Fifth Elite of the Pokemon World

Diantha really wanted to comfort Oleander, but she found that the words she could say felt powerless.

Unlike comforting Luther, she didn't know much about Luther's past, but through Luther's actions, she could guess his issues.

But Oleander was different; her problems were laid bare.

Diantha knew what the issue was, but she couldn't think of a suitable phrase to say.

She had never experienced betrayal, nor had she felt such deep pain.

"I really dislike Luther." Oleander was leaning on the windowsill, staring off into the distance with a somewhat dazed expression.

"Betrayed, abandoned, used, a chaotic childhood, a miserable life experience. Someone like that stumbles out of the Pokémon Center, with no one believing in him, and the Director Shiran he once entrusted his feelings to only saw him as a tool."

"And then he met Ralts, met Jumpluff, met Mismagius… and then met Cynthia, Mai, and you. You all favored him, and he became more confident because of you."

The evening breeze blew by, and Diantha sighed as she looked at Oleander's bitter smile.

"Before dinner, Luther told me a story. He said it was a story from a game, but I spent a long time trying to find that game. He always does this, saying strange things with unknown origins."

Oleander chuckled lightly, "Just like his inexplicable life change after falling into the water two months ago?"

Diantha didn't respond, just looked at Oleander and continued, "He said the protagonist in that story is very much like you."

Oleander was taken aback.

"In a distant kingdom, there was a group of knights responsible for suppressing the abyss. Their mission was to prevent the monsters from the abyss from escaping. They were very strong, but the abyss had its own methods; it chose to erode these knights."

Oleander slowly straightened up, staring blankly at Diantha.

"The knights' mission was to stop the spread of the abyss, so the corrupted companions became their enemies. By the end, the leader, who fought until the last person, bore not the mission of stopping the abyss, but the will of all the companions who died in this war."

Oleander was silent for a long time, and suddenly tears welled up in her eyes.

"Luther said that at that moment, in his eyes, you didn't look like a normal person, but like a madman… no different from Shiran."

"You hate Luther; you think he escaped the shadows of his past because we helped him. But you never considered that he himself killed the cowardly version of his past and chose to face a new life. What about you, Oleander?"

Oleander didn't answer.

"Don't dwell on the past. The knight in Luther's story had no way out, but you are different. Believe in your companions in the International Police, okay?"

Seeing that Oleander still had no intention of speaking, Diantha sighed helplessly and turned to leave.

As she pushed the door open, Oleander's somewhat timid voice rang out.

"Does the promise you made still… still count?"

"I will save a spot for you, as long as you are willing to come."

Diantha closed the door, and the sound of the door latching made Oleander shiver.

Countless scenes flashed through Oleander's mind, and the fragmented life of these past years was pieced together bit by bit.

The resolute back of the evergreen pierced Oleander's heart deeply.

"Wait until it's over… once it's over, I should be able to start a new life."

Not knowing if she was encouraging herself or truly believed it, Oleander repeated softly.

Luther and Lance were lounging on chairs, chatting on the grass. If the grass hadn't been wet, they would have chosen to lie directly on it.

They said they were discussing Breed methods, but after a while, their conversation inevitably turned to Diantha and Oleander.

Both of them knew that Diantha wanted to comfort Oleander, which sounded interesting, especially since Oleander was four years older than Diantha; it should be the other way around.

"Is that story you mentioned really from a game? I've never heard of that plot before."

Lance racked his brain but couldn't think of any game that matched Luther's description. If there was, it should have sold well and been quite famous.

Dragonite and Lance were in sync, both frowning, resting their chins on their hands, deep in thought about Calm Mind.

Luther was spraying a pleasant mist on Ralts with a spray bottle.

This was Pokémon perfume given to Luther by Professor Rowan, made from Gloom's saliva and berries, without any additives directly mixed in it.

Ralts covered her face, and the spray mist took care of her all over. Luther lifted her up, pressed her to his nose, and took a deep sniff; the fragrance was very faint and refreshing.

Ralts also placed her small hands on her face, enjoying the scent.

Marill's behavior was quite strange; she watched Ralts drooling.

Luther felt a headache coming on; he knew what Marill was up to and directly handed her a bottle of perfume, spraying some on her as well.

Sure enough, Marill immediately shoved her scented hands into her mouth, sucking on them eagerly.

Gloom's saliva was nectar, and the berry mixture was naturally edible, so the additive-free perfume was technically safe to eat… but why did it still feel off?

