On the side of the Trainers' faction, Red and Lorelei once again clashed in another heated "internal conflict." And truth be told, not a single person dared to step forward and try to stop them...
After all, one was a member of Kanto's Elite Four, and the other—a top-tier Trainer whose strength was on par with Lorelei herself.
Who would dare to intervene?
The atmosphere in the hall had grown terrifyingly cold.
"…Umm, all the Rocket Grunts have run off…"
After a long silence, Misty timidly spoke up.
Lorelei's face turned grim at her words. Sure enough, not a single Team Rocket member remained in the hall—not even that cousin of Lance's, Lucas Blackthorn.
Damn it!
"Getting in the way of an Elite Four's duties—do you really think you were in the right? Are you satisfied now?"
Her icy presence chilled the room as she stared at Red and spoke in a cold voice.
"Do you have any idea how many people will be harmed because those Team Rocket Grunts escaped? How many Pokémon will suffer at their hands?"
"You know nothing!"
"You live in your own little world, believing that what you perceive is absolute truth. Your ignorance turns into fearlessness, and that evolves into blind stupidity—but you don't even realize it. Do you really think you've done the right thing?"
Lorelei's frigid words echoed through the hall, leaving Red in heavy silence.
"You think I haven't considered the risks? As a member of the Elite Four, I see farther than you do. Do you really think rooting out evil is like playing house? That everything can be resolved without any sacrifice, just like in your ideal world?"
"Think hard on that."
Having somewhat calmed her inner fury, Lorelei gave Red a sarcastic smirk, mounted her Lapras, and headed toward the exit.
Though the Rocket members had managed to flee the hall, there was still time to pursue them.
And besides… she wasn't even sure if he had arrived yet.
As Lorelei left, Red remained rooted in place, her words continuing to echo in his ears.
"Red, are you alright?"
Ash quickly ran over to him, concern clear on his face.
"...I'm fine. Ash, you guys should get out of here. Staying too long might be bad for your health."
Red returned to his senses and offered a gentle smile. Despite being affected by Lorelei's words, he found them ultimately self-righteous.
After all, Lorelei could have handled the situation more gently—but she chose the coldest, most extreme approach possible.
Red didn't believe he was wrong.
"Okay! But Red, you're awesome! That woman earlier really wasn't nice at all—totally cold!"
"…"
On the deck.
Lucas watched as Lorelei emerged from the breach in the wall.
"Well, that was quick. So, done arguing with that guy already?" he said with a slight smile, addressing the icy-faced Lorelei.
Her gaze grew even colder at his remark, but she didn't respond. Instead, her sharp eyes scanned the area—there were no other people around. Clearly, the Team Rocket had already made their way into the lower cargo hold, preparing to escape using another vessel.
"No use looking. You won't stop them, oh beautiful Miss Lorelei. So why not stay and have a little chat about life?"
As if he already knew what was going through her mind, Lucas's lips curled into a teasing smirk as his eyes roamed across her.
Say what you will, but Lorelei did have the best figure he'd ever seen.
A perfectly sculpted form with curves in all the right places—every woman's dream body.
Unfortunately… she was just a bit too cold.
"Take your filthy eyes off me."
Lorelei had noticed his stare, and her expression turned ugly. No one had ever dared to look at her like this so brazenly!
"The Blackthorn clan is a prestigious family from Johto, and yet you—you—joined Team Rocket. You've completely disgraced the family name."
Her voice was icy with contempt. It was hard for her to accept that this man—Lance's cousin, no less—had become a Team Rocket executive.
"Let's not put it so harshly, Miss Lorelei. People follow different paths. And honestly, I don't think Team Rocket is as bad as you claim."
Lucas shrugged with indifference. He'd heard these criticisms so many times they no longer fazed him. He wasn't the type to fall apart just from a few harsh words.
"Ridiculous. Do you even know what Team Rocket has done?"
Lorelei sneered.
"Illegal Pokémon gene experiments, black market trading, forcibly stealing other Trainers' Pokémon, constructing hidden bases in the wilderness… any one of these crimes would be enough to warrant the death penalty!"
Her voice was bone-chillingly cold. Team Rocket's evil wasn't fabricated—it had been uncovered, act by act, in broad daylight.
Which is why she despised them. In her eyes, there was no one more deserving of death.
"Of course, when you put it like that, I suppose you have a point."
Lucas didn't argue. Everything she said was true.
He personally hadn't taken part in those actions, but he knew very well that Team Rocket was still conducting such activities.
For instance, the secret lab in Celadon City—that facility was heavily involved in Pokémon genetic fusion experiments.
So, even though he'd joined Team Rocket, Lucas never felt a deep loyalty to the organization.
He was a villain—he'd never hidden that. His methods were reckless and unscrupulous, and he would do anything to achieve his goals.
He was willing to destroy an entire city for Eternatus, threaten a town for the Jewel of Life, or bring disaster to a volcano island for information from Dr. Fuji.
That was his nature.
But even villains have their lines. He genuinely loved Pokémon, and would never personally carry out genetic experiments on them. He found that revolting.
His relationship with Team Rocket was purely transactional. Giovanni understood that well. Lucas would never bet his entire future on Team Rocket.
"But all that has nothing to do with me," Lucas said with a grin. "What I care about is the freedom the Rocket identity offers me. Sure, they're dirty, but in some ways, they're cleaner than the League itself. I'm sure you understand that, don't you?"
