Fifth Elite of the Pokemon World

When Luther and Oleander returned to the villa, the lights were still brightly lit.

The three Champions waiting in the living room for news looked visibly anxious.

The strong scent of blood made Diantha realize something was wrong. She stood up and walked toward the door, only to bump into Luther, who was covered in blood. Even with her well-trained composure, she couldn't hide her look of shock.

After checking Luther's injuries, she found that even a light touch on the dried blood scabs made him grimace in pain.

Earlier, while in a state of high alert with adrenaline pumping through his body, Luther hadn't felt much. But now that he was relaxing, the pain in his right arm became unbearable.

Diantha rushed Luther to the kitchen, grabbed the first-aid kit, and started tending to his wounds.

Meanwhile, Lance and Cynthia had surrounded Oleander and were questioning him for a long time. Oleander simply showed them his blood-covered hands and said, "Let's hope Luther's judgment was right, otherwise, all this was for nothing."

Unable to tolerate the sticky blood on his body, Oleander headed straight for the bathroom. Diantha carefully treated Luther's right arm and wrapped it in bandages.

"Go to the hospital tomorrow morning for another check-up," She said after inspecting her handiwork, letting out a sigh.

"Mai's asleep, right?"

Diantha nodded. "She went to bed early. She didn't join the barbecue and knows nothing about tonight."

Luther let out a sigh of relief. "Then I'll go take a bath."

"You can't get your wounds wet."

"It's fine, I'll let my Pokémon scrub me."

Luther took off his blood-stained clothes, grabbed some clean ones, and sank into a bathtub filled with hot water. The warmth surrounded his limbs, slowly loosening his tense nerves and washing away the violent aura that had clung to him.

Espurr soaked a towel with water and gently scrubbed Luther's back.

Normally, when Luther saw Espurr, he always wanted to grab her and cuddle her hard. But now, he didn't have the strength. Just as he tried to use his left hand, a sharp pain came from his right arm, reminding him of his condition.

Disappointed, Luther sighed and let Espurr carefully wash his entire body.

After the bath, Luther returned to his room and quietly closed the door. Curling up in the corner of his bed, he buried his head in his knees.

The plan had only partially succeeded. A gift prepared still needs someone to accept it.

Luther forced himself not to think about the possibility that the disorganized group might not take the travel bag.

He wasn't a god, he couldn't be flawless. But he had done his best. He had risked his life to create an opportunity. Now, all he could hope for was that good fortune would come to his side.

When he came to his senses, he realized he was surrounded by Pokémon.

Jumpluff lay by his feet, Marill by his hand, Mismagius against his head, Espurr by his thigh, Ralts on his shoulder, and Chansey nestled beside him.

Espurr had sensed Luther's downcast mood and called everyone out while he was spacing out.

Feeling the warmth all around him, Luther dozed off in a daze. He didn't know how much time had passed when Oleander's voice came from outside the door, waking him up.

"The travel bag is gone." Luther slowly woke from his grogginess, then smiled and collapsed back onto the bed, hugging his Pokémon.

"I hope you like the lemonade I made for you." He murmured softly and drifted off to sleep.

Meanwhile, in a tavern on the outskirts of Lumiose City, Evergreen remained awake all night.

When he returned to the hideout, he furiously smashed everything on the table. Others brought him drinks, hoping alcohol would calm him down. But even after drinking, Evergreen couldn't keep his cool, he smashed the bottle in his hand without hesitation.

He hated this feeling of defeat. He had actually fled like a stray dog!

He had lost control of the conversation, this time… this time he had been scared off with just a few words!

'When exactly had the rhythm of the dialogue fallen under Luther's control? Was it when Luther brought up that bizarre train dilemma and listed off a bunch of strange, outlandish options? Or was it when he spoke of those unheard-of punishments and torture devices?'

Evergreen shuddered… He was widely read, but he had never seen anything like what Luther described in any book. Where on earth had Luther learned about such things?

'Did he made it up?'

Impossible. Something that vivid, so detailed it felt like he had seen it with his own eyes, would be full of holes if fabricated. And yet, Luther spoke so smoothly, and now that he thought about it, there weren't any obvious inconsistencies.

Then… was it all real?

After returning, Evergreen had people start researching those stories and instruments of torture. The results showed that some had vague historical parallels, but were used in entirely different ways.

Damn it, Evergreen's head hurt. His chest felt tight. That unknown knowledge filled him with an inexplicable fear toward Luther.

His years of experience told him something was off. He felt Luther was bluffing, but every time that thought surfaced, those chilling stories came back to him. Luther had barely mentioned them, yet Evergreen could still hear the echoes of shrill screams and cries reverberating in his mind.

The cold, meat-gazing stare Luther had given him kept flashing through his memory.

Agitated, Evergreen gritted his teeth and contacted the leader, asking for permission to ambush Luther.

It was a huge risk. They might lose an elite member. But Luther's existence had become like a demon haunting his mind. No one had ever made Evergreen waver like this… He needed certainty.

