Chapter 186: The Dragon of Unova's Founding Myth!
Team Rocket. The criminal organization that had originated in Kanto.
Alder knew the name, obviously. What he knew better was how aggressively they'd been expanding into other regions lately.
Hoenn, for instance — turned completely upside down not long ago.
Devon Corporation's headquarters had been seized outright, its president taken hostage, culminating in a full-scale battle against the Hoenn League right in the streets of Rustboro City.
And the catastrophic storm that had followed — covering most of the region, nearly drowning Hoenn under flooding — that had been Rocket's doing too, by all accounts.
That storm alone had inflicted serious damage across the whole region. If it hadn't broken suddenly, no one knew how much worse Hoenn would have ended up.
And even that outcome had only happened because Champions from other regions had flown in to help.
Alder genuinely could not stomach the idea of Team Rocket setting up shop in Unova. If they did — he wasn't confident the League here could hold.
And now, apparently, they already had.
Alder's expression went grim as he studied the smiling, black-haired young man.
His chest tightened. The Leagues talked to each other — word traveled. He'd already heard about the reason Rocket had become so aggressive lately: a top-tier executive within their ranks pushing hard for expansion.
Mammon.
"You're the Rocket executive — Mammon?" Alder's tone carried real weight.
"I'm honored the esteemed Champion Alder already knows my name." Mammon's response was perfectly courteous. He turned his attention to Ghetsis. "The Sage's an interesting one, though. A member of a criminal organization, calling for help from a League Champion? It's almost funny, honestly."
Mammon's tone dripped mockery.
"Hmph! You insolent brat — I'll admit I'm not your match." Ghetsis's voice was cold. "But Alder is Unova's Champion. Taking down a small fry like you should be effortless for him."
Alder blinked, genuinely thrown by the unshakeable confidence in that statement.
Buddy, you actually believe in me that much? Should I be thanking you?
"Oh?" Mammon glanced over at Alder, his expression not quite a smile.
"While our Team Plasma has unfortunately been mischaracterized by the League as a 'dark organization,'" Ghetsis continued, voice ringing with righteous conviction, "we are nonetheless willing to set aside our differences and stand beside the Unova League against a genuine evil like Team Rocket!"
It was a surprisingly compelling speech. Alder found himself, despite everything, reassessing Ghetsis slightly upward.
Of course — Alder also knew exactly what this was. Ghetsis was just buying League protection in real time, doing whatever it took to avoid ending up in Mammon's hands.
"Beautifully said, Sage Ghetsis. Though — have you ever heard the saying?" Mammon couldn't resist offering applause as he spoke, the corner of his mouth curling slowly upward.
"No matter how many ants band together, they're not moving an elephant."
The remark landed like a slap. Alder's expression shifted, along with everyone else's nearby.
Did this man just call us — call ALL of us — ants?
Ghetsis's expression went thunderous. Even standing in front of an entire regional League, this brat had the audacity to keep flaunting his arrogance.
"Evil Team Rocket! The nerve!" Even Officer Looker couldn't keep her own anger contained.
"Relax, all of you. Today was just a courtesy visit to introduce myself." Mammon waved a hand at both Ghetsis and Alder, stepping backward, unhurried.
The whole point of coming had been to let Ghetsis know Rocket had arrived. Mission accomplished. No need to rush anything else.
He had no intention of finishing Ghetsis off right now — there'd be a lot less fun to be had later if he wrapped this up too quickly.
"Hold on. I never said you could leave." Alder's voice was heavy with resolve.
A Poké Ball opened in his hand, and a powerful Volcarona materialized before him. Even wary of Mammon's strength, there was no way Alder could just stand there and let a senior member of a criminal organization walk off in plain sight. That would have been genuinely embarrassing.
"Mmrrl~"
A teasing little cry. A slender, elegant black shape dropped into position behind Mammon — Shiny Pheromosa.
Her right leg lit with pale icy-blue light. She raised it and brought it down in a single, sweeping arc.
A torrent of ice and wind tore outward without warning, a howling blizzard instantly swallowing the field of vision for everyone present.
Blizzard.
"Blast Burn!" Alder commanded instantly, sending Volcarona forward to intercept.
