As the flickering light particles danced before him, Regigigas slowly regained its biological functions. At the same moment, Lucius received a system notification:
[Analysis of Regigigas's ability Slow Start complete. Virus evolution increased by 50%. New abilities acquired: Immovable; obtained Primal Gene (Regigigas).]
Lucius glanced at his task log. As expected, the objective to devour primal genes had progressed to 4 out of 10.
The new ability, Immovable, is an active skill. Upon activation, it cuts the user's Speed in half, but boosts Defense by 300%. While not particularly useful for Lucius himself at this stage, it could prove immensely effective for certain infected forms.
However, this kind of technique could only be accessed by infected individuals who had been granted it by the Emperor Strain.
Now that Regigigas had been infected, there were no other Mythical Pokémon hosts currently possessing passive Primal Genes. The remaining ones were aggressive and formidable entities that would need to be actively hunted down.
In the following days, Lucius continued monitoring the situation in Unova, while regularly receiving reports from Kalos.
Previously, many Syndicate operatives transferred from Unova to Kalos had, through various means, managed to locate several Zygarde Cells. However, none had found a Core Cell yet.
The number of Zygarde Cells scattered across Kalos was practically uncountable. Since the Zygarde Cube hadn't yet been developed, searching for them across the continent was like finding a needle in a haystack. Still, Lucius knew that Zygarde was a unified entity—its cells shared a unique interconnection. As long as they located five Cores, he believed he could assemble it completely.
During this period, Umbrella Pharmaceutical Company had been promoting itself throughout Kalos under the front of the Z Foundation Research Institute. They offered massive rewards—100,000 each—for any individual who could provide them with a green-cell Pokémon, and hired bounty hunters en masse to scour the remotest wilderness.
This hefty bounty triggered a gold rush across Kalos—a frenzy to find these green-cell Pokémon.
Naturally, this also attracted fraudsters. Some tried to pass off Pokémon like Solosis as valid green-cell types, while others used Ditto to mimic the appearance of a Zygarde Cell and deceive the Foundation.
To deal with such scams, the Z Foundation published detailed reports on these individuals in the League's Trainer Reputation System, drastically lowering their credibility ratings.
Backed by a giant like the Hive, such actions were effortless for the Z Foundation.
In a world powered by advanced technology and societal systems, a trainer's reputation meant everything. Losing credibility—even to the point where Pokémon Centers would refuse them service—was a risk too high for most to bear.
For those who didn't care about reputation scores, local police departments intervened.
Still, the true intent of this policy wasn't just to punish scammers. It was a strategic move to affirm the official status of the Z Foundation, making its operations appear legally sanctioned. This helped deflect criticism and close the mouths of their detractors.
And who would attack the Z Foundation?
The answer was obvious: Team Flare—another faction also seeking Zygarde's power.
Currently, Team Flare remained in hiding and hadn't revealed themselves publicly. To most people in Kalos, they were nothing more than a bizarre group of individuals in red suits.
While their main identity remained obscure, their corporate front—the Lysandre Labs—was well known throughout Kalos.
Based in Lumiose City, Lysandre Labs was headed by none other than Lysandre, the leader of Team Flare. The lab had developed various technological innovations, and according to Lucius's knowledge of the original timeline, they would soon succeed in inventing holographic communication devices.
Lucius, being aware of future developments, knew just how revolutionary these holograms would become—pushing global tech forward in significant ways.
In a few years, Lysandre Labs would rival Silph Co. in commercial power. But at present, Silph had already been absorbed by Devon Corp, which itself had become part of the Hive conglomerate. From both a business and militaristic standpoint, Lysandre's influence still fell short of Lucius's resources.
However, Kalos was Lysandre's home turf. Causing trouble for the Z Foundation here would be relatively easy for him.
Soon after, Lucius saw a news segment titled:
"Z Foundation Accused of Using Scientific Research as a Cover for Illegal Pokémon Trade"
The report was hosted by Malva—one of Kalos's Elite Four.
Just as Brandon was primarily an archaeologist and Cynthia a researcher of ancient myths, Malva, with her striking pink hair and captivating beauty, worked professionally as a news anchor.
A broadcast delivered by an Elite Four member instantly caused a media storm across Kalos. Numerous outlets began questioning the real purpose behind the Z Foundation's expensive acquisition of green-cell Pokémon.
Simultaneously, several so-called "authoritative institutions" released "studies" claiming that the so-called "green-cell Pokémon" were, in fact, the very Cells of the Legendary Guardian—Zygarde from myth and legend.
A fresh wave of fierce backlash surged through the Kalos region. In the myths told across the land, Zygarde—the Order Pokémon—is revered as the guardian deity of ecological balance, standing against those who threaten the natural world. To many, Z Foundation's actions now seemed like a direct assault on Kalos itself.
Protests erupted rapidly. Citizens flooded the streets, surrounding the Z Foundation headquarters in droves. Some even tried to tear the building down.
Though Lucius remained in Kanto, his eyes never left Kalos. He didn't believe for a second that this anti-Z Foundation movement had emerged entirely on its own. Researching a mythological Pokémon might sound frightening, but in truth, such things rarely impact the everyday lives of ordinary people. Without external influence, public outrage of this scale wouldn't have sustained. Someone was clearly stoking the fire—and Lucius was certain that someone was Team Flare.
After all, to the wider world, Malva was one of Kalos's Elite Four, a prestigious member of the League and a respected journalist. But Lucius knew the truth: journalism was only a cover. Her real allegiance lay with Team Flare. In the original records, she even instructed the protagonist to eliminate Dr. Xerosic of Team Flare—explicitly stating that the method didn't matter.
This public outrage? It was Team Flare's counterattack—retaliation against Hive's efforts to collect Zygarde Cells.
Given the situation, Lucius didn't hesitate. He ordered the Z Foundation to publicly acknowledge that the so-called "Green Cell Pokémon" were, in fact, Zygarde Cells. The evidence was irrefutable by now. At the same time, however, the Foundation released a statement—officially sanctioned by the Pokémon League—outlining a research project titled:
"On the Therapeutic Potential of Zygarde's Regenerative Abilities in Treating Human Illness."
The Z Foundation's parent company, the Umbrella Pharmaceutical Company, had always been a drug manufacturer. Medical research was nothing new.
And if Zygarde truly was the guardian spirit of ecological restoration, then studying it to synthesize medicines that could heal humanity was, arguably, a noble endeavor. The Z Foundation emphasized that at no point had it ever harmed any of these Cell Pokémon during research.
Finally, the Foundation announced that, should a new drug be approved, it would consider distributing it freely to major hospitals and medical organizations.
Once the statement was released, Umbrella unleashed a wave of public relations efforts. High-profile PR firms were hired, paid influencers flooded the net, and media outlets were saturated with stories praising the Z Foundation. From every channel, glowing reviews and damage control campaigns emerged.
After all, who would object to a drug that could save lives? Especially when it might be free of charge? Only a fool would stand in the way of progress.
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