Mahogany Town.
The weather was exceptionally nice today, and a small table had been set up outside the Mahogany Gym.
"Mew~ Lucas, I want to go out and play."
Mewtwo Y drifted over from who knows where, blinking its big, adorable eyes as it spoke to Lucas.
Its voice was young and clear, like that of an innocent little girl who had yet to understand the ways of the world.
"Go ahead. Let your two sisters take you out to play, but don't go too far, alright?"
Lucas smiled indulgently, taking out two packets of biscuits—handing one to Mewtwo Y, and the other to the Mew floating behind it.
That's right. At this moment, Mew was following behind Mewtwo Y like a vigilant parent.
With Mew accompanying it, Lucas wasn't worried at all about Mewtwo Y's safety.
What's more, Mewtwo Y had already been captured by him. Even though it was still in its growth stage, its strength was already outstanding—ordinary Trainers were no match for it at all.
Not to mention that Green and Marnie were also going along, which made things even safer.
Mewtwo Y's eyes curved into crescent moons as it rubbed affectionately against Lucas's palm, then happily floated off toward the outskirts of town.
Green and Marnie, both disguised, hurriedly followed after them.
"Is that a new Pokémon? Judging by how you're treating it, it's definitely not an ordinary one, is it?"
Karen cast a glance at the slowly departing Mewtwo Y and Mew. It was obvious that Lucas placed great importance on this Mewtwo Y.
"Ah~ This child has extremely powerful potential."
Lucas didn't hide anything and nodded calmly.
Opposite them, Pryce narrowed his murky eyes slightly, gently spinning a silver-white feather between his fingers.
It was the Silver Wing.
"Is there still no news about Ho-Oh's whereabouts?"
After a long while, Pryce's deep, aged voice finally sounded.
What he cared about now was Ho-Oh's Rainbow Wing.
"Not yet. Although we've already entrusted Team Rocket with the search, information about Ho-Oh is simply too difficult to find."
Lucas shook his head. He wasn't lying.
Giovanni had never stopped ordering Team Rocket to search for Ho-Oh's whereabouts—after all, Ho-Oh was a Pokémon capable of reviving the dead.
In the I Choose You! movie, Ash's body could practically be said to have been obliterated into nothingness by countless Pokémon attacks—nothing remained on the spot except a single hat.
It was even more exaggerated than when he had been turned to stone by Mew and Mewtwo.
And yet Ho-Oh still managed to revive that idiot perfectly!
Lucas himself was also very interested. He could have Hoopa help summon Ho-Oh directly.
But in order to avoid provoking Ho-Oh's hostility, he chose not to do that.
After all, fate was a subtle thing, wasn't it?
Lucas's own nature already didn't meet Ho-Oh's standards. Ho-Oh's Rainbow Hero required a human with a pure, flawless heart—and Lucas didn't qualify in the slightest.
If he were to abruptly disturb Ho-Oh as well, Ho-Oh's dislike toward him would only deepen.
Better to let things take their course.
"You're moving too slowly. It's almost been a year already. Where's Will?"
Pryce frowned slightly. Even though they had obtained the Silver Wing, it still wasn't enough.
What puzzled him was that Will wasn't here.
At those words, an awkward expression appeared on Lucas's face, while Karen lowered her head in embarrassment.
"What happened to Will?"
Noticing their expressions, Pryce was taken aback.
"Ahem… during the battle in Saffron City, Will was captured by the League."
Lucas coughed lightly. This situation really was awkward.
Pryce's expression darkened slightly. He truly hadn't expected things to turn out this way.
Will had been personally trained by him, yet now he'd been captured by the League—utterly useless.
"Teacher, Team Rocket probably can't be relied on anymore. They've already been suppressed by the League to the point they can barely breathe, and their operational range keeps shrinking."
"We need to think of another way."
Seeing the cold aura around Pryce, Lucas thought for a moment before speaking.
"Speak."
Pryce glanced at Lucas. After all, the idea of cooperating with Team Rocket had originally been Lucas's suggestion.
Although in the end they only obtained a single Silver Wing and even lost Will, at least there had been some gains, hadn't there?
