Hearing those words, Iris was so furious that her whole body trembled slightly. To think that someone could justify openly harming Pokémon with such conviction—if that wasn't madness, what was?
A "good thing"?
Good your damn ass!
"If you've got something to say, save it for Officer Jenny. I'll personally send you off to prison for hard labor!"
"Haxorus, Dragon Claw!"
Iris had no intention of continuing this conversation. In her eyes, Colress's mindset was already completely rotten—beyond salvation.
Every word out of his mouth was just twisted logic and dangerous ideology. For a terrorist like him, the only reasonable response was to take him down and hand him over to the authorities to rot in jail for the rest of his life!
"What a shame… You truly can't understand my ideals."
Colress shook his head, regretful yet fanatically composed. Always the same, why were people always like this?
Was it so wrong to seek out the full potential hidden within Pokémon?
"But just based on your words alone, I doubt you'll be able to arrest me."
Colress calmly adjusted his glasses, completely unfazed. Many had tried to capture him across the entire Unova region, but he was still perfectly fine, wasn't he? Did she think he'd survived this long on sheer luck?
Iris launched into battle with Colress—but...
"This Genesect is insane!"
Green and Marnie both gasped as they watched the cold, mechanical Pokémon that moved more like a weapon than a living creature.
Where Iris had previously been overwhelming against Plasma Grunts, she was now on the defensive, struggling against Genesect. Her signature Pokémon—Hydreigon and Haxorus—had already been knocked out of the fight!
Genesect's strength was absolutely outrageous. Its agility and mobility were off the charts. When it moved, it left only a blur of red behind—it was ghost-like in its speed. Combined with its immense firepower, Iris's Pokémon had virtually no chance to mount a defense.
"Of course it's strong. Strictly speaking, Genesect is on par with Legendary Pokémon," said Lucas, unsurprised.
"Three hundred million years ago, Genesect was already the apex predator. I don't know if the original Genesect back then counted as a Mythical Pokémon… but the one revived and modified by Team Plasma, equipped with cutting-edge energy cannons? That one is undeniably classified as Mythical."
In this world, the distinction between Mythical and Legendary Pokémon was mostly semantic. Both types were known through ancient legends and archaeological discoveries.
And this particular Genesect? It was a shiny.
A shiny Legendary Pokémon's power was unquestionably above normal. That much had been proven in the past—like with the black, flying, green caterpillar or the shiny Genesect featured in the movie.
So, it was only natural that Iris, a mere lower-tier Champion, would be utterly crushed by such a monster.
"A Mythical Pokémon on par with Legends?"
Green and Marnie both froze at the words. Lucas wouldn't joke about something like that, which meant… this Genesect was truly a Legend?
Another Legendary Pokémon? Just great.
While the girls were shocked, Iris—still locked in battle—was visibly shaken, her expression increasingly grim.
Her Druddigon had just been hit by another cannon blast from Genesect and lost its ability to battle.
She… she actually wasn't a match for this deranged scientist!
"Damn it! This won't work—I need to retreat."
Despite her fury, Iris wasn't the type to stubbornly throw herself away in a hopeless fight. Genesect was simply too fast—it embodied the concept of speed dominance.
If she couldn't even land a hit, and her raw strength was inferior, and the opponent hit like a truck… what was the point of continuing?
If she stayed, she'd just end up getting swept.
And against this kind of terrorist, mercy was not on the table.
"I'll head back to Opelucid City, find my mentor, and bring reinforcements to take this place down!"
Her mind made up, Iris didn't hesitate. Before Genesect could move again, she hurriedly leapt onto her Archeops and fled the scene without looking back.
Can't win? Then call for backup!
Was there even a question?
--------------------
"What an interesting girl."
Watching Iris's retreating figure, Colress chuckled quietly. He had no intention of stopping her. He was a scientist obsessed with a specific field—not some heartless monster like Ghetsis.
As long as Iris didn't interfere, he had no reason to harm her.
Sure, he knew she'd bring others back here eventually—but by then, he'd be long gone with his research data.
So Colress didn't mind.
"Besides… hmm?"
Just as he was turning his attention elsewhere, his phone vibrated in his pocket.
"Mr. Ghetsis? What a surprise."
Colress raised an eyebrow as he answered the call, his voice polite but casual.
"I've found Kyurem's location, Colress. Can your machine control it?"
Ghetsis's voice came through the speaker, full of ambition.
"Kyurem…" Colress frowned.
"Mr. Ghetsis, I believe I've already told you—the current machine is still in its prototype stage. Its functions aren't fully optimized yet," Colress replied bluntly.
His tone was far from friendly—he didn't hate ambitious people, but if they were blindly arrogant and out of touch, he had no patience for them.
"Controlling Genesect is already the current model's limit. I strongly advise you not to covet Kyurem just yet."
