Fifth Elite of the Pokemon World

Luther knew that just now, he had acted like a pufferfish, constantly inflating himself to appear more dangerous in order to ward off external threats and instill fear in his opponent.

Evergreen had been controlling the rhythm of the conversation all along, preventing Luther from finding a good chance to break through.

In the end, it was the phrase "mob of rabble" that woke Luther up.

Despite existing for so long, that group had never openly challenged the control of the Pokémon League, nor had they taken any drastic actions. They knew better than anyone that they couldn't stand against the Pokémon League head-on.

The ambush at the Luna Ring Mall was undoubtedly a blatant provocation. Regardless of the League's stance before, after this, they would spare no effort in tracking down this mob.

On one hand, Evergreen said that the mob acted cautiously and had fully withdrawn from Lumiose City.

On the other hand, he was using the ambush at Luna Ring Mall as leverage to negotiate with Luther.

These two behaviors were completely contradictory with the mob's known style. Based on past patterns, Luther judged that Evergreen could not possibly ambush the Luna Ring Mall.

It was a gamble, and Luther was forced onto the table. He chose to go all in.

The stakes might be... the lives of everyone standing on the glass bridge.

But that wasn't enough. Luther didn't have enough chips on the table, he needed to seize control of the conversation.

Once his emotions were ignited, Luther channeled his inner madness into his performance, he was playing a role… a more terrifying monster than Evergreen himself.

If Evergreen was twisted, then Luther had to be even more twisted.

If Evergreen disregarded human life, then Luther had to treat lives like mere weeds, he had to treat people as living toys.

If Evergreen enjoyed the thrill of torture, then Luther would counter by telling him gruesome, unheard-of historical tales, using psychological shock to throw him into chaos.

If Evergreen liked drinking lemon water, then from that moment on, Luther would drink it too, turning it into a subconscious symbol. A signal: Luther and Evergreen are the same kind of people.

It was a hastily improvised performance with no rehearsal. Success was the only option, only by succeeding could he truly frighten Evergreen, force someone so evil to never dare meet Luther's eyes again.

Only by succeeding could he snatch back both Mai's and his own fate.

Your strength determines your height, but your acting determines your fate.

And Luther did it. He saw the fear in Evergreen's eyes, the panic, and finally the evasiveness, he didn't dare look Luther in the eye.

Evergreen had been fooled, and fled in a panic.

Yet Luther couldn't relax. He didn't know if there were still eyes watching him.

He calmly continued shopping with Mai and Cynthia. A strong sense of guilt made him keep coaxing Mai, as if doing so would ease the heaviness in his heart.

When they returned to Diantha's villa, two well-dressed Pokémon League officials happened to be walking out the back door. They paused briefly upon seeing Luther's group, then silently got into their car and left.

The rich aroma of food filled the air the moment they entered. Luther's agitated mind eased a little.

Diantha was in high spirits, clearly, she had achieved a major breakthrough in her negotiations with the Pokémon League.

Dinner was abundant. Luther ate silently, and once everyone was full, he took out a piece of paper, scribbled a few words on it, and handed it to Oleander, along with a pendant that belonged to the mob.

Oleander's eyes widened in shock when she saw the pendant. She stared at Luther, opened her mouth as if to say something, then suddenly stood up and stormed out of the dining room. No one knew where she went.

The others looked at Luther in confusion, but Luther remained silent, resting his chin on his hand, deep in thought.

When Oleander finally returned, her face was so dark it looked like it could drip water.

"Tell me. Where did this come from?"

"Evergreen gave it to me."

It was as if lightning had struck the room. Everyone stared at Luther, stunned.

Oleander began trembling all over. She looked possessed as she rushed toward Luther, grabbed his collar, and yanked him up.

"You saw him? You were with Cynthia this afternoon and still saw him? Why didn't you capture him?! He even gave you this pendant, did you make a deal with him?! Are you insane?!"

Oleander's voice roared repeatedly in Luther's ears. Agitated, he finally pushed her hand away, but she lunged at him again.

A dull thud suddenly echoed.

Oleander collapsed to the floor, clutching her face.

Luther stood frozen, still holding his fist in the air. After a long pause, he looked at Oleander, then at his own hand.

He reached out, wanting to help her up from the ground, but stopped.

Holding his own face now, Luther sat down on the sofa behind him.

After a while, he looked at the slowly rising Oleander and said,

"…I'm sorry."

"What exactly happened?"

Cynthia walked up to Luther, recalling his strange behavior earlier that afternoon.

Luther recounted everything in detail.

The dining room was silent.

"Mai, I'm sorry."

Luther stood up and bowed deeply to Mai.

Even though he had already sensed that Evergreen's supposed ambush was just a bluff, the slim chance that it might be real continued to torment him.

If he had gone all-in with his performance, only for the ambush to actually occur in the end, Luther couldn't imagine how he would face that outcome.

Mai stared at Luther in a daze, then suddenly let out a soft laugh.

The laughter lifted the oppressive air in the room, even causing Luther to raise his head in surprise.

"What's with that face? I'm standing here perfectly fine, aren't I? This isn't like you at all."

Mai gently pulled Luther back to his seat.

"Oleander, does that pendant have any surveillance function?"