And now the Masked Organization had been reduced to just the three of them…
If even Team Rocket couldn't find Ho-Oh, how long would it take for just the three of them to find it alone?
That was Pryce's line of thinking.
"Since Team Rocket is no longer viable, the only option left is to seek cooperation with the Pokémon League."
"???"
Karen stared at Lucas with a face full of question marks.
Pryce's murky eyes flickered slightly.
"According to my information, the Indigo League is currently preparing to split off and establish the Johto League."
"I've received that news as well."
Pryce nodded. As one of Johto's eight official Gym Leaders, he had also received the notice.
"Right now, Indigo's Elite Four are complete, and Lance and the others have returned to the League. But altogether there are only nine of them—they're still missing one Elite Four member."
Lucas spoke eloquently.
Yes, as everyone knew, it was common sense that the Elite Four actually consisted of five people with one being the Champion, right?
Although the existing nine were all extremely strong, if they could fill that final Elite Four seat, Chairman Loki would undoubtedly be very willing.
"You mean…"
Pryce narrowed his old eyes slightly, beginning to understand Lucas's intention.
He glanced at Lucas, then shifted his gaze to Karen.
Karen instantly felt an extremely ominous premonition!
And clearly, Lucas and Pryce were thinking the same thing.
"I think Karen is very suitable to serve as a Johto Elite Four member."
Lucas smiled warmly at her.
Karen's expression instantly turned ugly.
Was he joking?
Let her become a Johto Elite Four member?
"Lucas, if you want to screw me over, you don't have to beat around the bush like this, right?"
Karen exploded, just short of pointing at Lucas's nose and yelling, 'You villain!'
"I'm still a Team Rocket executive right now! I've been fighting against the League this whole time, and you want to send me straight into the League?"
What kind of grudge was this?!
If she joined the League, wouldn't that be like a sheep walking into a tiger's den? Wouldn't Lorelei skin her alive?
"And even if someone's going to be an Elite Four member, you're the young master of the Blackthorn Clan—you're clearly more suitable! Why don't you just say you can compete for the Johto Champion position while you're at it?"
Pryce pondered for a moment. Indeed, if Karen had never hidden her identity, would the League even accept her?
As for sending Lucas into the League—Pryce had never even considered that. Lucas was his most prized disciple.
Naturally, his status was different from Karen's and Will's.
"Calm down, calm down. We're childhood sweethearts, after all. How could I possibly harm you?"
Lucas soothed the nearly furious Karen, his smile unchanged.
"You can rest assured. With me vouching for you, the Pokémon League won't refuse."
"There absolutely won't be a problem."
With N and Zinnia as precedents, Loki would definitely be tempted by Karen.
After all, Karen was a Champion-level Trainer. Previously, Loki might have had some concerns.
But hadn't N and Zinnia performed brilliantly? They'd brought enormous prestige to the Indigo League.
"Hmph! Just because you say there won't be a problem doesn't mean there won't be! You're not the one taking the risk!"
Karen crossed her arms and turned her head away, snorting unhappily.
He made it sound so easy—the one being sold out here was her!
And besides, wasn't her current free and easy life great? If she became an Elite Four member, things definitely wouldn't be this relaxed anymore.
Naturally, Karen wasn't very willing.
"This isn't a risk at all. And there are plenty of benefits too. Haven't you always coveted my Tyranitar?"
Lucas chuckled lightly.
As a Dark-type specialist, Karen had long coveted his Tyranitar.
How could a Dark-type Champion not have a Dark-type pseudo-legendary?
Karen was visibly tempted. For a top-tier Trainer, nothing was more enticing than a beloved, outstanding Pokémon.
"As long as you're willing, I can negotiate on your behalf—either a Larvitar with extremely high potential, or a Deino. I can help you secure one."
The corner of Lucas's lips curled upward slightly.
Unwilling? That didn't exist—this was merely a matter of the price not being high enough.
"Emmm…"
Karen's beautiful face was filled with conflicted hesitation.
"Karen, go."
Seeing that Karen wasn't as resistant anymore, Pryce spoke directly.
"…Yes."
Karen agreed helplessly, then shot an annoyed glare at Lucas.
Although she wasn't as opposed to the arrangement anymore, she was still uneasy.
