It seems she's trying to capture me…
Lucius immediately understood Anabel's intent the moment she unleashed her combination attack.
The Electroweb spread from the sky into the sea, forming a spherical cage like lines of longitude, preventing any Pokémon inside from escaping.
Meanwhile, the levitating Magnet Bombs, suspended like floating mines within the birdcage, restricted movement—any contact would trigger a chain explosion.
The Gravity field distorted gravitational forces, preventing any escape through Teleport.
Tch. As expected of a Champion-level leader—one move and she already controlled the entire battlefield.
When Anabel saw Lucius release his black-colored Gardevoir, a flicker of intrigue flashed in her eyes. What could be more enticing to a psychic than a King-tier Psychic-type Pokémon?
Anabel pressed her lips together, her gaze complicated. "What a shame. They've all been tainted by that malevolent aura."
"I'm curious—how did you find me?" Lucius asked.
If Anabel could track him so easily, that meant the League had a way to locate him. Even if he dealt with her today, more pursuers would inevitably follow.
"I don't mind telling you," Anabel said, seemingly confident in her victory. "The Ho-Oh has already sensed the virus aura you carry. I simply used my psychic abilities to track its imprint."
Psychic abilities…
Lucius furrowed his brows. If they had tracked him using reports or intelligence, that would be one thing. But if it was through psychic power… would he have to eliminate every psychic in the world?
"You should just surrender. You're only Elite Four-tier; there's no way you can escape me." Anabel stated. "I imagine you didn't voluntarily infect yourself, did you? Hand over the origin virus*. If the League can eradicate it, they might even be able to free you from its control."
"You want the origin virus?" Lucius chuckled and pushed Silver forward a step. "It's right here."
Young master, the situation is dire. I'll have to trouble you to take the blame for now.
"Huh?" Silver looked utterly confused. He had no idea what they were talking about, much less why he was suddenly implicated.
Virus? Origin? He had no clue what any of that meant, but the moment he saw the sharp gaze of this woman who had tamed Raikou, his gut told him—he was in big trouble.
This boy is the virus carrier?
Anabel couldn't confirm if he was the original host, but she could sense that the red-haired boy indeed carried the virus. Was this why Archer had brought him to Unova?
Those Rocket scum… they actually used children for their experiments…
"Gardevoir, use Psychic Overload."
In the instant Anabel was distracted by Silver, Lucius gave his command.
A viscous, almost tangible surge of psychic energy expanded from the black Gardevoir, launching a direct attack on Anabel.
At the same time, Celebi waved its tiny hand, summoning a storm of countless glowing, rainbow-hued Magical Leaves that clashed with the Magnet Bombs floating within the Electroweb.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Like a series of synchronized explosions, a chain reaction erupted within the electric cage, sending plumes of smoke into the air.
The sea beneath them churned with violent waves, and several rocky islets were obliterated by the simultaneous detonation of electromagnetic bombs and the magical leaf storm. All that remained were jagged stone fragments jutting from the ocean's surface.
Lucius could sense it—his psychic attack on Anabel had been blocked.
Hovering in midair using Magneton's electromagnetic field, Lucius locked eyes with Anabel, who was shielded by an Espeon's Protect.
A golden streak of lightning pierced through the smoke, lunging straight at Gardevoir with a devastating claw attack.
ROAR!
A thunderous roar echoed as a colossal steel serpent over fifteen meters in length gleamed with silver light, intercepting Raikou's crushing blow with its body.
A piercing screech of grinding metal resounded as Raikou's claws carved deep gashes into Steelix's durable hide.
Raikou flickered away in a burst of Extreme Speed, bypassing Steelix and lunging toward Gardevoir.
It could feel it—Steelix was normal, but Gardevoir was completely drenched in that vile aura. A King-tier Pokémon tainted by the virus was too great a threat to ignore. It had to be destroyed at all costs.
Steelix was about to pursue when its entire body suddenly felt an immense weight press down upon it—like a mountain crushing its frame.
Metagross, maintaining the Electroweb, had used Gravity to restrict Steelix's movements.
Gardevoir pointed a slender finger at Raikou, and the Legendary Beast froze for a split second under the effect of Disable. But in the next instant, its thunderous claws pierced through Gardevoir's body.
No blood spilled—Gardevoir merely vanished like a shadow.
In that moment, dozens of Gardevoirs appeared throughout the electric cage, standing at various positions.
Using that split-second opening, Gardevoir had successfully executed Double Team, dodging Raikou's attack.
A tremendous force surged—fragments of the destroyed islets suddenly began spinning violently, gathering into hundreds of razor-sharp stone blades. They hovered momentarily before an invisible force sent them slashing toward Raikou in a relentless assault.
Raikou weaved through the onslaught of rock blades with bursts of Quick Attack.
It was Celebi's Ancient Power.
Then, a five-meter-wide, multi-colored, flaming sphere of scorching magical fire rose, hurtling toward the levitating Metagross.
Metagross remained motionless, conjuring layers of Light Screen to weaken the fireball's impact, shielding itself from the worst of the attack.
Lucius had ordered Gardevoir and Celebi to switch opponents.
Raikou was an Electric-type; Celebi, with its Grass typing, had the advantage.
Meanwhile, Metagross was maintaining the Electroweb, acting as a battlefield controller. It had restricted its own movements, making it an easier target for Gardevoir's ranged attacks.
"So that's it… The virus carriers share a telepathic link," Anabel, who had been quietly observing, suddenly spoke.
"I was wondering how you obtained those two—Celebi and Gardevoir. Now I finally understand."
From the start, Anabel hadn't fought at full strength—she had only deployed Raikou and Metagross to observe the effects of the infected Pokémon.
"I've been using my psychic abilities to scan the entire battlefield, and I noticed something peculiar. You issue commands to them through a strange method—not out of loyalty, but because of an automatic response in their brains caused by a particular substance."
"It seems Team Rocket's virus also has a mind-control function."
Lucius' gaze turned cold. This woman was terrifying—was this the power of one of the world's strongest psychics?
"I never expected Team Rocket to develop something so extraordinary," Anabel remarked, her eyes flashing with intrigue. "I suppose I'll have to take you in and let the League deal with you."
With that, she tossed three black-and-yellow Poké Balls.
In a flash of light, Alakazam, Weavile, and Mismagius emerged, joining Metagross, Espeon, and Raikou.
The six Pokémon unleashed their full power, warping the very air around them. The sky darkened, waves roared, and an overwhelming presence blanketed the battlefield.
Even the Pokémon dwelling in the deepest trenches of the ocean trembled in fear, suffocated by the sheer force.
Far away—deep within the Whirl Islands—something ancient stirred. Drawn by the immense energy, it slowly opened its eyes.
---
TL/N: I think she is asking for the most potent virus here or the core sample of the virus. For a moment I thought the raw says Progenitor Virus since its litereal translation was "original virus".