Ash dropped to his knees, the pain in his shoulder and ankle overwhelming him. His Pokémon rushed to his side, their expressions filled with concern. "Pika..." Pikachu squeaked, nudging Ash with its tiny nose, while Lucario let out soft whines, trying to encourage him to get back up. But the agony was too much, and soon, Ash collapsed, his body hitting the cold ground. Lucario and Pikachu stayed close, their worry mounting as they watched Ash lie still. But then, something remarkable happened. A bright blue glow began to emanate from Ash's body, illuminating the alley. Lucario recognized it immediately—it was Ash's aura, pulsing with energy. The familiar aura was healing him, or at least preventing him from being infected by the bite.

"Lucario!" it barked excitedly, sensing the aura's power. The glow seemed to wrap around Ash, slowly closing his wounds and easing his pain. Pikachu watched with wide eyes, awe and hope flooding its little heart.

After several moments, the glow faded, and Ash stirred. He blinked, looking around as he pushed himself to his feet, a surprised expression on his face. "What just happened?" he mumbled, looking at his Pokémon, who were now jumping up and down in joy. The relief washed over him as he realized he felt... good as new.

"Pika! Pika!" Pikachu cheered, jumping around him in delight. Lucario stood proudly beside Ash, its eyes shining with admiration.

But their moment of relief was short-lived. Suddenly, a voice echoed through the alley, making them tense up again.

"Impressive, isn't it?" Party Girl said, stepping into view with a curious smile. She could see the confusion and mistrust on their faces and quickly raised her hands, palms up, to signal she meant no harm. "I'm not here to fight. Just... observing."

Ash narrowed his eyes, still wary. "Who are you? What do you want?"

"Relax," Party Girl replied, her tone soothing yet playful. "I'm just a friendly observer. No threats here." She leaned against the wall casually, but Ash and his Pokémon remained tense, not ready to drop their guard. "Do you trust me now, love?" she asked innocently, setting her sniper rifle down at her feet with a smile.

Ash and his Pokémon exchanged glances, trying to gauge the situation. After a moment of deliberation, they finally dropped their guard a fraction. "Fine... but no funny business," Ash warned, still keeping a protective stance.

Party Girl giggled, a sparkle in her eye. "Cute and smart. Wish I was a few years younger; we could've been a good match," she teased, her playful tone causing Ash to blush faintly. "W-What?" he stammered, taken aback by her comment.

But before he could respond further, a loud groan echoed from the street, pulling their attention. The sound of approaching zombies was unmistakable, and soon, the rest of Echo Six appeared, weapons drawn.

Dee-Ay scanned the alley, his expression serious. "Party Girl! What's going on here?"

Tweed, following closely behind, shot a glare at Party Girl. "You better not be flirting with that kid while we're in the middle of a zombie-infested city!"

Party Girl shrugged, a mischievous grin on her face. "Oh, come on, Tweed. You're just jealous I saw him first!"

"Jealous?" Tweed scoffed, raising her weapon in irritation. "I'll shoot you if you don't stop making eyes at him!"

"Whoa, hold on!" Harley interjected, stepping between the two. "Let's not turn this into a catfight!"

"Right," Dee-Ay agreed, crossing his arms. "We need to focus. Party Girl, are you sure the kid is safe? He just got bitten, and we don't know what that means yet."

Ash, overhearing the conversation, finally spoke up. "I'm fine! My Pokémon and I can handle ourselves. And I'm not infected. I just... healed."

Dee-Ay blinked in confusion. "Healed? How?" As Dee-Ay stood there, processing the information that Ash had somehow been unaffected by the virus, he couldn't find the right words. This was beyond anything he'd seen during his time dealing with biohazards. Tweed and Harley exchanged baffled glances, muttering to each other about these strange creatures.

"What the hell are Pokémon?" Tweed grumbled under her breath. "They look like some kind of B.O.W.s…"

Harley nodded in agreement. "Bio-weapons for sure. They're like nothing I've ever seen, though."

