Chapter 272: What About Your Mega Evolution?

On the shattered ground—

Lance's expression was dark and cold as he stared at the slightly chubby middle-aged man in a black coat and gentleman's hat standing across from him.

In front of Lance stood his ace Dragonite, now covered in wounds—evidence that the earlier battle had not gone in his favor.

In fact, he was being overwhelmed!

"Heh heh heh… So this is all the mighty Lance is capable of?" Giovanni chuckled in a deep, taunting tone.

Lance's face twitched and contorted, the corners of his mouth twitching into a grin before falling again, looking eerie and sinister.

"So that's it, getting a slight upper hand and you think you're untouchable now? You filthy Rocket rat."

His expression grew more and more twisted, the gaze under his blood-red hair enough to strike fear into anyone's heart.

Yes, this Pokémon called Mewtwo was far stronger than he had expected. Even his ace Dragonite was being suppressed.

And that—was something Lance simply could not accept!

"You think you've already won? Don't get ahead of yourself!"

Lance took out two more Poké Balls and opened them. Two Dragonair emerged above him.

These were some of his oldest partners. While a single Dragonair couldn't compare to his frontline aces in terms of power, the combined assault of two Dragonair could rival even his Dragonite.

"Dragonair! Dragon Pulse!"

"Dragonite, Extreme Speed!"

The two Dragonair intertwined and soared vertically, charging up blue Dragon-type energy in their mouths. The two Dragon Pulses converged into a massive dragon-shaped blast aimed straight at Mewtwo.

At the same time, Dragonite flashed with white light and shot toward Giovanni at high speed.

Mewtwo's eyes gleamed with a deep blue light. It raised its arm, conjuring a vast psychic barrier in shimmering blue.

Boom!

The Dragon Pulse struck hard against the psychic shield, erupting in a massive blast as smoke billowed.

But Dragonite's Extreme Speed was aimed directly at Giovanni himself.

This wasn't an official battle. To Lance, as long as he could take out the Rocket leader, any method was justified.

But—

Bang!

A Beedrill appeared, its stinger clashing directly with the incoming Dragonite. The force of Extreme Speed collided against Beedrill's dual stingers, unleashing a burst of energy.

"Kanto Champion Lance, you're so desperate now that you know you can't win head-on? Heh~"

Giovanni casually raised his right hand, where a Key Stone shimmered brightly, as he mocked the expressionless Lance.

"I told you before—your dragons are nothing special."

Brilliant light enveloped the Beedrill as it Mega Evolved. In a flash, a Mega Beedrill with four stingers appeared before Giovanni, its legs now giant venomous spikes.

Lance's eyes darkened as he stared at the now even more intimidating Mega Beedrill.

"Mega Evolution—evolution beyond evolution. So Lance, why hasn't your Dragonite Mega Evolved?"

It sounded like a question, but the smirk on Giovanni's face made it clear he was mocking him.

Lance's face turned even colder. As time passed, Mega Evolution had begun spreading across other regions.

As the Kanto Champion, Lance had started searching for a Dragonite Mega Stone the moment he heard about it.

But to this day, there had been no leads—none at all. It was as if a Dragonite Mega Stone didn't even exist.

"Shut your mouth, rat."

Lance's lips curled back in a menacing grin, his white teeth gleaming.

"Even without a Mega Stone, you're going to lose today!"

Lance enlarged a Heavy Ball with a flick of his finger and released it in front of him with a flash of light.

A massive Pokémon landed heavily, and even Giovanni raised an eyebrow in surprise when he saw it.

That orange-yellow dragon body was unmistakable—it was a Dragonite. But the difference lay in its sheer size!

A normal Dragonite was just over two meters tall. This one, by visual estimate alone, was over ten meters! That couldn't be explained by good development alone.

This was the giant Dragonite Lance had caught in the waters near Cerulean City!

"Interesting."

Giovanni squinted slightly. He hadn't expected Lance to still be hiding such a powerful trump card.

Dragonite's strength was already formidable. If this giant Dragonite wasn't just for show, its power might even surpass Lance's usual ace.

Though its massive size likely meant less agility than a standard Dragonite, the sheer mass and power it brought more than made up for it.

