Compared to Cynthia and the others, Lucas was more interested with Cyrus.
"When did it happen?"
Cyrus's voice was deep and low. He had originally sent his trusted subordinate Sird to infiltrate Team Rocket simply because the organization had grown too powerful—he needed to prepare for the future.
But now… Sird had betrayed him? When exactly did she switch sides?
"Even if you knew the exact moment, Mr. Cyrus, what difference would it make?"
"After all, a delusional dreamer like you—anyone with a bit of brains wouldn't follow you for long, would they?"
Lucas let out a mocking laugh, ruthlessly ridiculing Cyrus.
In truth, Sird hadn't truly betrayed Cyrus. She was an extremely clever woman. In the Pokémon Adventures special manga, Sird remained a key antagonist throughout much of the story. Her hidden strength was extraordinary—she was a Darkrai trainer! In the original manga, she even defeated Lorelei after the latter retired into seclusion.
Although Sird couldn't completely control the overwhelmingly powerful Darkrai by her side, the Pokémon was still her ultimate trump card.
Team Galactic had once been her home, and after joining Team Rocket, she quickly realized that compared to Giovanni, Cyrus was nothing. Team Galactic's potential was nowhere near that of Team Rocket.
But people are complicated creatures.
Even now, Sird hadn't truly committed herself to abandoning Team Galactic completely. Perhaps she was still waiting—waiting to see the endgame of Team Rocket.
Because judging from the current state of affairs in Kanto, a brutal war between Team Rocket and the Indigo League was inevitable.
Sird was still observing—waiting to see whether Team Rocket could hold its ground under the League's assault.
But none of that lessened Lucas's interest in her.
Yes, he had spoken to Sird, uncovered her identity as a mole, and from her, he had obtained Cyrus's personal contact information.
"Hmph, you really are an arrogant brat."
Having been called a delusional dreamer to his face, Cyrus's gaze darkened. The way he looked at Lucas was now filled with gloom and menace.
"But I truly didn't expect this—the Champion of Sinnoh, siding with a member of Team Rocket. Has the Sinnoh League fallen to such depths?"
He then shot a glance at Cynthia, his tone cold and accusatory.
The situation was already dire, and now was not the time for anger. He had to find a way to retreat. So, Cyrus decisively chose to sow discord!
"..."
Cynthia furrowed her brows. She could tell that Cyrus was trying to drive a wedge between them, but she had to admit—his words made her feel… uncomfortable.
She had always been a kind-hearted trainer, while Team Rocket was the dark emperor of Kanto's and Johto's underworld.
Standing on the same side as a Rocket executive? That was something Cynthia found extremely hard to accept. And yet, she knew how to prioritize.
There was no way she would start a fight with Lucas right now. The priority was still taking down Team Galactic.
"So, this is the extent of your tricks? I've heard enough."
"Gardevoir."
Lucas chuckled lightly. So that's all Cyrus had? Did he really think Cynthia was someone who acted purely on emotion?
Losing interest, he gave an order to Gardevoir.
Gardevoir raised both arms. The deep blue light in her eyes flared, and immense psychic energy surged forth.
Psychic!
Crobat was once again pinned down by the Psychic attack. Despite its desperate struggles, it couldn't break free.
"You really think I'm easy to push around?"
"Weavile, Night Slash!"
Cyrus's expression hardened. He quickly threw out a Poké Ball, and a Weavile burst forth at high speed, charging toward Gardevoir with sharp claws glowing in a sinister black light.
Gardevoir's Psychic abilities were indeed troublesome—and Cyrus had no easy counter.
After all, Gardevoir was dominating purely through overwhelming level and power.
However, Weavile's Dark typing rendered Gardevoir's Psychic completely ineffective!
"Moonblast."
Lucas's lips curled into a smirk. Still not giving up, huh?
At the command, Gardevoir's eyes blazed with intensified blue light. Under her control, Crobat was slammed viciously into the ground once more.
Then, Gardevoir gracefully brought her arms together, her clear eyes locking tightly onto Weavile. Behind her, a phantom image of a glowing full moon slowly manifested.
As Gardevoir thrust her arms forward, the moon's power transformed into a pink beam of light aimed directly at Weavile!
"Weavile!"
Cyrus barked the order sharply—it couldn't afford to be hit!
Weavile was 4x weak to Fairy-type attacks, and Gardevoir's power was terrifying.
If Moonblast landed, Weavile would either be instantly defeated or gravely injured.
But Cyrus wasn't too worried. He watched the trajectory of the beam carefully.
Though extremely fast, with Weavile's agility and explosive power, dodging the attack shouldn't be difficult.
"Wea~!"
Weavile dashed and shifted position in a flash, narrowly avoiding the strike zone of Moonblast. It continued sprinting toward Gardevoir at full speed.
But—
"So naïve. Did you really think it'd be that simple?"
Lucas's smile grew.
