In the underground Rocket Team base beneath Goldenrod City—
BOOM!!
Another violent explosion rang out. The Dragonite's expression was dark and grim, completely lacking the silly and gentle image the public usually associated with the species. A massive bolt of Thunder struck forward, blasting apart the steel doors ahead.
Lance's crimson-red hair whipped around wildly in the raging gusts of wind, and his black cloak rustled sharply.
But from beginning to end, Lance's expression remained cold and shadowed.
"Giovanni! Get out here! You filthy rat hiding in the dark! I know you're in there!"
He glared at one of the corner security cameras, his voice icy and sharp.
Giovanni.
The source of all the Team Rocket's sins. Today, Lance was going to deal with him personally!
Bang!!
Inside a hidden control room, watching Lance's rampage through the monitors, Carr hurled the remote control to the ground with all his strength. It shattered instantly.
"Damn it! Are we really going to let this guy do whatever he wants in our base?!"
Carr ground his teeth, his fury twisting his expression into something distorted and ugly.
How arrogant could someone be?
Lance had barged into their Team Rocket base alone, obliterating everything in his path, walking through their territory as if nothing could stop him—because nothing could.
And the worst part was that they really couldn't stop him.
"The only one who can fight Lance is the boss…" Archer muttered, face equally sour. But what else could they do?
Were they supposed to personally go out there and challenge Lance to a battle?
Don't be ridiculous. Although Giovanni had defeated Lance at the Lake of Rage that one time, Lance's terrifying strength left a deep trauma in Archer's heart.
Only Giovanni could match Lance. Lucas had already left Team Rocket.
"I've already contacted the boss. He's on his way back."
"Tsk… damn it!"
Even so, watching Lance's Dragonite casually tear through the base on the surveillance screens made Carr's heart bleed.
This base was his painstaking creation!
Meanwhile, at Lance's location—
Whoosh!
A sharp whistle cut through the air, and Lance's twisted grin spread slightly.
Finally.
Dragonite rushed behind him, its claws glowing with a sharp blue light as they clashed hard against the incoming Twin Needle attack.
BOOM!!
A burst of impact exploded outward, forcing both Dragonite and Beedrill to retreat.
"So, you finally stopped hiding, huh? Rat."
Lance slowly turned around, coldly looking at the man who had just walked in.
"Truly a mad dog," Giovanni said calmly as he stepped forward. He wore a black bowler hat and glanced at the devastated surroundings with mild distaste. "Breaking into someone else's home while the owner is out… hasn't your parents taught you any manners?"
"Listen to yourself. Shameless sewer rat. Living underground so long that you've decided to call this place home?"
Lance scoffed with disdain. Then he tilted his head slightly, his shadowed eyes narrowing dangerously at Giovanni.
"But this works out perfectly. After I kill you, this underground pit can serve as your grave."
A rat should be buried underground, shouldn't it?
"No need for big talk. I let you off once because I was in a good mood. Did you really think I'd be that generous every time?" Giovanni replied coolly.
"Mewtwo."
At Giovanni's call, Mewtwo instantly materialized behind him.
"So, since you're so eager to die, I'll oblige you. Same place as last time."
Mewtwo's eyes glimmered with a deep blue glow—Teleport.
In a flash, Giovanni and Mewtwo vanished.
Lance's expression twisted into something utterly murderous. His breathing grew heavy.
That casual, superior tone Giovanni used… it brought back the humiliation of his defeat at Lake of Rage.
But soon his rage settled into something cold, sharp, and cruel. Beneath the sweep of his blood-red hair, his eyes gleamed like a demon's.
"I'm the one who wants to die? Rat… today I'll show you who the real dead man is!"
…
Lake of Rage
After the recent battle, the area had been sealed off for restoration. But today, the lake would once again welcome two familiar "guests."
Dragonite descended from the sky, and Lance leapt down from its back.
"You really took your time," Giovanni remarked. "By the way, I happened to see this morning that the Indigo League announced the new Elite Four lineup."
"What a surprise. And, as far as I know, your name appears quite prominently on the League's wanted list."
"Lance… Champion?"
Giovanni's smirk widened.
Lance stared coldly at him without reacting.
"Oh wait, that's right… you're no longer a Champion. That makes you…" Giovanni paused dramatically. "A stray dog? Yes, that fits you perfectly, I think."
"Even your master has abandoned you, Lance."
His calm, magnetic voice was pleasant to the ear—but the words themselves were knives.
Lance's eyes gleamed with chilling fury, yet moments later he smiled—a thin, icy curve.
"Interesting. A few days apart, and you're still just as disgusting as ever."
He pulled out a Poké Ball, his darkened eyes fixed on Giovanni.
"But it's fine. After I tear your mouth apart, we'll see how well you speak."
Lance's sharp, predatory grin flashed.
"Oh? I didn't expect that after a few days you'd be eager to experience defeat again," Giovanni replied lightly.
Lance's threats were nothing he hadn't heard before.
"You really thought I'd show up unprepared? Idiot," Lance sneered, seeing Giovanni's unchanging confidence.
Giovanni's gaze flickered ever so slightly.
"You're relying on your artificial monster Mewtwo… but I'll let you see with your own eyes…"
"How your Mewtwo gets crushed!"
