"Lucas?!"
Inside the Blackthorn Clan's estate, the stern-faced patriarch Cassius Blackthorn paused in surprise upon hearing the name and looked at Lance with visible joy in his eyes.
"Lance, have you met Lucas already?"
Cassius hurriedly asked. That was, after all, his own son!
"Yes, I met him earlier in Vermilion City, which is why I wanted to ask. I've never heard of anyone named Lucas before."
Lance narrowed his sharp, prideful eyes slightly. As expected, Cassius knew Lucas—there was even a high chance that Lucas was his biological son.
It had always been strange that Cassius, as the current head of the clan, had no known descendants. But Lance had never cared much about clan affairs, so he hadn't thought much of it before. Now, thinking back, perhaps it wasn't that Jie didn't have a successor—maybe the heir had never been within the clan to begin with.
"Lucas, huh…"
Upon hearing the name, Cassius's expression subtly changed before he let out a light sigh.
"It's not surprising that you haven't heard of him. It's been a whole ten years—he's only returned once."
Cassius spoke helplessly. He didn't know what Lucas had been doing out there, but five years ago, when Lucas returned, he at least confirmed that his son was alive. That was enough for him.
"Oh?"
Lance frowned deeply. Only once in ten years?
"About ten years ago, one night, Lucas was taken by a mysterious Pokémon. After that, there was no sign of him. I've been searching ever since, but never found any leads."
"It wasn't until five years ago that he returned briefly. He told me he had important matters to attend to and not to worry about him. He stayed for only one night before leaving again."
"Up until now, I still have no way of contacting him."
Cassius's tone grew heavy. That night ten years ago, Lucas had been reading in the backyard. As one of Johto's most prominent clans, their security was airtight. Lucas had always been a prodigy, even awakening the Dragon Force from birth.
The clan had pinned all its hopes on him.
And yet, even such a prodigy had been taken!
The mysterious Pokémon moved so swiftly that by the time the backyard guards reacted, Lucas had vanished. According to the guards who caught a blurry glimpse, the Pokémon resembled the legendary Ho-Oh of Kanto!
But why would Ho-Oh abduct Lucas?
Even after all these years, Cassius still had no idea, and Lucas never explained.
"I understand now."
Lance's face turned contemplative. Though he hadn't gained much concrete information, it was now clear: whatever happened in those ten years was likely the reason Lucas had joined Team Rocket.
What was certain was this: Lucas really was his cousin—his first cousin, in fact.
"As your cousin, I have a responsibility to personally bring you down, Lucas."
A chilling grin spread across Lance's lips. His sharp white teeth glinted as he thought to himself—Ah, my foolish cousin… Let me, your older brother, drag you out of the filth and back into the light.
------------------------
Unova Region.
"Safe travels~"
"See you next time, mister! And next time, I'll definitely avenge my Serperior!"
Still on the snow-covered main road of Icirrus City, Hilda waved with a warm smile while Rosa energetically raised her hand, waving goodbye to Lucas and his group.
The cute smile on her face showed that the trauma from her Serperior's loss had clearly passed.
"You won't get that chance. Goodbye."
Lucas chuckled. That girl really was quite endearing.
"Bleh~" Rosa pouted and stuck out her tongue at him playfully.
Hmph! Next time, I'll totally win!
Lucas shook his head. He couldn't help but wonder—if these two found out he was a member of an evil organization, what kind of expressions would they make?
He clearly remembered Hilda saying how much she hated villains and criminal groups.
But who could say? Maybe they'd never meet again. After all, Hilda and Rosa were from Unova, and Kanto was a long way off. Lucas had no intention of staying in Unova long-term—his roots were in Kanto.
But the future is what it is—unpredictable. Who knows if they'll ever meet again?
One day later.
After fast-tracking their journey, Lucas and the others finally arrived at Lacunosa Town.
A fairly ordinary place, its residents lived peaceful, routine lives.
"Lacunosa's local legend is quite interesting," Marnie said, eyeing the town thoughtfully. "Apparently, everyone works during the day, but once night falls, they all stay indoors. Even the local police stay inside the Pokémon Center."
"A pretty superstitious town," she added. "They've lived according to these ancient customs for generations."
"Ah, I've read about that too," Green chimed in, adjusting her shoulder bag. Since Lucas had chosen to come here, she'd done her homework the night before.
