"Lance! You naturally evil man!"
The moment Giovanni uttered those words, Lance's face began to twitch uncontrollably, his eyes turning dark and cold.
"…What did you just say?"
His voice dropped to a chilling low, each word laced with dangerous intent.
He, Lance, was evil?
"You want me to say it again? You're an evil man."
Giovanni acted like he hadn't noticed the terrifying aura pouring off Lance, declaring his accusation with righteous fury.
So satisfying!! Giovanni was absolutely thrilled inside. Not long ago, it had been Lance who pointed fingers and called him a villain.
Giovanni didn't care about public opinion, but having his arch-nemesis hurl insults without a retort? That had always stung.
But things were different now. Entirely different.
He, Giovanni, was now the Head of the Elite Four. He was the law!
"Giovanni!!"
Lance's face was a mask of rage.
He had sacrificed everything for Pokémon and nature, for a better future—and now he was being called evil?
This man!
"You don't know what you're talking about."
But Lance quickly calmed his anger. His voice turned cold and composed as he stared down this middle-aged man in a suit.
A lowly, foolish Gym Leader wasn't worth his fury.
"Sounds like you're not taking this very well, Lance," Giovanni said, a mocking smirk curling his lips.
"You think you're the only 'chosen one'? The only one destined to save the world?"
He raised his right hand, green light glowing from his palm—a symbol of life and nature. Lance's expression flickered in surprise.
"The power of Viridian?"
There was no doubt. It was Viridian's power. Lance hadn't known Giovanni was a bearer of it.
No one had.
"The League trusted you, but you betrayed that trust, Lance. You turned your back on it for some self-indulgent crusade."
"You think that makes you noble?"
Giovanni's tone was flat.
"I'm doing this so Pokémon can live better lives! What would you know?" Lance snapped.
"I don't care what you think. I don't need to understand the delusions of a madman."
Giovanni tossed out two Poké Balls. Drapion and Great Tusk appeared before him.
Great Tusk had been a gift from Dylan, and Giovanni had raised it into one of his aces.
"My task is simple: defeat you and bring you back to Indigo Plateau."
"Heh… hahahaHAHAHA!"
Lance couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"You pathetic fool. You think you can stop me?"
He sneered. For some reason, Giovanni just rubbed him the wrong way—deeply, irrationally.
"You're just an insect on the ground. You'll never reach dragons that soar the skies!"
Lance raised his chin, his red hair whipping in the wind, arrogance pouring from every word.
A Ground-type specialist? Laughable.
Looks like his resignation really had let the rats crawl out of their holes. Some no-name Gym Leader now dared challenge him?
Utterly ridiculous.
"Oh?" Giovanni smirked.
"Not a bird too high for the ground to reach?"
Lance's gaze turned dark immediately—he caught the implication at once.
This man had just compared his dragons… to birds?!
"You're asking for death," Lance growled.
"Look at that temper—typical of an evil man," Giovanni replied smoothly.
Lance's face twisted with rage.
First "evil," now this? This bastard!
Watching Lance fume gave Giovanni indescribable satisfaction.
So this is what it feels like to be the League's top enforcer… so good.
Lance had had enough. He tossed out his Poké Balls—two Dragonairs and a Dragonite rose into the air above him.
"Then I'll let you experience my Dragon Corps… firsthand."
Giovanni chuckled softly.
—
Meanwhile…
"Phew… finally beat him," Leaf sighed.
Machamp had fallen, and with it, Bruno.
"He really was under hypnosis, huh?"
"Well, yeah. He was the mole. Must've been Agatha's work," Selene said, curiously poking at the unconscious Bruno.
Leaf rested her chin in her palm. "Definitely her. Lance and Lorelei wouldn't bother with something so sneaky."
"So what now, Leaf?"
Selene looked excited. She was still riding high on the thrill of their tag-team battle.
"Let's leave Bruno here. We'll take him in after this is over."
Leaf checked her communicator—it had just gone off.
"…It's from Blue."
"Did he run into Lance?!"
