Hidden in the shadows, Bai Chen hadn't expected the Team Rocket trio to secure accurate intelligence so quickly.
"Is the intel solid?" James asked, his voice laced with nervous excitement.
Meowth puffed out his chest confidently. "Absolutely, meow! I heard it with my own ears from the Hoenn Champion himself—Steven Stone, meow!"
Steven Stone? Bai Chen mused. It made sense. When Team Flare first secured the Megalith, Steven had been directly involved. It was only natural that he would follow Lysandre back to Kalos to monitor the situation.
However, with a Champion guarding the facility, Team Rocket's success rate was abysmally low.
Bai Chen continued to eavesdrop on their plan. He could summarize it in four words: Brute force, creative entry.
Against a normal lab, they might have succeeded. Against Steven Stone? They were walking into a meat grinder. I need to intervene, Bai Chen thought.
As the trio set off to build their specialized equipment with funds secured from Giovanni, Bai Chen used Teleport to return to the Aether Nursery.
He had overheard their conversation with the Boss; Giovanni seemed cautiously interested in the "roots of Mega Evolution." Whether he would send reinforcements remained the big unknown.
Bai Chen decided to prepare for the worst-case scenario: a clash between two major criminal syndicates.
The Z-Move Maneuver
Back at the Nursery, Lillie was happily tending to a group of guest Pokémon. She looked up and smiled as Bai Chen approached. "Is everything ready, Mr. Bai?"
"Not yet. It's going to be a very busy few days."
Bai Chen turned to Quinn, the branch manager. "Quinn, you've heard of Lysandre, right?"
"Of course. He's a celebrity in Kalos," Quinn replied. "I've even been invited to tour the public areas of the Lysandre Research Institute before."
"In what capacity?" Bai Chen asked, sensing an opportunity.
"As a representative for Z-Move research. They wanted to trade Mega Evolution data for our Z-Move findings. It was essentially an academic exchange."
Bai Chen's eyes lit up, but his excitement died when he saw the actual data. It was just a list of Pokémon capable of Mega Evolving—information he already knew by heart.
"I need the principles behind the evolution," Bai Chen explained. "The mechanics of how the energy interacts with the body."
Quinn looked puzzled. Why would a combat-focused executive care about deep-theory research?
Lillie spoke up. "Are you planning to Mega Evolve yourself, Mr. Bai?"
Quinn blinked, assuming she had misspoken. But Bai Chen nodded. "Exactly. My body should be strong enough to handle the energy. But to do it, I need to understand the science behind it."
Quinn smiled politely, still convinced it was a joke. Bai Chen didn't correct her. Instead, he made a request: "Can you set up a meeting for me with Lysandre? Use the Aether Foundation's name."
"I can, but what reason should I give for such a high-level meeting?"
"Follow me to the battle court," Bai Chen said. "And bring a high-speed camera."
Moments later, Quinn stood on the sidelines as Bai Chen crossed his arms. The golden Sigil of a Z-Move manifested in the air before him. With a roar, he unleashed All-Out Pummeling into the empty air.
The shockwave shattered the concrete tiles and Quinn's sense of reality. "A human... using a Z-Move? Is this a dream?"
"Send that encrypted video to Lysandre," Bai Chen said, catching his breath. "Tell him I can assist in his Mega Evolution research. I want a meeting in five days."
He knew Lysandre—a man obsessed with "selection" and "beauty"—would never ignore a human who surpassed natural limits. He would be desperate to meet him. This meeting would allow Bai Chen to get close to the Megalith and, more importantly, create the opening Team Rocket needed to "steal" it.
The 1,600-Battle Marathon
For the next five days, Bai Chen didn't rest. He opened the World Coronation Series app and accepted every single challenge—33 in total.
Lumiose City was a hub for powerful trainers. Most of his opponents had Pokémon above Level 40, with several over Level 50 and one peaking at Level 60. By the time he defeated them all, his rank climbed to 1,293, nearing the "Great Class."
But he didn't stop there. He used Lillie's "Unlimited Credit" (a black card from Lusamine) to hire 28 of those trainers for private, high-intensity 6v6 sparring sessions.
"I'll pay three times a normal monthly salary for five days of training," Bai Chen offered. "Plus, I cover all medical costs."
The results were staggering. Under the [Pokémon Master] trait:
Zinogre, Nergigante, and Gravios all hit Level 50.
Valstrax, the youngest, jumped from Level 28 to Level 45.
Zinogre and Kirin finally mastered Nature Power at the 'Proficient' level, allowing them to control their lightning storms perfectly.
On the fifth morning, Bai Chen fed Valstrax a piece of dried meat. "You worked the hardest. When this is over, ask for any reward you want."
Valstrax let out a jubilant screech. He was no longer a fledgling; he was a true dragon of the comet.
The Departure
In the restaurant, the entire team gathered: Nergigante, Zinogre, Kirin, Gravios, Cosmog, Indeedee, Tinkatuff, Articuno, and Moltres. Quinn walked in, freezing in her tracks when she saw the two legendary birds calmly eating alongside the others.
"It's time, isn't it?" Bai Chen asked.
Quinn swallowed hard, finally realizing the sheer scale of the man she was working with. "Yes. The transport to the Lysandre Institute leaves in ten minutes."
Bai Chen recalled his team, leaving only Indeedee out to carry the Velkhana Egg.
"Let's go," Bai Chen said, his eyes sharp. "It's time to meet the 'Sun' of Kalos."
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