"Why are you running? Weren't you the one who came looking for me first?", Axel pushed open the door, smiling cheerfully at the flustered and panicked Flint.
"You wanted your strength improved, and now you're backing out?"
"Hiss~", Seeing Axel enter, Flint winced in pain and sucked air through his teeth.
'Seriously, this big boss isn't off somewhere sightseeing with Cynthia, what's he doing here at my place?'
Thinking back to the other day when Axel went berserk and crushed both Dialga and Palkia, Flint immediately put on a dumb, confused look.
"Captain, what are you talking about? When did I ever say that?"
"No matter what, you'll always be my favorite team leader."
"Come, come, come, let's sit down and have some tea in the living room!"
Flint patted his chest, swearing up and down with confidence.
But his body told the truth. Quietly, he shifted to block Axel's way, hurriedly recalling all his Pokémon except Infernape.
He was terrified that if Axel even looked at them, they'd get "contaminated."
"I won't bother going to the living room," Axel smiled at him, eyes gleaming with mischief.
"Mm?", Flint's eyes lit up instantly, "Then you can just say whatever you need right here."
"That's not what I meant...", Axel rubbed his hands together, "It's just that Cynthia told me your home's interior design is quite unique. I figured I'd come stay here for a few days and, while I'm at it, check on Infernape's training progress."
"How about we head straight to the guest room?", At that sentence, Infernape's eyes brightened.
Flint's vision went black.
'Bro, I was just pretending to be polite, how can you pretend not to hear my earlier complaints?'
Flint felt that if he didn't stand firm now, he'd never get Axel off his back.
"Ahem~ actually..."
He cleared his throat, just about to speak, when he suddenly saw behind Axel two dragon-shaped shadows, one black and one white, flash by.
Though faint and illusory, the aura they gave off was unmistakably divine, far beyond that of ordinary Pokémon.
Even Cynthia couldn't help but look up at the sky in astonishment, "When did you capture the Unova twin dragons?"
"Haven't captured them. They just like following me," Axel said casually, turning to look at Flint.
"Elite Flint, what were you just about to say?"
Flint's throat bobbed. He instinctively took half a step back, his mind spinning wildly.
"I... I was just saying that, uh, I happen to be going on a business trip these days, why don't you just stay in the master bedroom?"
After tidying up the master bedroom for Axel, Flint grabbed Infernape, who was still itching to spar, and fled the villa in a panic.
Behind him came Axel's voice, "Flint! Can I let my Pokémon roam free these few days? They're a bit naughty."
Flint didn't even turn around, just waved his hand behind him.
"Do whatever you want!"
What a joke, this villa had been reinforced by Champion-level Pokémon. It wasn't that easy to destroy
———
"Uuurh?", Once far from the villa, Infernape looked back regretfully toward home, shaking his head.
He'd thought he could learn a new move today, but his master had chickened out so fast.
"Come on, let's go," Seeing Infernape's expression, Flint quickly dragged him toward the League headquarters, worried he'd suddenly turn around and run back.
"There's still a ton of work to do. We missed the last disaster, so this time we've gotta work overtime."
"Bertha said someone spotted Darkrai near Mt. Coronet, maybe Giratina's there too. We'll go investigate."
"Uuurh!"
Hearing there might be a chance to fight gods, Infernape's eyes instantly lit up.
'Master, watch me fry that guy alive!'
———
Back at Flint's house, Cynthia was still trying to process what she was seeing, Reshiram and Zekrom slurping milk tea side by side.
He'd killed the Plasma Team's leader, made the twin dragons follow him willingly, and even given the legendary, violent Kyurem a beating.
"So during those days at Blueberry Academy, you actually already saved Unova once?"
"No wonder your luck's so outrageous, even going out to eat ends with treasure falling from the sky..."
As a mythological scholar, Cynthia knew full well that luck, or divine favor, was a real, tangible force in this world.
Some Pokémon blessed by Arceus even possessed an ability known as "Serene Grace." Truly mysterious stuff.
"With luck like yours, maybe you'll even meet Regigigas someday, and get a Regirock for Eva."
Clearly, even after leaving Aurient, Cynthia still kept in frequent touch with the little girl.
"Actually, I've already met Regigigas before going to Mt. Coronet," Axel said calmly, "He promised to help me make a Regirock."
Cynthia blinked and suddenly felt like she, the Champion of Sinnoh, was starting to feel a bit... redundant.
It was one thing for him to capture the twin dragons of Unova, but now he was networking with Sinnoh's gods too?
"I'll go take Garchomp to play with little Gible. You rest for a while..."
With that, Cynthia turned and left the room, off to soothe her wounded pride.
Axel waved at her retreating back, just about to lie down when the landline phone on the table suddenly rang.
He picked it up casually, on screen appeared a refined man with wavy purple hair and a thick book tucked under his arm: Lucian, one of the Sinnoh Elite Four.
Seeing Axel, Lucian looked slightly surprised.
"Why are you at Flint's place? I specifically told him not to bother you and Cynthia during these days."
"You've got it wrong, I came on my own. He's gone to investigate Darkrai and Giratina's traces."
"Phew~", Lucian let out a long breath of relief, "That guy's finally growing up a bit."
"But I called to tell you something."
"Just now, the young heir of the Aether Foundation from the Alola region arrived with a batch of relief supplies and is currently visiting the four members of the Elite Four in turn."
"Judging by the schedule, he should be reaching your place soon."
"Do you want me to send someone to intercept him?"
'Aether Foundation?'
Axel waved his hand, "No need. I was actually hoping to meet someone from Alola."
Ever since returning from that day in the Ultra Wormhole, Axel had wanted to learn more about what was happening there.
But no matter how he searched, he could never find any trace of the Sun and Moon Research Institute.
Yet if Axel wanted to fully master Z-Power, the easiest way was to locate his parents' former subordinates from that very institute...
If the Aether Foundation was sending someone here, that couldn't be better.
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