Chapter 203: This One's in the Bag — The Black Dragon's Going Down!
"I can't believe it — I literally just watched a dragon god wake up with my own eyes!"
On the road back to Icirrus City, Nora bounced with barely contained excitement, still riding the high from what she'd witnessed.
And honestly, who could blame her?
Growing up in Unova meant growing up on the founding legends. They were practically bedtime stories here.
And Reshiram — the Reshiram from those legends — had awakened right in front of her and chosen its hero.
How was anyone supposed to be calm about that?!
"Mhm~ Mammon really isn't an ordinary person, is he."
Touko nodded in quiet agreement. She'd had a vague suspicion that the mysterious voice calling out to her was Reshiram, but in the end, she hadn't been chosen. A little disappointing — though she offered Mammon her congratulations all the same.
"..." Elesa said nothing.
These two girls had no idea who Mammon actually was. But Elesa knew.
That beautiful, sacred white dragon — Reshiram — had chosen Mammon.
She was a little afraid to think about what came next.
The image of Reshiram becoming the flagship ace of arch-villain Mammon was not one Elesa's nerves were ready for.
Caitlin, meanwhile, wore a quiet, elegant smile. She was genuinely pleased for Mammon. Reshiram was a legendary Pokémon, and adding it to his roster was a real leap in strength — simple as that.
As for Mammon himself — he was in a fantastic mood.
Sure, Reshiram's combat record among legendaries wasn't exactly the most spectacular, but…
It was gorgeous.
Those silky white feathers. As a riding mount, the comfort level alone would be extraordinary. And the style —
He thought about what everyone else was flying around on. Alder rode a fossilized Aerodactyl. Steven had his Metagross. Cynthia had her Garchomp. Giovanni was apparently walking.
But he was riding the literal Dragon God of Truth.
The swag differential was immeasurable.
"Mammon, when are we going after Zekrom?"
The androgynous, ethereal telepathy resonated directly in Mammon's mind. Reshiram. Already impatient to pick a fight with the black dragon.
(Machine translation note from the dragon: extremely ready)
If Mammon was being honest, Reshiram's fixation on Zekrom was pretty transparent. But it made sense — Gen V cover legendaries were basically designed to be at each other's throats. Same origin, opposite purpose. The only way Truth and Ideals could ever settle things was through their chosen heroes.
And Reshiram had been patient.
After N had awakened Zekrom, Reshiram's own consciousness had already stirred — but it had held back. Because it could sense this generation's Hero of Ideals was stronger than any previous one. If their power determined the outcome, Reshiram needed to be equally careful about its own choice.
(Clever of me.jpg)
So it had quietly sent out "telegrams" to a wide candidate pool. Touko and Nora had both received them — genuinely talented prospects, two of the most promising in the batch. But they weren't there yet. Right now, with Zekrom already active, they'd spend most of their time getting chased around.
But then —
Jackpot.
The one it had finally settled on wasn't just shockingly powerful (the Primal Kyogre incident spoke for itself) — he was real. Authentic in a way Reshiram couldn't help but respond to. A perfect match.
This was it. Zekrom was done for.
Come at me, Zekrom.(hands-on-hips.jpg)
"No rush, Reshiram. I have a question for you first."
Mammon raised an eyebrow. Reshiram's vendetta against Zekrom was pretty obvious, but he had other things on his mind.
"?" Reshiram projected a perfectly cool, aloof pause.
"Do you know where Kyurem is?"
"…Why are you asking about Kyurem?" Reshiram went still.
"Just curious about it."
Mammon wasn't being coy. If there was one Pokémon in Unova that genuinely captured his interest, it was the one they called the strongest dragon on land — Kyurem.
As Unova's third deity, its power wasn't in question.
In Kyurem vs. The Sword of Justice, Kyurem had shown up as the "examiner" and effortlessly frozen the three Swords of Justice — Cobalion, Terrakion, and Virizion — in a single move. And it hadn't even come alone; it arrived with an entourage. As boss energy went, that was exceptional.
In Hoopa and the Clash of Ages, the black Shiny Mega Rayquaza had been the undeniable showstopper — but Kyurem had held its own, freely cycling between formes and casually flash-freezing a Primal Groudon with a single ice attack. Primal Groudon — the one radiating enough heat to evaporate the ocean. And Kyurem had just… frozen it.
Worth noting: in both films, Kyurem was switching between Black and White Kyurem freely, without actually absorbing Zekrom or Reshiram. Which implied it still carried some remnant of both — some fragment of their essence left behind in its hollow shell.
That was the hierarchy, really. Reshiram and Zekrom were the spirit of the original Dragon of Unova, split in two. Kyurem was the body — the vessel left behind. A whole body outweighed divided spirits, and even an emptied vessel with lingering fragments of spirit still vastly outclassed either half.
The same dynamic as Necrozma versus Solgaleo and Lunala. Father hitting children. A gap in power so fundamental that Zekrom and Reshiram couldn't even really be compared to Kyurem.
Which was exactly why, in the game's story, N's dragon had been swallowed by Kyurem in about three seconds.
"…I do know," Reshiram finally admitted, a little reluctantly.
