Chapter 167: A Rayquaza Attacks the Pokémon Association!
"There are four?!"
Leon startled. Galar had four legendary Pokémon on Primal Kyogre's level?
He was genuinely stunned. He had never heard of this.
"That's right, Leon. Galar's legendaries are no less than any other region's."
Rose took a measured sip of coffee, entirely at ease.
"By legend, in Galar's ancient past there was a king who ruled the entire region. It was said to be able to see all things — past, present, and future."
His voice was smooth and unhurried as it carried the old story forward, his eyes deep and difficult to read.
"This king who ruled Galar was celebrated as the King of Bountiful Harvests. But time has no mercy. As time wore on, its kingdom fell — and this legendary king itself vanished without explanation."
Rose's tone held something complicated. Time truly was merciless.
Even a king of legend — the kingdom it ruled would crumble eventually.
"What about the other three?"
Leon propped his chin in his hand, thinking. He had genuinely never heard the story of this "King of Bountiful Harvests."
He could only say, as expected of Chairman Rose — even something this obscure had reached him somehow.
"The legendary heroes and the Darkest Day. You're not unfamiliar with that story, are you, Leon?" Rose smiled faintly.
"Of course not — but weren't the legendary heroes supposed to be members of Galar's royal bloodline?" Leon frowned.
"Heh heh~ Leon, the human heart is a complicated thing. Based on what we currently know — the two legendary heroes weren't human at all. They were Pokémon."
Rose gave a small laugh and shook his head, the words carrying deliberate weight.
Based on what the ruins had yielded, Rose was quite certain: the "heroes" who defeated the darkness in Galar's legend were two Pokémon.
But in the version of the story that had been passed down, the ones who wielded the legendary sword and shield to drive away the darkness were members of Galar's royal family.
And in the ruins at Stow-on-Side, two Pokémon statues had been excavated — statues that had been deliberately sealed and buried.
Why?
Rose had understood instantly. Someone had deliberately distorted the true history, transplanted the image of Galar's "saviors" onto their own lineage and let that version propagate.
A vile, underhanded way to operate. But historical truth had a way of surfacing eventually. And here they were.
"I see…"
Leon wasn't slow. He grasped Rose's implication immediately, and his brow creased.
Human greed was a frightening thing.
"So Chairman — you're saying the two legendary heroes and the legendary darkness — all of them are Pokémon?"
"Exactly. And I believe all four of these legendaries are extraordinarily powerful. The darkness in particular."
Rose's eyes shifted slightly, fixed on Leon.
"If you were able to catch it — I think even if Team Rocket came to Galar, you could defeat them."
The eagerness in Rose's voice was a little too visible. The probing intent was barely concealed.
But Leon didn't notice anything off — he was thinking carefully.
"Chairman, I don't think that idea is wise. You haven't seen it yourself, so you can't fully imagine how terrifying these legendary Pokémon are."
Leon's voice was serious.
Kyogre, "Origin of the Sea" — already a walking natural disaster. Primordial Sea unchecked, that catastrophic rain — it was incomprehensible.
So what about the darkness that had nearly destroyed all of Galar?
This trip to Hoenn had made something clear to Leon: the things called "legends" weren't just mythology. They were almost certainly real history.
He did want to catch that legendary darkness — of course he did. But what worried him far more was the thought of it losing control, going berserk, and re-enacting the legend.
Because from the legend itself, whatever this "darkness" was, it sounded like an exceptionally malevolent legendary Pokémon.
If it was still alive, it was almost certainly sleeping somewhere hidden right now. Leon genuinely felt there was no reason to disturb it.
"Is that so…"
Rose nodded and smiled, showing nothing unusual.
Leon then gave Rose a full account of what he'd seen and experienced in Hoenn, including the confrontation with Team Rocket.
"Mammon is really that strong?"
"Yes. Primal Kyogre in particular — that Pokémon is something else entirely. Even with me and Steven and everyone else combined, I don't think we could beat it."
Leon said it with full gravity.
Dark Mewtwo was a different matter — Leon thought that if he went all out, it wasn't unwinnable.
But Primal Kyogre? Genuinely not.
"I understand. Team Rocket's leader — that's Mammon, correct?"
Rose's expression had settled into something unusually serious. It was rare to see. Leon took it as a natural response to hearing about Team Rocket's demonstrated strength.
"Yes. He's too strong." Leon said it with real weight.
"I'll reach out to the Hoenn side. This has gone beyond just Hoenn's problem." Rose said it quietly.
A legendary capable of flooding an entire region through its ability — if that Mammon came to Galar—
Rose would not allow it.
This was the land he loved. He had worked meticulously and tirelessly to build Galar into the flourishing region it was today. He had no intention of watching Galar fall or disappear.
"You've worked hard, Leon. Go rest." Rose's voice softened after a moment.
"Thank you, Chairman. Please take care of yourself too. Steven pushed himself so hard he ended up in hospital." Leon added the reminder, thinking of Steven's near-breakdown.
"Ha — don't worry. With Oleana's help, I'm well taken care of." Rose laughed quietly.
Leon left the office.
Rose's expression settled.
"Mammon… Kyogre…" His eyes kept shifting. What Leon had brought back from Hoenn had genuinely made him reconsider things.
"Oleana — do you think Leon could catch Eternatus?"
Rose pressed his fingers to his temple, his smooth voice directed at her.
Leon was Galar's invincible Champion. Whatever the Pokémon, Leon could catch it. That was what Rose had always believed, deeply and without question. Leon was the strongest Trainer he had ever seen.
And he had believed, therefore, that there was essentially no one in the world stronger than Leon.
