In truth, those eight isolated islands were not ordinary landmasses at all.
They were part of a massive ancient ruin, one that had remained hidden beneath the sea for countless ages. It was only after Lance uncovered records within forgotten tomes and personally sought them out that the ruins were awakened—causing the eight islands to rise above the ocean's surface once more.
The surrounding sea currents were violent and treacherous, and this region was far from any major maritime route. Whether merchants or Trainers, almost no one ever ventured here. Thus, the archipelago once known in ancient times as Suofang Island quietly became the hidden stronghold of the Kanto Elite Four.
Zekrom carried Lance across the vast ocean and descended upon the central island of the archipelago. From the air, one could clearly see the structure of Suofang Island—seven outer islands encircling a single central one. Across all eight islands stood numerous ancient ruins and ceremonial altars, remnants of forgotten rituals and civilizations.
"Lance, you're back! You finally found the 'Dragon of Ideals'!"
The other three Elite Four members had been waiting. Lorelei hurried forward the moment she saw Lance riding atop Zekrom, her face filled with excitement.
With Zekrom now on their side, their plan had taken a decisive step closer to success.
But when she noticed Lance's battered appearance—bloodstains across his body, his cape torn and ruined—Lorelei's expression changed instantly.
"…Why are you injured like this? Did you encounter a powerful enemy?"
Lance remained silent.
Pride like his could not allow him to speak the words "I was defeated."
Nearby, Bruno sat cross-legged atop a massive boulder, watching the group with cold, indifferent eyes.
Seeing that Lance refused to speak, Lorelei did not dare to press further. She feared him too much.
Agatha, however, had no such restraint.
Leaning on her cane, the old woman approached slowly, chuckling softly.
"…It was that boy, Logan, wasn't it?"
Lance's expression darkened instantly. His face twisted with barely restrained fury. He glanced at Agatha, took a deep breath, and finally nodded with great difficulty.
Within the Elite Four, unity was an illusion.
Bruno was never truly aligned with them—he was only here because Agatha controlled him through strange methods, and because his own nature drove him to seek battle with powerful opponents.
Lorelei shared Lance's ideals, but her seniority and strength were insufficient for her to hold real authority.
As for Agatha… even Lance himself treated her with caution. No matter how mocking her words were, he dared not truly lash out.
Seeing that even Lance had suffered at Logan's hands, Lorelei inexplicably felt relieved. After all, she herself had once been thoroughly defeated by Logan—and had feared Lance's reaction if he ever found out.
"Agatha," Lance said stiffly, "how is the plan progressing?"
"Three sites are complete. Five remain," Agatha replied with a low, eerie laugh.
"The legion is nearly prepared. Once everything is in place, we can launch the full-scale assault on Kanto… and draw out the final individual."
"Good," Lance said coldly.
"When preparations are finished, you will command the operation. I have no intention of waiting any longer."
Without sparing Lorelei or Bruno another glance, Lance departed alongside Zekrom. He needed time to recover from his injuries.
Watching his retreating figure, Agatha's smile grew ever wider.
Lowering her head, she murmured to herself:
"…When Kanto falls, when humanity faces extinction, when the world teeters on the brink of collapse—will you finally step forward, I wonder?"
Her voice brimmed with anticipation.
Meanwhile, on the other side—
After Lance's departure, Logan was deep in thought about their next move.
If one were to speak of the ideal counter to Zekrom, the answer was obvious:
the Unova legend known as the Dragon of Truth.
Truth and ideals were not opposites, yet they were fundamentally different.
Truth was the process; ideals were the destination.
Only when the two became one could the original form be restored.
However, Logan knew from Lance's own words that even he had spent years in Unova before finally locating and awakening Zekrom. Logan was confident—perhaps even arrogantly so—but he did not believe that simply arriving in Unova would cause the Dragon of Truth to reveal itself and kneel before him.
Finding it would take enormous time.
And by then… it would be far too late.
Thus, Logan abandoned the idea of seeking the Dragon of Truth.
His second option was Rayquaza.
He had already spent over a year researching and tracking it, formulating a complete plan—one in which Mew itself played a role. Yet even so, the plan required time, and several crucial problems remained unresolved.
For the first time in a long while, Logan felt constrained.
The greatest difficulty in obtaining a Legendary Pokémon's power was not defeating it—but finding it.
Legendary Pokémon did not have fixed habitats. Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres had long since left their former domains. Without Logan's special connection to them, locating them again would be extraordinarily difficult.
Even Team Rocket had spent years searching for the Legendary Birds.
Lance and Team Rocket alike had measured their searches in years, which alone spoke volumes about how elusive Legendary Pokémon truly were.
And even upon finding one, gaining its power was another matter entirely.
Ancient technology could only control them temporarily—and often at the cost of the user's life.
Aligning one's ideals with a Legendary Pokémon was even harder. Without absolute conviction in his "ideal," Lance would never have pursued Zekrom in the first place.
"…If Lance already has Zekrom's support," Cynthia asked, "why hasn't he acted immediately? Why delay?"
Logan thought for a moment before replying.
"Because Zekrom was never his original objective. From his tone, it's clear he went to Unova only as a trial. If he found it, good. If not, he wouldn't have obsessed over it.
His real focus was the plan he's been preparing for years. Even now, abandoning it is impossible. Zekrom merely increases the odds of success."
Cynthia nodded slowly, then asked again:
"Then what exactly is the Elite Four's plan?"
Before Logan could answer, Daisy Oak spoke solemnly.
"…Based on my investigation, the Kanto Elite Four intend to summon Ho-Oh or Lugia—and control it. They plan to use a Legendary Pokémon as the instrument to exterminate humanity."
"Ho-Oh or Lugia…?"
Cynthia gasped.
"With Zekrom already involved, adding either of them would devastate Kanto—even if the region survives, the losses would be catastrophic."
"And once Kanto falls," Logan added,
"their next targets will be Johto, then Hoenn, then Sinnoh."
The logic was obvious.
If one region collapsed, the rest would soon follow.
"We need to tell more people," Cynthia said softly.
"We need allies."
"That's exactly what I plan to do," Logan replied.
"The Kanto League must already sense something is wrong, but they likely don't know the full scope. I'll go to League Headquarters and speak directly with the Chairman. If possible, we'll request reinforcements from other regions."
Logan's pride never blinded his judgment. Asking for help was not shameful.
Cynthia hesitated, then reached into her coat and pulled out a small, worn notebook.
Its pages were yellowed, clearly something she used often.
Flipping through it, she tore out several pages and handed them to Logan.
"…This is what I mentioned before. I think now is the time."
Logan looked down at the pages.
They were filled with diagrams and handwritten notes—messy, yet elegant, unmistakably Cynthia's writing.
"While researching Sinnoh's legends, I also investigated myths from other regions," she said with a gentle smile.
"These pages record everything I uncovered about a particular Legendary Pokémon. The information isn't complete—you may need to supplement it—but the location should be accurate."
She smiled, revealing her white teeth.
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