Groudon and Kyogre had already been awakened, and although for now their battle had been mediated and calmed by the presence of the Mega Rayquaza,
did that mean they had truly returned to slumber? Surely it would not be so quick, right?
That was precisely why Lucas asked Rayquaza whether it could sense the whereabouts of Groudon and Kyogre. For regardless of whether it was Kyogre or Groudon, both of them were undeniably extremely powerful existences of legend.
Hmm, if there was the possibility of subduing them, it would certainly be a very good thing.
"Ah? Those two? I suppose they must have simply gone off somewhere to look for a place to sleep again, right?"
Rayquaza froze for a moment when it heard the question, and then, with a somewhat uncertain tone, replied in this way.
"I once heard my father say that those two really are just idle and bored creatures; however, when compared with wandering outside, they both actually prefer falling into slumber."
Rayquaza recalled this as it spoke, for in truth, it itself was only a few thousand years old, and it was not especially familiar with Groudon or Kyogre.
"Then can you at least sense their current locations?"
"I cannot."
Rayquaza gave this answer with a frank and decisive tone.
"What a pity." Lucas murmured after pondering for a moment, shaking his head slightly.
But when thought about carefully, it was indeed quite reasonable. For Groudon and Kyogre, apart from their constant battle and rivalry with one another, they seemed to have absolutely no other real occupations to occupy themselves with.
And now, with even that eternal struggle mediated by the Mega Rayquaza, then indeed they had nothing else left to do.
Yet such encounters are not things that can be forced, and so Lucas could only feel a tinge of regret.
After properly putting away the Luxury Ball, Lucas mounted Reshiram together with Zinnia, flying back once more toward the small island.
"The promise I made to you has already been fulfilled. From now on, for a period of two years, N, under the condition that it will not go against your ideals, you must accompany me."
Leaping down lightly from Reshiram's back, Lucas paid no attention at all to the gazes of Steven and the others, and directly addressed N.
And immediately upon landing, Reshiram and Zekrom instantly began their "affectionate" mutual stare into one another's eyes!
"I can." N fell silent for a long moment, then finally nodded.
For although in the end it had been the Rayquaza clan that resolved the crisis, it was undeniable that Lucas had indeed delayed Groudon and Kyogre for a considerable length of time.
"Do not worry, I will never force you to do anything that you truly find difficult or unwilling." Lucas's lips curved faintly upward, his mood at this moment exceptionally good.
Naturally so—after all, he had not only obtained a Rayquaza, but had also secured N, such a powerful trainer, to follow him.
It could be said that this journey to Hoenn had been a perfect success.
"Moreover… the way you three are staring at me like this, is truly quite impolite."
Lucas then raised his brows slightly, casting a sidelong glance toward Steven, Wallace, and Cynthia.
The three of them had never once shifted their eyes away from him.
"You… you actually captured Rayquaza?"
Cynthia pursed her lips gently, her gaze slightly complicated.
At the very end, Lucas had taken a Poké Ball and captured that Rayquaza, and they had all clearly seen it with their own eyes.
Right there before them, the legendary Rayquaza had actually been subdued by a human.
"Ah~ yes, that's right. There is no need to be so shocked—after all, this is not even the first time I have captured a legendary, is it?" Lucas shrugged, as if to say that this really was not such a rare matter.
Wallace found himself speechless. Of course, they knew he had other legendaries, but for them, capturing a legendary Pokémon was never something so easily done!
And to think, this was Rayquaza of all legendaries.
"With such strength, why is it that you are unwilling to join the League? I believe that so long as you were willing, no matter which region it may be, they would absolutely welcome you wholeheartedly. All resources would be poured toward you, and any request you made would be fulfilled."
Steven spoke in a deep and serious voice. Logically speaking, now that the Groudon and Kyogre incident had come to a close, they should begin the reckoning afterward.
Every participant who had been involved in awakening Groudon and Kyogre was to be arrested. Naturally, Lucas and Zinnia were among them. But…
Leaving aside the fact that Lucas had just now subdued Rayquaza, even if he had not, merely Lucas and Zinnia together would be far too difficult for the three of them to capture. What's more, N now could be considered half on Lucas's side…
Furthermore, regardless of what had transpired, though there had been a deal involved, the truth remained that Lucas had indeed managed to delay Groudon and Kyogre for a considerable time.
Yes, with such a pretext in place, the three of them tacitly refrained from making a move.
"If I were to join the League, then many things would no longer be fun." Lucas arched his brow, speaking in a casual and leisurely manner.
"Not fun?" Steven was puzzled.
"Of course. The power of the Pokémon League is far too great. If the opponent in a confrontation is crushed one-sidedly, then where would there be any meaning in that?" The smile at Lucas's lips slowly deepened further.
Though these words might sound odd when heard alone, Steven, Cynthia, and Wallace were all people of great intelligence. With but a little reflection, they instantly understood Lucas's meaning.
And it was precisely because they understood that they felt it all the more unbelievable.
"All this merely to amuse yourself, you would go so far as to join Team Rocket?" Wallace's brows furrowed tightly. This was absurd to the extreme!
