In the far north of the Unova region lay the former headquarters of the Unova League. Though the League had since moved to Opelucid City, the ruins of the old site still remained.
Lance soared above on his Aerodactyl, gazing coldly down at the abandoned grounds below.
According to information extracted from one of the Seven Sages of Team Plasma—it was here. No doubt about it.
And how had Lance made the Sage talk? Easy. There's no need for courtesy when dealing with members of evil organizations.
After all, what Lance hated most—was evil organizations.
"Dragonair, Draco Meteor."
His crimson hair whipping in the wind, Lance's face was stone-cold. Two Dragonair appeared before him, their voices echoing in the air as they summoned stars that swirled skyward.
Boom!
The twin meteors exploded high above like a celestial firework show—dragon stars trailing flames fell like a meteor shower. Breathtaking, yet deadly.
BOOM! BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!
The bombardment shook the earth violently. Dust filled the air. The old League site cracked under the onslaught of falling meteors.
Then—rising from beneath the ground—a massive fortress emerged. Team Plasma's castle. N's Castle.
Lance's mouth curled into a cold smirk.
The castle gates opened. N and Ghetsis stepped out, flanked by surviving Plasma grunts. Although their organization had been crushed by Dylan, many had still scattered and survived.
After Zekrom rescued N and Ghetsis, they'd returned here to regroup and rebuild. A second wind… though the previous defeat had dealt a crushing blow to their morale.
And now, the rift between N and Ghetsis had only grown deeper.
"…That man… The Kanto Champion, Lance?"
Ghetsis scowled, glaring at the dragon-riding figure high above.
Of course he recognized him. Team Plasma had once sent N and Colress to Kanto—he knew exactly who this was.
"Lance! Why are you here?!"
Ghetsis demanded, livid. After everything, they'd been hiding and licking their wounds—and now someone had come to knock on their door? Kick it down, more like.
Aerodactyl descended slightly, but Lance didn't spare Ghetsis a glance. His eyes locked onto N.
"N. The one who commands the black dragon, Zekrom?" he asked icily.
Ghetsis's face darkened further. This arrogant man dared to ignore him?!
"…Yes," N said softly, lifting his gaze to meet Lance's.
"Then give it to me."
Lance didn't mince words. His eyes were sharp as blades.
"Give me Zekrom! A person like you doesn't deserve it!"
He didn't hide his disdain. He needed a Legendary.
With the black dragon of ideals—Zekrom—he could finally destroy the Rocket Boss.
The dragon of ideals helped chosen heroes create the world they dream of—and Lance had a dream.
A world free of evil.
Team Rocket must die. Those who harm Pokémon and nature must die. Those consumed by greed and darkness… must die.
"…," N's eyes dimmed.
Lance's words struck at his soul. After so many conversations with Alder, he'd begun to doubt everything.
Was his dream… really right?
If it was, why had it shattered so easily when faced with reality? Did he truly deserve Zekrom?
"Arrogant fool! Lance, what do you think we are?!" Ghetsis roared.
This was too much. First Dylan, now Lance. How dare he just demand Zekrom?!
"You noisy piece of garbage." Lance finally spared him a glance—an icy glare.
"Did I say I was talking to you?"
Under his cloak, his blackened gaze held not a shred of emotion.
"Filthy trash should be cleaned up."
The twin Dragonair lowered their heads. Their mouths lit up with pulsing energy—Dragon Pulse.
The beams of dragon energy exploded downward—straight at Ghetsis.
His pupils shrank in horror. Death approached.
He's attacking me?! Is he trying to kill me?! Isn't he a Champion?!
"If you won't hand over the black dragon… I'll wipe all of Team Plasma off the map."
Lance's voice was cold and absolute. He no longer looked human.
The attack screamed toward Ghetsis, who stood frozen in place, unable to move.
"…Zekrom," N whispered.
BOOM!
A bolt of blue lightning slammed down, intercepting the Dragon Pulses mid-air. The shockwave blasted outward violently.
"There you are… Black Dragon!"
Lance looked up, eyes burning. Above, clouds swirled around the mighty form of Zekrom—his true target.
"That's it, N! Take him down!"
Ghetsis's twisted face contorted further. First Dylan, now Lance—these arrogant fools!
N glanced at Ghetsis with deep disappointment.
Raising his hand, a resonant dragon cry echoed through the sky.
From the clouds, the black dragon descended, landing protectively before N.
"Zekrom is my partner," N said, meeting Lance's eyes. For a moment, there was clarity in his gaze.
Lance snorted, arms crossed, looking down at N.