He didn't care to clean up Team Rocket's messes. That was Giovanni's business. Giovanni treated him decently, but that didn't mean Lucas would involve himself in running the organization.
"Wearing the clothes everyone wants to burn—and you're quite comfortable in them."
Lorelei's eyes darkened, her voice thick with disdain.
Yes, Team Rocket was corrupt—but the League had its own skeletons, too.
Of course, she would never admit that in front of a Rocket executive.
"People have different values," Lucas replied with a mocking smile. "You may look down on Team Rocket—but funnily enough, they look down on you too."
"After all, you're constantly being criticized by a bunch of lowlifes and pigs. Must be tough putting up with that, huh?"
Her face turned stormy with rage, hands instinctively clenching into fists, her breath quickening.
Those "lowlifes" he referred to were certain members of the League Council.
He was right—she and Lance had been warned multiple times for taking increasingly harsh actions.
And now a Rocket grunt had the nerve to use it against her?
Unforgivable!
Just then—
Small boats, rafts, and escape vessels began launching from the side of the S.S. Anne. Team Rocket was escaping.
"Dewgong!"
Catching this with her peripheral vision, Lorelei immediately ordered her Dewgong to intercept.
"I'd be troubled if you ignored me, you know."
Lucas chuckled. Beside him, Gardevoir's eyes shimmered with blue light.
Dewgong and Lapras were suddenly enveloped in a pale aura—Psychic bind—they were completely immobilized.
"You—!"
"Don't be mad," Lucas waved a finger. "Relax. I won't do anything to you. Team Rocket has no interest in full-on war with the League just yet."
He wasn't lying. He had no intention of harming her.
In fact, he was really looking forward to the day when the ever-more-extreme Elite Four would fully split from the League.
Red and Lorelei's clash earlier? That was a beautiful show.
Maybe someday, he thought, Red and Blue—those two flaming rivals—would take on the entire Elite Four?
"I will make you pay!"
Lorelei bit her lip, seething with anger. A Rocket executive was mocking her to her face, and she couldn't do a damn thing about it.
"How harsh," Lucas sighed mockingly. "Honestly, with your strength, Miss Lorelei, catching me would be nearly impossible."
"But in another type of 'battle'…" he grinned, eyes lowering suggestively to her chest, "…maybe you'd stand a chance."
So big…
Lorelei's face turned murderous. She wasn't a child—she knew exactly what he meant.
He was actually flirting with her—right here and now!
Bastard!
She summoned a Poké Ball, ready to freeze this man into a block of ice—
But just then…
"…Hmm?"
Lucas turned his head, eyes flashing with interest.
A powerful Dragon Pulse surged toward him from the distance.
"Gardevoir, use Moonblast."
"Voir~"
A pale pink beam shot out, colliding mid-air with the Dragon Pulse.
BOOM!
The two forces exploded, sending waves crashing across the sea.
"The strength of that Dragon-type move… so, he's here."
Lucas narrowed his eyes.
Two figures grew clearer in the distance.
That Dragon Pulse had almost overwhelmed Gardevoir's Moonblast—there was only one person in Kanto who could pull that off.
A Aerodactyl swooped into view, wings spread wide in front of the S.S. Anne. Atop it stood a man.
Crimson short hair blowing in the wind, a handsome, stoic face, clad in a fitted blue suit with a black champion's cape flowing behind him.
His tall frame radiated sharp, dominant energy, his fierce aura impossible to ignore.
Lance Blackthorn.
Kanto's Dragon Master. The Champion of the Elite Four.
Floating just behind him, a massive Dragonite watched silently, its eyes locked on Gardevoir.
"Lance!"
Lorelei's face lit up. He had arrived, just as she hoped. Good thing she had sent word before coming here.
"Well now, I never imagined we'd meet for the first time under such… exciting circumstances."
Lucas stared at this man who stood atop Kanto—this was the rival he had been longing to face.
Lance gave Lorelei a nod, then turned his proud gaze toward Lucas.
"You're from the Blackthorn clan?"
His eyes narrowed slightly. He could feel it—an incredibly familiar power flowing from this youth.
The Power of The Dragon!
That ancestral power passed down through their bloodline!
Lance was born with this power. He was also blessed by Viridian Forest, having received its sacred energy.
To be born with both the Dragon Force and the Viridian Power—Lance had always been destined for greatness.
And now, here stood another with the same Dragon Force Heritage.
"Of course. Though this is our first meeting, isn't it, Cousin Lance~"
Lucas smiled playfully. He had looked forward to this moment for a long time.
Dragons were sacred. Dragon power was unmatched.
And the one he most wanted to defeat… was Lance himself!
Hearing this, Lance's eyes wavered slightly.
Cousin?
He had little attachment to the Blackthorn clan—having grown up in Viridian Forest, his growth had been entirely his own doing.
He seldom visited Blackthorn City. Of his cousins, he only remembered Clair. As for Lucas… he had no recollection of him.
But it didn't matter.
Because—
"There's a strong dragon with you," Lance said, his lips curving into a rare smile.
He could feel it. His own Dragon Force told him—this young cousin bore the mark of the dragon.
And it was strong.
------------------------------------------------------
(AN: While the protagonist is currently affiliated with Team Rocket, it's important to remember: Team Rocket is not his personal force. Their enemies are not automatically his enemies. His relationship with Team Rocket is purely strategic.)
TN: The Power of The Dragon shorter term will be called Dragon Force instead of Dragon Power because I think force sound cooler than power.
(End of Chapter)