"Apparently, a meteor once crashed down ages ago, landing in the Giant Chasm and transforming into a fearsome beast—Kyurem. It's said Kyurem roams at night with a fierce icy wind, snatching away people and Pokémon to eat."
"Because of that, the townsfolk built tall walls and imposed curfews to protect themselves."
Green recited the legend, but couldn't help scoffing.
"That just sounds way too fake. Kyurem is one of Unova's strongest legendary dragons, and you're telling me some walls can keep it out? Seriously?"
To the ever-rational Green, such tales were nonsense. Legends being stopped by bricks and mortar? Laughable!
"But if we're here, that means Kyurem must actually be nearby, right?"
She looked toward Lucas, raising an eyebrow. That guy never did anything without a reason.
"Exactly. Kyurem really is in the Giant Chasm."
Lucas nodded. They were almost there.
"But I doubt the part about Kyurem eating people or Pokémon is true. And it definitely didn't come from space."
He explained further—yes, Kyurem was incredibly aggressive and violent, but as one of the strongest dragons, it wouldn't bother with mere humans or Pokémon unless provoked.
Plus, he knew Kyurem's true origins.
"In ancient Unova, a single Dragon God split into the twin dragons—Reshiram and Zekrom—due to the conflict between twin heroes. The hollow shell left behind became Kyurem."
"Some say Kyurem is waiting for a hero who can fill it with truth and ideals."
Lucas raised an eyebrow. He was curious whether the Kyurem of this world required the DNA Splicers to transform.
If so, Kyurem's hostility toward the black and white dragons wouldn't just be strong—it would be obsessive.
Even without that mechanic, as the hollow shell left from the original Dragon God, Kyurem would naturally hold deep resentment toward them.
"So in that sense, Kyurem must hate Reshiram and Zekrom, huh?" Green and Marnie exchanged glances.
But suddenly, Green froze. "Wait a sec. Lucas, you were acknowledged by Reshiram already… and now you're just walking right up to Kyurem?"
"That's totally different. I'm from the Blackthorn Clan. I can't resist the call of a strong dragon—of course I want to try and win Kyurem over."
Lucas showed no hesitation. He knew the risk—but not trying at all? That wasn't who he was.
"But what if Kyurem doesn't like us?" Green's eyes widened in alarm.
You like dragons—sure, great—but did you have to go after this dragon? What if it sees you and blasts you on sight?
"Don't worry. I'm here."
"No way! I absolutely refuse!" Green protested, stepping back in horror.
She remembered how terrifying Lorelei's ice powers were. If Kyurem's cold breath was anything like that—no, worse—she wanted nothing to do with it.
"Green."
"What?"
"You coming on your own, or should I carry you?"
Green froze, then looked up at the sky with despair.
Is this how prisoners are treated? Where are my rights?
"Ugh… Fine. I'm not afraid of anything anyway!"
Green pouted as if she might cry but followed after Lucas and Marnie, mumbling insults under her breath.
One hour later, the three finally arrived at Giant Chasm.
"This place is massive… Do you actually know how to find Kyurem?" Marnie asked, frowning as she surveyed the enormous cave.
It was so large, it could practically be called a mountain range.
"No problem."
Lucas smiled as he released his Dragon Force, searching for any strong draconic presence.
But… nothing.
Not within his range, at least.
No matter. There was still one other option.
"Reshiram, wake up and help me locate the Ice Dragon."
"Sure, locating Zekrom right—wait, HOLD ON—KYUREM?!"
Reshiram jolted awake, its voice a mental screech in Lucas's head.
Within seconds, it locked onto a certain very obvious Ice Dragon presence nearby. Subtlety? None. It was basically a lighthouse in the dark.
Reshiram: "Uh… Lucas? This thing's no joke. Can we just… go find Zekrom instead?"
"Nope. We're going after Kyurem. Gotta at least try to recruit it."
Reshiram: "...Fine. I'll guide you."
It had half a mind to say Kyurem might hit them with an Ice Beam the second it sees them—but hey, Lucas was its chosen one.
Even if it cried on the inside, it had to follow him.
Besides… it wasn't alone.
It still had Eternatus backing it up.
I am Reshiram, and I have risen!
First beat Kyurem. Then go smash Zekrom.
I the White Dragon has Risen! Let's do this!
Meanwhile, high above the clouds…
A massive black dragon soared through the sky at high speed.
"Hero of Truth…"
On its back, N murmured softly as he looked toward the distance.
Yes—they were heading straight for Reshiram's location.
(End of Chapter)