"To be honest, we still don't have the full picture," Cynthia admitted with a touch of regret.
"There's no solid intel on the Kalos power-amplification device incident?"
"When we got to the lab site, it was already deserted, completely cleaned out. It was obvious someone had tipped them off. All we found were a few Pokémon that had been experimented on and a lab rigged to partially self-destruct."
"The underground facility in Hearthome City had been a promising lead. But Cyrus, who discovered it, didn't wait for backup, he rushed in solo. The operation failed. That's why Oleander insists on investigating him. It's a mistake that's left a mark."
Luther hadn't expected this extra layer of complexity. Scratching his head, he asked, "Wait… isn't Cyrus a veteran of the International Police?"
"Experience doesn't mean immunity," Cynthia said coolly. "Oleander herself was once betrayed, stabbed in the back by her own boyfriend, a fellow International Police agent. He left her bleeding in the rain and walked away like it meant nothing."
That was a bombshell. Luther hadn't expected such a dramatic revelation.
Now he understood why Oleander gave him that unsettling vibe, she carried an intensity, almost an obsession, with uncovering the truth.
To be betrayed by someone she trusted most… and nearly killed by it. That kind of trauma doesn't just vanish. The fact that she stayed with the International Police afterward, either she had unshakable mental fortitude… or she was dancing on the edge of madness.
Then again, anyone capable of climbing to her rank in an organization like the International Police probably had it in them to betray it too. Back then, the organization had more leaks than a busted Poké Ball, but somehow, it still held together. The regional Pokémon League must've had a high tolerance.
"Didn't they arrest her boyfriend?"
"They did, along with a poaching ring he was connected to. That group also had ties to the same organization behind the amplification device incident. According to the poachers, once they captured high-powered or rare Pokémon, they delivered them to a designated contact."
"And the one who came to collect the Pokémon… was Oleander's boyfriend."
Luther let out a slow breath. It was a lot to absorb.
"Didn't they get anything out of him during interrogation?"
"Interrogation? The day after he was locked up, a supposed agent from the International Police walked in with a Safety Department-approved release form. Took him right out, broke him out in broad daylight."
So, it wasn't just a sieve, it was a full-blown house with holes in the walls and no roof.
Luther couldn't help feeling a little sorry for Oleander. Trying to fix that kind of system must have taken everything she had.
Even though she'd succeeded in rebuilding the International Police from the ground up, her obsession had clearly consumed her. Her paranoia was something that probably wouldn't go away.
"This group we're tracking… if there's one thing we know for sure, it's that they're masters of intelligence gathering and infiltration. Their disguise capabilities are top-tier. Despite constant purging and internal investigations, not a single operative has been exposed. That kind of evasion? It means they have real power, and most likely, insiders in the International Police."
Luther nodded in agreement. In the Pokémon world, the most powerful enforcement force wasn't the police or any national government; it was the regional Pokémon League.
Sure, it didn't govern the day-to-day affairs of a region the way authorities did back in his world, but when it came to threats like villainous teams? The League could wipe them out without breaking a sweat.
Cyrus, the former boss of Team Galactic, had masked himself as a philanthropist in Sinnoh, donating heavily and keeping up appearances.
Team Flare's leader, F. Raticate, had wormed his way into Kalos's elite society, building connections most trainers couldn't imagine.
Both had only dared to push the League's limits, and both had ended up crushed, erased without ceremony.
If you were part of an evil organization, your best hope was a "one-for-one" trade, take one down with you and call it a win. That was the only "profit" you could hope for in the end.
Either way, until these new players fully revealed themselves as villains, Luther had no intention of using his Prophet ability. No one would believe him anyway.
Still, Luther needed to find the right moment to bring up F. Raticate with Diantha. The two shared a close connection, and giving her a heads-up could only help.
As for the organization conducting those inhumane experiments on Pokémon, they clearly knew exactly what they were doing. They operated like guerrilla fighters, deliberately avoiding direct clashes with the Pokémon League while secretly building their strength behind the scenes.
As long as they remained hidden, no amount of power the League held would matter… The whole thing felt eerily similar to a certain red-horned troublemaker known for charging ahead at triple speed.
Infiltrating the International Police and draining their energy seemed to be just one piece of their larger plan.
But what exactly they were after remained a mystery. Most villainous groups Luther knew had demands so ridiculous they almost felt like jokes, so abstract or exaggerated that they didn't even fit the world they were trying to change.
Team Plasma, however, had a much more chilling agenda. From what Luther had gathered over time, their goals struck directly at the heart of this world's societal structure…
The more polished the demands of a villainous group, the more terrifying the power behind them often was, and Team Plasma had proven that point with terrifying clarity.
Now, this new organization… they weren't just trying to chip away at the regional Pokémon League or stall the International Police. They were clearly harboring dark intentions.
After wrapping up the conversation about Oleander, the group shifted to lighter chatter, some gossip about the inner workings of the regional League, before the three of them strolled back into the courtyard.
Seeing Jumpluff bounding toward him, Luther gave Mismagius a small wave.
"Mismagius will need to step away from the team for a little while," He said gently.
He already knew that Cynthia and Diantha would only remain in Hearthome City until tomorrow afternoon, and Diantha had a few more stops planned before they left.
Jumpluff's face filled with shock. She fluttered around Luther, chattering non-stop, then shouted toward Ralts and Marill, who was sprawled in the pool, still recovering from earlier exertion.
Marill, now feeling much better after digesting her meal, perked up. She leapt out of the pool and tugged Ralts along to where Mismagius was waiting.
Jumpluff and Mismagius had once been at odds due to a misunderstanding, but after making peace, the two had grown incredibly close.
Jumpluff knew how important Mismagius was to Luther and pleaded with him over and over to let her stay.
But once Luther gently explained the situation, the trio of Pokémon fell quiet.
Breaking the silence, Mismagius leaned close to Jumpluff and whispered something softly.
Jumpluff looked devastated, gently brushing against Mismagius with her cotton-like puffs, but Mismagius shook her head firmly and turned toward Marill.
Her tone with Marill was much more direct. She used a light pulse of Psychic energy to poke at Marill's belly, making her squirm uncomfortably until she finally cried out, promising not to overeat again.
Ralts's farewell was calmer, Mismagius simply gave her a soft lick across her little face, and Ralts closed her eyes, smiling at the affection.
Chansey, the newest addition to the team, waddled over and wrapped Mismagius in a gentle hug. She had heard Mismagius's parting request: to make sure Luther woke up for his morning runs.
It had always been Mismagius's job. Now, the baton had been passed.
(End of Chapter)
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