"Dragonite, I'll leave this battle to you."
Lucas calmly sent out another pseudo-legendary known to all: Dragonite. Carlita's eyes shone like never before.
Not just Swampert, Luxray, and Serperior—Lucas also had Dragonite. Amazing!
The crowd cheered and focused on the impending clash between dragon Pokémon.
Hydreigon let out a hoarse snarl. Black energy coiled around its three pairs of wings; its vicious eyes looked ready to rend flesh.
Facing the pressure, Dragonite beat its wings and climbed to match Hydreigon's altitude, expression unmoved. Victini, invisible atop Lucas's head, was less composed.
A savage glint flashed across Hydreigon's face. Dragonite matching its altitude was blatant provocation!
"Tri-Attack!"
At Carlita's command, Hydreigon's three mouths opened. Beams of flame, lightning, and frost blasted forth.
Dragonite merely flexed its claws. With a sweep trailing emerald light, it ripped the triple beams apart.
In the next instant—before Hydreigon could react—Dragonite closed the distance. Its tail flashed green and cracked the air like a whip, lashing Hydreigon hard!
Hydreigon's pupils shrank. It saw only the oncoming dragon tail—and the next moment it was smashed into the ground.
Before it could recover, Dragonite cloaked itself in a roaring dragon-shaped aura and crashed down with terrifying force!
Boom!
A deafening blast shook the sky. A turbulent shockwave rolled out with dust; spectators staggered.
Carlita covered her mouth and nose. She squinted—then her eyes went wide. Hydreigon lay motionless in the crater.
She… hadn't even given proper commands, and Hydreigon was already down?
Was the gap between her and a champion that vast—like heaven and earth?
Victini pressed its cheeks with its hands, as if sipping fine nectar. Its face flushed.
This victory aura was delicious!
Eri clicked her tongue beside them. Teacher Lucas's Dragonite was still the same—brute force miracles. The Hydreigon that had fought her Annihilape so hard was steamrolled. Still as over-spec as ever.
The referee blew the whistle. "Hydreigon is unable to battle. Dragonite wins!"
Thunderous cheers erupted. Seeing Lucas's familiar face and that outrageous display, they remembered—this was the man who defeated Champion Alder.
Applause swelled like a tide. Give-and-take battles were fun, but sometimes pure dominance had its charm.
Carlita handed over her tag with a wry smile.
She had asked for this—asked him to go all-out so she could see the gulf between them.
She hadn't expected Hydreigon to be a chick before a dragon—completely helpless.
She recalled Hydreigon, covered her face, and walked to Lucas through the lingering dust. She offered a hand. "Thank you… for the lesson."
Lucas shook his head and reached to clasp it—when a sudden voice in his mind made his expression turn grave.
A heartbeat later, smoke burst around the plaza. Carlita's pupils shrank as the invisible Victini on Lucas's head suddenly flickered into view.
As the crowd screamed in panic, three nearly inaudible whooshes sliced toward Lucas, followed by icy blades cleaving down at him and Carlita.
The Shadow Triad burst through their own smokescreen. Two targeted Lucas and Carlita with knives, while the third wore Plasma's restraint gauntlet, lunging straight for the now-visible, panicking Victini.
All of it took less than three seconds.
This was the perfect moment: post-battle laxity, Poké Balls just returned, no time to send out new Pokémon. If they were going to snatch Victini from the man who beat the champion—this was it!
Got it!
The thought flashed in all three minds.
But the next instant, they were dumbstruck.
Lucas's shadow writhed like a raging sea. A pair of massive claws burst forth and slapped the two knife-wielders away.
Mimikyu leapt from the shadow, the Shadow Ball it had been charging screaming toward the third Shadow and his ominous device. A bright blast sent him flying, slamming into the ground.
In the fourth second, prompted by a critical system warning, Lucas had Dragonite's ball in hand again and pressed the button.
A gale surged out, shredding the smoke. The three intruders were revealed, battered, as the crowd shrieked and scattered.
The leader glanced at the wounds the blast had torn into him. Pain lanced through his mind, but he kept his cool.
He didn't understand how Lucas had reacted.
They had verified with their device that neither Lucas nor Carlita had a Ghost-type lurking in their shadows. They'd chosen the perfect moment for a lightning strike, a one-hit kill.
If so—then they'd take it by force!
They exchanged looks and decided. Worst case, they'd retreat.
Their escape techniques were honed to perfection. There was no way a first-time Unova visitor could keep up.
Lucas stared coldly at the three white-haired, masked figures. In a single kip-up, they flipped back and sent out their Pokémon:
Accelgor, Banette, and Bisharp!
These three were the Shadow Triad's sharpest blades, veterans of countless missions—enough to make a typical Gym Leader sweat!
Lucas signaled Dragonite. It soared skyward to shield Eri and the crowd.
He pulled Carlita behind him, leaving his back to Mimikyu, and was about to send out Luxray to discipline these daylight robbers when Vulpix wriggled free of his arm with surprising strength.
Kid, this is not the time to run at murderous thugs…
Before Lucas could grab Vulpix, the three fierce Pokémon and their trainers attacked.
With only Hydreigon, Carlita stayed behind Lucas, eyes on the tiny Vulpix—then gaped, rubbed her eyes, unbelieving.
Why was Vulpix glowing?
A golden aura rose around the little fox. Vulpix felt limitless strength and energy welling up. It took a confident step forward, cheeks puffing as frost gathered.
"Myuu!"
Powder Snow!