"Oh? And what makes you worthy of Zekrom?"
He hated evil organizations. Even if Team Plasma wasn't as grotesque as Rocket's gene experiments, they were still the same kind of scum in his eyes.
And N, as their so-called "king," was no exception.
"A world where Pokémon and humans are separated? Absurd. Only a fool would believe that."
Even Lance, who fought for Pokémon's freedom, found that notion laughable.
He acknowledged Pokémon suffered. He fought for their justice. But to separate them from humanity?
"Please. You're just hiding your dirty ambitions behind flowery ideals."
"Rats from the sewers—still rats."
N clenched his fists. "I never thought like that."
"I know," Lance replied evenly.
"My Viridian powers tell me your intentions toward Pokémon are pure. But that doesn't change the fact that you're a puppet."
He smiled bitterly. His sharp instincts told him N was genuine—but that only made it worse.
A supposed hero of ideals—Zekrom's chosen—used as someone else's pawn.
"You're unworthy. I am the one most suited to wield the black dragon!"
"…Zekrom is my friend," N said softly, his eyes dulling again.
"Oh, I see."
Lance's smile twisted. He swept his gaze across the Plasma crowd like a predator sizing up its prey.
"Perfect. I'll just kill all of you."
If he wanted to win Zekrom's favor, he'd prove his worth the old-fashioned way.
Back in Rota.
"What's wrong, Dylan? You look like something's up."
Steven and the others had come out to the garden for breakfast. Wallace was the first to ask.
"Lance went to Unova. He's after N," Dylan replied honestly.
Technically, Lance hadn't done anything too outrageous yet—besides not filing the proper permissions.
"Wow… what a workaholic," Wallace chuckled.
Lance really was the model Champion. If he wasn't fighting Team Rocket, he was on his way to fight Team Rocket.
Now that they were gone, he'd moved on to Plasma.
No complaints. Just respect.
"There must be a reason, right?" Steven asked.
"There is, but… I don't know if he'll succeed," Dylan said vaguely. The others understood and didn't press further.
"Come on, let's eat. My sister brought breakfast from the street market."
The air was cool and fresh, and the garden was serene—lush greenery, calm ponds, blooming flowers, and joyful Pokémon.
"Man… you really know how to live," Steven sighed with envy.
"If Wallace hadn't shoved me back into the Champion seat, I'd be a free man like you."
"I heard Dylan even works five days a week with weekends off," Wallace added.
"When I was a Gym Leader, I still had to run contests. Now this is luxury."
"I don't really have grand ambitions. I enjoy helping challengers now and then, exploring the world in my spare time… That's enough for me."
"If you take on too many responsibilities, life may be fulfilling—but it's also exhausting."
Dylan smiled gently.
"Well said," Geeta agreed. Her role made her a little hypocritical, but she loved her work too.
As Paldea's Champion and Chairwoman, she found joy in leading a thriving region.
"No wonder you never became Kanto's Champion," Steven noted. "What about the World Championship next year?"
"I'll be there. If I get to face you guys, it'll be fun."
"Fun? No way." Wallace waved his hands frantically.
He really didn't want to fight Dylan. That's a guaranteed loss.
"Oh, I'd love to meet you in battle, Wallace," Dylan smirked.
"I'll show you the power of a full Water-type lineup."
That's right. An all-Water team—led by Primal Kyogre and Palkia. He didn't have them yet, but he would.
"…You're serious?"
"Absolutely."
"Well then! You'll see my new Water team in action, too!"
Wallace was confident. If it's Water vs. Water, he was the best in the world—before Dylan.
Dylan chuckled.
"Oh, right. None of you have found your main Mega Stones yet, right?"
He pulled out a few glittering gems from his pocket.
"Garchompite, Metagrossite, and Gyaradosite. Sorry, Geeta—your aces can't Mega Evolve yet."
He handed the stones over.
"Dylan… This is too generous," Steven said.
"I can't accept it," Cynthia added gently.
"Don't worry—I'm a descendant of the Meteor People. I've got plenty of these."
Rather than hoard them, he'd rather build goodwill with people he respected.
"…If it really bothers you, just pay me the market price."
Dylan offered.
"Alright…" Steven hesitated, then handed him a card and whispered the PIN.
He knew Dylan was gifting them, but Mega Evolution was a huge upgrade.
"Let's all give it our best. I hope to see you in the Masters Eight next year."
Dylan looked at them warmly.
Next year's World Championship would be intense. The protagonists from every region would have grown up by then.
Would these four make it to the top?
Well… Wallace was probably the least likely. If he cracked the top 20, that'd be a win.