"Power—such a thing is something ordinary people can only yearn for without hope, yet for me, it is as easy as lifting a hand." Lucas neither confirmed nor denied, but if one were to say it was merely for his own amusement, then it was not exactly incorrect either.
Perhaps this was the lament of a true genius.
"Every person must always have a goal in life. But when a man can so easily accomplish what the world regards as dreams, then that man's life itself becomes monotonous and dull. Therefore, upon that foundation, is it not good to find something that can at least bring pleasure to one's emotions? For so-called life, is it not meant to be full of variety and color?" Lucas spoke faintly.
The dreams and goals of ordinary trainers were things that for him could be grasped at will, and in a sense this was not so much fortunate as it was stifling.
Indeed, having too much talent is never simply a blessing.
Unlike Red, Lucas had no desire to spend his life in monotonous training, ever climbing toward the summit. Such a trainer's life was far too dull.
"So, your so-called colorful life is built upon the harm inflicted on others? Acting in this way, you will shatter the existing order."
Steven's expression became extremely heavy as he spoke. This was madness—just because his life was uninteresting, he sought things that amused himself?
"Those are words I cannot agree with. Do not speak of it so gravely. And besides, this so-called order—has it ever truly existed?" Lucas chuckled softly, a calm and quiet laughter.
"Well then~ continuing to argue with you is pointless, for you will never understand. I only hope that the next time we meet, it will be upon an even better battlefield."
With a shrug, Lucas tossed a Poké Ball, from which a blood-winged Salamence emerged.
"My friends, goodbye~"
As the farewell rang out, the three of them—Steven, Wallace, and Cynthia—watched the departing figure in silence, saying nothing at all.
The good mood born of the end of the Groudon and Kyogre incident had at this moment utterly vanished.
"Notify the Indigo League. As of now, Lucas has become even stronger. Let them be prepared."
Cynthia rubbed her brow with a trace of fatigue. Though she knew she should not think this way, at the very least at this moment she felt some small relief that Lucas was not a native of Sinnoh.
If her own region had within it such a willful existence who acted entirely upon his own whim, she truly would not know what to do.
"Mm. And thank you very much for your help this time, Champion Cynthia." Wallace nodded, offering sincere thanks.
Although in the final battle Cynthia had not contributed much, simply remaining with them and facing Kyogre and Groudon together had already made both Steven and Wallace very grateful.
"In the future, if ever you and Wallace have need of my assistance, Champion Cynthia, you need only tell us." Steven also spoke with genuine sincerity.
"There is no need for such courtesy. As fellow Champions of the League, to help one another is only natural. Moreover, I did not truly do much at all." Cynthia shook her head gently with a faint smile.
All three of them tacitly avoided speaking of Lucas any further, for the truth was…
They had not the slightest means to deal with that man.
And besides, Hoenn and Sinnoh were not even his permanent regions of residence.
Yes, the ones who should truly have headaches now would be the Indigo League, not them.
Meteor Falls—this was a rather famous wild location in the Hoenn region.
It was said that Meteor Falls had been formed long ago when a great meteorite came crashing down, carving out an enormous cavern.
And now, Lucas and his companions had arrived at Meteor Falls.
Yes, Lucas had agreed to Zinnia's invitation, and thus had come to Meteor Falls.
As for N, Lucas had sent him alone back toward Kanto, for at the moment that boy was not needed.
Entering into the cavern of Meteor Falls, riding upon their Pokémon as they scaled the mighty waterfall, the four of them soon reached the deepest part of Meteor Falls.
And there, a village came into view before their eyes.
"How amazing! All these years, you have always lived here? And no outsiders have ever discovered you?"
Green looked around with great curiosity. Who could have imagined that beyond scaling such a vast waterfall, there would actually be such a hidden scene?
"Yes, this has been our ancestral land for more than two thousand years. From what my grandmother has told me, although occasionally there have been travelers who managed to cross the waterfall and arrive in Meteor Village—
for those wanderers, we have always treated them with warmth and hospitality. After all, our seclusion is merely a way of living hidden away, not because of some secret that must never see the light of day."
Zinnia's face was filled with a bright smile, for clearly she was very happy to be returning to her home.
And indeed, the Draconid People were not some clan that must forever hide in shadows; they simply chose not to participate in the affairs of the outside world.
"Come, I will take you to meet my grandmother."
With that, Zinnia led the way at the very front, calling to the other three.
Although the Draconid People were all dragon-type specialists, they showed no hostility toward these outsiders; instead, along the way, they watched Lucas and his companions with curious gazes.
"There do not seem to be too many people here," Lucas remarked as his eyes swept around.
The entire Meteor Village was not particularly large. Roughly estimating, there were perhaps only a dozen or so households.
"But their strength should not be weak."
Lucas pondered for a moment. Though their numbers were few, he could faintly perceive that the strength of these Draconid People was certainly not low.
The weakest among them was likely at least an Elite trainer. But then, that made sense—after all, Meteor Falls was famed alongside Mount Silver and Mount Coronet as one of the great wild adventure sanctuaries.
The wild Pokémon here were all of high level, and in such an environment, it was only natural that the Draconid People's strength would not be weak.
(End of Chapter)