He had never doubted his plan would succeed. He had been certain that even Eternatus, the so-called darkness, was something Leon could handle.
And once that was achieved, his vision would be realized.
The reason he'd kept the plan from Leon all this time was Leon's strong sense of justice and duty — Rose had worried Leon wouldn't support it.
After all, Eternatus was the darkness that had once nearly destroyed Galar. Leon probably couldn't accept that framing.
But now — Rose suddenly felt he might have underestimated the power of legendary Pokémon.
Could Leon really catch Eternatus?
Leon had admitted he couldn't beat Primal Kyogre. And Eternatus was a legendary that had, in recorded history, almost annihilated all of Galar.
"I think, Chairman, you need to consider this more carefully."
Oleana hesitated, then said it directly. She'd been listening to the whole conversation.
"If what Champion Leon said is accurate — once Eternatus awakens, Champion Leon may not be able to handle it…"
She was putting it diplomatically.
"That really is not good news." Rose rubbed his temple with something approaching pain.
A complication of this scale was, paradoxically, both a problem and a kind of information.
"If that's the case — put the Eternatus plan on hold. Oleana, send people to look for the two legendary heroes and the King of Bountiful Harvests."
Rose's finger tapped lightly on the table. He was not going to let Galar be destroyed by his own hand.
He'd wanted Eternatus for unlimited energy. But if he couldn't even achieve the first step — catching it — there was nothing further to discuss.
"Yes." Oleana nodded.
"Those legendaries should have a reasonably positive disposition toward humans. Even if Leon can't catch them, they shouldn't go berserk or become enemies."
"And if Leon can catch them — with Leon's guidance and training, catching Eternatus afterward shouldn't be a problem."
Rose's trust in Leon remained completely intact. He believed Galar would flourish under the two of them.
"Chairman — what if Team Rocket comes to Galar?" Oleana asked.
"That Mammon…" Rose's eyes kept shifting.
"We'll need to get a read on him in person before anything else." His tone was a little subdued.
He hadn't thought much of Team Rocket originally. But now it was different.
Still — Rose believed that every person had a weakness.
And if Galar could bring in a Trainer who was stronger than even Leon — well, wouldn't Galar simply take off entirely?
Beauty, wealth, power, status. Human ambition reduced to its essentials.
As for whether it was acceptable for a Galar League Chairman to deal with Team Rocket — Rose genuinely didn't care.
For this land, he would endure any amount of condemnation.
Because he loved it. Deeply.
Indigo Plateau, Kanto. Conference room.
"I see. So Mammon has already caught Kyogre."
Goodshow's grey brow was drawn tight, fingers pressed to his temple.
Team Rocket and Mammon — growing stronger all the time.
Though there was good news: Giovanni had earned Groudon's tentative recognition, and Mammon had even voluntarily handed the Red Orb to him.
That at least meant they now had a means to counter Primal Kyogre.
"Hmph. I knew it, that person…"
Lorelei crossed her arms, a posture that was very much her. She was privately giving herself a small congratulation for her decision not to go to Hoenn.
If she had — and if Mammon had unleashed his less civilized side — she was fairly sure she would have been dragged off and thoroughly compromised.
That man was absolutely capable of it.
"There's one more thing I need to report, Chairman." Giovanni's gaze passed briefly across Lorelei.
He had come to Indigo Plateau the moment he returned to Kanto and given a full account of the situation.
The only regret was that Lance still wasn't at the Plateau.
"Go ahead." Goodshow was still working through how to deal with Team Rocket.
"Joseph Stone's imprisonment. He was involved in an operation years ago — one organized by the Johto Pokémon Association—"
Giovanni explained the Rayquaza Capture Operation.
As he laid out the details, Goodshow's expression grew steadily darker. Lorelei's face had gone cold as ice.
"Shelly's younger sister Kagura has now joined Team Rocket. She's Champion-tier — and at the high end of Champion-tier."
Giovanni emphasized Kagura's strength carefully.
"Ah…"
Goodshow gave a short, pained laugh. Then a long, heavy exhale.
"Chairman — unauthorized use of mechanical equipment to illegally capture Pokémon, including a Pokémon belonging to a Trainer, resulting in the death of an innocent Trainer. These are unforgivable crimes."
Lorelei stood up, her voice cold and flat. Her distaste for this kind of filth was total.
"With your permission, Chairman — I'll lead a team to Johto personally and bring every one of those criminals in."
"Permission granted." Goodshow didn't hesitate. He was furious.
He had dedicated himself to ensuring the League protected the harmony between humans and Pokémon. He had never imagined something this terrible had happened right under his watch. And he hadn't received a single report of it?
The Johto Pokémon Association — they had to answer for this.
"The fact that this has been concealed for this long suggests the involvement goes beyond just the Pokémon Association." Agatha's dry, raspy voice entered the room at the right moment.
"I'll have Nanu look into it." Goodshow said quietly.
Giovanni watched Lorelei, whose killing intent was radiating visibly, and felt the corner of his mouth move ever so slightly.
Quite the show coming.
Lorelei leading a team personally — those Pokémon Association officials would count themselves fortunate if they made it into a cell in one piece.
And if Lorelei did go too far, the parliamentary faction that had always had issues with her would have fresh ammunition to use against her. Lorelei's cold, exacting personality and her willingness to use force had made more than a few legislators deeply uncomfortable.
But then, at that moment, Goodshow's phone rang.
"Nanu?" Goodshow answered. It was the Supreme Commander calling — Nanu.
"Chairman — there's a problem. The Johto Pokémon Association is under attack."
"What?" Goodshow went still.
"And the one attacking the Pokémon Association — it's a Rayquaza."
(End of chapter)
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