Luther's performance had worked. The leaders believed that if Luther really was playing a role, using Diantha and Cynthia as prey in some twisted game, then the ragtag group could reap the victory of destroying Pokémon League Champions with minimal effort.

And if he wasn't faking it, then eliminating Luther would at least bring peace of mind to a rare strategic talent like Evergreen.

Never before had the ragtag group taken such a bold gamble. But this time, they decided to test Luther.

Shizukumo returned to Lumiose City carrying out the mission.

Evergreen didn't dare sleep. He waited for communication from Shizukumo. Even though he knew Shizukumo would need to find the right moment, and that might take a long time, he still waited.

The organization had given them only one night. Whether there was an opportunity or not, they had to leave Lumiose City by morning. They suspected the secrecy around Shiran's death might have been compromised.

In the middle of the night, while dozing off, Evergreen suddenly woke with a violent shiver.

Shivering all over, he went down to the bar's basement. The person in charge of contacting Shizukumo told him that they had lost contact with her for almost three hours.

A growing sense of unease surged through Evergreen. He used the tracking device to check Luther's location, only to find that Luther wasn't in Diantha's villa district at all, but somewhere entirely unexpected.

Tormented by worry, Evergreen immediately sent someone with the tracking device to investigate.

As the sky began to lighten, a cargo truck pulled up in front of the bar. A ragtag member carrying the travel bag slipped through the half-opened rolling shutter.

"This is the travel bag? Where's Shizukumo?"

The person sent to investigate shook his head. "When I got there, I saw this thing hanging from the travel bag. There were words on it saying it had to be opened by you personally, so I brought it back."

Evergreen took the pendant meant for Luther and could no longer suppress his fury. He roared at the man, "Do you have a brain? He gave you a bag and you just brought it back? What if there was a tracking device inside? What if it wasn't a tracker but a bomb? Would you still bring it? If you didn't know what to do, why didn't you contact us?"

Just as he was about to curse more, Evergreen's nose twitched. He noticed others sniffing too.

"This smell…"

"Blood?" someone looked around, then at the travel bag that had been brought back.

Evergreen backed behind the bar and gave the order: "Open the bag."

The burly bald man who carried the bag bent down and carefully unzipped it.

As soon as a small gap was opened, a thick, overwhelming stench of blood poured out. There was no need to sniff anymore, now the entire bar was filled with the scent.

The bald man looked inside the bag, hands trembling uncontrollably. With a scream, he fell to the ground and scrambled backward until he hit the wall, unable to retreat any further. He pointed at the travel bag and howled.

He was so terrified he couldn't say a single word.

A braver red-haired member of the ragtag group stepped forward and yanked the zipper open. A few people leaned in to look.

In an instant, their faces turned ghostly pale. Stomachs churning, an intense wave of nausea overcame them, and they all bent over and began vomiting.

Seeing their reactions, Evergreen seemed to understand something. He forced himself to stay calm and walked toward the travel bag. But after thinking for a moment, he halted and ordered the red-haired guy to check for anything unusual inside.

The red-haired guy, his stomach already completely emptied, held back the urge to vomit again. He avoided looking inside the bag and reached in to feel around.

The sticky texture was blood. Some softer parts… the red-haired man suddenly touched something cylindrical, like a bottle filled with liquid.

He carefully pulled out the bottle. It was covered in blood, with a card inside a transparent plastic sleeve hanging from it.

It was… a bottle of lemonade. Evergreen was stunned.

He recalled how Luther had snatched his lemonade during their conversation and drank it without asking. He remembered how Luther smiled as he told Mai to go buy lemonade.

He liked lemonade too? Just like him?

Evergreen's teeth chattered. "What does the card say? Read it!"

"Evergreen San, you seem to be quite forgetful. I recall telling you at Moonring Mall that I hate being disturbed while playing games. Roleplaying is a very fun game."

Evergreen stepped out from behind the bar, slowly approaching the travel bag.

"The joy of roleplay is that it lets you experience any kind of identity in this world, and through that identity, enjoy all sorts of surprises. I told you, didn't I? Diantha, Cynthia, even Mai, they're all my prey. I'm very possessive about what's about to be mine."

Evergreen stood beside the red-haired guy, who was trembling as he read the letter. Every word felt unnervingly cold and inhuman.

"Your broken promise nearly disrupted my rhythm. That's a very bad sign. I remember sharing many fascinating stories with you, stories that I think you found quite engaging. During our conversation, your trembling gave you away. That's great. It means we're kindred spirits."

The dim lighting in the bar made it hard for Evergreen to see clearly. He lowered his head amid the smell of blood.

"I wonder if Evergreen San still remembers the story of Empress Lü Zhi?"

His vision suddenly cleared. Evergreen dropped to the floor, clutching his mouth, struggling not to retch.

"Kindred spirits are hard to come by. So tonight, I present you with a Consort Qi."

The red-haired guy trembled violently, forcing himself to read the last line.

"If Evergreen San has further needs, feel free to send more people. I guarantee your satisfaction."

"Your kindred spirit, Luther."

(End of Chapter)

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