Volcarona unleashed a roaring cross-shaped pillar of flame — but it lasted barely a moment against the Blizzard before the ice began swallowing the fire whole.
Alder's eyes went briefly unfocused with disbelief.
It took Looker's officers joining in, throwing everything they had to reinforce the defense, before the Blizzard was finally choked off.
But by the time it cleared, Shiny Pheromosa and Mammon had both vanished entirely into the swirling snow.
"Champion Alder — they've fled. Should we send a team after them?"
"Not for now."
Alder pressed his fingers to his temples, headache settling in. His gaze drifted toward the elaborately robed Ghetsis standing beside him.
Chase Mammon down? Far too dangerous.
That last Blizzard alone had confirmed everything the rumors said — Mammon's strength was exactly as terrifying as advertised.
Ghetsis, for his part, wasn't looking pleased either. He was busy mentally cursing Rocket for cutting and running.
By rights, he should have fought Alder. That was the entire point — let them tangle with each other while I slip away quietly.
He hadn't anticipated Mammon retreating that fast. If you're so confident, go fight Alder, you maniac!
"Ghetsis. You're coming with us."
Ghetsis's face soured instantly. With Mammon gone, Alder's attention had naturally redirected — straight onto him.
The most galling part was that there wasn't a single thing he could do about it. He genuinely wasn't Alder's match.
And so, the great Sage Ghetsis successfully earned himself a matched set of silver handcuffs.
Under normal circumstances, capturing this particular cult leader would have made Alder's day. Today felt different, somehow.
His expression stayed grim. Better head back to Opelucid City, probably, he thought.
Elsewhere — Mammon, Caitlin, and Kagura walked casually down a street, in no hurry at all.
"Why didn't you fight Alder, Mammon?" Kagura asked, genuinely curious.
"Picking on someone with a disability isn't fun." Mammon shrugged.
If he ever wanted to actually fight Alder, that fight needed to happen against an Alder whose head was on straight. Right now, Alder hadn't braced himself to go all-out — fighting him in this state was basically the same as kicking someone who couldn't fight back.
"Emmm..." Kagura tilted her head, only half-convinced.
"Let's head back to Castelia. Lance should be arriving about now."
Mammon checked his phone. He was, honestly, curious who'd end up rescuing Ghetsis. N, almost certainly — with Alder personally on-site, the rest of the so-called Shadow Triad would need something more than just opportunism to spring him.
Still, Mammon wasn't a fan of leaving things uncertain. Better to see how it plays out for now.
A villa in Castelia City.
"Lord Mammon, Lady Caitlin, and — Lady Kagura, I assume? Greetings."
Lance, dressed in casual clothes, offered an elegant bow to the three of them.
"It's been a while, Lance." Caitlin gave him a genuinely warm smile and a nod.
She and Lance had always gotten along well — he'd said as much himself, more than once, about enjoying her company as a colleague. Back when she'd first joined Rocket, she'd sparred frequently with both Guzma and Lance, and Lance had never once turned her down.
A meaningful contributor to her growth, if a quiet one.
Lance returned the smile with a nod. Notable detail: perched on his shoulder was a small blue Pokémon — compact, adorable, head bigger than its body, large watery eyes, ribbon-like tendrils trailing from the top of its head.
Phione.
"Lance, thank you for making the trip specially from Alola."
"You flatter me, Lord Mammon. Contributing to Team Rocket's growth is an honor in itself." Lance shook his head, smiling. "Guzma wanted to come along too, actually, but I had him hold the fort in Alola."
He genuinely didn't mind the trip. Things had gotten fairly quiet in Alola lately — being able to put his skills to use again in a new region had him in a good mood.
"Good call. Lusamine's reliable enough day-to-day, but someone still needs to hold the seat there."
Mammon nodded. The Alola League had formally established itself by now, and unsurprisingly, Lusamine had ascended to its presidency. With her quiet cooperation working from the inside, Rocket's Alola operations were thriving — practically untouchable. Once Mitsuki became Alola's first Champion, the entire region would belong to Rocket, in every way that mattered.
Driftveil Police Station.
