To Lucius, the underlying rejection in these people's hearts meant little.
The first and foremost issue now facing the Champions and Leaders was no longer the virus—it was the war the Mythical Pokémon seemed ready to unleash.
Wars triggered by Mythical Pokémon had occurred before, even in the original canon.
In one parallel world, the battle between Dialga and Palkia caused a collapse in time and space, nearly consuming the real world.
In another reality, Arceus, betrayed by the very humans it had once protected—who stole its elemental Plates—became enraged and nearly wiped out the world.
And then, in yet another world, humans attempted to capture the Legendary Bird Trio, driving them into madness. The misuse of their elemental powers at ocean current junctions disrupted nature's balance, throwing monsoons and currents into chaos and causing catastrophic global climate shifts.
Now, in this world, the Mythical Pokémon had clearly begun to fear humanity's growing strength. They were preparing to eliminate mankind before humans could strike first.
Thus, as the uppermost echelon of human power—the Champions and Regional Leaders, the very ones who upheld peace and stability—they had no choice but to stand in direct opposition to the Mythical Pokémon.
If these divine beings did go to war, countless wild Pokémon would respond to their call and turn against humanity. And humans, in addition to their conventional weapons, would need the power of their own Pokémon to survive.
But how could they ensure Pokémon would side with them?
That's where the Hive came in.
Under such circumstances, even an alliance with the virus wasn't entirely out of the question.
They had only just been thrown into this place. Once the initial panic wore off, the Champions and Leaders would surely realize the situation.
Especially now, with the virus having gained the upper hand, their best chance at escaping the Distortion World and saving their home was through cooperation—with the virus.
Lance and Alder followed the Corviknight and soon arrived by a river flowing unnaturally upward.
Seven or eight powerful Pokémon were gathered there, including Alder's Bouffalant and Lance's Salamence.
Lance took out his scanner—it confirmed none of the Pokémon had been infected.
"Finally, some relief," Alder exhaled in relief.
Compared to these Pokémon, they, as humans, were far too fragile. Just earlier, they had seen an Electivire unleash Thunder from afar. Had they been within its strike zone, even with protection, survival would've been uncertain.
They were only alive now because Lucius had ordered his infected troops not to kill them. The Infected hadn't used lethal force while chasing them.
Now, with these seven or eight King-Class Pokémon on their side, the two men felt far more secure.
Champions needed to coordinate with powerful Pokémon to unleash their full potential. While not all of these Pokémon were their direct partners, seasoned Trainers could command any high-level Pokémon in battle effectively.
Thus, in the Distortion World, two distinct factions were beginning to form:
One led by Lucius and his Infected; the other by Lance and Alder with their uninfected Pokémon.
But in comparison, Lucius held the clear advantage.
His infected forces had spread out, actively seeking out and infecting every wild Pokémon they could find.
Lance's group, on the other hand, stuck together. Strength in numbers meant less risk of being picked off—but it also meant far less efficiency in finding allies. Lucius's wide-net approach was simply faster.
That's why Lucius didn't engage them directly—he was observing them instead.
"I want to talk to Lance," said Anabel suddenly.
"Not a good idea," Lucius replied. "They've already gathered over thirteen King-Class Pokémon. If things go wrong, it's too dangerous for you."
Anabel had already betrayed the League by infecting Brandon. Given the strength of Lance's current forces, if negotiations failed, they wouldn't hesitate to take her out.
"Did you forget? I've already mastered the Power of Time," Anabel smiled softly, unbothered.
Lucius could sense what she was truly feeling. They were all trapped here because of her mistake—her being tricked by Lugia in the Whirl Islands. The burden of guilt weighed heavily on her.
So heavy, in fact, that she'd begun to see death as a form of atonement.
"…Alright. Just be careful," Lucius nodded. "You're one of our Hive's most important allies."
There was no point in infighting. If a conversation could avert conflict, it was worth the risk.
As Anabel teleported away, Lucius discreetly commanded Accelgor and Spiritomb to shadow and protect her from the shadows.
Accelgor had once belonged to Alder; Spiritomb was Cynthia's. Both had been infected and brought under Lucius's command shortly after entering the Distortion World.
Lance and Alder pressed forward with their team of powerful Pokémon. Suddenly, a wormhole tore open before them, and a Celebi flew out.
"Mr. Lance, Mr. Alder. It's me," said Anabel gently, exuding no hostile intent.
"Anabel?" Lance frowned.
Back at Mt. Coronet, he had already suspected she had sided with the virus. Though he didn't understand why, she was clearly no longer an ally.
"We're stuck in the Distortion World," Anabel said. "There's only one way out: we must find Giratina. Otherwise, we'll be trapped here forever."
"You're asking us to cooperate?" Lance was no fool—he understood her intention.
Anabel nodded. "Yes. The world is facing a massive crisis. If we waste time fighting each other, the outside world will suffer even more."
"Fighting each other?" Alder frowned. "You act like we're part of the same side. But to us, the virus is more dangerous than the Mythical Pokémon."
Anabel fell silent. She knew that to some, the power of Mythical Pokémon could theoretically be countered with science and weapons. But the virus… it was a different kind of threat—far deadlier.
Suddenly, a shadow streaked past Anabel.
So fast, even her mastery over time couldn't react in time.
A spray of blood shot out as she was blasted back dozens of meters and hit the ground hard.
Only then did Accelgor and Spiritomb appear, rushing to shield her.
"…Accelgor?" Alder recognized it instantly. He called out to it instinctively.
"Stay alert!" Lance barked to his team.
The shadow circled back again—too fast for even King-Class Pokémon to track.
But this time, Accelgor and Spiritomb were ready.
Spiritomb's ghostly face pulsed with black energy.
The space around them warped mysteriously—as if the very rules of reality had shifted.
The charging shadow slowed dramatically, while Accelgor and Spiritomb moved faster.
Trick Room—a Psychic-type move that reverses the speed of all Pokémon in battle, making the slow ones act first and the fast ones lag behind.
Anabel, still lying on the ground, her eyes glowing green, exerted her time-altering powers.
The shadow slowed again—as if time itself had resisted its speed.
And everyone there saw, for the first time, the true form of the threat that had just attacked them.
"…That's…" Anabel opened her mouth, momentarily stunned in disbelief.
The black silhouette shimmered with a ghostly transparency. Its four limbs were outstretched in a forward-leaping stance, while ethereal, storm-like mane shadows billowed behind it like gathering thunderclouds. Even shrouded in gloom, its regal visage radiated an overwhelming presence that commanded awe and dread.
It was Raikou… in a spectral, Ghost-type state.
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