought away.
"We're here." Entei skidded to a halt, its deep eyes fixed on the cliff up ahead.
A towering waterfall roared in the distance, cascading down into a sparkling river. On both banks, a variety of Pokémon frolicked and played. The trees nearby were laden with an assortment of Berries.
Among them were trees bearing Micle Berries, the elusive Golden Razz Berries, and even the extremely rare Golden Pinap Berries.
What a paradise.
After absorbing the knowledge of several masters well-versed in Berry cultivation, Lucius had become arguably the world's leading authority on Berries—without exception.
Berries like the Micle Berry, which boosts a Pokémon's accuracy during a counterattack, and the Golden Pinap Berry, which dramatically increases catch rates, were incredibly difficult to grow. Even most expert Berry researchers struggled to cultivate them successfully.
And yet... they were thriving here.
What a shame I'm neither a Trainer nor a merchant.
If I were, developing this place would be insanely profitable.
Entei turned to Phantasm, gently guiding it toward a massive hollow at the base of an ancient tree.
"Let me introduce you. This is the lord of this region—Azelf."
Inside the hollow, the azure-capped Willpower Pokémon—Azelf, one of the deities of willpower—gazed at them with an unreadable expression.
The moment Phantasm laid eyes on the Being of Willpower, it immediately sensed its overwhelming strength.
Lucius, using his cloned Pokémon's sensory link, observed the surrounding area. While most of the Pokémon playing outside were of average strength, the ones dwelling near Azelf's tree hollow were a different story.
Several wild Pokémon in the vicinity were leader-tier—formidable even by veteran Trainer standards.
-------
Want to read ahead of schedule? Head over to my Patreon ——— patreon(.)com/Madbot635 [remove the parentheses ( )]