"Champion Alder, I believe I've already told you — the only one who confronted me was Mammon. No other Rocket members were present."
Ghetsis's expression was flat, his voice steady as he addressed Alder.
Alder's brow furrowed slightly — he was trying to establish exactly how many Rocket executives had actually arrived in Unova.
"Ghetsis. You don't need to take that tone with me. Feeling sorry for yourself?" Alder's voice carried a low edge.
"Not at all. I'm simply pointing out, Champion Alder, that our top priority right now should obviously be combining forces against Team Rocket."
Ghetsis spoke unhurriedly, cuffs still on his wrists, but his composure was perfectly intact.
"I understand you may not care for Team Plasma. But I'll say this with complete sincerity, Champion — if it means driving out Team Rocket, Team Plasma would be glad to cooperate with the Unova League."
Ghetsis had long since claimed Unova as his own territory in every way that mattered. The fact that Rocket had dared to invade it — and provoke him so openly while doing so — was something he could not let stand.
"The Unova League is fully capable of handling Team Rocket on our own. We don't need your help, and we're certainly not going to cooperate with Team Plasma."
Alder's expression was grim. He knew Rocket was a genuine apex predator. But Team Plasma was no better.
RUMBLE— RUMBLEEE—
A low, heavy peal of thunder rolled in from somewhere outside, faintly audible even through the station's walls.
"Are you certain about that, Champion Alder? You know your own condition better than anyone. Are you genuinely capable of standing against that Mammon?"
Ghetsis rose to his feet, looking Alder dead in the eye.
Alder was still Champion-tier, technically — but how much of his peak remained, after everything?
Ghetsis had fought Mammon firsthand today. He was completely certain: Alder was not that man's match. The only real question was how long he'd last before losing.
"That's not your concern, Ghetsis." Alder's tone went heavy.
"You can't, Champion Alder. Without Team Plasma's assistance, you cannot defeat Team Rocket."
Ghetsis offered a thin, faint smile.
"And you can? On what grounds, exactly?" Alder nearly laughed outright. He genuinely couldn't fathom where Ghetsis's confidence was even coming from.
If Alder hadn't shown up with Looker's team today, Ghetsis would already be in Rocket custody. And now here he was, shamelessly claiming he could help the Unova League topple Team Rocket?
"Of course I can. Why don't we step outside and find out?" Ghetsis's smile stayed thin, unbothered.
RUMBLE— RUMBLE—
More thunder, low and resonant.
Alder's brow knit tight, studying Ghetsis's inexplicable confidence. This man—
"Champion Alder!!"
A voice crackled urgently through his earpiece — one of Looker's officers.
"What is it?"
"Outside! There's — there's an enormous Pokémon in the sky! It's massive!"
Alder's eyes shifted instantly, fixing on Ghetsis.
"Your doing?" His voice had gone heavy.
"Why don't we go see for ourselves, Champion Alder?"
Ghetsis's smile had become something unmistakably, dangerously self-assured.
Alder hesitated only a moment before grabbing Ghetsis and marching toward the exit.
It was barely five in the afternoon — the sky should have still been bright. Instead, the entirety of Driftveil City had vanished beneath a churning, black thunderhead.
Storm clouds had swallowed the sky whole.
"What is that—"
Alder stared upward, expression deadly serious. Within the dark, roiling clouds, the faint outline of something massive — something draconic — was just barely visible.
Footsteps approached. Alder turned.
Down the long, straight road, a striking young man with green hair, dressed in white, a hat pulled low, was walking steadily toward them.
His eyes were distant, unfocused — but his steps never wavered. Never hesitated.
The deep, percussive rumble of thunder continued rolling out of the clouds above.
"Champion Alder. Have you heard the founding legend of Unova?"
Ghetsis's smile had finally broken loose entirely, triumph spilling across his face unrestrained.
ROOOAAAARRR—!!
A low, earth-shaking dragon's cry tore down from the clouds. An enormous black dragon descended slowly out of the thunderhead, its colossal form settling to the ground directly behind the green-haired young man.
Alder's pupils contracted to pinpoints.
There it was. The Dragon of Ideals, straight out of Unova's own founding mythology.
Zekrom.
☆☆☆
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