The instant Weavile changed positions, Gardevoir's arm swept forward. A burst of brilliant multicolored light gathered in front of her.
Dazzling Gleam!
The Fairy-type move condensed into a ball of radiant light and shot toward Weavile.
This time, Weavile couldn't dodge in time!
Boom!
The blast struck Weavile head-on with a thunderous explosion, sending it flying. It landed hard, its face twisted in pain.
Although not immediately knocked out, taking a direct hit from a powerful Fairy-type move left it severely injured.
Cyrus's face turned dark. Weavile was one of his trump cards! And yet it had been dealt with so easily.
"So Moonblast was just a feint?"
Cynthia's eyes flickered with insight. Clearly, Lucas had predicted that a straight-on Moonblast would miss due to Weavile's agility.
So he had prepared a follow-up Dazzling Gleam—a pincer attack.
"Gardevoir really is elegant and powerful."
Caitlin, however, was more focused on Gardevoir itself.
Cyrus, the leader of Team Galactic, couldn't even pose a challenge to this one Pokémon.
"Gardevoir, Psychic."
Lucas wasn't even looking at Cyrus anymore. He calmly issued another command.
This time, Gardevoir's Psychic targeted Cyrus himself.
His body suddenly lifted into the air, completely immobilized despite his struggle.
Under Gardevoir's control, a small iron rose-shaped brooch was yanked off his coat.
The Jewel of Life was removed.
Then Gardevoir released her Psychic grip. Cyrus crashed to the ground, his face now so dark it was nearly black with rage.
"The Jewel of Life!"
Seeing this, Sheena and Kevin's eyes lit up. That was the Jewel of Life—the very item they had been tasked to protect!
But Sheena's expression quickly shifted. Though Team Galactic hadn't taken it, it had now fallen into the hands of Team Rocket.
She stared at Lucas. This man… was far more dangerous than Cyrus. And he also desired the Jewel of Life.
"So this is all you've got? If you had any self-awareness, I'd advise you to disband Team Galactic."
"Someone like you has no place in the underworld."
Lucas took the Jewel of Life from the iron brooch and examined it with a mocking smirk before tossing a glance at Cyrus.
It wasn't that he looked down on Cyrus for no reason. But if you weren't even trying to strengthen yourself, did you really think you could create a new world?
At least Giovanni knew that to conquer the world, he needed power—he went all-out to create Mewtwo.
Ghetsis raised N from childhood, molding him into an ideal (or real) hero. He also had Colress revive and modify Genesect.
Compared to villains like them, Cyrus was clearly several tiers below, endlessly chasing Dialga and Palkia while never growing stronger himself.
Cynthia: "…"
Caitlin: "…"
Marnie: "…"
This guy… this guy is insanely arrogant, isn't he?
Sheena and Kevin exchanged glances with Cynthia and the others, all of them giving Cyrus strangely sympathetic looks.
Sure, he was the boss of an evil organization—but now he had been thoroughly crushed in battle and mocked without mercy.
"Don't get cocky. What's happening to me today will happen to you tomorrow. Cooperating with the League… do you really think it'll end well for you?"
Cyrus's eyes locked onto Lucas as he growled through clenched teeth. Even someone as emotionally detached as he was now burned with humiliation.
This guy… his mouth was just too savage!
"Oh? I don't need your concern."
Lucas raised a brow, replying indifferently. This wasn't fun. Cyrus, after all, was still Cyrus—too calm, too dull.
If it were Ghetsis standing here, he'd be throwing poison-coated barbs back and forth with Lucas.
He had Gardevoir use Psychic to toss Cyrus next to the now-unconscious Mars and others, then looked down at the Jewel of Life in his hand.
"I wonder how this thing was faked."
Lucas examined the jewel with great interest, gently turning it in his palm. Although it was a counterfeit, it appeared mysterious and radiant on the outside.
Sheena and Kevin looked toward him with urgency—but neither dared step forward. This man was far too powerful.
Even Cyrus was no match. And he was the boss of Team Galactic…
"Champion Cynthia…"
Sheena bit her lip and looked toward Cynthia for help. Now, their only hope was that she could retrieve the Jewel of Life.
"Caitlin, please keep an eye on Cyrus and the others."
After a brief silence, Cynthia spoke to the girl at her side.
"Be careful," Caitlin warned, glancing at Lucas as she agreed.
Team Galactic had been dealt with. That left only one problem—Lucas.
And everyone present understood—he was far more dangerous than Cyrus.
Marnie, sensing the shift in atmosphere, hurried over to Lucas's side, eyes alert as she stared at Cynthia and the others.
Garchomp, fierce and domineering, stepped forward, its eyes locked onto Gardevoir.
"Interesting… Miss Cynthia, are you thinking of fighting me?"
Lucas's lips curled upward into a grin as he locked eyes with her and asked slowly.
(End of Chapter)