Lucius slowly followed the Mega Gardevoir toward the massive crystal pillar cavern, with the two powerful leader-class Steelix and Rampardos silently trailing behind.
At that moment, his Emperor Strain received a distress signal from Maeva and Yumi. A Tyrantrum had appeared behind their group, pursuing them. Through Yumi's shared vision, Lucius could tell that this was the same Tyrantrum that had previously killed the glass shop owner and his companion.
However, something was off. The Tyrantrum wasn't attacking as aggressively as before, nor was it using any moves. Instead, it was maintaining a steady pace, seemingly herding them forward.
At the same time, Flora and Zeyan encountered another Pokémon—a leader-class Armaldo.
Likewise, the rare and powerful Rock/Bug-type blue Pokémon didn't unleash any devastating attacks but drove them in a specific direction.
How deliberate… With the strength of these two Pokémon, killing them would be as easy as breathing.
Lucius could sense that these four mutated Pokémon were drawing closer to him, all seemingly being herded toward the central cavern with the massive crystal pillar.
Are they planning to gather us together and eliminate us all at once?
Given Mega Gardevoir's telepathic abilities, Lucius had every reason to believe it could remotely command several leader-class Pokémon.
As he advanced slowly, Lucius split off two viral swarms, sending them swiftly toward the two groups. Gardevoir remained unresponsive.
With his current Level 5 adaptability, Lucius had become one with nature, blending into the countless microorganisms in the air. Unless he attacked directly, even a king-class Gardevoir wouldn't notice him.
Unlike the steel-structured Steelix and the crystal-formed Rampardos, Tyrantrum and Armaldo were flesh and blood.
The viruses rode the air currents, quickly reaching the two Pokémon.
"Penetrate."
Without hesitation, Lucius commanded the viruses to use the Penetration ability.
As expected, both Pokémon were shrouded in thin energy membranes—the same faint electrical sensation Lucius had felt when he touched the three massive crystal pillars.
It seems this is the energy protection granted by the crystal cavern.
Lucius repeatedly used Penetration. Unlike when he infected Archer, the Sunburst Island incident had allowed him to level up several times, boosting his health value to nearly 8,000.
The cave's energy defense applied to all Pokémon within, but with thousands of Pokémon sharing the protection, the barrier was only slightly stronger than a Safeguard amulet.
With that in mind, Lucius deliberately slowed his pace, giving the viruses more time.
Penetrate. Penetrate. Penetrate…
The virus attacking Armaldo broke through first, invading the fossil Pokémon's body.
Based on Lucius's previous experience, the stronger the Pokémon, the slower the infection. Though there was no 30% infection speed bonus against leader-class Pokémon, the virus had strengthened with each level up, keeping its speed nearly the same.
The virus targeting Tyrantrum followed suit, slipping through the barrier. Although few viruses remained after penetration, the most terrifying aspect of the virus was its regenerative infection—it would continuously replenish itself once it began.
Lucius refrained from infecting Gardevoir directly because of its heightened psychic perception. His viruses were manipulated through mental energy, making detection highly likely.
With that in mind, Lucius reached out to the Crystal Onix with Mental Parasite, establishing a mental link.
"How many leader-class Pokémon are in this crystal cavern?"
"Uh… four." The Crystal Onix seemed to hesitate before answering.
Four—just the ones that had already appeared. However…
"Onix , tell me honestly. How many leader-class Pokémon are really in this cavern?"
Onix's head swayed briefly before replying, "Four."
Lucius nodded. Perhaps he had been overthinking. His command was for absolute obedience, not absolute honesty—hence the second question.
Moreover, having one king-class and four leader-class Pokémon demonstrated the cavern's formidable wild Pokémon population.
In Charicific Valley of the Johto region, nearly ten thousand Charizard and their pre-evolutions lived there, but the strongest among them was only leader-class.
After another ten minutes, under Gardevoir's guidance, Lucius entered the central cavern—brightest and most beautiful.
Unlike before, the space was no longer empty. Maeva, Yumi, Flora, Zeyan, and the two infected leader-class Pokémon stood within.
Lucius had already warned them via pheromones that they wouldn't be in danger, so none of them appeared panicked.
As Archer approached, they gathered within the protective circle of his six powerful Pokémon.
"All right, Crystal Cave's king—tell us the secret of this place, and we'll leave." Lucius smiled at Gardevoir.
Gardevoir didn't answer. It simply approached the massive crystal pillar, placing its pure white hand upon the surface.
A soft, bright glow emanated from the crystal pillar—warm and gentle, not harsh at all.
"You seek the energy that converts rock Pokémon into crystalline forms… but not only Rock-types can undergo crystallization. Other life forms can, too." Gardevoir's soothing voice echoed.
Lucius glanced at the Pokémon in the cavern. Though the crystalline Steelix and Rampardos were both Rock-types, their small number wasn't conclusive.
"So you're saying… other Pokémon can crystallize too?" Lucius asked.
Gardevoir smiled faintly—a breathtaking, almost otherworldly beauty.
Tap. Tap.
A faint sound echoed from the ground.
A small, transparent figure emerged—barely half a meter tall. Its head was large, its body small—an entirely crystalline Trapinch.
Lucius's eyes lit up. It was true—Ground-types could crystallize as well.
He had found a treasure.
Lucius felt a surge of delight in his heart—coming here to explore had undoubtedly been the right decision.
If it had been Ash in his place, he would likely have found the phenomenon simply wondrous and showered it with admiration.
But Lucius was different. He understood that any energy capable of altering ecosystems contained profound, mysterious powers—just like the still-unexplained phenomena of Z-Power, Dynamax Energy, or Bond Phenomenon.
Even if the full principles behind these forces remained elusive, discovering their patterns and harnessing them on a large scale could yield unimaginable value.
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