The very existence of Colress's machine had already cemented his value—Ghetsis understood that all too well.
And only Colress could help him achieve his goal of controlling Kyurem. No matter what, Colress absolutely could not be allowed to leave!
"And the White Dragon's Hero... That guy can't be left alive either!"
As his thoughts turned to the so-called Hero of Truth—someone he hadn't even met in person—Ghetsis's eyes gleamed with a chilling glint.
It was one thing for that bastard to set up a trap that had cost Team Plasma dearly. But now he even dared to steal away the Colress he valued so highly?
The hatred of losing one's "wife" could not be shared under the same sky!
"Father, is something wrong?"
N slowly approached, looking puzzled as he saw Ghetsis radiating a cold and oppressive aura.
"How's the Black Dragon recovering?"
Ghetsis gave N a cold look—he was clearly in a very bad mood.
"It probably needs one more day to fully heal,"
N answered honestly, not really sure what was going on, but choosing to be straightforward.
"One day is enough. N, get some rest first. Tomorrow, you'll come with me."
"Where are we going, Father?"
"To hunt a traitor... and the Hero of Truth."
N silently nodded. The Hero of Truth...
This time, I won't let you escape again!
His lifeless eyes flickered with emotion. No matter what, being used as a scapegoat and getting beaten senseless for no reason—he really couldn't swallow that down!
-----------------------------------------------------
In the blink of an eye, a day had passed. Outside Castelia City, Lucas and his three companions had arrived.
"Mr. Lucas, someone's following us,"
Colress, who had done some basic disguise work, adjusted his glasses and said quietly.
"Really?"
Marnie looked back. There were indeed a few people in the distance, but nothing about them seemed suspicious to her.
"It's probably Team Plasma,"
Green also noticed they were being followed. If nothing else, her skills in tracking and counter-tracking were top-tier.
And after giving it a bit of thought, she had a pretty good idea who it was—no doubt about it, it had to be Team Plasma.
After all… among the four of them, Lucas had screwed over Team Plasma's king once, and Colress was literally considered a traitor.
Of course Team Plasma wouldn't just let that slide.
"They sure took their time. We've been waiting for them for a day now."
Lucas grinned. The reason they came to Castelia was to return to Kanto, but before heading back, he had every intention of "playing" with Team Plasma for a while. He didn't expect them to arrive just now.
"That Ghetsis guy is really..."
Colress shook his head. He had known that Ghetsis wouldn't let this go easily, but he was still somewhat disappointed.
"So, what's the plan, Mr. Lucas?"
Colress looked to Lucas. Technically speaking, he was now Lucas's employer.
"Well, if they came looking for us, of course we have to give them a proper welcome."
Lucas's grin widened as he glanced around, then led the group toward a more deserted area.
They were too close to Castelia City—he was afraid Team Plasma wouldn't dare to make a move otherwise.
Seeing Lucas and the others suddenly change direction, the Team Plasma members following them were confused, but it wasn't their concern. They simply reported the coordinates back to HQ.
-----------------------------
In a remote plain
"The scenery here's not bad at all."
Lucas gave his surroundings a once-over, still in the mood to comment on the environment.
"You're in a pretty good mood, Mr. Lucas, but we still have to be careful. The Black Dragon and four Genesect won't be easy to handle,"
Colress raised an eyebrow, clearly amused by Lucas's attitude.
He knew Lucas was the trainer of the White Dragon, but one Reshiram wouldn't be enough to fight off Team Plasma. Even adding in his own shiny Genesect would make the odds tough. Not to mention the sheer number of enemies.
He didn't know where Lucas was getting his confidence from, but he chose to trust him.
"Black Dragon and four Genesect, huh~"
Lucas's smile widened. His cold white teeth gleamed in a way that sent a chill down the spine.
Not bad opponents at all.
"Reshiram, Dragon Pulse!"
Without warning, Lucas tossed a Poké Ball. A flash of light revealed the majestic Reshiram, wings unfurled, soaring skyward.
A wave of dragon energy blasted from its mouth, striking the forest ahead.
Boom!
Suddenly, a massive bolt of lightning descended from the sky, blocking Reshiram's attack.
The sky began to churn violently. Thick black clouds gathered at a terrifying speed. In an instant, what was a clear blue sky turned into a stormy night. Sparks of lightning arced through the clouds.
"What is this...?"
Green furrowed her brow. The sudden shift in weather was anything but natural.
"Zekrom's ability. Its tail generates powerful electricity, which in turn creates thunderclouds,"
Lucas explained calmly. This was why Zekrom was always accompanied by thunderstorms when it appeared.
In other words—Zekrom had arrived!
A figure slowly emerged from the forest.
With a handsome face and green hair—it was N!
He raised his head slightly, eyes locking onto Lucas. "Hero of Truth..."
N's eyes rippled with emotion as he slowly raised his hand.
"ROOAARRR!"
A deep, thunderous roar echoed as the Black Dragon, Zekrom, descended from the heavens, landing heavily behind N.
Reshiram lowered its head, its eyes locking onto the Black Dragon.
This time... the fated clash of Truth and Ideals had arrived!