"Dragonite! Crush him!"

Lance's red hair flared as his cold, sharp voice rang out.

No matter what—it was time to finish this Rocket leader once and for all!

…

Temporary League Command Center, Kanto Region.

"Elite Four Agatha, the Rocket forces in the Western Zone have basically been wiped out."

"Good. Send the captured Rocket members away for detainment, and pull some forces to support other areas."

Agatha nodded, her gaze fixed on the map.

She wasn't too concerned about the regular Rocket grunts.

"There still aren't enough people?"

Agatha frowned slightly, her cloudy eyes filled with thought. She hadn't expected this.

Rocket's top-tier power only included four people. Lance had gone to face their leader early on, but so far, things weren't looking good—the battle was fierce.

Reports from League observers said that Lorelei was already being suppressed by Zinnia, and if things kept going that way, she'd likely lose.

That had truly surprised Agatha, so she had already sent Bruno to assist Lorelei.

Meanwhile, over with Aizen, Cynthia and Geeta had asked for backup. That was Agatha's biggest concern—the opponent there was far too strong.

As for Zinnia, even Steven and Wallace together were struggling to gain an advantage—something Agatha couldn't have predicted.

Both Steven and Wallace had served as Hoenn Champions, and yet neither could deal with a top trainer from their own region?

All four major battlefronts were giving nothing but bad news.

"Rin, where's Dylan?" Agatha asked her subordinate. Why hadn't Dylan made any moves?

"We're already in contact, he's responded," said Officer Jenny Rin, the overall commander.

"Dylan, go assist Cynthia and Geeta on the 39th floor. Their situation is critical."

Agatha spoke through the communicator.

"OK." Dylan's response came through. Agatha frowned as she stared at the regional map. This wasn't what she had envisioned at all.

"I never thought that at my age, I'd have to return to the battlefield," Agatha said as she rose with the help of her cane. In this situation, she couldn't just sit idly by.

"Rin, I'll leave command to you."

"Yes, ma'am!" Officer Jenny Rin responded firmly.

"I'll assist Lance first. If we can take out the Rocket boss… hmm?"

As Agatha began walking in her intended direction, she caught sight of two teenage boys nearby out of the corner of her eye.

It was Red and Blue.

"Those two are from Pallet Town, right? I heard the chairman say they were recommended by Professor Oak."

"Two youngsters from Pallet Town…"

Agatha's eyes flickered as she looked at the proud-faced Blue.

"Are you going to let us in or not? If not, just say so. I don't have time to waste here," Blue said impatiently.

If Professor Oak hadn't sent him here, Blue wouldn't have even bothered. In his eyes, Team Rocket had nothing to do with him. As someone who preferred to do things his own way, Blue figured the League would take care of them eventually.

"…" Red tugged his cap down silently.

"Sorry, we've already submitted the request. Team Rocket is extremely dangerous—we're only thinking of your safety," the officer said apologetically.

"Ugh~!" Blue sighed, stuffing one hand in his pocket in annoyance.

"Heh~ Since old man Oak recommended you, just let them in," came a low, raspy laugh as Agatha walked over.

"Elite Four Agatha?"

Blue raised an eyebrow, instantly recognizing the eerie old woman. After all, his goal was to become the Kanto Champion, so he had done his homework on all the Elite Four.

"No manners, huh? I knew your grandfather back when we were young. You should call me Granny."

Agatha chuckled. Blue felt her gaze on him was kind of weird, but technically, she wasn't wrong.

Red: "..."

"Since you were recommended by Professor Oak, you must be capable."

"I'll have you know—both of us are Champion-level trainers!" Blue declared proudly, smirking.

And rightfully so—he had only started his journey earlier this year, and already reached Champion level!

In fact, Blue considered himself far beyond an average Champion!

"Oh?" Agatha smiled in satisfaction.

"Very well. Red, you come with me. Blue, head to the 39th floor of Silph Co. to assist Champion Cynthia and Geeta."

Agatha's tone was pleasant despite her usual eerie demeanor.

"Be careful. The opponent on the 39th floor is very strong."

