What does it mean to be a Champion among the Elite Four truly represent?
It represented the strongest individual in the entire region.
It was the position countless trainers dreamed of attaining. Even those who were currently traveling like Blue and Red had set that very same goal for themselves:
to one day become the Champion of Indigo's Elite Four.
Lucas lowered his gaze slightly, looking at the document in his hands. As long as he agreed—just sign his name—and he would immediately become the Champion of Indigo League.
Within the entire Indigo League, aside from Chairman Loki, there would be no one whose status surpassed his.
Loki's clouded eyes were fixed upon Lucas, filled with anticipation. As long as Lucas agreed to take the position of Indigo Champion…
Indigo League would rise again.
"Champion, huh…"
Lucas finally lifted the document, but after a long moment, he simply smiled faintly and gently shook his head. Pushing the papers back across the table toward Loki, he said softly:
"I'm truly sorry, Chairman. I don't think I'm suited to bear that responsibility."
Yes—he refused.
"Why? Lucas… I can't imagine a position more fitting for you than this one."
Loki's eyes dimmed with disappointment. Even though he had known from the beginning that the odds were low, he still couldn't stop himself from hoping.
The title of Indigo Champion was the most prestigious among all regional champions.
And to Loki, there was absolutely no one more suitable than this legendary trainer sitting before him.
"Perhaps that's true," Lucas replied lightly, "but Chairman, everyone has their own calling in life. I do not enjoy a life where I'm bound in place."
That was the truth.
Lucas had always lived with one guiding principle:
Do as he pleased.
Unless he wanted to shoulder something himself, he never willingly invited troublesome matters into his life.
Yes, the Indigo Champion held tremendous authority and status—but at the same time, what came with that position was far too heavy a burden.
Even if he and Loki set clear boundaries beforehand, what would be the point? Once he occupied that seat, many things would no longer be dictated by his personal will.
And even if Loki was willing to give him leeway—
what about the future elites of the Indigo League?
What about the people of Kanto and Johto?
A Champion who loafed around all day, wandering from place to place, living freely without performing his duties—even if Lucas's strength was unquestionable, criticism would inevitably pour in from every direction.
Lucas didn't care about outsiders' opinions—but being openly slandered when he hadn't done anything wrong?
For what reason?
And if he retaliated and taught those people a lesson, the backlash and accusations would only multiply.
Lucas had absolutely no interest in any of that.
"No one can restrain you, and you know that yourself," Loki said helplessly.
"Yes, but this position, no matter how freely I wish to live—is not something that can be justified simply with strength. I truly do not enjoy a lifestyle where someone always criticize me for not doing enough."
Lucas once again refused gently. He understood Loki's sincerity—but sincerity was not enough to resolve certain things.
Loki pressed his lips together and let out a helpless, soundless sigh.
It was, as he expected, a failure.
"…Although I cannot join the Indigo League personally," Lucas said after a moment, "if you're willing, Chairman, I can recommend two candidates for the Elite Four."
Noticing the disappointment in the chairman's eyes, Lucas turned his gaze toward the pond not far away, where Mew and Lugia were playfully splashing each other. Their laughter brought a rare liveliness to the quiet garden.
"Please, go on," Loki replied, surprised. Although Lucas would not join the League, obtaining two strong Elite Four recommendations was still valuable.
"There were originally three," Lucas continued, "but the third will likely cause significant controversy. I'm sure you've already contacted Red and Blue as well."
"These two… both have history with me. As long as you extend the invitation, Chairman, I doubt either of them would refuse becoming part of the Indigo Elite Four."
He pushed two personal information sheets across the table.
Loki quietly picked them up and scanned them.
A young man.
A young woman.
Their names—N and Zinnia.
"…Would you mind telling me the identity of your third candidate?" Loki asked after a moment.
N—trainer of the legendary Black Dragon, former king of the Unova organization "Team Plasma," and once pursued by Lance.
Zinnia—the Lorekeeper of the Draconid people, former member of Hoenn's Team Magma, and someone who once fought the former Hoenn Champion, Steven Stone, to a standstill.
Their strengths were undeniable.
In fact, either of them, in pure combat ability, could rival, if not surpass Agatha.
However… both had criminal histories. N's went without saying. And Zinnia had been one of the culprits responsible for awakening the ancient legends Kyogre in Hoenn.
Then again…
So was Lucas.
Though Zinnia had lived quietly and responsibly ever since.
Loki was also quite curious about Lucas's "third" recommendation.
"Karen. Team Rocket Executive Karen. I believe Chairman, you should already know her strength. In terms of personal combat power, she is stronger than both Lorelei and Bruno."
Lucas introduced her casually.
Loki: "…"
Good lord.
Of course—what else could he expect?
People who came from evil organizations really did have spectacular networks.
Three Champion-level trainers.
Each with a background darker than the last.
"Lucas… you…" Loki could only let out a bitter smile. Their strength was unquestionable, but…
"Chairman," Lucas said calmly, "people's thoughts and convictions can change. Yes, they may have walked in darkness, may have done things that the League considers wrong—but even so… people can still seek the light."
"And the ones I've recommended—they are changing."
Loki inhaled slowly, silently. His eyes dropped back to the two dossiers in his hands.
And the truth was…
Right now, Indigo desperately needed overwhelming strength to deter future threats.
"…Can Karen be trusted?" he asked at last. N and Zinnia had both behaved themselves for months now—but Karen? She hadn't even publicly left Team Rocket yet.
"She and Team Rocket merely had a transactional relationship. Strictly speaking, she was never truly loyal to them," Lucas replied lightly.
"…Let's put Karen aside for now. The current candidates are already sufficient."
After some thought, Loki decided to observe Karen further before considering her.
