However...
When Lucas and his companions arrived, they found someone already stirring up trouble.
"Iris?"
Lucas narrowed his eyes slightly as he watched the girl battling the Team Plasma members.
Her long, dark purple hair was tied back, her face delicate and beautiful, but what stood out most was her healthy, sun-kissed brown skin—very different from the typical fair-skinned girls.
It was none other than Iris!
"Why is Iris here?"
Lucas's expression turned unreadable as he looked at her. He had researched some information on Opelucid City the night before.
And Iris' information wasn't exactly a secret there.
Currently, the Gym Leader of Opelucid City was Drayden, but Iris was his most gifted and favored disciple. Drayden had even planned to groom her as his successor.
However, Iris wasn't interested in that at all. She had been diligently training because what she truly aspired to become was the Champion of Unova, not just some Gym Leader of Opelucid City.
But the strange part was why Iris would be here now, and even more so, why she was fighting the Team Plasma.
"Lucas?"
Marnie furrowed her brows slightly and looked toward Lucas, standing beside her and staring at the battlefield.
"Let's wait."
Lucas understood her question and narrowed his eyes.
At this moment, the Team Plasma members were clearly struggling against Iris—they were being completely overpowered. This wasn't a fight between people of equal rank.
"Hmph~ A bunch like you? I can handle you all myself! Hand over the Pokémon you stole, now!"
"Otherwise, I'm taking down your entire base today!"
Her Hydreigon and Haxorus had just finished sweeping away the last of the enemy Pokémon, and Iris raised her chin proudly and shouted with confidence.
She was, by nature, a proud girl. In fact, few Dragon-type trainers weren't prideful.
The reason she was here was exactly because the Team Plasma had stolen Pokémon from other trainers.
Being kind-hearted, Iris couldn't stand for such injustice. Combined with her youth and strong sense of righteousness, she had come alone to crash their base.
"Damn it!"
"This little brat is too strong..."
"Quick, notify Lord Colress!"
Cold sweat formed on the brows of the Team Plasma members. At first, they hadn't taken her seriously, thinking she was just a girl. But now that their Pokémon were all defeated, they realized just how terrifying her strength really was.
Two members ran quickly into the base—this was no longer a battle they could win.
"So strong... another monster trainer," Green muttered in awe as she watched Iris. Though the battle hadn't lasted long, it was clear the girl's strength was nothing short of astonishing.
It was a complete wipeout, and those Team Plasma grunts weren't exactly weak. Most of them were elite level trainers.
Even though Iris had tan skin, the youthful energy radiating from her was unmistakable. Judging by her face, she couldn't be older than 18.
Another prodigy!
Marnie nodded silently in agreement. She'd seen too many monsters lately—it was starting to build her mental resilience.
"She just stepped into Champion-level. I wonder how strong Colress is..." Lucas evaluated Hydreigon and Haxorus. With main team members at the low Champion tier, Iris would likely make it to the top within the year.
Alder might be a seasoned Champion, but ever since the loss of his strongest partner, his focus and state of mind had declined. His strength had hardly improved over the years.
If not for the lack of a worthy successor, Alder would've retired already.
As long as Iris participated in the Unova League and went through the Elite Four challenge this year, she would almost certainly become the next Champion.
After all, it was still early in the year. With her insane talent, there was no doubt she would advance another level by year's end.
And at that moment, a tall young man in a white high-collared coat stepped out from the Team Plasma base.
Handsome, with slicked-back blond hair and glasses, he appeared every bit the elegant intellectual.
Colress.
"Go in and pack up all the research data," Colress said calmly, glancing at Iris, his brows slightly furrowed.
Just from her two main Pokémon, he could tell that this base's exposure couldn't be hidden anymore.
It would be best to wrap things up and retreat early.
"My apologies. It seems my incompetent subordinates have caused you some trouble," he said to Iris with a polite smile. Despite standing before two Champion-tier Pokémon, Colress remained composed and courteous.
"You're the person in charge here? Return the Pokémon you stole!" Iris snapped, eyes full of fire as she locked on to Colress. Though her instincts told her he wasn't simple, she didn't back down in the slightest.
"You're here for those Pokémon? I'm truly sorry, but those Pokémon are excellent experimental subjects. We can't return them," Colress said, pushing up his glasses and smiling gently—but his words were anything but gentle.
"Experimental subjects?!" Iris blinked in shock, then her expression darkened with anger.
She finally understood—they hadn't just stolen Pokémon, they were using them for experiments!
"Hydreigon!" No longer in the mood for words, she shouted.
She wasn't naïve enough to think their so-called "research" was anything humane.
Hydreigon growled deeply and charged at Colress, ready to take him down.
"Sigh..."
As Hydreigon lunged, Colress showed no fear—only a resigned sigh.
