Chapter 9 – Driving Suspicion

"But it doesn't matter. Eternatus isn't so easy to defeat. In fact..."

Before the sentence was even finished, Eternatus had already crawled out from the rubble and taken to the skies again, actively charging toward the Sword King Zacian, who had temporarily lost footing in midair.

Eternatus is seriously tanky!

Lucas spared only a brief glance at the two legendary Pokémon resuming their battle before shifting his attention toward Oleana and Raihan.

Standing beside Raihan... was a Flygon!

"Oh? Interesting... So, are you two planning to fight me?"

Cracking his neck with a low pop, Lucas casually rolled the Poké Ball in his hand. His lips curled into a malicious grin, revealing a row of cold, white teeth.

----------------------------------------------------

In the sky, Eternatus and the Sword King Zacian were locked in a fierce and violent clash, their battle so intense that the shockwaves continued to rock the ground below.

With Hammerlocke Stadium at the center, the entire city of Hammerlocke was being bombarded by a devastation it had never experienced before!

And all of this...

"Was it you who brought Eternatus here?!"

Raihan's typically composed and handsome bronze face was now twisted with barely contained rage as he glared at Lucas.

Though Raihan was known as the strongest Trainer in Galar aside from Champion Leon, he was in truth a warm-hearted young man.

He was often seen smiling and loved to use his camera to capture moments from his life and battles. After all, the world of Pokémon wasn't purely sunshine and rainbows.

For Trainers who pursued the summit, being second-best meant nothing. And that emptiness... was their greatest regret.

Raihan was no exception. Despite being one of the most admired Trainers in the region, he had already challenged Leon ten times.

Ten times, and ten defeats.

His personal forum was filled with mockery and sarcasm.

Yet even so, Raihan remained a calm and uplifting Trainer—a testament to his resilient mindset.

But now… he was feeling a kind of fury he had never felt before.

"Why did you do this?! This is a flourishing city! But look at it now!"

Raihan clenched his fists tightly and pointed furiously at Lucas, who still wore that mocking smirk.

The direction Raihan was pointing toward was exactly where Zacian and Eternatus continued to clash.

Smoke and ash filled the air. The buildings were in ruins. Under the gloomy sky, everything was suffocatingly bleak.

Just half an hour ago, this had been a peaceful, harmonious city.

"You don't need to glare at me like that. I saw what happened. So what?"

Lucas's smile deepened. He spoke casually, unbothered.

"You bastard...!"

Seeing Lucas's dismissive and indifferent attitude, Raihan's anger burned even hotter.

Compared to other regions, Galar was considered relatively peaceful. No lawless evil organizations had ever reared their heads here.

This was a land defined by the purity of competitive battles.

But Lucas—this man standing before him—was now making Raihan understand what true evil really meant.

"Someone like you… a villain through and through!"

Raihan's chest rose and fell violently. He could feel it—this man held no guilt, no sympathy. Not even the slightest flicker of emotion.

To think that someone like this could exist in the world. So cold. So inhuman. Why?

"Flygon!"

Raihan shouted in a low, firm tone.

He had to take down the boy in front of him!

Someone like this must never be forgiven!

"Someone like me? Hah. Looks like our dear Miss Oleana hasn't told you everything."

"You really think... I am your enemy?"

Lucas took a few steps back and looked mockingly at Raihan. His gaze briefly flicked to Oleana behind him.

Raihan was stunned. Almost instinctively, he turned to glance at Oleana.

That's right—just moments ago, it had been Oleana who told him that Lucas was the one who brought Eternatus here.

"I never captured Eternatus. Tell me, how exactly could I have brought such a massive Pokémon into the city?"

Lucas sneered. Of course, at a time like this, Oleana would shift all the blame onto him.

After all, he was a Rocket Executive—a known villain. Naturally, he made the perfect scapegoat.

"…"

Raihan's expression flickered. He wasn't stupid.

That's right. Eternatus was huge. If it wasn't captured in a Poké Ball, then how could this guy have gotten it inside the city?

"Raihan, defeat him quickly. I'll explain everything later."

Seeing Raihan's hesitation, Oleana quickly interjected in a low, stern voice.

At this point, there was no way the secrets of the energy plant would remain hidden. But what mattered most right now was taking down this man!

They could all see that Eternatus was no match for Zacian.

And the only variable left—the only potential threat—was Lucas!

"…Understood," Raihan replied after a brief pause.

Even though his mind was clouded with doubt—doubt that maybe Oleana wasn't as simple as she had appeared—he knew what was most important now: defeating this Rocket Executive in front of him!

"Do you really understand?" Lucas asked, almost mockingly. "Or are you just naïve enough to think that woman will tell you the whole truth?"

