A Damian in an all-black outfit slowly walked into the central area, while Caitlin—quiet and elegant, dressed in a fitted pink skirt outfit—followed behind him.
He didn't pay attention to Lysandre's side.
When Lysandre sent out Zygarde to wreck Lumiose City, there was already no other outcome.
A mere Team Flare—how could that possibly be Dawn and the others' opponent?
And not to mention, Drayton, Kieran, and the others were assisting too.
Hawlucha descended from the sky.
Diantha landed beside Damian.
And Mega Gardevoir also flew over—though Mega Gardevoir was clearly badly injured.
Yeah.
Even though Protect blocked the initial most brutal offensive of Thousand Waves…
once Protect ended, Mega Gardevoir still got hit by Thousand Waves and took damage.
"Damian, according to our agreement…"
"stop that Zygarde."
Diantha spoke to Damian.
She had finally accepted the situation: this Zygarde was something she didn't have the power to stop.
"Don't worry, don't worry."
"I'm just observing first."
"Diantha, your strength is seriously not that great."
"If this keeps going, you can't stop Serena's impact."
Damian teased.
His expression and tone were both pretty light, clearly not putting enraged Zygarde in his eyes.
"If Serena can successfully challenge…"
"I'd be happy, even."
Diantha said calmly.
She didn't care much about the Champion title.
If Serena could come challenge her face-to-face, Diantha would actually feel relieved and happy.
The only thing that made Diantha hesitate was…
Serena was Team Rocket's person right now.
Was it really appropriate for a Team Rocket Admin to take the Kalos Champion position?
"So that's how it is."
Damian didn't look too surprised.
"Zygarde…"
"how did it end up like this?"
Caitlin looked toward that blood-red Zygarde, shimmering all over.
She couldn't help feeling puzzled.
"Maybe Team Flare did something brutal to it with cruel experiments."
Damian thought for a moment.
"Resentment, anger—two emotions are deeply tangled in its mind."
"So it turned into a machine that destroys everything."
Mesprit's body shimmered with a faint glow.
In Telepathy, it carried an intense and complicated feeling.
As a god of "Emotion," Mesprit could clearly sense the moods inside Zygarde's mind.
Only the most extreme resentment and anger.
Mesprit couldn't imagine what Team Flare had done to it—
to turn Zygarde into something like this.
"Damian…"
"help it get free."
"It's in too much pain."
Mesprit requested Damian.
"Alright."
Damian rubbed Mesprit's head and agreed.
In truth, he originally didn't plan to solve this enraged Zygarde so quickly.
Compared to Lysandre, Zygarde was the strongest boss of this incident.
Damian wanted to weaken Zygarde's strength to a certain extent.
Then have Dawn and the others work together to deal with it—defeat it.
Otherwise…
even a 50% form Zygarde's strength was still very strong.
With Dawn and the others' current level, even if it was group beating, they still wouldn't be Zygarde's opponent.
Weaken it to a certain level, and let Dawn go through trials.
That kind of battle would definitely let Dawn gain a lot.
But since he got this kind of info from Mesprit too…
then that was fine.
"Mewtwo."
Damian threw a Shadow Mewtwo Ultra Ball.
Shadow Mewtwo hovered in midair.
A flash of light ran across its body, and it Mega Evolved.
"Mewtwo."
"Beat it."
Damian didn't have any boss-like intent.
A Zygarde that was controlled by resentment and anger wasn't a fully-formed entity.
For Mega Shadow Mewtwo Y, beating it completely and easily was just a matter of course.
If it were a Zygarde full-formed entity, then he'd need to be a bit more careful.
But for this form of Zygarde, it was absolutely not any threat to Mega Shadow Mewtwo Y.
Especially since Zygarde had the Dragon/Ground typing combo.
Its biggest weakness was still Four-times weak to Ice.
Yes.
Mega Shadow Mewtwo Y didn't have the Ice typing.
But it could use Ice-type moves.
