Bro, do you even know what you're talking about?
Lucas quietly shifted his seat further away. With what Lysandre had just said, it was hard not to take it the wrong way.
Apparently, Lysandre realized his own words could be misinterpreted—he wasn't from Galar, after all.
Their previous battle hadn't established any real connection, and his plan to invite Lucas to the lab wasn't likely to go anywhere now. If he wanted to talk, it had to be now.
Lysandre understood very well—he couldn't force Lucas to join his organization. There was only one way: to explain his ideals, hoping Lucas would resonate with them.
He cleared his throat and got straight to the point, his gloved right hand resting in front of Lucas. "I want to keep this world at its most beautiful. I need you—your strength can help me sweep away all filth."
"I sincerely invite you to join my research institute."
He'd finally said it.
Lucas raised an eyebrow, feeling relieved.
Now that Lysandre had come out with it, it was much easier to refuse—no more worrying about lingering expectations.
This guy was just like Giovanni—maintaining a spotless public image, one that would be hard to tarnish even if someone tried to report him.
An ordinary person might think Lysandre just wanted to recruit people to fight evil. Who'd suspect he'd gone off the deep end, wanting to destroy the world and create a utopia?
Lucas never underestimated any league. If Lysandre could keep up such a good act in the Kalos League, he must be even more scheming and prepared than most.
Being targeted by someone like that was bad news. Best to shut this down early and sneak back to Paldea and his own little patch of land tomorrow.
Lucas didn't reach out. Instead, he gave off a lazy, disinterested vibe. "Sorry, I'm not really interested in what you're offering. Maybe you don't know, but I've retired as a trainer. No grand ambitions—just want to live quietly on my own land."
"Your offer's nice, but sorry—I have to decline."
Lucas's refusal caught Lysandre off guard. He didn't even get a chance to argue further.
But Lucas's attitude was firm. Lysandre knew he couldn't make any progress tonight. Without pressing the issue, he just left with a polite smile, saying Lucas was welcome at his lab anytime.
Lucas had a hunch Lysandre wasn't giving up yet.
Nothing much happened after the dinner, except Lucas gained a few new contacts in his phone.
For example, the famous superstar Diantha, Elite Four Drasna, and more.
Blaziken Mask Meyer also congratulated Lucas for winning the Mega Evolution Stone at the banquet, and the next day even challenged his Swampert to a battle.
Unfortunately, his Mega Blaziken didn't even get to see Swampert's mega evolution before it got knocked out with a single punch.
On the morning, Lucas's plane from Lumiose City landed in Levincia City. Standing once again on familiar ground, he took a deep breath and felt utterly at ease.
Here, he didn't have to worry about villains making trouble, nor about being watched by Lysandre. He could just live peacefully, interact with his Pokémon on the farm, and spar with the soon-to-be-enrolled students for fun.
Now this was the good life.
Since he'd bought dozens of boxes of Lumiose Galette, Lucas called out Oranguru and had it carry the gifts through Levincia City streets with psychic power.
Impressed by the convenience of Psychic Pokémon, Lucas visited Melancholy Bakery and Levincia Gym in turn, handing out the souvenirs to Melancholy and Iono.
Iono told him that Nemona had finished her gym challenge and immediately headed home, saying she wanted to process and absorb her two-week travel experience.
It was a good call by Nemona—three gyms in two weeks, and she wasn't arrogant or complacent. That deserved praise.
Compared to Nemona, it was unclear if Arven was stuck at the second gym or just got lazy and went home after finishing it. At least, Iono had no record of a trainer named Arven challenging her gym.
Before Lucas left, Iono specifically thanked him and asked him to also pass on her gratitude to Nemona.
Because Iono had edited the battle footage between Lucas and Nemona, blurred their faces, altered the voices, and added commentary based on Nemona's advice.
As a result, the video—with its slightly unusual Arcanine, high-quality battle, and Iono's witty commentary—became a minor hit, and Iono's follower count finally broke five digits.
However, there was a comment under the video that caught her attention.
Someone claiming to be Professor Oak expressed great interest in the unusual Arcanine and wanted to invite it and Lucas to Kanto.
Lucas had Iono show him the comment. Clicking into the account, he saw it was empty, with less than a month since registration.
Lucas immediately came to a conclusion: "Telecom scam. Don't believe it."
The real Professor Oak's account would definitely be verified. Scammers these days don't even bother to disguise themselves—what's the world coming to?
Iono could only regretfully delete the comment and block the account.
Too bad. She'd thought she'd gotten lucky and could work with the academic giant Professor Oak. With his influence, her follower count would've skyrocketed.
But Lucas had a point—scammers rely on that kind of wishful thinking.
After Lucas left, Iono took off her little Magnemite hair ornament and hugged it, muttering through gritted teeth, "Stupid fake Professor Oak! I won't be fooled by you again!"
After leaving Levincia Gym, Lucas didn't ride Dragonite. Instead, he hired a truck driver to take him and the gifts back to Los Platos Town.
The distance between Levincia City and Los Platos is actually quite far—not like the games where you can just fly there in a few screens.
Maybe Dragonite could make it fast, but by truck, it took almost an entire day.
By the evening, Los Platos Town came into view.