Lance did not respond immediately. If Lucas truly agreed to join the League, then letting him deal with Giovanni however he wished would not be an issue at all.
It wasn't even an unreasonable condition.
From Lance's personal perspective, he couldn't clearly say which mattered more between Giovanni and Lucas. He despised Giovanni from the bottom of his heart but when it came to Lucas...
His feelings were far more complicated.
"Madam Agatha, I must admit, you certainly play your cards well," Lucas narrowed his eyes slightly.
Come to think of it, this was probably the first time someone had ever tried to manipulate him like this.
"But I have no intention of selling myself just to save someone else." His voice was calm, steady, and unhurried as he spoke.
"Besides, I don't believe you people could stop us anyway. Eight champion level trainers… still aren't enough."
As his lips curved into a faint smile, Lucas swept his gaze across everyone present. His tone wasn't mocking or arrogant—it carried only the serene confidence of someone who spoke a simple truth.
"Hmph! Still as conceited as ever."
Lance snorted coldly, his expression darkening. Lucas's words made it abundantly clear—he wasn't putting any of them in his eyes!
"What a cocky young man. You'll regret your arrogance soon enough."
Agatha's murky, aged eyes flickered with a sharp light. It had been a long time since anyone had dared to look down on her like this.
"It seems today, I'll finally get to witness the true might of the so-called White Dragon Trainer."
Her raspy voice echoed ominously. Clearly, Lucas had no intention of compromising.
If that was the case, then words were meaningless—they could only fight.
To let him take Giovanni away right under their noses would make the entire Pokémon League a laughingstock.
The title of "Legendary Trainer" might carry prestige, but even a legendary trainer couldn't simply defy the League itself!
"Be careful, Red. This guy's even stronger than Giovanni," Blue muttered in a low voice, his eyes narrowing.
Giovanni had been powerful, yes but he'd ultimately fallen after being ganged up on by all of them.
Lucas, however… Blue wasn't so confident. According to the intelligence they'd gathered, Lucas had at least three legendary Pokémon at his command.
At least!
And even beyond that, his ace team was absurdly powerful. That shiny Dragonair of his alone had once crushed Blue's own Mega Blastoise in a head-on fight.
"I know," Red said grimly, nodding slightly.
Of course he knew.
He had been undefeated since his debut two years ago, yet his worst defeat—his only crushing loss had come aboard the S.S. Anne, courtesy of none other than Lucas.
Noticing how Red, Leon, and the others' expressions were tightening, the tension in the air thickened palpably. Lucas's faint smile deepened.
"Heh… I've already tasted hardship, so you needn't worry, Madam Agatha."
"Still, I came prepared this time. Let's make this a fitting curtain call for Saffron City."
With a flick of his wrist, two minimized Poké Balls expanded in his hand. He tossed them high into the air.
"Prepare for battle!"
At his command, both Poké Balls burst open midair.
"ROOOAAAR!"
A thunderous dragon's roar split the sky. A serpentine dragon, its scales gleaming with a dark crimson sheen, unfurled across the clouds—Rayquaza.
Its majestic golden eyes swept downward, exuding a divine, oppressive aura that filled the battlefield with awe.
"NECROOO!"
A second cry echoed—a pitch-black crystalline Pokémon descended beside Lucas, faint rainbow lights pulsing across the facets of its body as it scanned its surroundings.
Necrozma.
The very air seemed to grow heavier. An overwhelming pressure, suffocating and divine, spread across the arena.
"Another unfamiliar Pokémon… and—so it is Rayquaza after all," Agatha murmured, her old eyes narrowing as she observed both legends. Her gaze lingered on Necrozma for a moment before shifting to the skyborne dragon above.
The League's higher-ups had long been aware that Lucas had captured a Rayquaza.
During the Hoenn incident, Steven, Wallace, and Cynthia had been there in person and they had all witnessed with their own eyes as Lucas subdued the Sky High Pokémon.
However…
"A red Rayquaza?!" Blue's eyes widened in shock.
Not just a Rayquaza—but a shiny Rayquaza!
What the hell?!
This guy—what, did he save the planet in his past life or something? It was already ridiculous that he had so many legendaries, but now even his legendaries were shiny?!
Steven furrowed his brow deeply. Wait… something wasn't right. He clearly remembered that the Rayquaza Lucas caught had been a normal one, not shiny!
"Only two?" Lance scoffed. "Even if they're legendaries, they're not invincible! Lucas, you're too arrogant."
He glared coldly at Rayquaza, his love for Dragon-types evident in his eyes. He knew exactly how strong Rayquaza was—but today, even a legend would bow before the League!
After all, hadn't they just defeated a top-tier legendary moments ago?
"Arrogant?" Lucas chuckled softly. "Dear Cousin, you have no idea what the power of a legend truly means."
As he spoke, the curve of his lips took on an almost eerie sharpness.
"Rayquaza!"
"Necrozma!"
At once, Rayquaza's roar echoed through the heavens as its massive body erupted in radiant light—Mega Evolution!
Meanwhile, Necrozma's dark crystalline armor began to disassemble, its fragments floating outward before latching onto the body of the waiting Lunala.
The Moone Pokémon hesitated, clearly reluctant but it was Lucas's command. And he had assured it that Necrozma would not absorb its light or life energy this time.