Oleander had calmed down by now.

"No, you can relax. No surveillance, and the location tracking isn't precise either."

Luther took a deep breath and looked at Mai beside him, forcing a smile.

"Can I ask you to step out for a bit?"

Mai glanced at him, nodded, and walked out of the room.

Everyone instantly realized the seriousness of what Luther was about to say.

"Tonight, Evergreen might send people to test me. Ambush me. One way or another… he'll make a move."

Diantha frowned slightly.

"There are a lot of Pokémon patrolling around my villa. You don't need to worry about your safety. And the mob usually doesn't take high risks for low-reward actions. What Evergreen did today was already unusually bold."

"That's exactly where you're all wrong.

Because Evergreen was bold today, you think he won't act again so soon.

But I say, he will act tonight."

"And how do you know that?" Oleander countered. "As far as I know, Evergreen isn't that kind of person."

"If your judgment worked," Luther snapped coldly, "you wouldn't have gotten stabbed."

Lance quickly stepped forward, placing himself between Oleander and Luther, fearing she might lash out again.

"Trust me, I've confronted him directly. I understand his mindset better than anyone here. You can even think of me… as Evergreen."

Luther whispered,

"After all, monsters understand monsters best."

Diantha glanced at Cynthia, who sighed.

"I support Luther's theory."

"Then tonight, I'll keep all my Pokémon on high alert."

Luther shook his head.

"No. Tonight, Diantha's Pokémon should stay inside the villa. No matter what happens outside, don't go out."

Oleander narrowed her eyes at Luther, seemingly catching on.

"You're trying to draw him out…?"

Luther hesitated for a moment, then looked her in the eye and said,

"I want to…"

What he said next left Lance, Oleander, Diantha, and Cynthia all utterly shocked.

"No way. I strongly oppose this!" Diantha burst out. "Luther, do you even know what you're saying? There are so many ways we can handle this. We absolutely cannot go down that road!

If you're worried about your future safety, I can protect you. That mob will be dealt with, sooner or later."

"Sooner or later?" Luther shook his head.

"I appreciate your kindness, Diantha. I really do.

But why should I have to hide?

Why should I need your protection?"

"I, did, nothing, wrong!"

Luther shouted each word, one by one.

"From the very first day I became a Pokémon Trainer, all I ever wanted was to travel happily with my Pokémon, meet a few friends along the way, laugh and chat, watch my Pokémon grow and improve little by little, and eventually become an excellent Trainer.

Once I achieved success and fame, I'd find a peaceful place to slack off every day.

That was the life I wanted."

"Why should I have to spend every day scheming against people?

Diantha, I haven't done anything wrong, so why do I have to be treated like a stray dog?

Why do I keep getting manipulated and threatened?

Just because I look easy to bully?"

"You're Champions, so they tread carefully around you.

But me?

They think I'm easy prey.

Hah… that's all it is. Bullies who fear the strong and prey on the weak.

They're the villains, and yet you want to bind me with a good person's rules, so I can't even fight back?"

"Now I've realized something.

There's no such thing as mercy when dealing with them.

If he's ruthless, I have to be even more ruthless.

I've already implanted a strong psychological suggestion into Evergreen.

If you stop me now, once he realizes he's been deceived, he'll only retaliate even more insanely."

Luther tiredly covered his face.

"This afternoon, I gambled with Mai's life…

That wasn't fair.

So tonight, I'll gamble with my own life in exchange."

"I'm betting that after tonight, the mob will see me as a demon.

That they'll run the moment they see me.

That Evergreen will never dare to come near me again."

Diantha found herself unable to argue back. She looked toward Cynthia for help, but Cynthia simply shook her head, and turned to look at Lance.

Lance thought for a moment, then picked up a napkin and wiped his mouth.

"I just learned a new move… it's called Amnesia.

I didn't hear a single word you just said."

With that, Lance stood up and walked out the door.

Luther looked gratefully at his back.

Cynthia sighed. "Go do it. I've forgotten everything too."

Luther turned to Diantha.

She hesitated, then clenched her fist and slammed it on the table.

"I haven't forgotten.

But somehow, the surveillance cameras around my house will conveniently malfunction tonight.

And I'll invite a few neighbors over for a party, 

They probably won't have time to wander outside."

"I'll help you."

Oleander's voice stunned Luther.

"There's no need, "

But Oleander cut him off.

"I trained as a doctor.

I know better than you how to handle this."

They stared at each other for a long moment, 

Then Luther smiled.

"Thanks. I'll leave the tools to you then."

As Oleander drove off to prepare the equipment, Luther leaned on the balcony, gazing at the tree-lined paths surrounding the villa.

After tonight… maybe everything will finally settle down.

First it was Shiran. Then Evergreen.

Who's next?

Is he supposed to pour endless energy into fighting the mob forever?

Still so far from becoming the person he wants to be, yet already shouldering this constant torment, Luther had had enough.

In that instant of explosive emotion that afternoon, he realized:

Only by doing this… would the mob finally stop.

Only then would he be given space to breathe.

Only then could his journey get back on track.

"If I'm going to do it, I'll do it to the extreme."

Luther had made up his mind.

(End of Chapter)

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