Marill reached for the bottle, and under Luther's helpless gaze, she took it, expertly opened the cap, and began to pour it down her throat.

Seeing Dragonite also drooling, Luther realized something was wrong.

"Lance, does your Dragonite also like to drink perfume?"

"Huh? Perfume?" Lance glanced at Marill, who was drinking heartily, then at his own Dragonite, which was also drooling.

Once Marill let out a satisfied "ah" after pulling her mouth away from the bottle, Lance took the bottle.

"It does smell a bit like a refreshing sports drink designed for Pokémon; no wonder Dragonite likes it."

Lance dipped his finger into the "perfume" to taste it and came to a conclusion.

"If you like it, just take it."

Two bottles flew over, and Luther and Lance reached out to catch them.

"Are you done talking?" Lance opened the perfume bottle and offered it to Dragonite.

Diantha looked at Luther, and Lance, understanding the situation, patted Dragonite and chose to leave.

Luther twisted open the perfume bottle and offered it to the eagerly waiting Ralts and Jumpluff.

"Why are you lying to Oleander?"

Luther scratched his head, unsure how to answer that question.

"After all, I have some responsibility… If it weren't for Dragon Rage, Shiran wouldn't have died."

"Do you pity her?"

Luther knew he couldn't avoid the question and hesitated before nodding.

"You weren't there, so you might not know. At that time, I thought she was the one who was going to die. Crying and laughing in the rain, shouting out strange names… I thought she had gone mad, but she was gripping the dirt with her hands, her whole body tense, crying loudly."

Diantha suddenly recalled the scene from years ago when she first met Oleander.

The vibrant, lively Oleander discussing Pokémon breeding with her, who was about to become Champion.

How long had it been? It seemed Oleander hadn't worn those beautiful clothes in years.

"So you remembered that story?"

"I just don't want to see Oleander become that kind of person with no way out. Even though I dislike what she did to me in the past, it's hard for me to truly hate her. I can only say… I don't want to interact with her."

Diantha gently patted Luther's shoulder: "Understanding her intentions is enough. Let's talk about something else; I'm very interested in your stories. Do you have any other interesting ones?"

Diantha naturally sat down on Lance's lounge chair.

Stories weren't a problem; just the historical tales she knew could fill a month without repeating, and since Diantha wanted to listen, it was naturally fun for her to play the storyteller.

The storytelling went on late into the night, with Cynthia becoming an audience member, Professor Rowan and the Research Lab team lighting up the atmosphere, and Lance returning from his walk.

Luther had many stories, bizarre and captivating, and he spoke non-stop for an entire evening without repeating himself, which surprised everyone.

Cynthia, who was both listening and checking information, found it hard to comprehend because she couldn't find the source of these stories.

If you said Luther was making them up, then his mind was too sharp.

As everyone drifted off to sleep, they were still pondering how Luther came up with those stories.

Early the next morning, before heading to Lumiose City, everyone returned to Hearthome City.

Luther thought it best to pick up Mai and greet Gardenia in person.

Mai, worried about her pay being docked for taking leave, was informed by Luther that Diantha would treat everyone to a shopping spree in Lumiose City.

Mai's eyes sparkled, but she kept saying it wasn't a good idea…

"Taking another day off? The number of Pokémon Trainers looking for you has increased these past few days. I'll count you as absent and fine you."

Ignoring the latter part, Luther was more interested in the Pokémon Trainer situation and asked about it.

"Ever since you crushed those challengers who came to challenge you, Basil, who appeared alongside you, has been winning battle after battle. Basil says this is all thanks to your guidance."

Gardenia felt a pang of jealousy; Basil had been learning from her for so long and had always been a quiet one. Now that he had found his voice, he was thinking of Luther.

Usually, the trainee Pokémon Trainers would gather around her, but now they often asked where Luther was.

For some reason, this situation, which she had always wanted to see, made Gardenia feel quite sour!

Now Luther understood; Basil, who had always been marginalized, suddenly burst forth and retaliated against those who had previously bullied her.

These self-absorbed Pokémon Trainers wouldn't come to Luther for lessons, but the observing trainee Pokémon Trainers were naturally interested in Basil's transformation.

"This will make the Gym more popular; you should thank me."

"Alright, alright, thank you, Teacher Luther. Have you eaten? Why not come in for some breakfast..." Gardenia suddenly poked Luther's forehead, "Go to the Lumiose City already!"

Luther was very dissatisfied with the drafts for the trip to the Lumiose City and was revising them. 

(Endd Of Chapter)

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