Seeing the sharpness in Raihan's gaze, Lucas casually spun the Poké Ball in his fingers and added sarcastically, "No need to worry. This is your own internal matter…"

Raihan clenched his fists and was about to retort, but Lucas interrupted him.

"Let me tell you. That Eternatus was always beneath this city."

"Yes. The threat of the Darkest Day… never left you."

"Eternatus was brought here by me, sure—but only in the sense that I woke it up."

"Even without me, its awakening was only a matter of time. I merely accelerated the process a little."

Lucas's sinister grin stretched across his face as his red eyes locked onto Raihan's.

Eternatus… had always been hiding beneath Hammerlocke?

Raihan's eyes widened in shock. He instinctively turned to look at Oleana again.

He wasn't an idiot. If what Lucas said was true… then who else could have hidden such a massive threat so discreetly?

Seeing this, a wicked glint flickered in Lucas's eyes.

He believed in strength—but he never relied on brute force alone.

Crushing enemies with power was easy, but turning them against each other through suspicion and betrayal? That gave him genuine satisfaction.

The atmosphere fell silent for a moment. Raihan's handsome face shifted between gloom and contemplation, his eyes locked firmly on Oleana.

Her own expression had darkened considerably.

Oleana was never particularly skilled at hiding her emotions. Though undeniably talented, before becoming Chairman Rose's secretary, she had simply been a reclusive researcher.

Her usual cold, stoic expression—perhaps better described as a deadpan face—was part of why her subordinates respected her.

"You don't believe me? Ask your respected Secretary Oleana."

Seeing both of them fall into silence, Lucas said with a faint smile.

"Raihan, I…"

Oleana finally couldn't hold back her voice. No matter how she tried to explain it, it was clear the truth about Eternatus wouldn't stay buried for long.

Still, Lucas was the greater threat right now!

From beginning to end, Oleana didn't believe they had done anything wrong. Chairman Rose had sealed Eternatus for the sake of Galar's future.

What was wrong with that?

Just because Eternatus had now brought chaos to Hammerlocke, did that make them the villains?

Nonsense! Oleana refused to believe that she and Chairman Rose had acted with bad intentions.

It was all Lucas's fault!

He had broken into the Power Plant. He had forcibly released Eternatus!

"There's no need to worry, Secretary Oleana. I know what I need to do."

Raihan took a deep breath. From Oleana's reaction alone, he could tell that Lucas hadn't been lying.

Eternatus had indeed been hidden here all along. And Oleana… definitely had something to do with it.

This realization made Raihan feel a swirl of emotions.

"Stop trying to drive a wedge between us. No matter what, I trust Secretary Oleana."

Raihan turned and spoke to Lucas in a low, serious tone. But in his heart, he understood what was truly important right now.

Oleana might have secrets—but Lucas was undeniably evil.

"Hmph… how dull."

Lucas's smile faded slowly, the red in his eyes darkening.

He'd been hoping to witness a juicy exchange of accusations between the two—but Raihan had surprised him with his calm and clarity.

"Flygon, use Dragon Claw!"

Raihan's eyes sharpened. Without hesitation, he issued his command.

He could feel it—Lucas was dangerous!

The best move was to strike first and subdue him before anything else.

With a flap of its wings, Flygon lunged toward Lucas at high speed.

"You're being far too naïve."

Lucas let out a cold sneer. Just in case something like this happened, he had deliberately kept a distance from Raihan and Oleana earlier.

He threw his Poké Ball.

In an instant, a long, slender figure emerged in front of him. A black shadow sliced through the air and landed a solid hit on Flygon's face!

The next second—

Flygon, who had been flying forward at high speed, was sent crashing backward as if struck by a powerful force, slamming heavily into a wall!

"How is this possible?!"

Both Raihan and Oleana's pupils contracted as they looked back in disbelief at Flygon, now embedded in the wall.

Even though Flygon wasn't as strong as Raihan's ace, Archaludon, it was still one of his key Pokémon!

But just now, in a single instant—it had been knocked away?

"Why wouldn't it be possible? Don't tell me… you honestly thought I was actually weaker than you?"

Lucas slowly spun his empty Poké Ball again, tilting his head slightly as he looked at Raihan.

Standing in front of him now… was a breathtakingly beautiful pink-purple Pokémon.

It was a serpentine dragon Pokémon, easily four or five meters in length, its upper body held proudly upright. Its clear black eyes calmly looked down upon Raihan and Oleana.

Its back was a dazzling lavender, its belly a creamy white. On its forehead was a sharp, singular dragon horn, and from both sides of its head extended delicate white wing-like fins.

Noble. Beautiful. Sacred.

Those were the most instinctive feelings this Pokémon evoked.

"A shiny Dragonair!?"

(End of Chapter)

(TN: Hope the author won't make it evolve.)