"Good. We'll go find Kyurem eventually."
Mammon nodded and let it go. He had no intention of pushing the issue right now.
Because right now, going to find Kyurem was essentially RSVP'ing to be Kyurem's lunch. One precise move and it would swallow Reshiram whole — leaving Mammon staring down a Black or White Kyurem at full absorption. Expecting Primal Kyogre and a young Rayquaza to handle that was asking a lot.
"Good. As long as you understand, Mammon — let's forget Kyurem for now and go take down Zekrom first! Once we're stronger, we can deal with the ice dragon later!"
Reshiram was already rallying itself. Against Zekrom, right now, their odds were excellent —
"..."
Mammon looked at Reshiram for a moment.
This dragon really does have a one-track mind.
Two days passed quickly.
The scheduled meeting between Team Plasma and the Unova League arrived on time.
Victory Road — the northernmost stretch of Unova, the only path leading to the old Pokémon League site. This was the agreed rendezvous point.
Alder had brought the Unova Elite Four, Steven, and the others. No surprises on that end.
Ghetsis's side was already waiting. Beside Ghetsis stood N.
Ghetsis had even brought a table, set up in the open road ahead of them. Theatrical as always.
"Champion Alder. It's been quite a while."
Ghetsis watched Alder's group approach and smiled.
"Ghetsis." Alder's expression was hard to read — something between amusement and contempt. "You're not even a little nervous, showing up like this."
"Why would I be nervous?"
A cold smile curled at the corner of Ghetsis's mouth. His eyes swept past Alder, cataloguing the faces behind him.
The Unova Elite Four — manageable. But Steven of Hoenn and Wallace — two Champions — warranted attention.
And then…
"Champion Alder, it seems you were quite wary of Team Rocket after all. Hoenn Champion Steven, Sinnoh Champion Cynthia, Galar Champion Leon."
Ghetsis read the names one by one.
Three regional Champions, plus Alder himself — four total. Quite a showing.
He was genuinely surprised. He had a contact inside the Unova League, but even they hadn't tipped him off that Alder had brought in two other regional Champions.
"Still — it won't matter. No number of Champions is enough to deal with Team Rocket without our cooperation. You need Team Plasma."
Ghetsis chuckled, low and certain. Even outnumbered in Champions, he hadn't moved an inch from his confidence.
"Ghetsis. That's a bit presumptuous of you."
Alder laughed — and then the amusement dropped from his face entirely.
"How the Unova League handles Team Rocket is our business. We don't need an evil organization's input."
His voice went flat.
"Ghetsis. N. In my capacity as Champion of Unova, I am placing both of you under arrest. Surrender your Poké Balls and come quietly — if you're smart about it."
Ghetsis blinked.
He actually said it.
"Alder — are you serious? You want to go to war with us?"
The pleasantness drained from Ghetsis's face instantly.
N's brow furrowed hard.
"Who's joking?" Alder said, with a faint trace of disbelief. "Ghetsis. Did you actually think I came here to negotiate?"
"Without Team Plasma, you think you can handle Team Rocket alone?!"
"That's no longer your concern."
Alder released his Poké Ball. Volcarona materialized in front of him, wings catching the light.
"Fine. Fine!"
Ghetsis's expression twisted — rage cracking through the surface like fractures in ice. His face contorted into something ugly and almost unrecognizable.
Alder's betrayal — his betrayal — had genuinely infuriated him.
Did a handful of regional Champions really think they could contain him?
How laughably naive.
"N!"
At Ghetsis's voice, N's empty eyes moved toward Alder's group.
The sky darkened fast. A stormcloud rolled in from nowhere, blotting out the sun — blue lightning flickering and churning in its depths.
"Zekrom."
ROOOAR!
A thunderous draconic cry tore through the air. A pitch-black dragon descended from the stormcloud and landed heavily before N, the sheer weight of its presence pressing down like a physical force.
The Dragon of Ideals, Zekrom.
"That pressure…" Leon's face tightened. "So this is a high-tier legendary up close."
The gap between Zekrom and ordinary legendaries was immediately obvious. Even standing at a distance, the oppressive aura radiating off the black dragon made Leon's instincts fire. It wasn't as powerful as Primal Kyogre — but it was close, and that was saying something.
Even with his full team, Leon wasn't confident he could take it one-on-one.
And the trainer standing beside it was clearly Champion-tier.
"Today, I'll show you exactly how foolish your choices were." Ghetsis's voice had gone cold.
He opened three Ultra Balls in quick succession. Three flashes of white light.
Three towering insectoid forms materialized in a triangular formation before him.
Genesect.
And the one at the front was different from the other two. Larger — noticeably more powerful in build — and red. A Shiny Genesect, blazing scarlet against the grey road.
Its aura dwarfed the two behind it.
All three had a mechanical iron ring fitted to their heads. The Colress Machine — originally designed by Colress to give Ghetsis reliable control over them.
One Dragon of Ideals. Three extinction-grade insects.
This was all that remained of Team Plasma's reserve strength.
"Come on then." Ghetsis's gaze swept over Alder and the Champions, cold and contemptuous. "Let's see you arrest us."
(End of Chapter)
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