Lumiose City.
After obtaining the location of the Arche Valley in Dahara City, Lucas and his group returned once more to Lumiose City.
Rushing to the Arche Valley immediately did not align with Lucas's plans. Even putting aside the question of whether the valley welcomed outsiders, even if they did welcome them, figuring out how to gain the true goodwill of Punishment Hoopa was still an extremely difficult matter.
After having its power sealed, Hoopa's personality was indeed innocent and childlike. Building a bit of friendly rapport with it was not difficult at all.
But earning Hoopa's genuine help was another matter entirely. Even in the original movie, after Ash experienced life and death together with it, their friendship was undeniably deep and sincere.
The truth was that the capabilities of Hoopa's space rings were not much different from those of Unbound Hoopa, aside from the number of rings it could use. However, when that elder sealed its power, he also placed a restriction on Hoopa—since then, it could no longer transport itself using its own rings.
At the final critical moment in the movie, when Hoopa desperately needed to escape through its ring but was unable to, who was the person it thought of?
It remembered Meraz and Baraz, the childhood companions who had grown up with it…
Yes—despite experiencing life and death with Ash, the most important people in Hoopa's heart were still Meraz and Baraz.
To Hoopa, Ash was just a recognized good friend. Those two childhood human companions were the ones it trusted and cherished most deeply.
From this perspective, simply going to the Arche Valley and trying to bond with Hoopa was essentially meaningless.
…
Café Soleil.
After strolling around the streets for a while, Lucas and the others arrived here to relax and take a proper break.
Once they sat down and ordered coffee, Lucas casually glanced around—and immediately noticed something unexpected at the table to his left.
A man with a mane-like sweep of orange hair, mature and imposing features, wearing a sleek leather-fitted suit.
And seated across from him was a dignified, elegant woman dressed in white; mature, beautiful, and radiating noble grace.
It was Lysandre and Diantha!
Lucas raised an eyebrow. He hadn't expected to run into these two here.
One was the leader of the evil organization in Kalos, and the other was Kalos's Champion among the Elite Four!
"Isn't that…"
Archer also noticed them—though most of his attention, naturally, was focused on Diantha.
Even though she was from a different region, the title of Champion brought enormous fame with it.
Especially recently…
Ever since Lucas challenged Iris and climbed into the top five of the Master Class Ranking, Diantha, previously ranked eighth, was pushed off the list entirely.
She became the first Champion in history to fall off the Master Class Rankings.
Archer subconsciously started to approach, but Giovanni immediately shook his head. Archer came to his senses, stepped back, and fell silent.
No matter what, attracting Diantha's attention would not be a good thing for them.
Lucas also stayed quiet. What interested him wasn't their identities, but rather—what the two were talking about.
Although Lysandre was the true leader of Team Flare, his real identity had not been exposed. In the public eye, he was still a respected, successful man.
The Director of the Lysandre Labs—this was his official identity.
Therefore, seeing him chatting with Diantha wasn't strange at all.
…
"Champion Diantha, you once played a youthful girl on the big screen with flawless perfection. Have you ever thought about… maintaining that youth forever, so that you could continue playing such roles indefinitely?"
Lysandre spoke slowly, savoring a sip of coffee. Despite his imposing, rugged appearance, his tone was surprisingly calm and composed.
"What a strange question. Why would I want to keep playing the same type of role forever?"
Diantha tilted her head slightly, stirring her coffee gently with a small spoon. As she watched the ripples form in the cup, she spoke softly.
Eternal youth and beauty were probably the dream of most girls—but she did not think so.
"Youth may imply beauty, but it does not define an entire life. Everything is meant to change."
"I want to experience that process and grow. So, yes, I want to try different roles."
She smiled gently. To her, a life spent only as the same beautiful, youthful image felt hollow—lacking something essential.
"But you were chosen by the heavens to be a star, weren't you?" Lysandre's brow creased almost imperceptibly.
"Isn't maintaining beauty your responsibility? All beautiful things should remain forever at their most perfect state."
His magnetic voice flowed quietly.
"I hope this world can remain forever in its most beautiful state. I cannot tolerate a world that loses its beauty."
Lysandre rested his chin on his hand, a faint smile on his lips, his gaze filled with the ideal world he envisioned.
Yes—what he desired was a beautiful world. The most beautiful world.
He did not dislike Diantha. In fact, one could say he admired her. To him…
Diantha resembled his younger self. She was Kalos's finest actress, moving audiences with her masterful performances.
In his eyes, she dedicated herself to bringing joy to others. Lysandre liked such people very much.
If only everyone were like Diantha, the world would be beautiful indeed. But—
"Everyone wishes for the world to be beautiful," Diantha replied, her eyes narrowing faintly as she glanced at him for two seconds before looking away.
She could feel it… something about Lysandre was off.
His words weren't exactly wrong, but the final sentence—the way he said it—felt uncanny.