"Heh~ Just Rocket trash," Blue scoffed. He was a Champion-level trainer, recognized by Dylan himself!

Team Rocket? Please. He could crush them with one hand!

"Let's go."

…

39th Floor, Silph Co.

"Very nice, very nice! You two really have a gift—and you're absolutely stunning~!"

Aizen looked at the photos on his camera in satisfaction.

Cynthia sat sideways on a desk in a black peony cheongsam, her long hair elegantly styled. Geeta, also in black, her tall figure graceful, was lifting Cynthia's chin and leaning in.

The distance between them? About 0.01 centimeters!

The atmosphere was thick with teasing ambiguity.

The scent of lilies, the aura of art—at least ten floors high!

If Cynthia and Geeta's fans saw this, they'd probably faint from excitement.

It was too beautiful!

And that wasn't even the only one—Aizen had taken several shots, even having Geeta change into a male outfit and "wall-pin" Cynthia for another set of photos.

Absolutely nailed it.

Cynthia and Geeta stood there in their cheongsams, completely expressionless. They now understood just how twisted Aizen's personality truly was.

When he first mentioned the "yuri-themed" photoshoot, they had both refused. Both Cynthia and Geeta were refined individuals, and they were both straight.

But Aizen had threatened them—saying he'd harm their Garchomp and Glimmora if they didn't comply!

For the safety of their Pokémon, Cynthia and Geeta had no choice but to yield to his perversion.

"Looks, figure, elegance—you both have it all. The entertainment industry really missed out on not having you!" Aizen gave them a thumbs-up in sincere regret.

"Give us back Garchomp and the others."

Cynthia took a deep breath, forcing down her roiling emotions. She'd always seen herself as composed and rational.

From childhood to now, she rarely lost control of her emotions outside of battle.

But today, she broke her own rule.

"Aizen, we had a deal. Some of those photos—you can't release them."

Geeta sighed in frustration. She couldn't believe that coming to Kanto almost cost her dignity!!

She was the Top Champion of Paldea and President of the Paldea League!

Mature, steady, kind, reliable—those were what people thought of when they saw Geeta. And now, she'd been roped into a yuri photoshoot with another woman.

While none of the pictures had crossed any extreme lines, some of them were still quite borderline with that teasing, romantic tone.

"Don't worry, ladies. I may not be a good man, but I still have artistic integrity."

Aizen smiled casually.

Then he stepped aside, and Koraidon released the severely injured Garchomp and Glimmora. Cynthia and Geeta immediately recalled them.

Just then, the floor-to-ceiling window suddenly shattered as a Pidgeot flew in.

"Hmm?"

Aizen looked surprised, as did Cynthia and Geeta.

"So, you're the Rocket guy?"

A cocky, spiky-haired teenager jumped down from Pidgeot and looked lazily at Aizen.

It was Blue.

"That's right. And you are?" Aizen raised a brow.

"I'm Blue, and ugh—this is such a pain. Let's get this over with so I can go find Red."

Blue glanced at Cynthia and Geeta in their cheongsams, his eyes flashing with surprise and curiosity.

Beautiful women, no doubt. But alas—Blue had no interest in women. His heart was set only on Dylan and Red—his two greatest rivals.

On the road to becoming the strongest trainer, there was no room for distractions like women!

What he did find strange was that, if that creepy old lady Agatha was right, these two were the Champions of Sinnoh and Paldea?

Dressed like that to fight Rocket? Weird. Whatever—not his business.

"Come on, I'll give you a fair chance to battle me."

Blue's thoughts flicked by, but he quickly raised his chin with pride and challenged Aizen.

Hah! Just some Rocket trash. What, was he supposed to lose? Not a chance!

He had this in the bag!

Cynthia and Geeta looked at each other, both with strange expressions, about to say something to warn their overly arrogant junior.

"Heh~ So full of fire, this kid. I've decided."

Aizen adjusted his glasses with a warm smile. Blue really was a cocky one.

But that's fine. Time to beat some sense into him.

"After I'm done, I'm going to hang you from the ceiling and take some artistic photos. Let's go with school swimsuits."

And afterward… he'd find a way to send them to Red.

(End of Chapter)