The sky had gradually grown darker, and a bright crescent moon now hung in the night sky, casting its soft glow. Scattered stars twinkled faintly, emitting dim light that flickered gently across the heavens.
Such a night sky… truly couldn't be called beautiful.
And at this very moment, deep in a dim underground chamber, a woman with long, wavy, sky-Green hair stood leaning silently against the wall with her arms crossed, resting with her eyes closed.
Even in such a dark environment, her fair skin was strikingly radiant. She wore a pair of fitted white capri pants and a tight yellow crop top, revealing a slender waistline that was nothing short of mesmerizing.
She was a woman full of allure.
Not far from her stood a man clad in luxurious robes and wearing a mask. Beneath his semi-long, violet hair, a black mask obscured his eyes.
In front of the man sat a dazed-looking Xatu. The eye-like pattern on the Xatu's chest emitted a faint red glow.
But the man didn't seem to care in the slightest. With a relaxed smile, he continued to play with the Xatu.
A gloomy underground chamber. A mysterious man. A resting woman. The silence between them was so absolute that a pin drop would've sounded like thunder. Together, they painted a chilling, eerie scene.
Tap... Tap... Tap...
Crisp footsteps echoed through the basement as a youth in a white cloak slowly descended the stairs.
"Yo~ Karen, Will, it's been quite a while, hasn't it?"
Lucas glanced over at the two of them, the corners of his lips curling into a warm grin as he greeted them with exaggerated enthusiasm.
"You're late, Lucas."
Karen raised her head, frowning at Lucas's beaming smile, completely ignoring his friendly tone.
Will spared Lucas only a glance out of the corner of his eye before resuming his quiet play with the Xatu.
"Aww~ My bad then," Lucassaid cheerily. "But judging by the fact that you two still haven't managed to capture those traitors, Green and Silver..."
"Tsk tsk~ Seems I've overestimated you after all."
Though Lucas's expression didn't change, his voice now carried a mocking undertone.
Karen's lovely face instantly turned cold, and Will's hand feeding the Xatu froze in mid-air.
The atmosphere began to grow stiff and tense.
"No need to glare at me like that, Karen," Lucascontinued playfully. "Let's just find Green and Silver soon, alright? You know how much the boss hates useless people."
He leaned against the wall, his eyes casually roaming over Karen from head to toe. Hmm… After all this time, she was still just as captivating.
"We don't need you to remind us. Those two traitors won't get far," Karen snapped, her voice laced with a chill as her eyes flashed coldly at the mention of Green and Silver.
This was a mission personally assigned by the boss. Karen didn't dare slack off—not with the fear of the Masked Man etched deep into her memory.
Though Green and Silver weren't particularly strong, their anti-tracking abilities were top-notch. Even now, Karen and Will had yet to uncover their whereabouts.
"You're still just as confidently charming as ever. But somehow, I feel like I've heard that line before."
Lucas's smile deepened as he pretended to stroke his chin in recollection. Then he clapped his hands lightly.
"Oh right, didn't you say the exact same thing last year, Karen?"
Karen gritted her teeth at Lucas's sarcastic tone. Damn it, this guy again!
"Some things never change... You're just as insufferable as ever."
Her chest rose and fell with anger, but she quickly composed herself and spoke again with calm detachment.
Though her tone was level, Lucas and Will could clearly sense the underlying irritation.
Will remained silent. He was a proud man himself, but that pride was meaningless in front of Lucas.
They had grown up together. Unlike Green and Silver, Karen and Will were more morally ambiguous, leaning neither fully good nor evil. In theory, they should have gotten along well with Lucas.
But in reality? They couldn't stand each other.
After all, who could tolerate a "teammate" who constantly called you a useless trash?
They both knew there was an unfathomable gap between them and Lucas—a gap not made by effort, but by raw, overwhelming talent.
And yet, Karen and Will were geniuses too. Lucas's arrogance was unbearable.
"If my words made you uncomfortable, I truly do apologize," Lucas shrugged.
Teasing Karen and Will from time to time had been a regular pastime for him back in the day.
Of course, back then, Green and Silver were still around too... but those two traitors had run off.
"Karen, you've only become more and more sexy. How about a glass of red wine with me later?"
With a faint smile, Lucas made his move.
Karen's eye twitched. This guy just wouldn't give up!
"No thanks. I'm not interested. I'm busy."
Without a shred of hesitation, Karen shot him down with a triple rejection. She knew Lucas too well—his unrestrained personality was no secret.
Wine? More like feeding herself to the wolf.
No doubt, if she really went, she'd be swallowed whole by this man.
Despite her youthful, radiant appearance, Karen was far from being an easy woman—especially not with someone as infuriating as Lucas.
"What a pity," Lucas sighed with a nonchalant shrug. He wasn't in a hurry anyway—there was plenty of time ahead.
Seconds ticked by.
Soon, the sound of footsteps echoed down the stairwell again.
A short figure cloaked in black slowly descended, wearing a chilling aura and a mask shaped like sculpted ice.
The Masked Man.
"Boss."
Karen and Will immediately straightened and bowed in respect.
Though they had both completed the Masked Man's harsh training and were now among the top-tier powerhouses of the world—Karen having reached the Champion level—before this unfathomably terrifying man, they still felt like quails trembling before a predator.
"Teacher," Lucas greeted, addressing him differently than the others.
"You've caused quite a stir in Galar, Lucas."
The Masked Man nodded, casting Lucas a glance. His low, hoarse voice betrayed no emotion.
He had always kept a close eye on Lucas, his most extraordinary and unpredictable student.
"But the gains were substantial," Lucas replied with a soft smile.
"So long as you know what you're doing. Just don't expose us."
