Lucas's expression turned strange as he watched Giratina drag the struggling Palkia toward the Distortion World.
He didn't intervene. After all, when it came down to it, this whole mess truly was the fault of Dialga and Palkia. The Distortion World was Giratina's home turf—if someone trashed your house, wouldn't you be furious too?
Besides, what right did he have to stop Giratina from taking revenge on Palkia?
If he stepped in rashly, Giratina might just turn its resentment toward him instead.
Still, Lucas believed Giratina would know its limits. Arceus's awakening shouldn't be far off now, and the powers of the two space time deities—Dialga and Palkia—would undoubtedly be needed for that.
So Giratina wouldn't go too far with Palkia. But there was no doubt Palkia would suffer a bitter lesson.
"ROoaaarrr!"
Half of Palkia's body had already sunk into the swirling void of the Distortion World. It roared in panic again and again, but no matter how loud it screamed, it was useless.
In the end, Giratina completely dragged Palkia into the Distortion World.
A free one-day tour of the Distortion World, huh…
"That's what happens when you react a second too slow."
Lucas turned to Mega Rayquaza and pointed at the slowly closing vortex of the Reverse World, lecturing in a serious tone.
Both Dialga and Palkia were Giratina's targets, but Dialga had been the first to flee—fast as lightning!
"Hmp~." Mega Rayquaza rolled its eyes before dismissing its Mega Evolution form.
"Human, you're taking me to get recolored again. This looks absolutely hideous."
The dragon lowered its head to glance at the green streak running along its midsection. The more it looked, the more displeased it became. That bright green felt so low-class.
As a proud and noble Rayquaza, how could it tolerate wearing such an ugly color scheme?
It had clearly forgotten the line it once said with conviction: 'This emerald hue is the proud, noble color of our Rayquaza lineage!'
Now, it was naturally saying, 'This green looks damn ugly.'
"Relax. I said I'd let you recolor yourself, and I don't go back on my word. You did great today, so pick any color you want."
Lucas waved his hand magnanimously. Yes—consider it a reward for this "shiny dragon" who'd finally learned the meaning of "the finishing touch."
Below, Green and the others who had just arrived could only stare speechlessly.
Recoloring? Pick any color you want?
What kind of nonsense was this supposed to be?!
"Everything's settled now. The misunderstanding between Palkia and Dialga has also been resolved."
Landing beside Reshiram, Lucas smiled at Sheena as he spoke.
After all, he was here to help.
"Thank you so much, Mr. Lucas. We're truly grateful for your assistance."
Sheena's delicate features lit up with relief as she bowed deeply in gratitude.
She was a kind-hearted person. Not only did she owe much to Cynthia, but she also couldn't bear to see Alamos Town's residents caught up in the devastating clash between Palkia and Dialga.
That was something she absolutely didn't want to happen.
And without Lucas's intervention, no one would have been able to stop the two space time gods' rampage.
"Thank you as well for your help this time."
Cynthia approached, her voice sincere. Whatever their affiliations, this time Lucas had undeniably saved them.
"There's no need for all the formalities," Lucas said with a faint laugh, shrugging casually. "Even if you thank me like that, I'm not about to renounce evil and join the side of justice."
He smirked slightly. When it came time to stir up trouble, he'd never gone soft.
"Besides, I mainly came here to find a good opponent for Rayquaza. That alone made this trip worthwhile."
With that, Lucas recalled Rayquaza into its Poké Ball, smiling in satisfaction.
Sheena could only stand there speechless. Yes, we know you're part of an evil organization, but could you not say that in front of the League Champion and League Officials? Please have some self-awareness!
Cynthia's beautiful face betrayed no emotion, while beside her, Officer Jenny eyed Lucas curiously.
As the Sinnoh region's Officer Jenny, she'd long heard rumors of a "legendary-level Team Rocket operative" from Indigo—but this was her first time seeing him in person.
And honestly…
From his appearance and demeanor, Lucas didn't look evil at all.
"With your strength, Mr. Lucas, you could easily live under a much better identity."
Cynthia pursed her lips slightly, speaking with rare seriousness.
Lucas smiled faintly at her words, ones he'd heard far too many times before.
"There's no need to say more, Miss Cynthia. Everyone has their own way of life and the ideals they chase. For now, I'm simply not interested in the League."
He replied softly. In the past, the old Lucas would've snapped back with something like, 'I've heard that line so often my ears are calloused.'
But the current Lucas was different—his edges had grown smoother; his temper, calmer.
"I just hope that the next time we meet under different circumstances, Miss Cynthia, you won't hold back," Lucas said with a light smile.
The implication was clear—the next time they crossed paths, they might stand as enemies.
"I will never allow anyone to harm the innocent."
