"Lance!" Cain and Steven exclaimed at the same time.
After confirming his identity, Steven immediately relaxed.
Lance looked around with a surprised expression.
"What happened here? With so much commotion, even the temperature of the entire desert has risen by several degrees," he said in astonishment, especially when he saw the area still dyed red by the sand controlled by Tyranitar.
Cain and Steven looked at each other and smiled at the same time.
"Come on, we'll tell you on the way."
And just like that, almost by force, they dragged Lance into boarding the same ride.
Both Cain and Steven trusted Lance deeply, and his strength was exceptional. His addition was like adding wings to a tiger for the plan to confront the Sacred Church.
Pokémon: Dragonite (Dark Purple)
Gender: Male
Level: 84
Type: Dragon + Flying
Ability: Inner Focus
Held Item: Dragon Fang
Egg Moves: Dragon Breath, Dragon Rush, Water Pulse, Dragon Pulse
Basic Moves: Wing Attack, Hurricane, Roost, Wrap, Thunder Wave, Twister, Dragon Rage, Slam, Agility, Dragon Tail, Dragon Dance, Fire Punch, Ice Punch, Thunder Punch
Learned Moves: Draco Meteor, Icy Wind, Aqua Tail, Tailwind, Iron Tail, Outrage
TM Moves: Protect, Dragon Claw, Ice Beam, Hyper Beam, Safeguard, Thunder, Fire Blast, Steel Wing, Stone Edge, Surf
The strength of Lance's Dragonite was already impressive. As a pseudo-legendary Pokémon, once it broke through the first barrier of the Champion level, its increase in power would be enormous.
Even at its current level, its strength was extraordinary. If Steven did not use Mega Evolution, none of his Pokémon could compare; although, if Mawile mega evolved, with the Huge Power ability and the Fairy-type advantage against the Dragon type, it might be able to seriously pressure it.
Nevertheless, as Lance's signature Pokémon, Dragonite could not mega evolve, so Steven's growth limit was slightly higher than his.
Even so, considering current combat power, Lance was still the strongest.
The three mounted their Pokémon.
Cain's Salamence, Lance's Dragonite, and Steven's special Aerodactyl.
Before, Steven had not fully understood the nature of his Aerodactyl, but after learning about Mega Evolution, an idea began to form in his mind.
What if his Aerodactyl had undergone an irreversible Mega Evolution?
If that were the case, Steven believed that his Aerodactyl might have growth potential even greater than that of a pseudo-legendary Pokémon.
However, with Lance present, he did not dare ask Cain anything. After all, he had promised not to tell anyone before Cain made the matter of Mega Evolution public.
This was an event capable of completely shaking the Pokémon world, and Steven assumed that Cain wanted to find a relatively gentle and less shocking way to communicate it to the League and the entire world.
When he was with Cain, Steven—who had always prided himself on his intelligence—even allowed himself the luxury of not thinking too much.
If someone he fully trusted could handle everything, why rack his brain?
Three imposing Pokémon, carrying three of the greatest geniuses of the Pokémon world, flew majestically toward the depths of the desert.
During the flight, Cain explained to Lance via telepathy everything they had experienced earlier, as well as some of his conjectures regarding the Sacred Church.
Of course, Cain selectively omitted everything related to Mega Evolution, since it did not affect the overall understanding of the situation too much.
What mattered was that Lance understood the seriousness of the situation.
Just as they expected, after hearing Cain's explanation, Lance's expression was one of astonishment... but above all, seriousness.
Seeing his reaction, Cain and Steven knew that Lance would take this matter very seriously.
If to the four from Hoenn were added Lance and Lorelei from Kanto, gathering six people, they would at least have some capacity for self-protection against the Sacred Church.
And if luck favored them and they could encounter Cynthia or Diantha, it would be even better. Of the six major regions at present, four future Champions gathered, plus Wallace—who in the future would replace Steven as Champion—would make a total of five Champions.
That would undoubtedly be a terrifying force.
Cain could distrust others, but toward figures like Lance, Cynthia, and Diantha—destined to become regional pillars—his level of trust was very high.
"So... Irene really belongs to the Sacred Church, and she really is as strong as they said?" Lance asked. He had been serious until then, but his eyes lit up when he heard that she had managed to suppress Steven.
"..."
Cain and Steven were left speechless.
Lance... we know you love battling, but could you hold back a little?
Is that really the important point right now?
Seeming to understand their looks, Lance also realized that he had lost his composure. But in front of strong trainers, he had always been like this; otherwise, he would not have lost control fighting Lorelei in the past, causing her to still hold a grudge against him.
To Lance, a trainer was measured only by strength, not by gender.
That way of thinking was not wrong, but when it came to allies, it was best to moderate oneself; if they were enemies, then yes, one should fight without mercy.
"Ahem... according to what you're saying, in this trial we not only have to face the wild Pokémon of the entire continent, but also constantly stay on guard against members of the Sacred Church, who are far more dangerous than those Pokémon. Moreover, there are many individuals who have lived here for twenty-five years, already corrupted by the Sacred Church, with unknown strength, right?" Lance summarized.
After that commotion, the pressure in Cain's heart eased quite a bit.
Now his objective was clear: gather people, gain enough strength to protect themselves, and only then think about how to counterattack.
However, there was something Cain had not told either Steven or Lance, because even he was not completely sure.
It seemed that, after the appearance of the spatial rift, the spatial blockade of this continent had weakened a little. The change was minimal, almost imperceptible; if Cain did not possess an especially high spatial talent, he might not have noticed it at all. Even now, he could not determine with certainty whether that change was due to natural spatial fluctuations or the direct influence of the rift.
(End of chapter)