To the onlookers, Lucius merely stood still before the throne-bound Regigigas, unmoving like a statue.
But in truth, the Leviathan Virus within him had already slipped out, seeping into the stone shell and beginning to infiltrate Regigigas from within.
Though Regigigas was the King of the Legendary Titans, unlike Regice, Regirock, or Registeel—whose bodies were formed of elemental materials like ice, rock, and steel—Regigigas possessed actual flesh and blood.
Compared to Kyogre and Rayquaza, Regigigas' cells were far more resilient. Its cellular walls formed dense fortifications, and even with the Leviathan Virus having previously consumed the genetic material of two or three other Mythical Pokémon, breaching Regigigas was still an arduous task.
Fortunately, Regigigas had slumbered for countless years, completely unaware of the subtle changes occurring within its body.
Drawing on his prior experience infecting Phantasm, Lucius directed his virus to take root at multiple points throughout the titan's body—limbs, head, and other extremities—before advancing toward the core.
Simultaneously, Lucius cast an illusion technique, projecting his consciousness into Regigigas's mental realm.
Its mindscape unfolded as a vast, living land—sky bright blue, vibrant flora covering every inch. Standing tall at the heart of this continent, Regigigas loomed like a colossal pillar reaching the heavens, watching over this world with silent reverence.
From the intertwined memories of other Mythical Pokémon, Lucius had gleaned that this landscape represented the world in its primordial form—teeming with plants but devoid of animals. Back then, only Arceus and the first creations like Regigigas roamed these lands.
Lucius could feel the deep nostalgia within Regigigas—a longing for that ancient purity.
With a shimmer, Lucius's psychic projection transformed into Mew.
As one of nature's earliest born Pokémon, Mew was, of course, known to Regigigas.
Guided by the memories inherited from Rayquaza and Kyogre, Lucius began to recreate the projection of Mew's genetic essence across nature.
Mew's genes fell like rain upon the ground—and soon, a blade of grass twitched. It grew a blue body and two tiny legs: Oddish was born.
One by one, Oddish-like Pokémon roamed the continent.
Soon after, more species emerged—Skiploom, Seedot, Budew…
When Mew's genes touched stone, the rock stirred. One boulder pulled itself free, revealing arms—Geodude had been born. Beside it, Bonsly rose up, and Onix slithered forth with a roar.
Genes sprinkled onto volcanoes next. Lava surged, forming Lava Pokémon like Slugma, while from magma pools, towering four-limbed beasts emerged—Heatran, forged from fire and steel, crawled forth from the volcano's heart.
When the genes struck earth, Bug-type Pokémon burst from the soil, Ground-types opened their eyes to a brand-new world.
These newborn beings danced with joy, celebrating their creation and the blossoming of life across the realm.
Lucius, still cloaked in Mew's form, reenacted the sacred tale of creation before Regigigas—replaying the story that had once unfolded beside the titan eons ago.
Yet this reenactment bore one crucial difference: although the new Pokémon were still part of Regigigas's spiritual domain… they were now laced with the virus.
Back in the real world, Brandon and the other staff still waited. Lucius had stood motionless before Regigigas for over three hours. While few understood what he was doing, no one dared interrupt.
Within Regigigas's mind, time surged forward. Species evolved and changed. Many of the original Pokémon faded into history, replaced by newer forms previously unseen.
To Regigigas, this was a familiar sight—a mere repetition of memory.
But for Lucius, the evolution of this mental world offered the perfect distraction for deepening viral infiltration.
As the simulated ages passed, the towering Regigigas finally moved.
The ground trembled. The entire continent quaked in a ceaseless tremor. Space shattered like broken glass. All the joyous Pokémon that had been frolicking disappeared in an instant. The dreamscape reverted to how it had looked when Lucius first entered.
Only now, a gray-white pallor hung over both sky and earth, life's vibrance gone.
"You are not Mew. Who are you?" Regigigas's voice boomed, mechanical and metallic, as the three dot-like patterns on its face blinked in alternation.
Lucius burst into laughter.
In a flash, his illusion dropped—replaced by his true form: a creature both dragon and serpent, with countless wings sprouting from his back.
The true body of Leviathan.
"Took you long enough to notice," Lucius sneered. "A little slow, aren't you?"
He had expected that Regigigas would eventually realize the deception. After all, the memories he used were from Rayquaza and Kyogre—not from Regigigas itself. Subtle inconsistencies in the recreated evolution would inevitably surface.
Thus, he had chosen to tell the story in broad strokes—using the act of creation as cover to release and spread the virus.
Still, Regigigas had reacted far slower than Lucius had anticipated. By the time it became aware, the virus had penetrated much deeper than he had planned.
Could it be… because of Regigigas's ability—Slow Start—that even within its mind, its reactions were delayed?
Regigigas extended his right hand, unleashing a beam of golden-red energy straight at Lucius. Lucius didn't flinch. He took the full brunt of the attack—enduring it without resistance—and in doing so, closed the distance between himself and the legendary titan.
With a sinuous twist of his draconic body, Lucius coiled around Regigigas. All of the wings on his body morphed into razor-sharp spikes, driving themselves into Regigigas's form from every direction.
The spikes sank deep. Regigigas roared in agony, His massive arms bursting with primal force as he struggled to tear apart the Leviathan entwined around Him.
Lucius felt as though a power strong enough to split tectonic plates was pulling at his body. But the polluted psychic energy that flowed endlessly into him reinforced his form. The Leviathan's body had become nearly indestructible. He began to grapple with Regigigas head-on, matching strength with strength.
"Giiigaaaas!" Regigigas's metallic roar echoed across the vast psychic realm, but still, he could not break free from the entrapment.
Because while the two titans wrestled, the entire mindscape had begun fading into shades of gray and white—a sign that Lucius had already taken full control of this world.
"…Who… are you… really?" Regigigas's voice had grown faint. The six glowing dots on His body flickered erratically, like a power source on the verge of dying.
"You'll know very soon," Lucius answered coldly.
With a savage pull, he forced all the spikes to pierce through Regigigas's body, then tore them open—shattering the titan's will into fragments within an instant.
Deep within the Snowpoint Temple, the others watched in awe as the Regigigas seated on the throne began to tremble.
Crack—crack—crack—
After untold centuries of stillness, Regigigas finally rose. As he moved, the stone shell covering his body crumbled away, dust pouring down like sand from ancient ruins. Beneath it emerged a towering body of alternating gold and white, like a colossal pillar reaching to the heavens.
The King of the Colossal Titans, Regigigas—had awakened.
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