Cynthia's tone hardened after a pause. As Sinnoh's Champion, she bore the duty of protecting the people. She could never allow anyone to destroy their homes or hurt those under her care.
Cynthia's worldview was firm. Her feelings toward Lucas were complicated—because truthfully, nothing he'd done so far could be strictly called evil.
At Michina, he'd captured Cyrus; in Hoenn, he'd stopped Groudon and Kyogre; and now, he'd ended the conflict between Dialga and Palkia.
But was Lucas a good person?
Cynthia knew very well—he wasn't.
He had stopped Cyrus only because Cyrus stood in his way. He stopped Groudon and Kyogre because N had sold himself to him, and Groudon and Kyogre's awakening had been orchestrated by Lucas and Zinnia in the first place.
He'd come to Alamos Town not to save the day—but simply because Rayquaza wanted a worthy opponent.
Lucas's motives had always been crystal clear—he was a conscious, pragmatic egoist.
"Even if I'm not your match, I'll still fight with everything I have."
Cynthia's voice was resolute. If Lucas ever turned his strength toward harming innocents, she would become his enemy without hesitation.
She understood that perfectly. The only reason Lucas hadn't caused true chaos yet… was because he hadn't seen sufficient benefit in doing so.
"That's exactly how a Champion should sound," Lucas chuckled. "Well then, until next time—bye bye, everyone~."
He turned away, no longer interested in lingering, and climbed onto Reshiram's back.
The white dragon spread its wings, carrying Lucas, Green, and Marnie away from Alamos Town.
"To think someone that powerful is a member of Team Rocket… what a shame."
Watching the white dragon's figure fade into the horizon, Officer Jenny sighed in genuine regret.
If Lucas ever decided to turn away from evil, who in the world could possibly stand against his might?
But perhaps that was the real problem—what could the League even do about someone like him?
"Don't worry too much," Sheena said after a moment's thought. "Mr. Lucas said himself that he's temporarily not interested in the League. Maybe one day he really will leave Team Rocket."
She didn't share Jenny's heavy concerns. She wasn't part of the League and didn't wear its tinted glasses.
To her, while Lucas's first impression had once been questionable, today's reunion had left her with a far better opinion of him.
Besides, Lucas was now her most important potential ally against Arceus—how could she not feel a bit biased in his favor?
And really, just because someone belonged to a "bad" organization—did that automatically make them bad?
Of course not. That kind of thinking was precisely what "colored lenses" represented.
"I hope you're right," Jenny muttered, giving Sheena a side glance. Was this Michina's guardian naïve or just pretending to be?
"He'll leave Team Rocket when he loses interest"? If he really was that capricious, didn't that make him even more dangerous?
After spending a day relaxing in Veilstone City, Lucas and his group finally returned to Kanto.
Upon arrival, Lucas's first stop was Goldenrod City's Dye Workshop.
Yes—Rayquaza had been complaining for an entire day about how ugly its colors looked.
So, the first thing Lucas did was toss the dragon straight into Jack's Dye Studio and tell it to pick its own color.
Three days later, time passed in the blink of an eye.
That day, an emissary from the Aether Foundation arrived in Kanto's Route 060 to meet Lucas. He didn't refuse—he was curious about their intentions.
It would also be the perfect opportunity to visit Ultra Space.
After all, ever since Necrozma had its light stolen by the people of Ultra Megalopolis, it had been sealed away within that dimension.
At full power, Ultra Necrozma was officially described as a being that "surpasses all previous legends."
Its strength was beyond imagination—but earning its acknowledgment would not be easy.
Necrozma's past was, in truth, remarkably similar to Arceus's. It had once been kind and compassionate, a bringer of light to humanity.
The world of Ultra Megalopolis had known light only because of Necrozma's radiance.
But humanity, driven by greed, coveted its power—and so they stole its light.
Deprived of its light, Necrozma lost its power and was plunged into endless agony.
Likewise, Ultra Megalopolis lost its illumination and its vitality—the world itself began to wither in darkness.
But what could they do then? Return Necrozma's power? Did they dare?
Stripped of light and wracked with pain, Necrozma had become uncontrollably violent. How could the people of Ultra Megalopolis risk releasing that fury back upon themselves?
Their only choice was to seal Necrozma away.
"Greed truly is the root of all evil," Lucas murmured, recalling the story of Ultra Megalopolis with a faintly mocking smile.
As he waited for the Aether emissary's arrival, he casually pulled out his phone, opened the Pokémon League's official website, and downloaded a newly released app.
The World Ranking Tournament Rankings.
Yes—the global leaderboard, compiled from every registered Trainer's data, had finally been made public.
Lucas tapped it open with keen interest. He wanted to see—
Who exactly was the current number one Trainer in the world?
(End of Chapter)