The "Colress Machine" was a device he had personally invented and named after himself. It could force a Pokémon's hidden abilities to awaken and even manipulate their behavior.
It was a powerful tool—but far from perfected. Even keeping Genesect under control stretched it to its limits, and there remained a risk that Genesect could break free.
Kyurem? That was sheer madness.
Colress seriously wondered if Ghetsis had been brainwashed by Kyurem's power.
"Can't you upgrade it? You understand what it would mean if we captured Kyurem," Ghetsis pressed, unwilling to let the idea go. Colress's abilities were undeniable—and if he could just enhance the machine...
With Kyurem, the Genesect army, and N's black dragon under their control, wouldn't conquering Unova be inevitable?
"I'm sorry, Mr. Ghetsis. This version is the most advanced. It's not possible to enhance it in the short term," Colress replied, a cold smirk curling at his lips.
What a fool—utterly consumed by ambition.
"Well then, instead of chasing Kyurem, I'd appreciate it if you arranged a new research base. The League has already found this one," he said flatly, making no effort to hide his impatience.
After a few more curt exchanges, Colress hung up and stared silently at the phone in his hand.
Ghetsis was completely out of touch. All he ever thought about was world domination, without the slightest clue how to truly make use of N.
Sure, N was still obedient for now—but Colress had interacted with him enough to know: N was innately kind and had a deeply strong will. If something ever triggered a shift in his beliefs, that loyalty would shatter.
And what was Ghetsis doing? Constant scolding, total isolation—no interaction with outsiders. The harsher the control now, the harsher the backlash later.
N was a deeply emotional, sensitive person. Wouldn't it have been more effective to use affection, morality, and "family" to manipulate him?
Now Ghetsis even wanted Kyurem? Did he not know how to spell "death"? Greed truly was the deadliest of sins.
Team Plasma was doomed if things continued like this. Even with Zekrom and the Genesect army, the Pokémon League was no joke.
"Maybe it's time to prepare for a transition. I don't want to waste time searching for another base later."
Behind his glasses, Colress's eyes flickered thoughtfully.
Yes—he was already considering which organization might take him in next. He had always been confident in his abilities.
Being wanted by the League? So what?
There were plenty of groups that opposed the League. He'd only joined Team Plasma in the first place because they were the largest faction in Unova and offered the best research resources.
---------------------------------------
"My friend, you've been watching for a while now. Isn't it time to come out and say hello?"
Putting aside his earlier thoughts, Colress turned toward Lucas and the other two with a calm, intelligent smile.
Of course he had noticed them. He was a wanted "mad scientist." If he weren't constantly on guard, he'd have been thrown into prison long ago.
"As expected of Dr. Colress," Lucas replied, stepping out with Green and Marnie. He looked at Colress with clear admiration.
"You came with that girl who just left?"
Colress eyed the trio, finally settling his gaze on Lucas. His instincts told him that this boy was the leader.
And the way he had addressed him—"Dr. Colress"—was neither sarcastic nor hostile.
So they weren't enemies… at least, not at first glance.
"No, no, don't get me wrong. I'm not here to play hero," Lucas said, twirling his finger. "The reason I came to Unova… is for you, Dr. Colress."
"Oh?" Colress's interest was piqued.
In the Pokémon Special manga, Black's assessment of Colress was rather amusing: "He's not really evil… just far too pure and innocent." That might have been Black's impression, but in truth, Colress was far more calculating and intelligent than most.
He had many hidden cards, which gave him composure even in defeat. Strictly speaking, he never truly lost his cool. The only thing he ever regretted was any interruption to his research.
In short, unless something pertained to his scientific pursuits, Colress remained eternally calm and collected.
Because to him, only his research mattered—everything else was just a fleeting interest. Failure? That, too, was simply a part of life's experience.
Colress was a half-mad genius. Or perhaps… all true geniuses were a little mad.
"I'd like to invite you, Dr. Colress, to participate in an experimental project."
"What kind of experiment?" Colress's interest deepened.
Though he had the talent of a top-tier Pokémon Trainer—becoming a Champion while still young—he had always considered himself first and foremost a researcher.
If not for being hunted by the League, he wouldn't have bothered investing so much time in training Pokémon.
"Genetic cloning," Lucas answered calmly.
"Genetic cloning?" Colress frowned slightly.
"I'm sorry. I'm not interested in that."
He shook his head. While his expertise did include genetic biology—indeed, it was one of his specialties—he had no real passion for cloning.
The so-called "genetic cloning project" sounded to him like just another attempt to artificially produce living beings using gene tech.
He could already guess the project's goal: creating synthetic life.
But Pokémon DNA was unimaginably complex. Could you even succeed in creating a clone? And even if you did… what was the point?
"If this project succeeds, the life it produces will far surpass anything you've ever imagined, Dr. Colress. That's why I'm asking you to reconsider carefully."
(End of Chapter)