Ash, Pikachu, and Lucario turned to the group, utterly confused. "B.O.W.s? What's that?" Ash asked, raising an eyebrow. He looked at his Pokémon, equally perplexed. Pikachu tilted its head, and Lucario folded its arms, sensing the confusion in the air.

The fact that these soldiers had never heard of Pokémon was shocking to Ash. He was used to Pokémon being a part of everyday life—who didn't know what they were? Meanwhile, Shona had his notebook out, scribbling furiously as he took notes about these "Pokémon." He seemed fascinated by the creatures, his scientific curiosity piqued.

But there was no time to stand around and explain. The groans of the approaching zombies echoed louder, and the horde was closing in. "Introductions and explanations later," Dee-Ay ordered, his voice sharp. "Right now, we need to clear these things out!"

Ash nodded in agreement. "You guys ready?" he asked his Pokémon, and they responded with determined nods.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

"Lucario, Aura Sphere!"

Pikachu unleashed a powerful jolt of electricity, hitting a cluster of zombies and causing them to convulse before collapsing to the ground. Lucario followed up with a glowing blue ball of aura energy, which smashed into another group, sending them flying back.

Echo Six, impressed by the power of Ash's Pokémon, quickly joined in. Dee-Ay and Tweed fired their weapons picking off zombies from a distance, while Harley provided cover with his shotgun, keeping the undead from getting too close. Party Girl grinned, enjoying the action as she shot down a few more zombies with her sniper rifle.

"Not bad, kid!" Tweed shouted over the chaos, half-grinning as she took down another undead. "Maybe those Pokémon things of yours aren't B.O.W.s after all!"

Ash flashed a confident smile, glad to see they were starting to accept his Pokémon for what they were. "Thanks! We've got this!"

The fight was intense, but with Ash's Pokémon and Echo Six working together, they managed to hold their ground. The horde was thinning, and the zombies' numbers dwindled as more of them were cut down. As the last of the undead fell to the ground, Dee-Ay signaled the group to regroup.

"Well done, everyone," he said, wiping some sweat from his brow. "But this city's crawling with these things. We're far from safe."

Ash took a breath, his Pokémon gathering around him. "Thanks for the help," he said sincerely.

"You did your fair share, too," Dee-Ay replied with a nod. "But now we need to figure out where we're going next."

From his vantage point on the rooftop, Spectre lowered his sniper scope with a frustrated sigh. He had been watching Ash's group from a distance, noting the peculiar abilities of the boy's creatures and his immunity to the T-Virus. Flicking on his comms device, he opened a channel to his team leader, Lupo.

"Lupo, it's Spectre. The kid and those strange creatures of his have teamed up with those pesty U.S. government Special Forces," Spectre muttered in clear annoyance.

There was a pause on the other end, and Spectre could already imagine Lupo's expression. Sure enough, her voice came through sharp and irritated. "Damn it. Those Echo Six clowns again. Alright, regroup with us. We'll deal with the nuisance together. I want them out of our way for good."

Just as Spectre was about to end the transmission, something nagged at him. He hesitated, then added, "There's something else, Lupo. That kid…he's more unique than we thought. He got bit by one of the infected, but he didn't turn. He's immune. The virus isn't affecting him at all."

There was a long silence on the other end, and Spectre could almost feel Lupo processing the information. When she spoke, her voice was laced with skepticism. "Immune to the T-Virus? You sure you're not imagining things, Spectre?"

"I'm telling you, I saw it with my own eyes," Spectre insisted. "The kid got bit, and I watched his wounds heal in a matter of minutes. There's something different about him. And those creatures of his…they're not like anything we've encountered before."

Lupo cursed under her breath. "Alright, fine. If what you're saying is true, we need to get our hands on that kid. He might be worth more to Umbrella than we thought. But for now, focus on regrouping with us. We'll figure out the next step once we're together."

"Understood," Spectre replied before cutting off the signal.