Besides— Indigo had enough valid choices for now.
"Chairman, I heard that Kanto still hasn't found suitable replacements for several Gym Leaders, correct?"
"That's right. Do you have a recommendation, Lucas?"
"That, I do not. But you do."
Lucas has no suitable Gym Leader candidates to recommend to Chairman Loki, although Marie and Green are both very suitable candidates.
But he didn't want to send out his two cute companions out.
"You mean…?"
Loki's aging mind was still sharp.
"Yes. Lt. Surge and Koga should still be in League custody, correct? They were excellent Gym Leaders once."
"But Lucas, both are Team Rocket executives and with Giovanni and Johto's Team Rocket still active—"
Loki's tone made his refusal clear.
He could accept N and Zinnia.
But not Lt. Surge and Koga. Not with Team Rocket still alive and stirring.
"I was a Rocket executive once too, Chairman. I know them well. Those two are not inherently bad people."
Lucas's tone remained patient.
"Lt. Surge and Koga were loyal only to Giovanni, not to Team Rocket itself. Giovanni had shown them kindness once—that is the only reason they followed him."
"And after the battle in Saffron City, they've already repaid that debt in full. If you speak to them yourself, Chairman, I believe you may persuade them."
Koga and Surge weren't evil. Sabrina wasn't either.
They followed Giovanni, not Team Rocket.
They weren't the sort to betray their word. If they agreed to reform, they would never help Giovanni again.
And Giovanni, knowing their personalities, wouldn't force them either.
This was, in truth, for their own good as well.
"…I will consider it."
Loki frowned, troubled.
He didn't want to use them. But Kanto lacked qualified replacements. Saffron City was currently overseen by Sabrina's father, but Celadon, Fuchsia, and Vermilion still had no successors.
Koga's daughter, Janine, wanted to inherit Fuchsia Gym, but her father's arrest had drawn League scrutiny onto her as well.
Still… since Lucas said it, it was worth a try.
After speaking a while longer, Loki eventually departed.
Night fell.
In the familiar garden pavilion, Lucas lit a cigarette, leaning back calmly.
Footsteps echoed behind him—approaching slowly, stopping just at his back.
"You really caused quite a commotion, you know."
Lucas turned his head slightly, a playful smile tugging at his lips as he looked over the newcomer.
"It's been a while, hasn't it, Cousin~?"
Crimson hair like blood.
Dark eyes dimmed beneath its shadow.
A black cloak.
A tall, straight posture.
It was none other than Lance who had vanished from Indigo Plateau after his bloody resignation from the League.
"You're still as carefree as ever, Lucas."
Lance sat opposite Lucas, declining the offered cigarette, though Lucas simply poured him tea without fuss.
"Although we're cousins, this is probably the first time we've ever sat down and talked peacefully like this," Lucas joked.
Yes—though related by blood, from the very first moment they met, their positions had already been determined.
Lucas, the strongest executive of Team Rocket.
Lance, the Champion of the Indigo League.
Light and shadow.
Righteous and unlawful.
Complete opposites.
And now…
Lucas had left Team Rocket.
And Lance had left the League now labeled a terrorist by the Pokémon League itself.
Their positions were no longer enemies—but still worlds apart.
Perhaps fate really did enjoy playing pranks.
Lance's lips tightened as he looked at his cousin, faint ripples appearing in his otherwise cold eyes.
He had once tried to drag Lucas out of that "sewer." Now Lucas was the clean one—and Lance himself… was not.
"Originally, I was planning to challenge your world ranking sometime soon. What a shame," Lucas said with genuine regret.
He had gotten that idea after defeating Iris. But now? No chance.
"Hmph. Meaningless rankings."
Lance snorted coldly. From beginning to end, he had never once cared about that meaningless World Championship.
His "Number One" had always been hollow.
"Maybe so," Lucas shrugged. "But it kills time. And being worshipped by the masses isn't such a bad feeling."
He exhaled smoke lightly.
"So, tell me, Cousin—why did you ask me here tonight?"
Lance's gaze sharpened.
"Lucas… I was born in Viridian Forest. That forest raised me."
He spoke softly.
Yes—he'd grown up in the forest. That was why he loved nature and Pokémon fiercely.
"But many people simply don't understand the beauty of life. They never consider whether their actions hurt nature. They never care about how Pokémon feel. They use them recklessly—for experiments driven by nothing but greed."
His voice grew darker. His eyes colder.
"Just for their pointless desires and selfish hunger."
"Lucas… have you ever seen an Eevee strapped to a lab table, its limbs locked in place—its body forcibly injected with foreign genes? Have you seen it twist in agony as incompatible DNA tears its body apart—while it can do nothing but cry soundlessly?"
He didn't wait for Lucas's answer.
"And while it's dying, those people merely jot down notes, comparing data to the previous experiment. To them, it isn't a living being. It's not even a valuable test subject."
"People like that… deserve death."
Behind his blood-red hair, Lance's eyes gleamed with cold, murderous fury.
This was what he had seen in the surveillance of a Team Rocket lab he destroyed.
And this—this was why he hated Team Rocket to his very core.
Lucas frowned slightly—but didn't deny it.
It was cruel. Hard to face.
But it was the truth.
"Lucas… the world shouldn't be like this. People shouldn't be like this. Pokémon shouldn't be like this. Nature shouldn't be like this."
Those driven by greed.
Those Pokémon suffering on cold lab tables.
Those forests polluted and cut bare.
Nothing should be like this.
This world… could be so much more beautiful.
"Lucas… I need your help. Let's work together to change this rotten world."
Lance's voice was low, heavy with conviction.
Yes—
He wanted to change everything.
To remake the world he believed had become unbearably filthy.
(End of Chapter)