Lucas raised an eyebrow as well. Judging from Lysandre's words, it seemed he was already pursuing Xerneas.
With Xerneas's life energy, the Ultimate Weapon could emit a beam that granted everlasting life—freezing all living beings at their most perfect state, never decaying.
But Lysandre had no benevolent intentions. The "beauty" he wished to preserve excluded all things he deemed ugly or unworthy. He intended to cleanse them from the world.
Even so, compared to someone like Cyrus, who wanted to destroy the world and recreate it from nothing, Lysandre's ideals were almost mild.
'Though that's only natural—Lysandre is just a mad idealist after all.' Lucas thought quietly.
Truthfully, Lysandre once had a kind heart.
In his younger years he traveled through Kalos with his Pokémon, helping those who struggled or suffered. But as he saw more and more…
He realized his kindness had been a mistake. Those he helped begged him for more and more charity, even fighting with others over it.
Seeing that scene shattered him completely.
From then on, Lysandre believed he could no longer allow such fools to corrupt Kalos. He had to eradicate the problem at its root.
…
"Hm? Mr. Lysandre, and… Champion Diantha?"
Just then, a young girl entered the café. Seeing Lysandre, her eyes brightened and she ran over cheerfully.
Wearing a fitted black top, a red skirt, and a small red hat—her face fresh and pure, her temperament bright and clean.
It was Serena from the anime.
"Oh, Serena. So, you've returned to Lumiose already? It seems your journey must have been going well."
Lysandre smiled warmly at her, it was clear he had a favorable impression of her.
Naturally. He always showed kindness to those with good hearts.
Diantha also smiled gently and nodded.
"Yes~ Eh? And you are…"
Serena's bright smile was radiant. She had already known Lysandre since shortly after receiving her starter Pokémon.
But before she could finish speaking, she suddenly noticed something—her eyes widening with surprise and delight as she looked toward the side table.
No—more precisely, toward Lucas.
"You're the Master Ranked No. 5… Lucas Blackthorn, right?" Serena asked excitedly.
Lucas Blackthorn?
Both Lysandre and Diantha turned their gaze toward him. That name was far from unfamiliar…
After all, his complete victory against Iris had taken the world of competitive trainers by storm. Anyone who didn't know about it would be laughed at.
"Hello. Who would've thought someone in Kalos would recognize me?"
Lucas blinked in surprise, then smiled gracefully as he stood and nodded to Serena.
Serena, naturally, he recognized. He just wasn't sure if this Serena was the one from the games… or the anime.
"I watched your match! It was amazing. Even someone as strong as Iris was defeated so easily by you."
Serena tilted her head and smiled brightly, her delicate features filled with vibrant charm.
Although she did not plan to remain a full-time trainer forever, she still followed the World Championship tournaments.
Lucas's instant rise to fame made him highly recognizable. With his striking appearance and noble aura, he was unmistakable.
"Who would've thought Mr. Lucas would come to Kalos?"
Diantha furrowed her brows slightly, though her expression remained composed as she stood and greeted him.
As Kalos's Champion, she could not ignore someone as dangerous as Lucas.
She had wanted to go to Goldenrod City during the previous incident but had been tied down by obligations. Even so, she had studied the footage afterward.
And his strength…
Her gaze drifted briefly toward the companions behind him. Green and Marnie were unmistakably his signature companions, but she didn't recognize the other three.
Well, although this isn't Indigo, Giovanni and his crew still disguised themselves a little.
"Champion Diantha, I've long admired your name."
"I need to relax occasionally as well. I've heard about Kalos's charm for a long time—so since I had free time, I decided to visit with my friends."
Lucas smiled politely, his elegance flawless.
Seeing them speak, Serena wisely avoided interrupting.
Lysandre, however, frowned subtly. Though he'd heard Lucas had left Team Rocket…
He was not about to let his guard down.
"I see. Kalos always welcomes you."
Diantha quietly exhaled in relief. She had wondered whether he might be trying to deceive her…
But probably not.
"Mr. Lucas, don't tease me. There are so many genius and monsters these days and they keep getting stronger and stronger—I can hardly keep up."
Diantha sighed helplessly. She knew her own strength best. She had even been knocked off the Master Class Rankings!
She had considered challenging someone like Alder or Wallace…
But she wasn't confident. She needed more preparation.
That was her plan—she had to be absolutely certain of victory before making her move. Otherwise, Kalos really would lose all face.
"This isn't exactly a joke, but what Champion Diantha said is indeed true; there are just more and more talented people these days."
"I would actually recommend you challenge someone now, before it's too late."
Lucas nodded sincerely and reminded her:
"The Master Class Rankings will keep shifting, and the new Champion and Elite Four of Indigo will probably start challenging the ranked trainers soon. If you don't secure a spot now… well, you may never get the chance again."
"??"
Diantha froze.
Then, a heavy seriousness filled her eyes.
That's it.
No more hesitation.
Tomorrow, she was going to challenge Wallace!
(End of Chapter)