After all…
She had literally been fighting the League not long ago!
And now she was supposed to turn around and become an Elite Four member?
This was ridiculously absurd.
"Don't worry. I'll make all the arrangements. Just wait for my news."
Lucas returned her glare with a gentle smile.
This way, four of the Johto Elite Four would all be people he had personally arranged.
As for the remaining one, he would ask Lance to recommend someone—Agatha could be temporarily assigned to Johto.
And Agatha was already quite old; she would likely retire before long. When that time came, they could promote Yellow instead!
Wouldn't that be perfect?
"Then it's settled. Lucas, go talk to the League."
"No problem at all."
After leaving Mahogany Town, Lucas found a spot beneath a tree, sat down, took out his communicator, found the number, and dialed.
The call connected quickly, and Chairman Loki's aged voice came through.
"Hello? Is that Lucas?"
"It's been a while, Chairman."
"Hehe~ It really has been some time. When I get the chance, I'll visit Blackthorn City. Lucas, you've really helped Indigo gain a lot of prestige lately."
Loki laughed kindly, clearly in a very good mood.
And that was only natural. Ever since the incident involving Lance and the former Indigo Elite Four had been resolved, Indigo truly hadn't experienced any more chaos.
Instead, good news kept coming one after another—Loki felt like his hair might even be growing back!
"I'd be more than happy to welcome you."
Lucas replied with a smile.
"Once things settle down, I'll definitely go. So, Lucas, is there something you wanted to discuss?"
Loki asked curiously. He didn't believe Lucas would contact him without a reason.
"It's like this. I heard from Cousin Lance that you're preparing to establish the Johto League separately, Chairman—is that right?"
"That's right. Looks like Lance invited you already. Lucas, what do you think?"
Loki pondered briefly before asking.
"I've gotten used to a free and unrestrained life, so I can only apologize to you, Chairman."
"I understand."
Although he had already guessed as much, Loki still felt a twinge of regret.
"However, I also know the League is currently missing one Elite Four member. I have a candidate I'd like to recommend."
"Oh?"
Loki immediately thought of the person he had previously declined.
"That's right. Chairman, you should remember her—Karen. I believe her strength is more than sufficient to serve as an Elite Four member."
"…Lucas, she's rather special. You should know that."
Loki frowned slightly. Though tempted, he was still hesitant.
After all, Karen had indeed been a Team Rocket executive who had fought directly against the League.
"Karen has already left Team Rocket. And Chairman, although she likes to joke around, her nature isn't bad. I grew up with her—I know her very well."
"I see. So, she's your childhood friend, Lucas."
Loki was taken aback.
If they grew up together, calling her a childhood sweetheart would be even more fitting.
In that case…
Loki pondered slightly. This was a connection-based recommendation.
And since it was Lucas making the recommendation, it wasn't impossible to give it a try. Given Lucas's current strength, there was no need for him to resort to schemes.
What Loki had been worried about all along was Karen herself.
According to Lorelei's previous reports, Karen was an extremely malicious terrorist!
"That's right. And she isn't joining the League unconditionally either…"
Lucas spoke in a somewhat troubled tone.
"She has conditions? Go on—tell me."
Loki was intrigued. A reformed villain daring to negotiate conditions with him—this was interesting.
"She's a Dark-type specialist Champion-level Trainer, so she's requesting either a highly talented Larvitar or a Deino from the League."
"Larvitar… Deino…"
Loki fell silent.
Those were both pseudo-legendary Pokémon, and they had to be exceptionally talented ones at that.
His gray eyebrows knitted slightly. This condition was indeed steep—even for the League, gifted pseudo-legendary Pokémon were precious strategic resources.
"This is a bit difficult, Lucas… but I agree! Have Karen come to the Indigo Plateau in the next couple of days."
There was no helping it. After all, she was a connection-based recommendation…
Not to mention that trading a pseudo-legendary Pokémon for a Champion-level Trainer was absolutely worth it—especially when that Trainer was Lucas's childhood sweetheart.
Even if her personality was somewhat problematic, Loki would accept it!
At worst… if something really went wrong, he'd just apologize to Lucas and have him take that woman back.
(End of Chapter)