"Rumble..."
Aerodactyl wheeled through the sky, relaying the situation on the coast to Yong through their mental connection, then flew off into the distance again.
The incessant rumbling did nothing to distract Yong. No one knew Cynthia's strength better than he did. At this point in time, he doubted anyone other than Steven could match her...
Yet the figure approaching from the other side stirred both confusion and a growing spark of fighting spirit within him.
"Professor Lysandre..."
The boy smiled faintly without exposing the man's true identity. During his time in Kalos, Yong had heard that Lysandre, one of the Kalos Region's League professors, was extremely powerful and a major figure among the local powers.
"As a professor of the Kalos League, I suspected Black Yi Ryuusei wouldn't come alone, but I never expected you to be the one accompanying him..."
Lysandre wore a gentle smile.
"Please don't take offense... Besides, I didn't come here because of the Black Yi House."
"Oh?"
Lysandre stroked his chin and smiled faintly.
"Actually, I've wanted to meet you for quite some time, Yong, ever since before you left Kalos. Unfortunately, Diantha's betrayal disrupted my plans and dealt a devastating blow to the Kalos Pokémon Association."
"There's something that's always puzzled me..."
Lysandre looked at Yong.
"I'm confident that no one can surpass Professor Sycamore and me in our research into Mega Evolution. And I've investigated your background. Before you discovered the power of Mega Evolution, you had never even visited Kalos..."
Lysandre's gaze sharpened. Watching the boy's every movement, he spoke softly.
"I don't believe your claim that a few scraps of evidence in the Hoenn Region's ruins were enough for you to understand this power and successfully manifest it... much less surpass researchers like us, who have devoted half our lives