Lance glanced coldly at Mewtwo. The last time they fought here, Giovanni's Mewtwo had utterly annihilated his Dragon Legion. The cause?
Mewtwo.
Lance hurled the Poké Ball with force. It burst open midair.
Instantly, even the air seemed to grow heavy.
"SCREEEEEE!!"
A razor-sharp, evil shriek tore through the sky as a colossal black creature unfurled enormous wings overhead.
The sunlight itself seemed to be devoured by the creature's pitch-black body. Dark, corrupted energy seeped from its form. Its crimson eyes radiated twisted malice.
Twisted. Evil. Abyssal.
A suffocating wave of terrifying divine pressure swept outward, crushing the very air—
And with it, a nauseating evil intent, so thick it made the soul recoil.
"Lugia? A shiny? No… not quite."
For the first time, Giovanni's expression changed.
A legendary.
This oppressive aura was unquestionably legendary-level.
And the creature resembled Lugia—almost identical to the Kanto legend in shape.
Except Lugia was white.
This one… was black.
And not like a normal shiny variant, either.
Even a shiny Pokémon's attributes and energy type would not change—but the aura coming off this Lugia was filled with pure malevolent darkness.
This was no Psychic/Flying-type.
This was an Dark-type Legendary Lugia.
A mutation?
Mewtwo's eyes narrowed, its body tensing. The pressure it felt from this being was nearly equal to what it sensed when it confronted the Mega Rayquaza and Necrozma at Saffron City.
"Shadow Lugia."
"I call it Shadow Lugia. Beautiful, isn't it?"
Lance tilted his chin proudly, savoring the change in Giovanni's face.
Mewtwo?
He now had Shadow Lugia.
Although controlling it currently required the power of eight Gym Badges—the evil intent radiating from Shadow Lugia was too violent. Lance had tried using his Viridian Power to communicate with it, but the moment he attempted to reach its mind, the overwhelming malice nearly shattered his own psyche.
But he couldn't wait any longer.
He needed Giovanni dead today.
And as long as the energy within the Badges allowed him to use Shadow Lugia, communication could wait until later.
"I see. So, you really have gone mad," Giovanni said after observing Shadow Lugia for a long moment. "You actually dare unleash a monster like that."
He too possessed the Viridian Power, and with one touch of his power he could sense it clearly—the mind of Shadow Lugia was almost entirely composed of pure malice.
It wasn't even a proper Pokémon at this point.
It was a monster, no different from the forced fusion of the three birds created during the Saffron incident—held in check only by Sabrina's power.
That Lance, who despised the Team Rocket so passionately, would now control such an abomination—
It was nearly laughable.
And if Shadow Lugia ever slipped out of control… the consequences would be catastrophic.
"Shut your mouth, rat."
Lance's eyes darkened completely.
"You sound like you're sure you've won," Giovanni replied with a soft laugh.
Though the pressure was enormous, he refused to show weakness.
"Then let me see what your so-called Shadow Lugia can do."
"Mewtwo! Aura Sphere!"
And with that, Giovanni and Lance's third battle began.
…
Mahogany Town
For the residents, the past few days had been agonizing. Their once peaceful town had been shaken repeatedly by nearby battles—first a major fight at the Lake of Rage, and now something even worse.
The sky, once clear, had been swallowed by dark clouds, and horrifying shrieks echoed from the distance, sending waves of fear through the townspeople.
Old Pryce rolled his wheelchair out of the Mahogany Gym once more, his cloudy old eyes gazing far away.
In truth, despite his age, Pryce's body was far healthier than people assumed. He didn't truly need a wheelchair at all.
But as he aged, he grew used to it—and it conveniently served as a disguise.
A Delibird swooped down from the sky, landing beside him, chirping twice.
"That is… Lugia?"
Pryce narrowed his eyes slightly upon hearing Delibird's report, then returned into the Gym.
Moments later, unseen by anyone, a figure wearing a long black cloak lifted off from behind the Gym, flying straight toward the Lake of Rage.
…
Back at the lake—
"Shadow Lugia, Dark Pulse!"
Floating coldly in the sky, Lance commanded sharply.
"SCREEEE—!"
Shadow Lugia's shrill cry echoed as a swirling mass of purple-black energy formed and shot toward Mewtwo.
"Aura Sphere!"
Mewtwo formed a blue sphere between its hands and fired it straight at the Dark Pulse.
Despite being super effective, the Aura Sphere lasted only moments before Dark Pulse crushed it utterly.
Mewtwo dodged, veering aside as the residual dark energy ripped through the sky.
"It really is insanely strong," Giovanni muttered with a frown.
Even after such a short exchange, the truth was obvious—
Mewtwo was a Psychic-type. Shadow Lugia, now a Dark-type completely countered it, and its raw power surpassed Mewtwo's.
Things were… slightly unfavorable.
At the edge of the battlefield, the cloaked figure landed silently. Beneath the grotesque ice mask, Pryce's old eyes widened.
It was Lugia, yes—but…
He was contemplating something serious.
If this mutant black Lugia had different DNA… would its feathers still work for making GS Balls?
If its genes were altered, and the feathers were unusable…
Then what?
"…Hmm."
This was genuinely troubling.
(End of Chapter)