Invitation

After the battle, a few people arrived with Fire-type Pokémon to clear the frozen pool created by Yuga's Lapras. They also took Lysandre's Mega Gyarados for treatment.

Initially, Lysandre wanted to help Yuga's Lapras with the treatment, but he refused. As he still harbored some caution toward Lysandre.

Even though Chimecho was not with Yuga at the moment, having Florges by his side made up for her absence.

Since Florges underwent a transformation, her healing abilities through her Wish Move were now on par with Chimecho's Heal Pulse.

However, Wish's healing speed was not as fast as Heal Pulse, requiring some waiting time for each treatment. While this could be inconvenient during battles, it didn't have much impact outside the battle.

Although Heal Pulse provided quick healing, it had the drawback of being less effective when used on oneself.

So, each had its pros and cons.

Lysandre, after his offer of help was declined, didn't get angry but instead praised Yuga with a smile, saying, "The strength of the Gym Leader Shimizu is truly astounding."

Yuga recalled Lapras, who had been mostly healed, into its Poké Ball and replied with a smile, "You flatter me, but Mr. Lysandre, you still haven't told me the purpose of your invitation."

At this point, Lysandre's expression suddenly became very serious, and he said sincerely, "I earnestly invite you, Gym Leader Shimizu, to join my Team Flare."

His tone was earnest, giving Yuga the impression that he was desperately seeking capable individuals.

But the truth was that Team Flare was actually an illegal organization with the goal of world destruction! Yuga felt content with his current life and had no grievances with the world.

Maybe he could try being an undercover agent? It seemed like a viable option, being a low-effort undercover agent who could keep a close eye on Team Flare's activities.

"Team Flare? What is that?" Yuga had no choice but to continue acting and pretend he was clueless.

Lysandre had many public identities in the outside world, like a philanthropist, businessman, and more, but his true identity as the leader of Team Flare was not known to the public. In fact, Team Flare itself was a secret organization.

And now, he was inviting Yuga to join this secret organization with the intention of world destruction.

Lysandre: "Team Flare is an organization that strives to make the world a better place."

Yuga rolled his eyes inwardly: I don't believe you! You want to make the world a better place? Why don't you just go to heaven then? The world is fine as it is; there's no need for your meddling.

Listening to Lysandre describe his vision of a better world, Yuga felt like he was being brainwashed by the leader of a MLM organization.

Quite early on, after Lysandre introduced Team Flare, Yuga pretended to be interested in the idea of a better world, but he didn't overdo it. If he had acted overly enthusiastic and gullible, Lysandre would have likely become suspicious, as nobody is that naive.

Yuga asked Lysandre numerous questions, showing that he was intrigued by Lysandre's vision of a better world while maintaining a certain level of caution.

Lysandre patiently answered Yuga's questions, genuinely hoping that Yuga would join their cause.

Lysandre's brainwashing abilities were indeed strong, and if Yuga didn't know what Team Flare truly was, he might have fallen for it.

As far as Yuga knew, one of the Elite Four members in Kalos, Malva, was a member of Team Flare. He wondered if she had joined them yet.

"So, what would I be expected to do if I joined Team Flare?" Yuga inquired, pretending to be eager to join.

"I would like you to assist us in collecting information about Mega Evolution," Lysandre said with great seriousness. "Through our research, we have discovered that when Pokémon Mega Evolve, they generate a unique energy, and this ability is the key to changing the world."

Lysandre was cautious in his tone.

Hoenn region was quite far from Kalos, which was why he considered recruiting Yuga to assist Team Flare.

"Changing the world? I see, so Mega Evolution is that powerful?" Yuga widened his eyes appropriately, feigning amazement.

"Yes, indeed," Lysandre replied, a bit uncertain due to the failed attempt to impress Yuga with Mega Gyarados earlier. "You witnessed the power of Mega Evolution when Mega Gyarados evolved. It's... very... powerful."

At this point, Lysandre was slightly less confident than he initially intended. He had hoped to use Mega Gyarados to overwhelm Yuga and demonstrate the strength of Mega Evolution, but things hadn't gone as planned. However, he still tried to maintain control of the situation.

"It's truly remarkable," Yuga commented, resting his chin on his hand and looking thoughtful, praising the concept of Mega Evolution.

Later, in order to solidify the image of Mega Evolution in Yuga's mind, Lysandre brought some of his subordinates to showcase the Mega Evolution forms of other Pokémon.

Lysandre didn't have many Mega Evolution Stones in his possession; otherwise, he wouldn't have needed to invite Yuga to assist Team Flare.

In Lysandre's presence, Yuga witnessed the Mega Evolution forms of other Pokémon, including Mega Alakazam, Mega Sharpedo, and Mega Heracross.

Lysandre also showed Yuga a device that detected energy fluctuations during Mega Evolution. When a Pokémon Mega Evolved, it caused a unique energy wave that this device could detect.

Finally, Lysandre presented Yuga with a Mega Evolution wristband embedded with a Mega Charizard Y Stone and said, "This is a wristband capable of collecting information on Pokémon Mega Evolution. It's embedded with a Charizard Mega Evolution Stone. Once you join Team Flare, this Mega Evolution Stone will be yours."

Seeing this Mega Evolution wristband, Yuga suddenly felt a bit uneasy. It looked so familiar—wasn't it similar to the one Alain had? Did he just steal Alain's gig? What Lysandre wanted him to do seemed exactly like what Alain had been doing.

Looking at the Mega Charizard Y Stone on the wristband, Yuga realized that this was a Charizard Y Mega Evolution Stone, whereas Alain had Charizard X one.

It wasn't a secret that Yuga had a Charizard on his team, so Lysandre's interest in obtaining this Stone wasn't surprising. It explained why he used a Charizard Y Mega Evolution Stone to try and sway Yuga.

However, despite deciding to play along with Lysandre, Yuga didn't immediately accept the offered Mega Evolution wristband.

"Could I have some time to think it over?" Yuga inquired. Although he was interested in the Mega Charizard Y Stone, he wasn't one to make hasty decisions.

Joining an organization was a significant commitment, and anyone would want to carefully consider such a decision. If he were to agree too readily, it might make him appear gullible. Sometimes, seeming hesitant added credibility.

"Of course, take all the time you need," Lysandre replied. He was pleased to see that Yuga was already intrigued, but he understood the importance of careful consideration.

If Yuga had immediately accepted his invitation, Lysandre would have had to reconsider whether he really wanted to recruit him.