"..." Gold's mouth hung open, eyes filled with shock.
As a Trainer from Johto, he had grown up listening to stories about this Pokémon.
And today, the very Pokémon he had only ever heard of in legends appeared before him…
"Su-Suicune?"
Suicune approached Gold at a measured pace. Quilava tried to step forward to shield Gold, but before it could act, a pressure as immense as a mountain pinned it down, leaving it trembling and unable to move.
Ability: Pressure.
...
Mandarin Island South.
Located northeast of the Orange Archipelago, this island was not the most commercially developed, but it was the most famous and attracted the most tourists.
The first reason was the world-renowned Mandarin Island Games held here annually, drawing many great athletes. The second was the island's Orange League — anyone who defeated the Orange League's Head Trainer would have their name engraved in the Palace of Victory, forever honored by future challengers.
"Monster invasion on Sunburst Island?" Drake's brows furrowed as he listened to the phone call instructions.
According to the original plan, tomorrow he was to face a challenger who had earned four Cross Star Badges — a duty he carried as the Orange League Head Trainer.
But the sudden, urgent command interrupted his rest, ordering him to head immediately to Sunburst Island, where bizarre monster invasions had been reported.
Hanging up the phone, Drake felt a headache coming on.
According to League officials, the island of fewer than ten thousand people had been invaded by grotesque, twisted monsters. Despite the local Trainers commanding their Pokémon to fight desperately, many had already been bitten or wounded.
Biting monsters?
Could they be some kind of ancient Pokémon that had somehow surfaced?
Every few years, new Pokémon species were discovered — some dating back thousands or even millions of years. Initial conflicts between ancient wild Pokémon and humans were not uncommon.
However, Sunburst Island had been inhabited for countless years and was not a newly developed region — why would creatures like this suddenly appear?
Just as Drake packed to board a ship, another urgent call came through.
"What? People bitten by the monsters are mutating?"
Drake's heart skipped a beat. If he had only been mildly concerned before, now he fully grasped the gravity of the situation.
Video footage from the island showed horrifying creatures with savage tempers. Worse, those bitten or scratched by them — both humans and Pokémon — began to mutate, as if assimilated into the monsters. Even the dead would reanimate, devoid of thought or pain, moving like zombies.
Cold sweat beaded on Drake's forehead…
"Come out, Dragonite."
He swiftly climbed onto Dragonite's back, soaring toward Sunburst Island.
If the situation was as dire as the footage showed, a ship would be too slow.
Cinnabar Island.
"Mr. Blaine, what do you think of the situation in the Orange Archipelago?"
Due to prior instructions to report any strange occurrences immediately, Blaine and the others received the news before Drake.
"I've seen the footage. It matches the information Ash provided," Blaine said, fingers tapping the desk. "However, wasn't the virus supposed to enhance the host's physical abilities first? Why…"
"Could it be that Ash's return altered history, causing the virus to manifest differently?" Flint, the Fire-type Elite Four stationed on Cinnabar Island, speculated.
"That possibility can't be ruled out. Time and space are unfathomably complex — even a small event could trigger unforeseen changes, let alone…"
Blaine trailed off, but both Lance and Flint knew he referred to the Cerulean City Sacred Flame incident.
"Drake is probably en route. Should we go too?" Lance asked.
Their duty was to guard the virus being researched on Cinnabar Island — especially now that Blaine's studies confirmed its terrifying transmission and lethality. Any leakage would be catastrophic.
After a moment's thought, Blaine replied, "Lance, you should go. You're faster. Flint and I will stay."
"Understood." Lance rose immediately.
As the Champion of Kanto, he could not let an entire island face such a terrifying disaster alone.
"Lance, capture some alive," Blaine instructed.
...
Jeff quietly hid in the forest, staring at his reflection in the water. His hair had fallen out, his skin had turned grayish-blue, and his arms and legs were covered in hard, chitinous shells. His fingernails were thick and sharp like claws.
Pain consumed him. He had been sent to find a Crystal Onix, but after losing contact with his team, a splitting headache knocked him out. When he woke up, he had become… this.
Even worse, heat coursed through his veins, and an unbearable thirst gnawed at him — a craving for fresh blood.
Wait… blood?
Jeff shuddered. Why would he want to bite people?
But the burning hunger overwhelmed him.
From the island's center came a distant explosion, followed by chaotic cries and curses.
The heavy scent of blood wafted through the air.
I have to go… There must be doctors there… and if there are doctors… there are people to bite…
Jeff's warped mind drove him toward the scent, forgetting even to release his Pokémon.
He soon reached the town, now ablaze, with people frantically running through the streets.
What are they running from?
"Hey, what's going on?" Jeff called out to a little girl peeking from a cracked wall.
"…" The girl's face paled in terror, mouth opening but producing no sound.
"Hey, I'm talking to you! I'm with Team Rocket!" Jeff forgot the rule to never reveal his identity, grabbing the girl. "If you don't answer, I'll eat you."
"Put the girl down."
A sharp voice echoed behind him.
"Arcanine, Extreme Speed."
A brown-haired boy with a green pendant around his neck stood behind him, his Arcanine appearing in a flash, gently carrying the girl away in its jaws.
"Good job, Arcanine." The boy took the girl from his Pokémon.
Wait… wasn't she in my hand?
Jeff glanced down at his arm — but his right arm was gone, a sickly red-green ooze dripping from the stump.
My arm…?
Jeff's sluggish mind failed to comprehend what had happened.
The last sound he heard in his life was:
"Flamethrower."
-----
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