Virus Evolution: Pokémon, Marvel & Beyond

The golden dome, spanning hundreds of miles, hung like a vast prison, trapping Lucius's black mist within and denying it any chance of escape.

But this was far from enough to stop him. If they wouldn't let him leave, then he simply wouldn't.

In the blink of an eye, Lucius's black mist morphed into a raging obsidian tempest, surging through the dome and swallowing Mewtwo whole.

Mewtwo raised both hands to shield its face, golden light flaring around its body, surging and collapsing like shimmering bubbles pressed under invisible weight.

The divine energy of Arceus's laws still guarded it, for now. But that energy wasn't infinite.

Especially since Arceus was currently in the Reverse World and unable to resupply it. All Lucius had to do was keep attacking, and eventually Mewtwo's defenses would burn out.

Realizing the virus's plan, Mewtwo didn't wait to be devoured. It retaliated with Blizzard.

The temperature across the entire space dropped in an instant. Snowflakes materialized from thin air, drifting through the freezing wind.

This was Mewtwo, one of the most powerful beings in the world. A casual move from it could reshape entire ecosystems.

If this had been a mountain, it would now be buried beneath snow. If a river, it would have frozen solid. If a sea, it would now resemble the polar caps.

Sure enough, the speed of the viral storm dropped dramatically.

From what had been seen in previous battles, this virus could no longer be incinerated by fire alone, otherwise Groudon wouldn't have been so overmatched. But if fire didn't work, ice might.

Not to freeze the virus to death, but to limit its mobility.

Mewtwo's thinking was sound. Extreme cold could indeed hinder the virus's flow.

Just like Earth in Lucius's previous life, who knew how many ancient viruses lay frozen beneath the polar ice caps? The terrors lurking there could easily rival, if not surpass, the biosafety level-4 pathogens of American P4 labs.

Sure enough, the black mist began to slow under the sub-zero conditions. But Lucius was no ordinary virus.

A surge of blistering heat erupted from nowhere, pushing the ambient temperature sharply upward once again.

Heat Wave, a Fire-type move.

Lucius no longer needed to possess a Pokémon to use moves. His body alone had grown stronger than any Pokémon, effortlessly wielding an arsenal of techniques.

The rapid drop and rise in temperature caused the air within the dome to erupt in white mist, blanketing the entire region in a dense fog.

Then, slowly, that fog began to spiral, drawn inexorably toward a single point.

At the center, a massive black sphere ten meters wide was generating an unbelievable gravitational pull.

Dark Void, a Dark-type move.

It was a technique unique to Darkrai, the embodiment of nightmares. But after absorbing several of Darkrai's genetic signatures, Lucius could now wield it with ease, far more effectively than its original owner.

The swirling mass devoured every trace of black mist within a hundred-mile radius in just two seconds.

Suspended in the sky, the Dark Void hovered like an abyssal, malevolent eye, staring down at Mewtwo and unleashing an overwhelming pull.

Mewtwo poured all its strength into resisting, barely managing to keep from being dragged in, but even it could only protect itself.

The gravitational pressure grew so intense that the golden barrier began to contract.

Mewtwo's psychic energy surged again, forcing the barrier back open.

The dome pulsed like a colossal heart, expanding and collapsing under the strain of Mewtwo's will and the Dark Void's gravitational force.

It hadn't shattered yet, but its integrity was steadily eroding.

Lucius let out a cold laugh. In the air, another pulse of Dark-type energy coalesced—a second Dark Void.

Identical in size and gravity, the two singularities began pulling toward each other. The moment they collided, neither could devour the other.

Instead, they began spinning around one another at high speed.

Two black orbs, spiraling like a pair of taiji, distorted the surrounding space with nightmarish force.

Dark counters Psychic.

Even for Mewtwo, the force of two Dark Voids was overwhelming. In a flash, it was dragged between them, trapped in the crushing center.

"Ahhh!" Mewtwo cried out in agony.

It was as if two mountains were grinding together with its body caught in between. Every cell felt like it was being torn apart.

The golden dome twisted violently, no longer spherical, but warped into the shape of a figure-eight.

Like a balloon twisted in the middle by a giant's hand.

Within three seconds, the entire dome exploded in a golden burst of shattered light.

Mewtwo lost consciousness between the twin singularities.

Lucius didn't hesitate. His black mist surged forward, pouring into Mewtwo's body and taking control from within.

Mewtwo's eyes snapped open, but the once-clear gaze was now shrouded in shadow.

Teleport.

Its figure vanished.

…

In the Reverse World, Professor Newton piloted his airship, leading a formation of Mythical Pokémon in pursuit of Giratina's trail.

Before long, he noticed its movement had halted.

"Excellent. Let's close in!" Newton's eyes lit up with excitement.

He'd devoted his life to studying this realm. Now, at last, he would stand face to face with the ruler of the Reverse World. And with the New Empire's Mythical Pokémon guarding him, his safety was more assured than ever.

As they neared Giratina's position, the Mythical Pokémon around him began to react to the presence of the world's master.

Their power couldn't be hidden.

Ho-Oh flared its wings and surged ahead of the airship.

The others quickly followed suit, accelerating toward the source of the aura.

Until now, they'd been pacing the slower craft. But now that Giratina was within range, they saw no need to hold back.

As the majestic forms of Mythical Pokémon streaked past overhead, Newton and Gero exchanged stunned glances.

Even with an Infinity Energy core, their airship was a snail compared to the might of legends.

Ho-Oh led the charge. A new, more potent power coursed through its body, filling it with exhilaration.

Unlike Lugia, who had been driven to destruction out of fear of humanity's capture of Rayquaza, Ho-Oh had always harbored resentment.

Once revered as a god across the ages, it now watched as humans grew arrogant, believing themselves masters of the planet.

Even the temples built in its honor had dwindled to a sparse few in Johto.

Ho-Oh didn't care about their worship, but the disrespect irritated it deeply. That's why it had originally supported Lugia's plan.

Until the virus appeared.

Its power had first been borrowed, successfully burning the virus with sacred flames. But even as it burned, Ho-Oh's Future Sight showed it a grim prophecy: this virus would one day become a catastrophe.

And so it sent the Three Legendary Beasts into the human world to exterminate it.

But things hadn't gone as expected.

The virus evolved far too quickly, surpassing even their might. Raikou had already fallen.

A shocking turn of events, and one that made Ho-Oh realize:

It was time to act personally.

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