As Cobalion's voice faded, a Pokémon with a cream-colored body, red mane, and blade-like horn appeared in the subspace.
Goodshow gazed at the proud, justice-filled Pokémon, and his expression softened as he slowly nodded.
In response, Keldeo approached Goodshow, gently tapping its horn against his chest.
A golden ripple spread out from where the horn touched, and in an instant, Goodshow's consciousness was pulled into a wondrous realm.
The space was filled with golden energy, visible to the naked eye, stretching infinitely. Every detail shimmered with unfathomable mystery.
Before him hovered an enormous Pokémon, as grand and immovable as a mountain range, radiating an unmatched divine presence.
...
By the time Lucius arrived at Indigo Plateau, it was already the next morning.
After a night of press coverage, Volkner had already been hailed across media as the hero who stopped Rayquaza from destroying the Hoenn region.
Of course, there were still some skeptical voices—but they were quickly drowned out by a sea of praise. Few even mentioned that Rayquaza had only appeared after Kyogre had triggered the torrential downpour.
"This is the meteorite you asked for," Brandon said, as someone brought out a shimmering purple stone.
Lucius took one glance and immediately confirmed: it was the core of another Deoxys.
Over the years, this purple meteorite had absorbed vast amounts of energy. Barring unforeseen events, it would likely reactivate within the next year.
"Perfect." Lucius's right arm transformed into vines, lashing out and wrapping around the meteorite, drawing it into his body.
Thanks to having inherited the retroactive abilities of Primal Kyogre, Lucius's psychic power now vastly exceeded that of even Deoxys—especially this incomplete core.
As his body rapidly absorbed the meteorite's essence, the powers of two Deoxys converged within him.
His once grayish-white eye turned violet.
When he fully absorbed the energy, the meteorite exploded with immense heat inside him. A radiant purple aurora shone from within his body, illuminating the skies above Indigo Plateau in a breathtaking spectacle.
Once again, the scene was recorded by staff members on-site—no doubt to become the basis for yet another round of sensational news stories.
Lucius had no interest in those surface-level theatrics. What concerned him now… was the imminent assault of the Mythical Pokémon.
From the battle between Kyogre and Rayquaza, it was clear: only Mythical Pokémon could stand against one another. Even Legendary and King-tier Pokémon could barely act as support.
Currently, Lucius had only Kyogre on his side, alongside his enhanced self wielding the combined power of two Deoxys. If the Mythical Pokémon launched a full-scale offensive, they stood no chance in a head-on fight. Their only hope would lie in the city's defensive heavy weaponry.
But compared to the agility of the Mythical Pokémon, human weapons were simply too sluggish.
It was time to pay the Orange Archipelago a visit.
Lucius briefly relayed his plans to Brandon and Lance, then instantly teleported away from Indigo Plateau.
On a small island nestled in the Orange Islands—a pearl embedded in the ocean—a ripple of distortion twisted the air. A blond-haired man stepped out of the void.
"According to Archer's memories, this should be the place." Lucius slowly descended from the sky.
The island was tiny, no more than ten square kilometers, covered entirely in jagged rock. On the surface, it looked utterly unremarkable.
But a flicker of blue light shimmered in Lucius's eyes—he could see straight through the stone. Beneath it, hidden in the underground depths, was a man-made facility bustling with at least a hundred personnel.
Lucius didn't bother looking for an entrance. He simply phased through invisibly and appeared directly inside the base.
Rows of massive cylindrical pods lined the facility. Each was filled with green nutrient fluid, housing grotesquely malformed creatures.
Scientists in white coats recorded data on monitors beside the tanks.
Lucius walked silently among them, still cloaked in invisibility. He recognized the figures floating in these tanks—they were incomplete versions of Mewtwo.
He chuckled to himself. So, it was true. Team Rocket's X-Lab was actually the rebuilt New Island Laboratory.
In the original timeline, Dr. Fuji had accepted Rocket funding to research cloning technology on New Island. It was there he cloned Mewtwo using a single eyelash from Mew.
Mewtwo had later destroyed the facility, and Rocket had salvaged what they could—relocating their experiments to this hidden island.
But Mew's genetic material had long since been exhausted. Now, these defective clones were all created from Mewtwo's own genetic code.
In other words, they were clones of a clone.
Lucius scanned the room, unimpressed. Compared to Mewtwo, most of these Pokémon were either missing limbs or critically unstable—none were viable assets.
Just as he was about to leave, he noticed one particular Pokémon inside a tube… watching him.
This clone bore a striking resemblance to Mewtwo—but wasn't quite the same. It was much smaller, almost like Mewtwo's Y-Forme, and unlike the others, it was whole.
It can see me?
Lucius stepped forward a few paces. The clone's eyes followed.
He stepped back. The eyes tracked him again.
Interesting.
Lucius was now certain—this clone could see through his invisibility.
"You can see me?" he asked mentally, standing directly before the containment pod.
"Of course I can. Why wouldn't I?" the Pokémon replied telepathically.
"With power like yours, you could walk out of here whenever you please. Why haven't you?"
Even through their psychic link, Lucius could sense the strength embedded in the clone's consciousness. Its psychic energy rivaled even that of Deoxys.
With that kind of power, escaping this lab should've been as easy as going out for a stroll.
"Why leave?" the clone replied indifferently. "The outside world isn't exactly fun."
"You've been outside before?" Lucius raised an eyebrow in mild confusion. Did it sneak out for a bit, find the world boring, and just come back on its own?
"No," the clone Pokémon replied, its voice dull and disinterested. "But I can read the minds of the people here. From their thoughts, I already know what the outside world is like. People out there just eat, sleep, and work all day too. Nothing special."
Lucius gave a low chuckle. "Heh, like an ignorant fool…"
Everyone in this underground facility was a researcher, and their lives were as monotonous as it got.
If they actually had colorful, exciting lives, would they really choose to spend their days buried in this dim, windowless lab?
Trying to find something interesting in their heads? Not likely.
"Here. Let me show you something fun."
With a focused thought, Lucius transmitted a memory to the clone Pokémon—a vivid mental image of Kyogre and Rayquaza locked in battle, their titanic clash whipping up howling gales and towering waves.
"Whoa…" The clone Pokémon's eyes lit up instantly.
Born and raised inside this dark laboratory, it had never seen anything like that before—such raw power, such overwhelming majesty. It was instantly captivated.
Then, Lucius shared with it the taste of various delicious foods, transmitting flavor and sensation through their psychic link.
The clone Pokémon's mouth began to water instinctively.
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