-----------------------------------------
Meanwhile, in the icy valley of the Giant Chasm
"Black Dragon! White Dragon!"
The Ice Dragon stirred, as if sensing something. It suddenly opened its violent, burning eyes.
"ROOAARRR!"
A roar so powerful it shook the entire glacial valley. Flames surged across the Ice Dragon's body—
White-Kyurem!
In the next moment, White-Kyurem soared into the sky, vanishing toward the horizon.
---------------------------------------
Elsewhere
A cold, wolf-like Pokémon approached the outside of the Giant Chasm.
It was Zacian, originally from the Galar region!
"There's no mistake... That damn thing's scent is here."
Zacian's nose twitched as a cold glint flashed in its eyes.
Ever since Eternatus had left Galar, Zacian—having recovered from its injuries—had left as well.
But the world was vast. Other than that brief appearance in Sinnoh's Mt. Michina, Eternatus hadn't shown up again.
Zacian had wandered aimlessly... until recently, when it faintly caught a whiff of Eternatus's aura.
It had taken a while, but now it had tracked it here.
"The Black and White Dragons are about to fight... And that earlier one was probably the Ice Dragon?"
Zacian tilted its head, sensing the chaos.
As a Legendary Pokémon, it had a vague awareness of the Tao Trio. But it didn't care to get involved.
"Forget it. Finding that menace is more important."
Zacian turned away coldly, ignoring the oncoming battle. Those three were from the same origin and yet fought all the time—such nonsense.
Let them sort out their messed-up family drama.
Sniff sniff—
Nose twitching again, Zacian headed deeper into the Giant Chasm.
Yes, hunting down the toxic dragon was the real priority here.
--------------------------------------------
On the nameless plains
Dark clouds blocked the sky. An oppressive pressure filled the air.
Zekrom and Reshiram stared each other down—two dragons born from the same source, yet standing on opposite ends of purpose and belief.
Truth vs. Ideals. Who would prove to be right?
"My name is N—N Harmonia."
His lifeless eyes fixed on Lucas as the wind gently stirred his green hair.
After a moment of silence, he introduced himself.
No matter what, the identity of the Hero of Truth was too significant to him.
"Lucas Blackthorn, as you can see. Trainer of the Dragon of Truth. This is our second meeting... Hero of Ideals,"
Lucas grinned slightly. He didn't snub N's introduction, and his red eyes met N's calmly.
N fell silent. Their first meeting...
"From the moment I awakened the Black Dragon, I knew I would one day have to confront the Hero of Truth.
And sure enough—you stand in the way of our ideal world,"
N's calm face turned serious. From the beginning, he had known they were fated to clash.
Still, part of him had hoped the Hero of Truth wouldn't interfere with Team Plasma.
But clearly, that wasn't going to happen.
"Ideals are just ideals. Mere conviction cannot overcome the truth,"
Lucas's smile deepened as he glanced around.
At some point, a large number of Team Plasma members had surrounded them.
"The truth of the world is harsh. If ideals cannot be realized, then Pokémon will always suffer,"
N bit his lip. He understood how cruel reality could be.
"My ideal is to bring true happiness to all Pokémon!
As long as we can separate humans and Pokémon—so that humans no longer enslave them—we can achieve it!"
N believed truth could be changed!
Ideals could reshape reality! Ideals could surpass truth!
"Is this guy stupid or what..."
Green and Marnie were stunned. They knew N had been recognized by Zekrom, but they didn't expect his ideals to be this outlandish.
Separate Pokémon and humans?
In today's society, people's lives were deeply intertwined with Pokémon—how could you separate them?
And who said humans were enslaving Pokémon?
Yes, there were a few twisted individuals who mistreated Pokémon, but the vast majority saw them as true companions—family, even.
Green even thought N was being ridiculous. If not for the fact that Zekrom had accepted his ideals, she would have assumed he was delusional and using his "dream" as a moral disguise.
"I've seen too many pitiful Pokémon—abandoned and hurt by humans.
Even Poké Balls themselves... they're nothing more than cages humans use to control them,"
N took out a Poké Ball and looked at it with lifeless eyes.
He believed Poké Balls robbed Pokémon of their freedom.
Yet ironically, he had to use them himself to realize his ideal. The contradiction filled him with sorrow.
"Saving Pokémon, huh? Such a noble ideal~"
Lucas clapped mockingly. Even though he'd expected something like this, hearing it in person was just... hilarious.
"So arrogant and naive. Who do you think you are—a savior? A messenger of the gods?"
He sneered, mocking N without mercy.
"This world is far more complex than what you see. Taking a narrow piece of the world and calling it the whole truth—
Do you know what that makes you?"
Lucas tilted his head slightly, looking at N's impassive expression. One thing was clear: N had a strong mindset.
He rarely showed emotion—except when it involved Pokémon.
"That's called being a frog at the bottom of a well."
Lucas said it plainly. He pitied N for being so thoroughly manipulated...
But as the saying goes, "Pitiable people often have hateful traits."
N had never once thought about exploring the world to see things for himself.
Ghetsis may have tried to control him, but with N's power, he could've walked away any time.
(End of Chapter)