With that reassurance, Lunala had no choice but to comply.
The onlookers' expressions tensed.
"What… is that?" Steven's voice was grave.
Mega Rayquaza!
And that black Pokémon—was it… fusing with Lunala?
It was obvious this was no ordinary transformation.
"Things just got… much worse," Cynthia muttered under her breath, her lips pressed tightly together. She and Steven had witnessed the might of Mega Rayquaza before—its overwhelming, almost divine power.
"ROOOAAAR!"
The blinding light faded, revealing a now colossal and even more intimidating Mega Rayquaza. Its serpentine form glimmered with celestial light, and every movement exuded unstoppable power.
Simultaneously, Necrozma's crystalline body fully merged with Lunala's. With a flash of radiant light—
Necrozma: Dawn Wings Forme!
"Wait—what?! They fused?!" Even Leon, who had seen countless incredible Pokémon, was stunned.
A fusion between two legendaries?!
That was Lunala—the revered emissary of the moon from Alola! A being worshipped as a divine protector, on par with Zacian and Zamazenta in Galar.
And now it had fused with that pitch-black creature!
"Mega Rayquaza and that fused Necrozma… this guy is terrifying," Blue muttered, his brows knit tightly.
He had underestimated him again.
Rayquaza was already an immensely powerful top-tier legendary but now it had Mega Evolved! And as for that Necrozma fused with Lunala… it defied reason.
Good grief… was he really about to get schooled again?
"Well then," Lucas said softly, standing calmly beneath his two radiant legends, "shall we begin?"
"It's just a couple of legends! Do you think we're afraid of you?"
Lance's face darkened, but his pride refused to waver. He was the Champion of Indigo—he wouldn't back down now!
"Lucas, today, you're not leaving here!"
"Draco Meteor!"
Without hesitation, Lance struck first. Legends or not, he'd fought them before—he knew fear wasn't in his vocabulary!
Dragonite and both Dragonairs roared in unison. Two glowing orbs, miniature stars rose high into the air before crashing down like a meteor storm.
A sky full of blazing comets descended upon Lucas's side.
"Charizard, Fire Blast!"
"Dragapult, Dragon Rush!"
Leon followed immediately.
His Charizard X took to the air, unleashing a massive "大"-shaped pillar of fire toward Necrozma, while Dragapult charged toward Mega Rayquaza in a blazing streak of energy.
"Photon Geyser," Lucas said lightly.
Dawn Wings Necrozma rose gracefully, the tips of its wings glowing with countless golden sparks.
Then, with a shriek that split the air, an enormous golden beam of light shot straight toward Dragapult—
not where it was, but precisely where it would be.
"Dragapult!" Leon's pupils shrank.
There was no time to dodge.
Seeing that, Dragapult didn't hesitate. Instead, it accelerated—meeting the beam head-on!
BOOM!
The two attacks collided violently, but in less than an instant, Dragapult's draconic aura shattered under the overwhelming force of the golden light.
A thunderous explosion rippled across the battlefield.
Leon's eyes widened in disbelief as Dragapult plummeted like a broken kite, crashing heavily into the ground.
The battlefield fell silent—eerily, completely silent.
Leon stared at his fallen Dragapult. This… this couldn't be real.
Dragapult was one of his most trusted partners, second only to his ace Charizard. It had lost before—but only after brutal, drawn-out battles, like the one he'd once fought against Lance himself.
But this?
"One move…" Blue whispered in shock, sucking in a sharp breath. "He took down Leon's Dragapult in one move?!"
Sure, Dragapult hadn't been in peak condition after the earlier battle with Giovanni—but even so, it shouldn't have been that fragile!
That fuse form of Necrozma and Lunala was monstrously powerful!
"Dragon Tail."
Lucas didn't even glance at the fallen Dragapult. His eyes shifted toward Mega Rayquaza.
"ROAAAAR!"
Rayquaza's tail shimmered with draconic light before sweeping forward in a flash, shattering Charizard X's Fire Blast like it was nothing.
Then, with a rumbling growl, it retaliated with a single, blinding beam of draconic energy aimed straight at Leon's Charizard.
"Aggron, Flash Cannon!"
"Togekiss, Aura Sphere!"
Snapping back into focus, Steven and Cynthia quickly issued their commands.
Aggron roared, firing a gleaming metallic beam toward Rayquaza, while Togekiss formed a radiant Aura Sphere and launched it alongside.
Rayquaza didn't even bother to dodge.
It simply looked at them with mild disinterest—as though their attacks weren't even worth avoiding.
BOOM!
Both attacks struck dead-on, exploding in bright flashes of light.
"They hit?!" Steven and Cynthia both froze, momentarily stunned.
They'd only meant to probe its defenses, but somehow, their attacks had connected.
Yet…
When the smoke cleared, Rayquaza hadn't moved an inch. Not even its eyelids flickered.
Steven: "…"
Cynthia: "…"
…Not even a scratch?
"You two…" Lucas said dryly, lips curling in amusement. "Are you giving Rayquaza a massage?"
"You can use a bit more force. My Rayquaza doesn't mind a little pain."
He said it with such nonchalance that it almost sounded sincere.
Steven: "…"
Cynthia: "…"
Yeah.
They were definitely giving it a massage.
(End of Chapter)