1. Ash's Story (Part 7: Kalos)

Chapter 25: Black Dragon

I do not walk into Lysandre's world as Ash Ketchum.

I walk in as Alain.

The name feels colder every time I use it, but that is the point. Ash has friends, badges, a family name, and a history that makes people look twice. Alain can move through Mega Evolution rumors without dragging Serena, Clemont, Bonnie, Elline, or David into every shadow I need to enter. If Team Flare wants powerful Trainers and rare stones, then Alain has to look like exactly the kind of person they would trust.

The arrangement with Lysandre is already in place by the time I stand on this rocky overlook with Charizard. He offered access, research, a Mega Ring, and Charizardite X because Alain looked useful to him. I accepted because getting close to Lysandre matters more than keeping my hands clean of his world. Every mission he gives me is another door left open. Every Mega Stone rumor he sends me after is another chance to see what Team Flare is really collecting.

That does not mean I trust him.

The first time Lysandre led me through his lab, everything looked too clean. Screens showed energy patterns, Mega Evolution readings, and diagrams of stones linked to Pokémon I had met across different regions. He spoke about helping the world, guiding power, and protecting beauty from being wasted. He never raised his voice. He did not need to. The room itself made every word sound important.

I let Alain listen without giving Lysandre more.

I let Alain ask about stronger opponents, rare Mega Stones, and whether Charizard could defeat every Mega Evolution placed before him. That was the part Lysandre wanted to see. He did not need Ash's questions about people. He needed Alain's hunger for strength, so that is what I showed him.

When he gave Alain the Mega Ring, he watched my face more than the stone. When Charizardite X entered my hand, he watched Charizard. I could feel him measuring our bond like it was a tool he might someday need. I smiled only enough to seem grateful, not enough to seem safe.

That memory stays with me whenever the Key Stone catches the light. The ring is a gift, but it is also a leash Lysandre believes he tied around Alain's ambition. The only reason I wear it is because he has not realized the leash runs both ways.

Lysandre speaks like someone trying to save beauty, but I have already heard enough from Team Flare to know that beautiful words can hide ugly choices. In Glittering Cave, they said only their happiness mattered. If their leader gave birth to that kind of belief, then Alain has to stay near him until the truth shows its teeth.

Charizard stands beside me, wings folded and eyes steady. The Mega Ring on my wrist carries the Key Stone Lysandre gave Alain, and the Charizardite X rests safely with us. Charizardite Y remains with the side of my life that can stand openly in sunlight. Charizardite X belongs to this mask, this mission, and this black flame we are pretending is only ambition.

Charizard's meaning reaches me through the heat behind his lowered wings. "I know you are wearing Alain like armor, and I know why. I will not ask you to soften the mask in front of strangers. I only ask you to keep our bond real beneath it."

I place one hand against his neck. "We keep going until we understand what Lysandre really wants."

Charizard gives a low rumble.

The meaning beneath it is simple. "Whatever name you use, I am still with you."

Lysandre's people have been watching Mega Evolution users, and so have I. That is how I find Astrid, a strong Trainer with an Absol whose aura cuts cleanly through the air before I even see it. She stands near a clearing with her Absol at her side, calm but ready, as if she has already heard enough footsteps to know when someone wants a battle.