Having Hive members investigate Hive itself—what else could that possibly lead to?
Naturally, the conclusion was perfectly legal and above board.
At the same time, they issued public denials of rumors that multiple Umbrella researchers had formerly been part of Team Rocket.
In short: pure fabrication.
As for the allegations that Dolores was a member of the Syndicate, the official investigation claimed she had in fact been an undercover operative planted there by the League, her mission now complete, her ties with the Syndicate severed.
Given her background—daughter of an International Police agent and former runner-up of the League Championships—it wasn't hard for the public to accept this narrative. In fact, the story offered an opportunity to rehabilitate her image. With the right spin, she might even be hailed as a heroic mole.
As for the Syndicate, most of its upper leadership had already joined Hive, so of course no one within would object.
The revelation of Lysandre's identity as the leader of Team Flare came almost simultaneously with the Z Foundation's own investigation results. Umbrella wasted no time manipulating public sentiment—denouncing one side while propping up the other.
Ever since their headquarters was exposed, Team Flare had gone conspicuously silent, clearly too intimidated to retaliate. This handed both the Z Foundation and its shadowy backer Umbrella another wave of positive press.
Now that they had official endorsement, more people were joining the Z Foundation's hunt for Zygarde Cells.
After all, the Z Foundation paid real money, unlike those activists constantly shouting about Pokémon protection while barely scraping by. With the media storm subsiding and their financial support from Team Flare cut off, the activists had lost much of their influence.
But unlike Giovanni's case, even though Lysandre's identity as Team Flare's boss was now public, he still couldn't be arrested.
Thanks to Lucius's early intervention, Team Flare hadn't yet committed any overt crimes. At most, they could be cited for constructing unauthorized facilities—illegal development without government approval.
Still, Lucius's exposé had painted Lysandre in a highly negative light. Public trust in him plummeted, and the International Police started watching him far more closely.
More importantly, when the International Police raided Team Flare's Geosenge Town base, the virus successfully infected one of their admins—Celosia. This marked the virus's infiltration of Team Flare's inner ranks. Lucius now knew Team Flare had already secured two of Zygarde's five cores.
One of them, he suspected, was Squishy.
Such is the nature of media warfare: when done right, it can deal a crushing blow without firing a single shot.
Even though Lucius was aware of Team Flare's progress, he wasn't in a rush to seize the Zygarde Cells himself. Letting them do the legwork had its own advantages.
Competition spurred motivation on both sides.
While the media war raged on in Kalos, new developments were unfolding in Unova.
A massive Pokémon surge had erupted from Pledge Grove, with hordes of powerful Pokémon pouring southward toward Aspertia City and eastward toward Virbank City, destroying every human structure in their path.
Fortunately, Charles Goodshow had foreseen this and dispatched Leon and Wallace with their teams to intercept the threat.
Almost simultaneously, Team Plasma's Plasma Frigate ascended into the skies and launched an aerial assault on Driftveil City.
But unlike in the original timeline, their ship wasn't firing ice-based attacks—instead, it unleashed the forces of Wind, Lightning, and Earth.
That they'd strike Driftveil first didn't surprise Lucius.
Driftveil was Unova's largest port and the central hub for its logistics. Capturing it would give Team Plasma control over the region's main trade route with other continents.
Geographically, Driftveil lay in Unova's southwest, directly across from Pledge Grove, the epicenter of the Pokémon uprising. Whichever front faced defeat could immediately be reinforced by the other. If Team Plasma captured Driftveil and the Pokémon overran Aspertia and Virbank, the entire southwestern region of Unova would collapse.
Lucius braced himself for an all-out war—but then, something unexpected happened.
The Pokémon charging out of Pledge Grove suddenly calmed down. They stopped attacking humans.
And the Plasma Frigate attacking Driftveil suddenly exploded and plummeted from the sky.
According to Lucius's informants, three Pokémon emerged from the wreckage. The transmitted footage revealed them to be the legendary Tornadus, Thundurus, and Landorus.
Lucius rubbed his chin. "So Kyurem had them locked up in the Plasma Frigate..."
But why did everything end so abruptly?
This had to be Goodshow's doing. He hadn't intervened earlier, opting instead to let things unfold and strike with perfect timing. But how had he pulled it off?
From what Lucius knew, the forces now gathered at Pledge Grove mostly included the Swords of Justice and Beasts of Johto—Pokémon that had long served the Mythical Pokémon. While not perfectly loyal, they were certainly under some form of control.
So after all that careful planning, Goodshow had dismantled it with a single move?
Was the old man really that powerful—able to change the tides with the flick of a wrist?
As Lucius pondered this, yet more news broke.
Goodshow himself had led a six-member team of Elite Four-tier Trainers in a sudden raid on the Team Plasma Castle, capturing all six Sages except Ghetsis, who barely escaped.
And in a shocking twist—White Kyurem had taken Ghetsis away.
White Kyurem?
Then Kyurem had already absorbed Reshiram…
Thoughts whirled in Lucius's mind. He could now guess how Lugia and the others had won Kyurem over.
According to the memories of Kyogre and the other mythic Pokémon, Kyurem was not a native of this world, but an extraterrestrial lifeform that crashed to Earth long ago.
After landing on this planet, this otherworldly dragon absorbed stray energy from Arceus, gradually adapting to the world and eventually splitting into three dragons—Reshiram, Zekrom, and Kyurem. But Kyurem was never complete.
It had always sought to reabsorb the other two and return to its original, most powerful form.
Now, clearly, Lugia and the others had found the Light Stone, where Reshiram slumbered, and given it to Kyurem—leading it to join their side.
But where was the dark dragon, Zekrom?
Lucius didn't have to wait long. Another announcement followed.
At the temple where Unova's Pokémon League resided, Goodshow publicly declared that N would become the new Peace Ambassador between humans and Pokémon—and would replace Alder as Champion of the Unova region.
Alder, in turn, would transfer to Kanto, replacing Lance, who would remain as Johto's Champion.
The sudden reshuffling stunned everyone. High-ranking League officials were unanimously shocked and opposed it.
After all, being a regional Champion wasn't just a title—it was the tip of an enormous iceberg of power and influence. Changing it on a whim could cause massive ripple effects.
Alder, though not ambitious or greedy, didn't just represent himself—he stood for the interests of an entire power bloc within the League.
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