Groudon let out a thunderous roar, maw wide open, not to unleash an attack, but to exhale a billowing cloud of black smoke, tinged with hues of orange and yellow.
This smoke was neither tangible nor illusory. It hovered between states of existence, real yet unreal.
It poured forth endlessly. In mere seconds, it blotted out the sky, casting the entire land into deep shadow.
Now, the golden earth and the pitch-black skies stood locked in stalemate, with the entire Unova region trapped in between. The tension surged like opposing tides of elemental force.
"Damn it… What kind of monster is that…" In the ruins of Hero's Summit, Mewtwo clutched its head, eyes fixed on the strange turmoil engulfing the world.
It could tell, the smoke swallowing the skies was a virus. But this wasn't the virus it had known. This… was something far beyond.
For the longest time, Mewtwo had believed itself to be a monster. But only now did it understand what true monstrosity looked like.
After nearly a minute of deadlock between the golden land and the black sky, the golden energy of the earth began to stir, rippling like liquid, drawing inward.
In a single breath, the golden aura covering the continent converged at a single point and exploded upward. It surged toward the skies, taking form, towering tens of thousands of feet high, a divine beast forged of radiant light.
It stood on four legs, a ring of intersecting golden beams encircling its waist. Its entire body shone with pure brilliance, and its mere presence caused the world to tremble. Even from orbit, its form could be clearly seen.
Arceus, the Original One.
All present instantly recognized the golden silhouette. Its image had graced countless ancient murals and mythic tomes, revered by scholars as the god who created this world.
As that awe-inspiring form manifested, everyone, human and Pokémon alike, gazed upward. Even those who had no prior knowledge understood in that moment who was protecting them, and why.
Around that divine colossus, it felt as if an invisible symphony resounded, as if unseen followers cheered, as if all of existence bowed in reverence.
Everyone at Hero's Summit now understood. It was Arceus who had seized Dialga and Palkia. It was why the other Mythical Pokémon had held back, save for the artificial one, Mewtwo.
And then, the black mist in the sky began to coalesce.
It formed a second figure, just as vast, one that rivaled Arceus in scale and presence.
Gone was the dragon-serpent form wreathed in crimson-gold scales. In its place stood a towering, cloaked figure forged entirely of shadowed smoke.
Its cloak, composed of drifting, vaporous black fog, billowed weightlessly in the air. Beneath its hood was only chaos, a void devoid of any physical being.
The Old One Virus.
Lucius's virus had evolved, no longer a substance, no longer a psychic force. It had become a concept.
A transcendental shift.
It was like a number, like an idea; not a creature that could be seen or touched.
From this moment on, Lucius had become an integral part of the universe's very foundation. So long as the cosmos existed, so did he.
Because a concept cannot be destroyed.
No one can erase numbers. No one can extinguish luck. No one can eliminate death.
And what is a virus, if not the perfect invader, drawing strength from others, spreading itself endlessly? And what is more infectious than a concept?
Once a concept is known, whether remembered or not, it becomes a part of the observer's consciousness. A shard of their mind.
And what is evolution, if not the pursuit of a higher lifeform?
From humble microorganisms to a form with no shape or limit, eternal and indestructible—that is the virus's final evolution.
It had reached that pinnacle.
From now on, within Lucius's influence, merely thinking of him, or anything connected to him, meant infection. Even stray thoughts of "virus," "Leviathan Empire," "god," or even "contagion" could draw him forth.
Arceus and Lucius now faced one another. One divine and radiant. The other ethereal and dreadful. Both awe-inspiring. Both gods in their own right.
"You're not whole yet," Lucius said, not through speech, but as a stream of raw information.
"True," Arceus replied. "But whole enough to seal you away."
In ages past, Arceus had relinquished much of Its power to forge the boundless variety of life. But It had realized, too late, that by doing so It had grown weak, so weak that Its creations now defied It, sought even to supplant It.
Thus, It had chosen to reclaim absolute dominion.
Since Its reawakening, It had not shown Itself, not until now. Instead, It had delved deep into the world, reconnecting, reabsorbing.
All matter in this world had originated from Arceus. And now, aside from the beings Lucius had already infected, every person and Pokémon in Unova was once again linked to the Creator.
Much like Lucius's Collective Will, Arceus had re-established an energetic bond with the world. The wind, clouds, fire, earth, magnetism, heat—every element became Its power source.
It was not a full return to omnipotence. That would require destroying the world, reducing it to raw energy, and reclaiming it anew.
But for now, all existence had been split into two domains: Lucius's infected, and Arceus's connected.
"You do realize my true form isn't even present," Lucius said with a soft, unsettling chuckle. "How do you plan to suppress me?"
Arceus gave no answer. It rose into the sky, impossibly light despite Its immensity.
A golden bolt of lightning split the heavens.
But it wasn't aimed at Luchen.
It struck Zekrom.
The Black Dragon did not cry out. Instead, trails of dark smoke wafted from Its body, dispersing into the sky.
The virus within had been completely purged.
It was a force that could combat concepts themselves: Rule.
With part of Its divine power and authority restored, Arceus now wielded the ability to rewrite the rules of reality. That lightning bolt was more than an attack, it was an edit to the code of the world. It had removed the concept of infection from Zekrom.
Then, a new disturbance erupted.
The otherwise silent White Kyurem suddenly surged forward, seizing the newly-cleansed Zekrom in Its claws.
Tubes of blazing energy extended from White Kyurem's body, plunging one by one into the conical tail of the Black Dragon.
"What are you doing?!" Zekrom shouted.
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