Zinnia had come bearing a message on behalf of Rayquaza—along with the Heart Drop, the essence of trust. She requested that Azelf deliver it to the Southern Isle to enlist the aid of Latias and Latios. At the same time, she asked Azelf to gather all high-ranking wild Pokémon leaders it had found and lead them to Unova.
From his past life playing the original games and reading the manga, Lucius had never harbored much fondness for Zinnia.
She was one of the Draconid people, a tribe that once lived beneath Meteor Falls in Hoenn—said to be the birthplace of Mega Evolution.
In the manga canon, when a meteor threatened to bring ecological catastrophe, Zinnia deliberately sabotaged the dimensional shifter that Devon Corp had created, a device powered by the life energy of countless Pokémon. Her reason? She wanted Rayquaza and herself to handle the crisis personally...
In the end, it was Rayquaza who Mega Evolved through the move Dragon Ascent and soared into space to shatter the meteor. But what if it hadn't succeeded? She would have destroyed Devon's last hope—one built on monumental sacrifice—and doomed everyone.
Lucius always saw her as someone trapped in the delusion of her so-called destiny.
Of course, having a sense of purpose isn't inherently wrong. But placing one's mission above countless lives? That's a dangerous form of egotism. The world doesn't revolve around her.
After Zinnia relayed Rayquaza's will to Azelf, she left. Azelf promptly began gathering nearby wild Pokémon leaders.
Entei had already departed. The ones present included a Politoed, a Feraligatr, a Heracross, a Tyranitar, and a Forretress—five high-ranking Pokémon in total. Among them, the Heracross, whose dark blue shell was almost black, was clearly the strongest.
Lucius didn't join in. Azelf had long been under his control. The gathering of these Pokémon for the journey to Unova was part of its orders. He would learn of its actions whenever needed—no reason to waste time. His focus now was on tracking Zinnia.
Zinnia flew through the skies atop a Salamence. Concealed behind her, Lucius glided silently, invisible, releasing a virus—quietly infecting her Salamence.
He deliberately avoided infecting Zinnia herself. Her potential connection to Rayquaza made her too risky. If he infected her directly, Rayquaza might sense it.
After all, Legendary Pokémon weren't omnipresent voyeurs. They didn't constantly observe everything. They intervened only when events diverged dramatically from fate—or when their curiosity was piqued.
Though Salamence was a powerful leader-tier Pokémon, it had no resistance against the Leviathan Virus.
It took less than ten seconds for Lucius to complete the infection undetected.
From Salamence's memory, Lucius saw that they had recently met Rayquaza at the Embedded Tower n in Johto. Rayquaza had given them orders to assemble various Pokémon battalions from Kanto and move toward the Pledge Grove in Unova.
The Embedded Tower…
In Salamence's memory, Rayquaza now resided in that very tower.
Indeed, in the original canon, that was one of Rayquaza's known perches.
After informing Azelf, Zinnia's next destination was Ilex Forest, where a Celebi and its gathered Pokémon awaited.
Lucius gave it a moment's thought—and decided to head directly to the Embedded Tower.
There was no need to tail Zinnia any further. If Rayquaza was truly still at the tower, then Lucius was strong enough now to face it directly. And if it wasn't? No matter. Zinnia's Salamence was infected—it would be impossible for her to escape his grasp.
Lucius's teleportation abilities had greatly improved. He traversed from the northernmost to the westernmost edge of the Johto region in under three minutes.
The Embedded Tower stood within the mountains west of Cianwood City, its structure fused seamlessly with the rocky terrain. To approach it normally, one would need to pass treacherous cliffs and underground caverns.
But the environment posed no threat to Lucius. Phasing through rock while cloaked in invisibility, he entered the mountain directly.
The moment he arrived, a familiar pressure washed over him—a suffocating aura. It was the same one he had sensed when Kyogre had undergone Primal Reversion and battled him in the skies above Hoenn: Rayquaza.
The moment Lucius sensed Rayquaza, Rayquaza sensed him in return.
A sonic boom erupted from deep within the mountain. Rayquaza shot skyward, blasting out of the Embedded Tower and into the clouds.
As the ruler of the atmosphere, Rayquaza's true strength could only be fully realized in the open skies.
Its ascent shook the mountain itself—rocks tumbling, cliffs cracking.
Lucius soared upward, wrapped in a psychic barrier of shimmering blue energy, blasting through falling debris to meet Rayquaza head-on.
"You seem… different," Rayquaza said, rather than attacking outright.
"Hahaha. You're right. This new body is far superior to the human one I once had," Lucius replied.
"I sense the aura of Mew in you," Rayquaza said slowly.
"This body is a product of genetic engineering—a clone of Mew created by humans. It's Mewtwo's body," Lucius said calmly. "You've met Mewtwo before, haven't you? It's now aligned with Lugia's faction."
"Mewtwo…" Rayquaza murmured, pausing. "If you're no longer human, why do you oppose Lugia's plan?"
"Heh… My war with Lugia has nothing to do with humanity. Lugia tried to kill me to further its ambitions," Lucius said coldly.
All along, Lucius had been fulfilling the directives of his system. His conflict with Lugia began when the Legendary Pokémon tried to trigger a reset of humanity. Lugia had trapped him in the Distortion World, hoping that the infected hosts—now cut off from their origin source—would spiral into chaos and spark internal conflict among humans.
Later, many global organizations were assimilated into the Hive, while the infected evolved into a new source of energy for Lucius. Naturally, he couldn't allow Lugia to eliminate his living batteries.
"So, you've decided to stand against us?" Rayquaza's voice took on an icy edge. It had never held any particular grudge against humanity—until a few years ago.
Back then, the "Rayquaza Capture Initiative," funded by the Berlitz family and backed by the technological expertise of the Devon Corporation and Greater Mauville Holdings, changed everything.
During the operation, humans had used the Infinty Energy weapon known as "Flower", inflicting wounds that Rayquaza had still not fully recovered from—even now, it remained unable to enter its Mega Evolution form.
So when Lugia laid out its plan, Rayquaza didn't hesitate to lend its support and strength.
"We don't necessarily have to be enemies," Lucius said with a slight smile. "All you need to do is follow Kyogre's lead—and join me."
Rayquaza was momentarily surprised by Lucius's first words. But as soon as he heard the rest, a lethal gleam flashed in its eyes.
The oldest of the mythic Pokémon. The undisputed master of the skies. There was no way it would ever serve under anyone else.
Rayquaza's draconic energy surged in an instant, enveloping it in a radiant green-gold aura. With a force that could shatter mountains, it dove toward Lucius.
Dragon Ascent.
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