The Masked Man neither approved nor disapproved. He only issued a calm warning.
He didn't care about the trouble Lucas caused—what Lucas did was his own business.
But he did care about remaining hidden.
His goals didn't conflict with the Pokémon League. He had no desire to rule the world.
He wasn't afraid of the League, but if they noticed him, things could get annoyingly complicated.
"I understand," Lucas nodded.
"Have you still not located Green and Silver?"
The Masked Man turned to Karen and Will, his tone growing colder.
A year ago, Green and Silver had betrayed him and fled the organization.
It had annoyed him for a moment, but with his current cold, detached mindset, he didn't linger on it emotionally.
What really angered him... was that Green had stolen the Rainbow Feather and the Silver Feather during his escape.
Those two feathers were the foundation of his entire plan!
So, the Masked Man was furious and had ordered Karen and Will to track them down without rest.
"We're terribly sorry. Please grant us a little more time," Karen and Will said, bowing deeply in fear.
No one understood the Masked Man's terrifying nature better than those who had been raised by him since childhood.
"Useless," he spat coldly. A whole year had passed, and still, they hadn't found those two traitors.
"Continue searching for Green and Silver. At the same time, begin tracking down Ho-Oh and Lugia."
"And Lucas—you're in on this mission too."
Though his tone remained chilly, the Masked Man didn't press them further.
No more delays could be afforded. Without the Rainbow and Silver Feathers, he couldn't create GS Balls.
And without GS Balls, he couldn't capture Celebi—the only one capable of time travel.
Without Celebi, how could he realize his life's ambition?
He was old. He didn't have decades left to spare.
Green and Silver might've been weak, but their anti-tracking skills were strong.
If that route failed, then it was time to cast a wider net—search for Ho-Oh and Lugia again!
Yes—ten years ago, after kidnapping the children for the Masked Man, both Lugia and Ho-Oh had broken free from his control.
"Yes."
Lucas's eyes glinted faintly. So, the Masked Man was finally growing anxious.
But that was understandable. The man truly was old, and he couldn't afford to wait much longer. He'd chased this ambition for decades.
Lucas hadn't told him about the conversation with Dialga yet. He was waiting for the right moment.
Besides, even if he did tell the Masked Man now, what good would it do? The exact time of Arceus' awakening was still unclear—only that it would happen within two years.
And unless the Arceus event was resolved, Dialga would never help with time travel.
Two years…
Would the Masked Man be willing to wait that long? Could he abandon his lifelong pursuit of Celebi?
Hard to say.
Especially since Lucas had plans of his own.
"When you've located Ho-Oh and Lugia, inform me. I'll personally step in," the Masked Man said calmly.
Both were top-tier legendaries. Even Lucas, his most talented disciple, couldn't completely suppress them.
But he didn't need anyone to capture them—he would do it himself to ensure success.
"Yes," Karen and Will replied.
"Teacher," Lucas suddenly spoke, "though I agree with the plan, Kanto and Johto are vast regions. Relying on just a few of us to find those Pokémon and the traitors is… unrealistic."
He wasn't wrong. Legendary Pokémon weren't called that for nothing—they were few and far between, and Ho-Oh was one of a kind.
Lugia might have a species, but it lived deep in the ocean!
How could just a handful of them scour the entirety of Indigo?
"…" Karen and Will said nothing, but Karen rolled her eyes.
Originally, the Masked Organization had more members. Though not as strong as the core trio, they were still elites.
But Lucas's arrogance drove most of them to insanity over the past ten years, eventually leading to confrontation and, ultimately, betrayal—like with Green and Silver.
Now, only the three of them remained.
"What are you suggesting?" The Masked Man narrowed his eyes.
"We could cooperate with another force," Lucas smiled. "We lack manpower and resources. But there's one faction in Kanto that lacks neither."
"Team Rocket?" The Masked Man instantly understood.
Lucas had joined Team Rocket—Karen and Will didn't know this, but the Masked Man did. Lucas had reported it himself.
At the time, he hadn't cared. But now… partnering with Team Rocket?
With the Masked Organization backing them, could the Kanto League withstand the chaos?
Even discounting himself, Lucas was a peak-level Champion. Karen was a mid-level Champion. Even Will, the weakest, was a Psychic-type Elite Four member.
Kanto might fall into total disarray.
"Very well. You handle it. Karen, Will—you follow Lucas's orders." The Masked Man finally made his decision.
There was no point hesitating. Whatever it took to realize his dream.
Decades ago, when those two Lapras died… his heart had already frozen over.
"Leave it to me, Teacher," Lucas replied, bowing slightly, smile deepening.
The Masked Man turned and left. Now that orders were given, he would return to his icy solitude and continue sculpting.
"Whew~ Still, fresh air is the best. That basement really was stuffy," Lucas said as he stepped outside and stretched under the night sky.
"So, what's the plan now?" Karen asked, brushing aside Lucas's "accidental" brush against her arm with a dark expression. "It won't be easy to get Team Rocket to help track down Green, Silver, Ho-Oh, and Lugia, right?"
That bastard! He almost touched her chest—definitely on purpose!
"Difficult? Please. I'm Team Rocket's strongest executive," Lucassaid with a smirk, pulling out a silver badge and waving it before them. "Let's get some rest. Tomorrow, we'll head to Kanto. I'll introduce you to Team Rocket's boss. He'll assign you a nice little position to play with."
Karen and Will exchanged glances. Neither of them had any idea when Lucas had gotten in bed with Team Rocket.
"Oh~ And Karen, the night is still young. Want to stay up with me and discuss the meaning of life?"
"You can go to hell!!"
(End of Chapter)