Cain and Lysandre remained inside the dream world for a long time.
But for those outside, only a few seconds had passed.
Even so, the aura emanating from Lysandre had completely changed.
He was no longer aggressive nor did he show any hostility toward Cain.
The two Pokémon beside Lysandre looked at him in confusion, unsure how to act. On the other side, Cain's Dragalge continued to emanate a terrifying pressure. They clearly stood no chance of winning.
"Kaelus, what do you say we go inside to talk?" Lysandre smiled politely.
Cain nodded silently.
He returned Dragalge to its Poké Ball. It had maintained its threatening presence long enough, and he didn't want to risk raising suspicions.
"Miiis~~"
Mismagius twirled around him, as if asking for praise.
Cain granted it through telepathic connection, enthusiastically complimenting her. He even gave her some candy as a reward, which she happily accepted.
Under Lysandre's guidance, Cain, Gengar, and Mismagius entered the core of the base: the most secret room in the underground laboratory.
"Kaelus, what must I do to achieve our goal? And what can I contribute to your cause?" Lysandre asked eagerly.
Cain couldn't help but think he had arrived at just the right moment—Lysandre was standing at a vital crossroads in his life. Otherwise, it would have been much harder to influence him.
He pretended to ponder for a moment.
Lysandre did not interrupt him.
"Find the Ultimate Weapon. Control Zygarde. Carry out the purification of the world," came his hoarse voice from beneath the dark cloak.
"The Ultimate Weapon? Zygarde?" Lysandre repeated, thoughtful.
"The Ultimate Weapon will give us the power to cleanse the world. Zygarde will be the force that supports our identity as purifiers," Cain explained.
In truth, these two goals were already the original aims of Team Flare. Cain had merely accelerated the timeline. Even without his intervention, Lysandre would have eventually pursued these same ends.
Though for now, there wasn't even a formal name for the organization.
At best, it was known as the underground group of Lysandre Labs.
Lysandre nodded slowly, showing full agreement with Cain's goals.
In the dream world, he had witnessed Zygarde's power—especially in its complete form. Its strength far surpassed that of Xerneas and Yveltal.
"But for now, we have no leads on either the Ultimate Weapon or Zygarde," Lysandre said.
Cain nodded.
"That's true. But there's no rush. The time hasn't come yet. The first thing you must do is give your organization a name and spread our ideology. It's essential that they align with us."
"You're right! But, Kaelus, without you I wouldn't have had this revelation. To say it's my organization feels a bit..."
Cain made a dismissive gesture.
"It's your organization. I only guide the path. I won't intervene too much in management or development. That's what I call cooperation."
With those words, the last spark of doubt in Lysandre's heart was extinguished.
"Then please, choose a name for our group."
The two sat down. Cain took a sip from the glass on the table before speaking: "The blazing flame we saw in the dream world was the attack of the Ultimate Weapon. What do you think of 'Team Flare'?"
"Team Flare...? Team Flare...? Team Flare!" Lysandre repeated, his eyes glowing with excitement. "That's the name! The flame that lights the world is the fire of purification. And we, Team Flare, are the first spark to ignite that fire!"
Cain, however, went silent for a moment.
So... I was the one who named Team Flare?
He laughed inwardly. He had simply seized an opportunity, a crack in something that was already inevitable. Even without his intervention, Lysandre would have eventually found Zygarde, uncovered the story from 3,000 years ago, and met the immortal king AZ. Team Flare was going to be born either way.
"Excellent! The name of our organization shall be Team Flare. I will be the leader, and you, Kaelus, will be the subchief of Team Flare and our spiritual leader. Your status will be above all executives," Lysandre declared, pounding the table to seal his decision.
Cain did not reject the position of subchief.
After all, he had already declined to take part directly in management. Being a nominal subchief posed no issue.
Besides, Lysandre would surely consult him on many matters in the future.
He couldn't forget: in the dream world, Cain had planted a seed in Lysandre's heart, which was now beginning to sprout.
"The defense of this base's computer system is far too weak. I'll help you reinforce it. Then, I'll leave here some information about the Ultimate Weapon and Zygarde. The rest is up to you," Cain said, standing up.
He wasn't strong enough yet. But when he was, he would return to be a subchief... for real.
"And this is an exclusive communicator. It can only be used to contact me. If you ever need anything, you can use this device," he added, leaving a specially prepared communicator on the table.
This device had a chip that prevented Cain's location from being tracked via signal. But at the same time, it included a locator designed by his personal system. As long as Lysandre carried it, Cain could always know where he was.
"Perfect. I'll order someone to escort you to our central computer control room," Lysandre said.
At that moment, a subordinate entered the room, bowed to Lysandre, and then respectfully to Cain as well.
Very soon, Team Flare would officially form. And Cain, as its subchief, would hold an extremely high status. Lysandre would undoubtedly introduce him with the respect he deserved.
Under the subordinate's guidance, Cain arrived at the base's central computer room, which would also become the technological core of the future Team Flare headquarters.
Meanwhile, Lysandre remained seated, deep in thought.
Cain nodded in satisfaction. Everything had become much simpler.
Dismissing everyone else in the room, he sat in front of the main console, placed his hands on the keyboard, and gave a command with a slight smile:
"System, initiate hacking. Install... the subsystem."
(End of chapter)