Chapter 39: Possibilities

After merging with the virus, Soran's skin turned a dull bluish-gray, resembling that of a patient deprived of sunlight for years. His body secreted a hardened substance, and if someone were to poke his skin, they would find it tough and leathery.

Overall, he had not undergone any particularly bizarre changes, except that his eyeballs seemed to have become overly active during the mutation process. Now, his eyes looked in opposite directions, as if staring at his own temples—making him appear rather... intellectually challenged.

Aside from him, the only fusion subject that retained a humanoid form and rationality, the other ten-plus gang members and over twenty Pokémon had mutated into grotesque, nightmarish abominations.

There were "humans" with eight legs, their entire bodies covered in unblinking eyes.

There were Zubat with fanged eyeballs, tattered wings split into tendrils, and blood-red, skinless bodies.

There were Arbok with all their scales shed, their bodies riddled with bloody holes, and both head and tail transformed into terrifying, blender-like maws.

A three to four percent success rate, huh…

For these creatures that had undergone complete aberration, Lucius had no intention of letting them continue to exist.

While some of them exhibited formidable offensive capabilities and agility—particularly the mutated Pokémon, which would have made excellent combat tools—they were of no use to Lucius at this stage.

Without a moment's hesitation, Lucius commanded Soran, his sole successful fusion, to incinerate all the mutated creatures, including a grotesquely altered Grimer, with Toxic Flame.

In any case, creatures of this caliber would be in abundant supply in the future.

After taking inventory of his gains, Lucius found that his evolutionary progression had increased to 25%. At this stage, infecting a single ordinary Pokémon barely contributed even 1% toward his evolution.

Additionally, by delving into the memories of these infected individuals, Lucius learned that their years in organized crime had amassed a significant fortune through illicit means.

He instructed Soran to distribute the money in batches, sending it to their parents, families, and victims as a form of compensation—both as a gesture of filial piety and as an attempt to make amends for victims like Scott.

Although Soran's appearance had become somewhat peculiar, his intelligence did not seem significantly diminished. He fully understood his situation and, as long as he avoided attracting attention by breakdancing in public, he should be fine.

Now, in addition to Ophelia and Scott, a third individual had been infected with the new virus—Soran.

Three people—enough to establish a party—no, an organization?

Lucius pondered. Expanding in a metropolis like Cerulean City was not an ideal strategy. Instead, it would be wiser to begin in a sparsely populated, isolated location with minimal external contact.

Encircling the cities from the countryside—just like the Los Illuminados in Resident Evil 4, who used a parasite-based virus to control an entire village, conducting their operations in secret and expanding their influence.

After parting ways with Soran, Lucius drove toward the Houston Corporation's warehouse facility. Before leaving, he sincerely suggested that Soran buy a pair of sunglasses to wear.

...

Cinnabar Island Research Laboratory.

Wearing a full-body biohazard suit that made him resemble an astronaut, Blaine stepped through several layers of decontamination procedures before finally emerging from the laboratory to meet Ash, Misty, and the others.

"If it weren't for you all, the consequences would have been unimaginable…" Blaine sighed, casting a deep, thoughtful look at Ash.

Last year, when that reckless kid had challenged him with a Charizard, Blaine had sensed that there was something extraordinary about him. He hadn't expected that, in just one year…

"Elder Blaine, thank you for your hard work." Lance expressed his gratitude.

Three days ago, Ash had arrived at the Indigo Plateau, bringing the League crucial information concerning the fate of the world. During a training match, he had also utterly defeated Elite Four Karen, displaying near-unparalleled strength.

Most notably, his Charizard had left an impression that struck deep into the very souls of all who witnessed it.

The League took Ash and Misty's warnings about the virus with the utmost seriousness and contacted Professor Oak and Blaine to convene at the Indigo Plateau to devise countermeasures.

Following the recommendations of the League's think tank, Ash provided them with the prototype of a virus-detection device he had developed. The League began mass-producing it and discreetly deployed the devices across all Pokémon Centers and League-affiliated facilities to screen all humans and Pokémon passing through.

As for the virus samples Ash had brought, they were divided into two portions: one remained at the League's headquarters for research, while the other was transported to Cinnabar Island's laboratory under Blaine's supervision.

Given the gravity of the situation, Lance and Sinnoh's Elite Four Flint personally escorted the virus samples and remained stationed at Cinnabar Island to prevent any potential outbreak.

With Blaine, Flint, and Lance—the Champion of the Pokémon League—present, the island's security was virtually impenetrable.

"You're leaving today?" Standing on the shore of Cinnabar Island, where the salty sea breeze constantly blew, Lance gazed at the eighteen-year-old Ash Ketchum. Though a few years older than Ash, Lance couldn't help but feel that Ash seemed far more mature than him.

Heh, no surprise there. Even if he hadn't witnessed it firsthand, anyone who had fought in a war like that would no longer be a child.

"Yeah." Ash nodded. "We're not from this timeline. Forcing our way in to change history has already caused Celebi to feel the backlash of the temporal forces."

Lance sighed. "It's a shame… I never got the chance to battle you."

Ever since becoming the Champion, he had lost the thrill of heated battles. Besides, in a place like this, there was no arena capable of handling a full-power clash between two trainers of their caliber. A single misstep, and they could trigger a tsunami.

Being too strong… was a kind of loneliness.

Ash chuckled. He wanted to stay—he really did. But he couldn't.

Though he and Misty had only returned for three days, their actions in Cerulean City had altered history. Celebi could already sense the tremors in the timeline. As the deviations in history grew more pronounced, they would lose their connection to their original time and be unable to return.

"Misty, if you want to stay, actually—" Before Ash could finish, a pair of soft, cool lips sealed his own.

Through the trials of blood and fire, love had shed its timid veil, now burning fierce and uninhibited.

"Ash, you would never stay behind… so how could I ever leave you?"

Misty had endured countless hardships. She was no longer the hotheaded, fiery girl of her childhood. Instead, the gentle, kind side of her shone through even more.

Perhaps because life had become so fragile, she simply wanted to show her best self to the one she loved.

A quiet moment fell between them.

Before they returned, Cyrus—the former leader of Team Galactic, now a member of the Survivor Alliance—had told them that time was a strange and elusive force. Humanity's understanding of it was barely one in a billion.

Even if they succeeded in eliminating the virus by going back in time, it didn't necessarily mean they could save their world.

Two possibilities loomed ahead:

One: They would succeed in saving the world and altering the future, but in doing so, they would cease to exist. With history rewritten, the versions of themselves shaped by the original timeline would simply vanish.

Two: They would save the world, but the restored timeline would diverge into a separate reality—a parallel world developing on its own path. The saved world would have a future, while their original world, having already come into existence, would remain unchanged.

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