With Mega Shadow Mewtwo Y's powerful Special Attack…
one icy glow would probably be enough to leave Zygarde unable to take care of itself.
Mega Shadow Mewtwo Y didn't say a word.
Its eyes shimmered with deep purple light.
A deep purple psychic wall formed.
Then Mega Shadow Mewtwo Y shot forward like a cannonball.
It smashed straight into Zygarde's chest.
Zygarde let out a miserable roar full of anger.
But it was completely useless.
The massive impact force was something Zygarde couldn't even withstand.
Its whole body toppled over.
Mega Shadow Mewtwo Y, pinned by the psychic wall, was holding it down hard against the ground.
"So strong!"
Seeing that such a powerful Zygarde was flattened on the spot after just one exchange—
Diantha's pupils shrank.
But Diantha also sighed in relief.
With Damian around, it seemed like it would be fine.
And at this moment, inside Lysandre Research Laboratory—
Lysandre's heart was growing heavier and heavier.
His Pyroar, Honchkrow, and Mienshao had all been beaten down.
Only a Mega Gyarados was still barely holding on.
Was there any chance left?
There wasn't.
No chance at all.
Watching Mega Gyarados get slashed and launched away by Rosa's Serperior Leaf Blade—
and then smash heavily into the ground.
A forced Mega Evolution exit light flashed.
It finally took away Lysandre's last thread of hope.
"Why…"
Lysandre's pupils trembled violently.
The mechanical equipment overheated and overloaded.
His red visor-like eye device opened.
Lysandre looked at the unconscious Gyarados he had lost the ability to fight.
His expression was heavy, full of pain.
"Why would this happen…"
Lysandre tried to step back.
But he found that, somehow—
his body had become completely powerless.
He failed.
He actually lost.
He lost to these four girls.
He couldn't even defeat these girls.
How could his vision, his dreams, the Future he craved…
ever come true?
With just one step, Lysandre almost fell to the ground.
Lysandre looked at Serena and the others.
He could see it clearly.
Serena had pity and disappointment in her eyes.
Serena still believed he was wrong.
But Lysandre didn't think so.
What he could see was a future where stupidity humans only thought about themselves—
and brawled with each other even more terribly than now…
He just wanted the world to become a beautiful place where warmth and happiness could be shared with one another…
Was he really wrong?
If he was right…
why was he the one who ended up falling here?
"So… I was just an empty flower with no result…"
The four girls' silhouettes in Lysandre's vision—
somehow began to blur.
He… couldn't see any future anymore.
The four girls didn't speak.
They just silently watched that man kneeling on the ground, looking in agony and despair.
"He… looks like he's crying…"
Dawn hesitated.
She saw it.
At this moment, Lysandre's eyes at the corner were full of tears.
No matter what, seeing this—
Dawn's heart was still complicated.
Serena remained silent.
"Because his dreams got shattered…"
"but his dreams were wrong."
Hilda spoke in a low voice.
Her expression carried a little pity for Lysandre.
To them, it was a wrong road.
But to Lysandre, he was genuinely longing for that world.
He'd always been dreaming like that.
And now—
his dream was already broken.
"Take these three with you."
"Don't overthink it."
Rosa spoke up.
They'd already wasted a lot of time here.
And no one knew what was going on outside.
But that Zygarde—
Damian would definitely handle it.
Rosa wasn't worried.
They confiscated all the Poké Balls of Lysandre and the three of them.
Dawn and the four girls came outside Lysandre Research Laboratory.
When they saw the outside scene…
all four of them were stunned.
Huge distorted plants were everywhere.
They grew out from underground, crossing roads and buildings.
From a single glance…
this city was already a complete mess.
"This…"
Serena was shocked.
"This is all because of that Zygarde, right?"
"It's way too brutal."
Dawn furrowed her refined brows.
Even inside the Research Laboratory, they could feel the tremors outside.
The movement had definitely been huge.
But seeing it with her own eyes was still terrifying beyond words.
