In the heart of the primal jungle, it wasn't unusual for leader-class Pokémon to appear. But when they gathered together like this, something was clearly off.
Wild, powerful Pokémon each ruled over their own territory. They were solitary dominators of their domains. Unless faced with a disaster of overwhelming magnitude—one they couldn't deal with alone—they would never congregate like this.
Come to think of it, wasn't this just like the mission Dialga once gave to Azelf: to gather powerful Pokémon together? Was it starting that task over again?
Lucius remained calm, silently infiltrating Phantasm from within, hiding in its body and slipping into its organs alongside the proteins broken down from its food.
The Leviathan Virus could modify a Pokémon's physical capabilities at will, as long as the enhancements didn't exceed natural limits—otherwise, the host would collapse.
Phantasm, born from the genes of Mewtwo, had extraordinarily high thresholds. Since Lucius didn't enhance or transform anything—only infiltrated—Phantasm barely sensed anything amiss. It simply kept munching on the delicious berries Azelf had offered it and, under Entei's lead, continued socializing with the surrounding Pokémon.
While secretly penetrating Phantasm's physiology, Lucius also kept an eye on the League's actions—and Hive's.
Hive had now been officially legitimized. Though Goodshow had yet to give final authorization, public perception across various regions had already shifted: Hive was seen as a force of justice.
As for the Syndicate, Team Magma, and Team Aqua—though absorbed—they still carried on parts of their original operations. But their goals had changed. No longer were they focused on awakening Legendary Pokémon to expand land or sea. Now, they sought to unify the black market.
Dark organizations could never be fully eradicated. No matter how sound the system, the demand would persist, and wherever there's demand, there'll be supply.
If every Syndicate, Magma, and Aqua operation was shut down entirely, new shark-like organizations would quickly rise beyond the League's sight—inevitably leading to turf wars to claim the vacuum left behind.
Such chaos would benefit no one—not the League, not Hive, not ordinary people.
So, the best solution was to let these powerful factions continue to exist. Over the years, they had developed their own systems and protocols. As long as they operated within established rules, they could provide a stabilizing force.
Now that Hive stood at the top of the hierarchy, stability was paramount.
Even though Hive had infiltrated the League at large, it hadn't altered the League's original structure. The existing systems were too deeply rooted in public acceptance. Sudden upheavals would only lead to instability.
History had proven time and again: sweeping reforms usually end in failure.
Still, some changes had quietly taken place. Under Lucius's guidance, many former high-ranking League officials helped establish new rules within Hive.
The most crucial of these: no division may issue orders to another.
This regulation helped soften the impact of differing fusion levels across factions, ensuring that Hive didn't collapse under its own weight.
Hive had grown massive, now encompassing the official and underground organizations of Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn, with infiltration extending into Sinnoh, Unova, and beyond.
Originally, Hive's core system relied on high-level Fusion Units controlling those of lower levels.
But now, with their numbers so vast, control mechanisms needed limits. Incidents like Flora ordering Lance to commit suicide will not be tolerated.
So, a new structure was proposed—dividing Hive into two fronts: the overt and the covert.
The overt front remained the Pokémon League.
The covert front was made up of formerly rogue organizations—Silph Co., the Syndicate, Team Rocket, Team Magma, Team Aqua, and others. While all were now under Hive's umbrella, they operated independently, with no chain of command between them.
For example, a Syndicate officer could not issue commands to a Rocket member, even if their Fusion Index was higher.
This approach prevented internal chaos across Hive's various factions.
Even within a single faction, authority was governed strictly by internal protocols. Bush, despite having a higher Fusion Index than Pierce, still had to follow Pierce's directives in organizational matters.
To safeguard the system, a few high-fusion observers were assigned within each faction, to prevent rule-breaking via Fusion Index coercion.
Externally, a handful of high-Fusion agents were appointed to operate outside all organizations, tasked with monitoring their internal dynamics.
There was simply no way around this. Human society wasn't as simple as that of insects. And though Lucius, as Emperor Leviathan, could detect such rule-breaking, he had no time to micromanage every detail.
The rules were in place. Execution would always leave gaps—collusion between high-Fusion members and their observers, for instance.
But rules were always meant to govern the majority. Where systems exist, loopholes will too. Lucius knew this well and chose to turn a blind eye.
His long-term strategy was to let high-Fusion individuals gradually replace lower-Fusion ones in leadership roles. Over time, this would naturally align authority with capability.
After leaving Hoenn, Lucius went to Kanto, where Lance dealt with Giovanni's attacks on multiple Team Rocket branches.
Cynthia and Steven returned to their home regions to continue building Hive's infrastructure.
Under Lucius's remote command, Agatha ordered the Shadow Ops to launch a full-scale operation in Kalos, seeking Zygarde Cells.
Brandon, guided by Lucius, led the three Legendary Titans to Snowpoint Temple, where Regigigas slumbered.
Anabel, using her temporal traversal abilities, observed potential outcomes across time.
Dolores returned to the Syndicate's Unova headquarters to report Bernard's disappearance to the leader. But more importantly—she was there to fully assimilate the Syndicate into Hive.
Soon, night fell.
Phantasm lay in the grass, rubbing its round belly, watching a distant girl in a burlap cloak—a human named Zinnia—chatting with Azelf. By her side was a slime-like Pokémon.
Phantasm, gifted with incredible hearing and telepathy, clearly heard their conversation—but didn't care.
Just then, another voice echoed inside its mind.
"The body forged from the genes of Mew and Mewtwo... it truly is powerful. Strong enough to withstand the Leviathan Virus."
What voice was that?
What did it mean—withstand the Leviathan?
Suddenly, Phantasm realized something terrifying: it could no longer move its own body.
What's happening?
It tried to project its psychic energy outward, hoping to alert Azelf or any nearby Pokémon. But to its horror, it discovered something even worse—its brain felt shackled, and its Psychic Power couldn't even exit the boundaries of its own mind.
Phantasm shut its eyes, retreating into its inner mental plane.
Its spiritual realm had always taken the form of a colossal incubation tank, vast and unending, filled with translucent green nutrient fluid. But now, suspended in the shimmering liquid, it saw it—a monstrous creature, serpentine and draconic, its gaping jaws making up nearly half of its grotesque body.
What... what is that?
A Pokémon?
"We meet again. You've chosen a fine name for yourself," the creature spoke, its voice slithering through the stillness like a cold wind through water.
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