He was a researcher, and yet he had to personally fight to defend the base. What kind of organization was this?
Fortunately, his own strength wasn't weak. Facing one talented girl was no problem.
But...
"This is a good opportunity to test that thing's strength. It hasn't seen live combat since revival... and this girl—her talent is terrifying, not below that of N."
His glasses reflected a glint of light as he tapped twice on the device attached to his left arm.
Though impressed by Iris' ability, Colress remained emotionally detached. He was, after all, a scientist—not a trainer. The talents of others had nothing to do with him.
FWISH!
As Hydreigon approached like a bullet, a red blur shot in from the side, smashing into its chest.
Boom!
Hydreigon was sent flying like a cannonball, crashing into a boulder that shattered into pieces from the impact.
Iris' face froze in shock.
Even Marnie and Green, who were hiding nearby, were stunned. What just happened?
That red blur hovered beside Colress—it looked like a disc-shaped flying saucer at first, but in the next moment, it transformed into a bipedal, insect-like Pokémon.
Its crimson armor covered its entire body, a massive cannon mounted on its back. It radiated an eerie, lifeless aura—more like a machine than a Pokémon.
"What is that?!" Green stared in disbelief, unable to find a match in her memory.
Its strength was ridiculous. Hydreigon, a pseudo-legendary Dragon-type, hadn't even had time to react before it was thrown like a ragdoll.
"Genesect!"
But Lucas immediately recognized it—an elusive Mythical Pokémon, also known as Paleozoic Pokémon.
So, the Team Plasma really had revived Genesect. And not only that—it was a shiny variant!
Could this be the same shiny Genesect from the movie? That one was powerful enough to go toe-to-toe with Mega Mewtwo Y for a short time!
"Looks like we've hit a tough one..." Lucas muttered, glancing at the confused and stunned Iris.
Poor girl...
She came here trying to destroy a Team Plasma base, but not only was Colress personally overseeing it—he wasn't just anyone. In the Black 2 and Lucas 2 timeline, he was the Team Plasma's leader!
His strength was at least low Champion-tier—definitely no weaker than Iris. And now he had even deployed a shiny Genesect to test its combat data...
Iris was in for a beating.
"What... what kind of Pokémon is this?"
Iris stared at Genesect, utterly confused. With her Champion aspirations, she had familiarized herself with most known Pokémon around the world.
Even if she didn't know everything, she should at least be able to identify a Pokémon's species or typing. That's basic knowledge for any elite trainer.
But this Pokémon? She had no clue.
"Genesect. Its name is Genesect," Colress said with a smile, pushing up his glasses. He wasn't in any rush. The rest of the Team Plasma was busy securing research data, so he even took the time to explain.
This shiny Genesect had been deliberately left behind—he still didn't fully trust Ghetsis, after all.
"Do you know the power of science? The places human imagination and hands can't reach—science can."
"Genesect was once the ultimate predator, 300 million years ago. It was lost to time..."
"But we found its fossil. And not only did we revive it—we enhanced it. This is the power of science!"
For the first time, Colress' normally calm and aloof face lit up with intense fervor—as if presenting his greatest masterpiece.
Iris, while shocked, also wore a deep expression of rage.
Resurrecting fossil Pokémon wasn't a crime. That technology was well-established, and it brought long-lost species back into the world—a noble goal.
But...
"Genetic modification of Pokémon is a serious crime strictly banned by the League!"
Iris glared angrily at Colress. She was a true Pokémon Trainer who deeply loved Pokémon and harbored genuine kindness in her heart.
Even though she didn't understand much about science, there was one thing she did know—modifying Pokémon wasn't just a matter of causing mental harm.
A technique like that wouldn't yield results without going through hundreds, even thousands, of experiments!
Just imagining it a little was enough to understand the kind of circumstances under which this so-called Genesect modification could have possibly succeeded!
"You're too naive," Colress said, his tone calm yet laced with madness. "Do you know how much hidden potential lies dormant within a Pokémon? It far exceeds anything we humans can imagine. But Pokémon themselves… they struggle to fully express these talents."
"That's where you so-called 'Trainers' come in. But even with Trainers, can you truly bring out a Pokémon's full potential?"
"But if we can modify Pokémon… then we can use a more scientific, more refined method to draw out all of their talents, and display them in an even more beautiful form. Isn't that a wonderful thing?"
He raised an eyebrow slightly, shaking his head as he spoke with a tone that was both regretful and fanatically passionate. Colress had always dedicated himself to unlocking the latent power within Pokémon, but unfortunately, the world had never been able to understand him.
No matter—he didn't need their understanding anyway. Because facts would speak for themselves.
The success of Genesect had already proven that he was right!
"Enough! You maniac!" Iris shouted.
(End of Chapter)