"Not sure. But he's asking for backup. Let's go."
Selene nodded eagerly.
Leaf was genuinely surprised. Of all the current Elite Four, Blue was by far the most arrogant.
He wasn't completely out of control, but "rebellious" was putting it mildly.
For him to ask for help? He must've run into something serious. Could it really be Lance?
—
At that moment, on Blue's side…
"Guys… get your asses over here!!"
Blue was pale and shaky, collapsed on the ground and repeatedly jamming the emergency call button on his communicator.
"Hehehe… young man, your Pokémon are strong, but you're still too green."
Agatha slowly approached, leaning on her cane, her smile sickly sweet.
Tyranitar, Blastoise, and Arcanine roared angrily, but Agatha's Arbok, Gengar, and Crobat blocked them at every turn.
"You sneaky old hag! You cheap-shotted me!!"
Blue gritted his teeth.
He hadn't lost in a fair fight—but Agatha had secretly ordered Gengar to ambush him from behind when he released Arcanine.
Now, he didn't even have the strength to grab another Poké Ball. All he could do was fumble for his communicator and pray someone answered.
He had set up one-touch SOS, thankfully.
Blue wasn't dumb. He knew in wild battles, the fastest way to win was to take out the Trainer.
But Agatha was a devious old crow. She picked her moment perfectly.
"You were just careless, boy. This isn't a formal battle," Agatha said pleasantly.
It was common knowledge that Agatha was a Ghost- and Poison-type specialist. Using trickery was part of the job description.
And besides, this was a wild fight—not a regulated match. She thought Blue was just being naïve.
Back in the Saffron City war, she had tried all sorts of dirty tactics to ambush Giovanni and Aizen—and failed.
But today? One shot, one kill.
"The battle scene nowadays is too soft. I used to face wild fights all the time."
She reminisced, remembering a time before laws and regulations reigned.
"Let's see how that old man Oak reacts… when he finds out his precious grandson is missing."
Her eyes narrowed ominously.
"You—you old witch, what are you planning?!"
"Mind your manners, child. I'm of your grandfather's generation. What should you call me?" Her expression darkened.
"Don't push it! I still—"
"Hmm?"
"…Grandma."
Blue looked up at Gengar's grinning face hovering just inches away and gave in.
"That's more like it, sweet grandson~" Agatha said, pleased.
Damn hag! She actually made me call her that!
Blue cursed internally. Where the hell was Red?! Was he stuck in traffic?
"Don't worry, Grandma's not going to hurt you. Just going to lock you up for a bit."
Agatha grinned. In the low light, her expression was terrifying.
"Back off, demon!"
A sharp cry rang out in the distance.
A red blur sprinted into view—it was Incineroar!
"Hm?" Agatha narrowed her eyes. The nuisances had arrived.
Gengar leapt in front, launching a volley of Sludge Bombs toward Incineroar.
With a roar, Incineroar's claws gleamed black as it launched a brutal Throat Chop.
Dark-type: Throat Chop!
Boom!
The two attacks clashed violently, sludge exploding. Incineroar was blasted back slightly from the shockwave.
Agatha's eyes flickered. Not bad.
Leaf and Selene ran up and froze at the sight of Blue on the ground.
"Blue, are you okay?!"
They rushed over. His face was pale and his speech slurred.
"He's poisoned," Leaf guessed, pouring a Full Heal into his mouth.
Selene, meanwhile, stared at Agatha and her Gengar with fighting spirit.
Blue's color slowly returned.
"Leaf, Selene… you got here just in time."
He was truly grateful. If he'd been taken away by that old hag, it would've been a nightmare.
"What happened to you?" Leaf asked, noticing Tyranitar and the others still locked in battle.
"That evil old lady sucker-punched me!"
Blue's glare was filled with fury.
"Evil old lady?" Agatha heard him clearly—and her grin turned wicked.
"Disrespectful brat."
She turned to face the three of them, expression darkening.
"Looks like I'll have to loosen up these old bones after all."
(Chapter End)