"But at least it hasn't been completely destroyed."
"Damian must have already dealt with that Zygarde, right?"
Rosa looked around.
She didn't hear any intense battle sounds.
That also meant Zygarde probably had already been handled.
Otherwise, with that big thing's level of noise…
there would definitely be no way it would be completely silent.
"Alright."
"Let's go rendezvous with Drayton and them first."
"We'll move Lysandre and the other three."
Hilda said.
Lysandre.
Malva.
And this Alain.
All were Team Flare upper echelons.
Mr. Damian had said that all Team Flare upper echelons needed to be taken away and dealt with.
"Okay."
...
Central Plaza.
"Look."
"I saved your other half."
"And you're still hissing at me?"
"Are you not being a little disrespectful?"
Damian looked at the black-green small dog in front of him with a smile.
That was right.
This was Zygarde's other set of cells—its other center his team Z1.
Right now, it was in a 10% dog form.
And the one just now, controlled by Team Flare, was Z2.
Obviously, Z1 sensed Z2's rampage.
That's why it arrived in Lumiose City.
The enraged Zygarde had already been knocked down and lost consciousness by Mega Shadow Mewtwo Y.
And the gathered cells had left as well.
So Z2 had returned to its planarian-style center his team form again.
And just now, Z1 had suddenly ran out—
wanted to attack Damian and the others—
and was directly controlled by Mega Shadow Mewtwo Y's psychic control.
"Nonsense!"
"You humans are the ones who hurt it!"
Z1 kept struggling, but it was useless.
It bared its teeth at Damian, hissing.
Anger Telepathy surged through.
It had always known.
Humans had been trying to capture it and Z2.
But it hadn't expected—
Z2 to already end up in humans' hands.
"And you thinking you can just hit us down with a stick like that…"
"killing us like it's nothing…"
"Do you know who I am?!"
Damian raised a brow.
"No matter who you are…"
"humans are just vile Pokémon!"
Z1 was still overflowing with anger.
Especially after feeling Z2's weakened state like this.
Damian clicked his tongue.
Unlike in the anime, Z1 was pretty much just… squishy.
It hadn't had any shared encounters with Ash, Bonnie, and the others.
So Z1's feelings toward humans weren't good.
And especially since Team Flare had done such excessive things to Z2…
Z1 definitely wouldn't trust humans.
"Like you…"
"like you humans…"
"Even if you've got Psychic control…"
"you still…"
Z1's eyes burned with fury.
Green light flared across its body.
From the horizon, green motes of light shot toward it at high speed.
Like a brilliant meteor shower.
Power Construct!
This was Zygarde's Ability.
And as Zygarde's center his team Z1…
it could gather all of Zygarde's scattered cells for a merge.
50%…
100%!
Especially now, Z2 was on its side.
Even though Z2 was still unconsciousness—
it didn't matter.
It could merge Z2, pulling together all the cells and forming a full-formed Zygarde entity.
If humans had done something like this to its other half…
humans…
how dirty and evil!
Z1 crazily gathered cells.
A large number of Zygarde cells shot over rapidly.
"Wait."
"Don't be in such a hurry."
"Why don't you look at this first?"
Damian raised his hand.
"Vile humans…"
"no matter what you do…"
"you can't wash away your sins."
"Humans like you should be cleansed…"
While transforming, Z1 heard that.
And it answered with anger Telepathy.
It was still way too fired up.
It wanted to become a full-formed entity.
And inflict heavy pain on humans!
Especially this one in front of it.
It had seen clearly.
Z2 was beaten because of him.
Unforgivable!
But…
While transforming, Z1 saw the golden light on Damian's hand.
And the Azure Flute in his hand, filled with dense origin-breath.
Z1 went silent.
It hesitated.
The green motes of light on its body slowly dispersed.
For now, it wouldn't transform.
It decided that the humans were probably attacking Z2 for a reason.
So it would listen to him explain first.
~~
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