A bitter gale roared out. Everything in its path froze under a thick coat of ice—the Shadow Triad mid-charge, their Bisharp, Banette, and Accelgor—all became lifelike ice sculptures, standing in the blazing sun.
The wind ran to the edge of the plaza, curled against a wall, and formed a cascading sculpture of frozen falls.
At some point, snow began to drift from the sky.
Proud of itself, Vulpix lifted its chin to accept Victini's praise—the crisis past, it had dropped invisibility.
Lucas looked at Vulpix and Victini, then at the frozen Shadow Triad and the crowd Dragonite had pushed far back. A slow question mark formed in his mind.
Wasn't this supposed to be my time to shine?
Vulpix had stolen all the thunder.
He'd been counting on making a heroic save, letting his charm radiate until Victini begged to follow him.
Now Victini was clinging to Vulpix…
A strange desolation welled up inside Lucas. Snowflakes drifting down seemed to catch his mood and fall even more bleakly.
And that's how the Shadow Triad got caught—so ignominiously that even Lucas, who had prepared thoroughly, hadn't expected it.
One-shot by a pampered Vulpix not even six months old.
Even Officer Jenny, arriving to take custody of the notorious trio and to get Lucas's statement, gave him a look that was hard to describe.
Lucas had a guess. During the festival, invisible Victini had repeatedly made physical contact with Vulpix. Perhaps even Victini hadn't noticed that, driven by worry, it had subconsciously channeled its infinite energy into Vulpix.
That let Vulpix fire off a Powder Snow akin to Sheer Cold or Blizzard, one-shotting the Triad and their Pokémon.
Vulpix's rare ability was Snow Warning. Victini's infinite energy likely activated it, changing the weather for a while.
The Shadow Triad—Ghetsis's elite enforcers—were not only superhumanly swift and strong; their Pokémon could give Gym Leaders nightmares.
Yet they'd been wiped by Vulpix's Powder Snow. Victini's power was even more ridiculous than Lucas had thought…
With the Triad caught, Lucas lost interest in more battles. He forfeited, handed in his tag, and walked away as if nothing more than a trivial errand had occurred.
Nemona won the festival in the end. A pity Carlita had been beaten by Lucas himself—he'd have liked to see how Nemona and Pawmot would fare against her Hydreigon.
The battle festival concluded. Smiling broadly, Mannes declared it over.
But the Harvest Festival continued.
…
At 8 p.m., night had long fallen, but Eindoak glittered with lanterns of local flavor. The night market had just begun.
Lucas took Comfey, Alcremie, Vulpix, and Victini—through the streets toward the best-viewing terrace.
By the time they arrived, it was packed. Seeing the sea of heads, Lucas actually grimaced.
The little ones had been too playful, and he'd come late. Hopefully Nemona and the others had already secured prime spots.
Otherwise, they couldn't watch the fireworks from the best angle.
He glanced down at the three Pokémon's expectant faces and smiled helplessly.
Fine. A harmless bit of cheating tonight.
He slipped out of the crowd to a secluded spot with a blocked view. He called out Dragonite.
With a downdraft that bent the treetops, Lucas took to the night sky on Dragonite.
He handed Poké Balls to Alcremie, Comfey, and Dragonite. Holding Vulpix in one arm and Luxray's ball in the other, he finished setting up.
This way, Luxray and the others could watch the fireworks through their Poké Balls.
As the show neared, he glanced at Victini on his shoulder and noticed its unusually calm expression—unlike Vulpix and the others, who were giddy at their first fireworks.
Cheering rose below. Lances of light shot upward; booming blossoms unfurled in the sky.
Just the prelude.
More fireworks ascended and bloomed.
Vulpix, Alcremie, Comfey—and even those in their balls like Luxray and Serperior—wore rapt expressions.
Below, brilliant light played over Nemona and the others' faces. Though disappointed not to watch with Lucas, they were spellbound by the spectacle.
While fireworks thundered, Lucas watched Victini's face.
Silent, he guessed the reason for its calm.
In the thousand years of its confinement, Victini had seen fireworks countless times.
To it, the fireworks were a reminder—another year of being bound. Sitting atop the Sword of the Vale's tower, day after day, watching time pass and familiar things fade away.
Behind Victini's cheerful façade was a sensitive, lonely heart.
He drew a breath and spoke gently, pulling Victini's attention to him. "Victini, how does it feel—watching fireworks with friends and companions?"
Victini's eyes slowly widened. For the first time in centuries, fireworks were reflected there again.
Right—this time, it wasn't alone.
"Vee-tee~!"
Victini stared at Lucas's profile, as if making a decision. It patted him.
Maybe the fireworks were too dazzling tonight.
In Lucas's gaze, Victini's eyes shone brighter than ever. It flashed its signature V sign and wore a radiant smile.
Victini's smile was contagious. Lucas couldn't help but grin back and ask from the heart, "Do you have a wish you want to make come true?"
Victini blinked, then looked past the fireworks, beyond Eindoak, to the calm, mysterious sea.
It wanted to see the ocean—just once.
Even the fireworks couldn't drown out Lucas's voice. He patted Dragonite, who seemed to understand. "Let's go. Let's go see the sea together—let's watch the waves sparkle under the sunrise!"
Victini froze for a heartbeat. Dragonite wrapped itself in wind and flew toward the ocean.
As they neared the unseen barrier that bound it, Victini grew uneasy.
A red-and-white Poké Ball appeared before its lowered gaze.
"Do you trust me?" Lucas asked.
Victini started—then, following its heart, touched the button.