Archer's Pokémon, witnessing their master nearly transformed into a crystalline statue, lashed out in fury. A storm of raging flames, electric currents, and slicing air blades formed a violent tempest of destruction, surging toward Gardevoir.
BOOM!
The explosion shook the entire central cavern violently, causing countless shards of fine crystal to rain down from the walls and ceiling.
Gardevoir sat against the wall, its eyes glowing deep blue, layers of energy walls composed of diamond-shaped panels flickering before it.
Despite having its bones shattered by an Iron Tail and being slammed into the wall, Gardevoir had managed to conjure dozens of overlapping Light Screens in an instant, successfully blocking the assault.
However, Gardevoir was not a Pokémon known for its physical endurance. The Tyrantrum's full-powered strike had inflicted severe damage.
At the same time, Crystal Rampardos and Ancient Armaldo swiftly reacted, rushing to Gardevoir's side to shield it.
Seeing the two Pokémon come to its aid, Gardevoir breathed a sigh of relief. A pink glow radiated from its hands, enveloping itself completely.
Heal Pulse.
Archer's Pokémon, seasoned from countless battles, would not allow it to heal. They attacked from all directions simultaneously.
Flamethrower, Thunderbolt, Air Slash…
As the incoming attacks closed in, Crystal Rampardos stepped in front of Gardevoir. Its already radiant crystalline body shimmered even brighter as it activated Iron Defense, intent on using its formidable crystal armor to withstand the onslaught.
Meanwhile, Ancient Armaldo, standing beside Rampardos, brandished its two curved, armored claws, which gleamed with a deep purple light—a Poison-type move, Cross Poison.
Houndoom, charging forward, assumed Armaldo was preparing to counterattack. However, in an unexpected twist, Armaldo abruptly turned and slashed its poisonous claws toward the very Pokémon it was protecting—Gardevoir.
It all happened too quickly for Gardevoir to react.
The razor-sharp, purple-glowing claws tore deep into Gardevoir's chest, leaving ghastly wounds that cut down to the bone. Blood gushed from the gashes, and a faint purple hue spread across Gardevoir's otherwise pale face.
Ancient Armaldo had betrayed them?
Crystal Rampardos was stunned, its hesitation costing it a crucial moment. The enemy Pokémon pounced, swarming over Rampardos and pinning it to the ground.
Steelix roared in fury, but the consecutive betrayals had already shifted the tide of battle.
"It's not over yet."
A female voice echoed through the minds of everyone present—humans and Pokémon alike. This time, however, it was no longer gentle; it was filled with wrath.
A vast, ocean-like surge of psychic energy erupted, instantly engulfing the entire cavern.
Every crystal within the cave radiated a dazzling blue light, some even shattering into fine powder under the sheer pressure of the escalating power.
Yet, the powder did not fall. It remained suspended in the air, as if time itself had halted.
No one had expected Gardevoir to still possess such immense psychic power.
Under this mental onslaught, Lucius felt his thoughts slowing. More terrifyingly, Gardevoir's psychic suppression extended to every being present—humans and Pokémon alike, including Steelix and Crystal Rampardos.
Gardevoir no longer trusted anyone but itself.
CRACK!
Ancient Armaldo convulsed violently. Though its skull did not burst, its eyeballs shot out of their sockets with gruesome force.
A Leader-class Ancient Armaldo—its brain had imploded. Dead.
Gardevoir's gaze shifted to its next target: Tyrantrum.
Not good. We can't wait any longer.
Just as Gardevoir was about to crush Tyrantrum's skull, a sudden numbness struck its head, and its psychic execution failed to activate.
Lucius had triggered the virus within Gardevoir's body. When Armaldo struck it with Cross Poison, the attack had also injected the virus into Gardevoir's system.
Weakened by severe injuries, Gardevoir's resistance had faltered, allowing the virus to spread rapidly. In mere moments, 15% of its body had already succumbed to the infection.
Lucius had known the moment Gardevoir killed Armaldo—it had fully embraced its killing intent and would slaughter everyone, humans and Pokémon alike.
Although the mutated entities meant little to him, he had to act to preserve the Leader-class Pokémon. Thus, before the infection could progress further, he preemptively triggered Paralysis.
Though the paralysis lasted only for a fleeting moment, for a Dark-type Pokémon of Leader-class strength, that moment was enough.
Houndoom, immune to Gardevoir's psychic grip, broke free in an instant. Its demonic form blurred into a streak of darkness as it lunged toward Gardevoir.
Its claws, radiating a sinister black aura, slashed across Gardevoir's midsection, spilling blood.
Sucker Punch.
Gardevoir's eyes dimmed instantly.
The floating crystal dust slowly began to descend, as if the entire cavern had exhaled a sigh of relief. Every Pokémon felt the immense pressure lift, their bodies freed from their invisible shackles. Even the mutated beings halted their crystallization and regained limited movement.
Lucius controlled the Emperor Strain, retracting it back into Archer's body. Ever since the moment Lucius had parasitized Archer, the man had been reduced to an empty husk, incapable of independent thought.
By now, most of his body had crystallized. Yet, strangely, despite the transformation of his organs, they still functioned.
Steelix stared in stunned silence at Gardevoir's fallen form. The massive, iron-clad Pokémon trembled, and in its enormous eyes, tears welled up.
How many years had it been?
From the time it was a mere Onix, it had always watched her from a distance. She was so strong, so beautiful…
It had wanted to follow her, but it was too weak.
So it trained relentlessly, challenging powerful foes in this crystal cavern, slowly growing stronger, inch by inch.
But no matter how much it improved, she remained unreachable, an enigma beyond its grasp. Even when it rose to become a Leader-class Pokémon, she still seemed like a distant star.
One day, it accepted reality—
It could never surpass her.
And yet, it still wanted to stay by her side.
Finally, one day, it had gathered the courage to tell her…
It wanted to follow her.
It wanted to help her.
It had feared rejection. Could someone like her ever acknowledge a mere brute like itself?
But to its surprise—
She had said yes.
From that moment on, in this crystal-filled cavern, he became her loyal assistant, helping her manage everything within. And with her guidance, he became the second strongest Pokémon.
He was content. He thought this life could last forever.
But today… these humans…
Tears welled in Steelix's eyes, only to be evaporated by the flames of its fury. It didn't understand why Tyrantrum and Armaldo had betrayed them, nor did it care anymore. The only thing on its mind was wiping out every last one of these intruders—both human and Pokémon alike.
"It's not dead yet," Lucius said, meeting Steelix's burning gaze.
He had already stopped Archer's Pokémon from continuing their attack. Gardevoir, despite its naturally low physical defense, was still a Pokémon of King-tier strength. Even after sustaining multiple devastating blows, it wouldn't die so easily.
Now, in this state of severe injury and unconsciousness—this was the perfect opportunity for the virus to take hold.
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