Chapter 33: What Comes Next

The virus may have been eradicated, but the real trouble was only just beginning.

As an International Police officer and a Gym Leader, Oliver Doyle and Daisy bore immense responsibilities. With the complete obliteration of Galas City's police headquarters, the repercussions extended far beyond just the city itself—this was a devastating blow to the entire region.

The reconstruction of buildings was the least of their concerns. The real issue lay in the loss of personnel. Police officers were the frontline defenders of the city's safety, the ones who fought against corruption and crime. The massive casualties among them tonight would inevitably lead to severe manpower shortages in the days to come.

It was likely that some underground organizations would seize this opportunity to surface.

Furthermore, the headquarters housed countless files and documents, some of which were highly classified. With the death of Chief Peyton and other high-ranking officers, much of this crucial information was now lost forever.

There were also numerous civilian casualties. Even if some of them had been criminals or suspects, their families would not let this matter rest easily. The Pokémon League would undoubtedly have to provide some kind of explanation…

Lastly, as an International Police officer and a Gym Leader, they had been present at the scene and had witnessed the police headquarters being burned to the ground. That alone meant they would be subjected to round after round of interrogations and investigations.

And of course, there were many more complications that they would soon have to deal with.

"Misty." Daisy hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Would you and Ash come with me to the Indigo Plateau? We need to explain this incident to the League and make sure they are prepared for the threat of the virus."

Misty glanced at Ash, who was still staring at the roaring flames without a word, then nodded softly.

She understood that, as the Gym Leader of this city, her sister was under tremendous pressure. If she and Ash could accompany Daisy to the Pokémon League to provide a report, it would certainly help ease the burden.

More than that, she wanted to spend more time with her sisters—because in that other timeline, they had all sacrificed themselves to protect their city.

"We'll head to the League soon," Ash suddenly spoke up. "From what we learned in the future, this place was the starting point of the virus outbreak tonight, but we still don't know why it began here or where it originally came from."

"If this isn't its true place of origin and it's secretly spreading elsewhere, then tonight's actions may have only delayed its eruption. We must warn the League and make sure they remain vigilant." Ash reached into his pocket and pulled out two small glass vials, each sealed with an unknown metallic substance. "These contain early and later-stage strains of the virus that Blaine managed to retrieve before the Cinnabar Island research facility was wiped out."

"We'll hand these over to the League and mobilize all available resources to track any remaining traces of the virus. We cannot allow this to happen again."

Daisy looked at Ash, who now carried himself with unshakable resolve and clear leadership. She found it impossible to reconcile this determined young man with the naive, bumbling rookie trainer who had challenged her Gym last year.

A sudden thought flashed through her mind—perhaps their youngest sister had the sharpest eye for people all along…

While Daisy was lost in thought, Oliver Doyle was focused on the two small vials in Ash's hands, his expression heavy.

So this was the virus that had destroyed civilization, that had brought the world to ruin. As long as they turned this over to the League, everything that had happened tonight would have a justifiable explanation. Without it, the upcoming investigations would put immense pressure on him.

...

So that was it—the purpose of creating this barrier was to completely seal off the area and erase everything within it.

But why?

Was it because someone important had been secretly imprisoned in the police headquarters, and someone else wanted them dead?

Or had someone realized that there were highly toxic fumes inside and feared they would spread beyond control?

…That seemed unlikely.

Even if it was just for a moment, Lucius vividly remembered the terrifying nature of those white flames.

The instant they ignited, he had been completely incinerated—he hadn't even had the chance to feel the heat before he was reduced to nothing.

Everything within that fire's reach had suffered the same fate. Even Pokémon with the Flash Fire ability couldn't withstand it for even a second. They had all been turned to ash in the blink of an eye.

That fire carried an overwhelming, divine presence. It contained both the power of life and the force of utter destruction.

However, as an evolved Virus, Lucius' core, the Emperor Strain, remained intact within Ophelia's body. Even when half of it had been burned away, it hadn't suffered any loss in vitality.

Unfortunately, the lives taken by the Sacred Fire didn't count toward Lucius' own power. Otherwise, he might have skyrocketed to max level by now.

After all, many Pokémon had vanished from existence along with their Poké Balls.

Perhaps, in every sense, the Sacred Fire had taken more lives than the toxic fumes had

...

The pure white flames lasted no more than three minutes. When they finally burned out, nothing remained at the site—an empty, barren expanse, like the untouched earth at the dawn of creation.

"Celebi, you've worked hard," Ash gently patted Celebi's head with sympathy.

"Bi~" Celebi let out a soft cry, its large eyes glistening with tears.

As a kind-hearted Pokémon, the pain of taking so many lives weighed heavily on its soul.

After some discussion, it was decided that Daisy would accompany Ash and Misty to the Indigo Plateau League Headquarters, while Oliver remained behind to oversee the reconstruction.

Originally, Daisy, as the Gym Leader, should have stayed to take charge, but as Misty's older sister and someone directly involved in the incident, she insisted on accompanying them.

Oliver had no objections. As a professionally trained Interpol agent, he had more experience in handling the personnel arrangements and rebuilding efforts for the police force.

Shortly after, Daisy arranged for a helicopter, and together with Ash, Misty, and Lily, they flew toward the Indigo Plateau…

"This is going to be a lot of work," Oliver sighed inwardly as he looked at the growing crowd around him, their faces filled with sorrow and confusion.

"Mr. Oliver, what happened here?" A young voice pulled his attention back.

"Oh, it's Gold and Lyra. You two came as well."

"Yeah. I slept pretty deeply tonight and was only just woken up by all the commotion," Gold said, his heart filled with confusion as he took in the scene of utter devastation before him, now nothing more than a stretch of blank white land.

Since he had been injured earlier that day at the factory, Gold had slept soundly, completely unaware of the chaos outside until Lyra woke him. Through the window, he had seen the fire blazing like a second sun…

"There was… an incident at the police headquarters," Oliver hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to explain the situation.

"The police headquarters?" Gold and Lyra exchanged glances. Sharp as ever, they immediately realized that serious trouble was ahead.

"Mr. Oliver, regardless of the reason, there's going to be a lot of work to do from here on out. Let us help," Gold said sincerely.

"Help?"

"Yes. Even if it's just the two of us, we can still take some of the burden off your shoulders," Lyra added. "Besides, you saved us yesterday, Mr. Oliver. We'd like to do something for you in return."

"So do I," a voice suddenly chimed in as a young Pokémon Trainer stepped forward.

"I'll help too—Cerulean City belongs to all of us."

"Can we help too, Pidgey?"

"Slowpoke, let's do our part in rebuilding as well!"

More and more people began stepping forward, eager to contribute and assist in the aftermath. As Oliver looked at these kindhearted faces, a sense of relief and reassurance settled in his heart.

It seemed that the road ahead might be a little easier after all…

-----

Want to read ahead of schedule? 

Join here for advance chapters: patreon.com / madbot635