"Mira's understanding of battle doesn't match her actual level."
This was something Cynthia said to Luther. If she hadn't explained it carefully, Luther would have been confused again.
"Her way of thinking and her ability to predict how a match will unfold are top-tier, but her actual battle execution can't quite keep up. It's as if her hands can't keep up with her head"
"Still, considering she's a young lady from a wealthy background, she probably treats battling as a hobby. She studied it seriously once, then chose to slack off. I've seen plenty of people like that."
"If she had kept improving, she might have become another rising star. It's a bit of a pity."
Everyone has their own path... you can't force it.
Luther had already set his itinerary. He planned to visit the house that his parents left him in Sun Heart City the next day, and then head east. There were several Gyms along the way where he could conveniently obtain his eighth Badge.
However, Luther was destined not to sleep peacefully that night.
At four in the morning, Mai shook him awake.
Still in her pajamas, she gestured for him to hurry to the living room. Bleary-eyed, he walked out and found Aaron and Cynthia already seated on the sofa.
For no clear reason, Luther suddenly felt nervous. Unless it was something serious, Aaron would never disturb Cynthia at this hour, especially since Garchomp was on guard and Cynthia was infamous for her morning temper.
"I'll keep it brief. Around midnight, a member of the Hodgepodge Organization was found stuffed in a sack and dumped at the entrance of a restaurant outside Sun Heart City."
Luther's eyes widened. "How did you confirm he was a member of the Hodgepodge Organization?"
Aaron's face twitched. "He had a sign hanging around his neck that literally said 'Hodgepodge Organization.'"
"At first, he refused to say anything, so we tried a few methods. We had Solibei hypnotize him. We couldn't obtain detailed information, but we did uncover something..."
"Luther, the Mira who partnered with you in the double battle this afternoon, is a member of the Hodgepodge Organization. And… she reports directly to Evergreen."
Luther sprang to his feet.
"Calm down. I suggest you listen first," Aaron said. "This man was also knocked unconscious by Mira and brought to us. The Pokémon League has already traced Mira's background and identity, but we still don't know what she's trying to do."
"If she wanted to turn to the light, why didn't she show up in person?" Cynthia interrupted, murmuring to herself.
The file in front of Cynthia was passed to Luther.
Because the Pokémon League was placing great importance on the Hodgepodge Organization, the information provided by the orphanage was extremely detailed. Even Mira's behavior and interpersonal relationships during her time there were recorded.
Mira had no friends at the orphanage. Not a single one.
Exceptional people often encounter two outcomes: universal admiration or isolation.
Mira had been the isolated one. To those children, born into an environment already starved of love, the appearance of someone extraordinary only made their own mediocrity feel more glaring.
The orphanage dean was aware of this. He advised Mira to tone down her sharp edges and try to blend in with the group, but it was already too late.
No matter what she did, no one would accept her. Eventually, she simply kept to herself.
"Not qualified" was the phrase she said most often.
Reading the dean's notes, Luther recalled what Mira had said to others before teaming up with him.
He knew she hadn't been deliberately looking down on anyone. She was merely stating a fact.
At the time, Luther had thought she lived too bluntly. Everyone needed a little pride-saving, but she didn't seem to understand how to show others that courtesy.
Was this the root of it?
Having grown up in constant isolation, she had made that phrase her talisman, affirming that she was stronger than those around her while convincing herself that it was only natural for her to have no group accept her.
Luther closed the notebook.
Mira spent her three-year disappearance working for Evergreen within the Hodgepodge Organization. That was also the key reason why she had asked Luther to go easy on her.
"I can't go easy on you. Anyone who knows the secrets of the Hodgepodge Organization has to die. I don't want to leave a seed of madness behind in this world."
Luther murmured to himself as he placed the notebook back on the table.
After finishing the breakfast Mai had prepared, Aaron set off to regroup.
Sun Heart City had now gathered three of Sinnoh's four Elite Four members. Lucian was still out tracking the Hodgepodge Organization, but Bertha, Aaron, and Flint had all arrived.
The organization had been operating right under the Pokémon League's nose for twenty years and had even developed devices capable of controlling and enhancing Pokémon. This wasn't just slapping the Pokémon League in the face—it was dancing on its grave.
Before, there had been no clear direction in which to investigate. Fighting an invisible enemy had only led to wasted effort. But this time was different.
They had managed to extract scattered information about several hidden bases from the two captured members of the Hodgepodge Organization.
The three members of the Elite Four each led a team that advanced in three different directions along Sun Heart City's main routes and conducted searches in neighboring towns.
Bertha was assigned to Stone Shade Town, a place that Luther had previously visited.
It was a private residence. According to the residents nearby, the people inside had lived there for over ten years.
A Pokémon League official looked at Bertha with a troubled expression.
"Senior Bertha, we don't have a search warrant. If this were confirmed to be an underground Hodgepodge Organization base, that would be one thing, but right now, we can't confirm the identities of the people inside. We can't..."
"I know," Bertha replied calmly. "According to Pokémon League regulations, we can't force our way into a private residence."
She waved a hand toward the Rhyperior beside her. The Rhyperior pushed past the League members surrounding the house and stood in front of the front door.
"I'm not here to break in," Bertha said. "Can I demolish it instead?"
The Pokémon League official froze. Before he could respond, Rhyperior swung its arms and ripped the front door straight off.
Two streams of Water Gun shot out from inside the house and struck Rhyperior. Rhyperior ignored them completely because Bertha had already spoken.
"I said demolish it. Why are you being so gentle?"
Bertha was clearly dissatisfied with Rhyperior's approach. It made it look as if she had been mistreating him and not feeding him enough.
The three Hodgepodge Organization members hiding inside could only watch in horror as Rhyperior tore open the wall beside the door as if it were soft tofu. Its massive body forced its way through the steel-reinforced concrete, crushing broken bricks underfoot as it entered the house.
"Wasn't Bertha supposed to be the most easygoing of the Elite Four?! Didn't you say that they wouldn't just barge in without authorization and that we'd have time to escape?"
The Pokémon League official's reaction wasn't much different from the two Hodgepodge members inside, he was trembling, too.
"Why are you shaking?" Bertha snapped. "It's just a lousy house. So what if I tear it down? If we arrest the wrong people, I'll pay whatever it costs, apologize in person, and accept any punishment the Pokémon League gives me."
After the arrests were complete, Rhyperior glanced at Bertha. Bertha, in turn, looked at the house, which had already collapsed halfway.
"Finish tearing it down," She said. "Don't bother whoever buys the land later. Don't let people say the Pokémon League handles things sloppily."
Rhyperior silently turned around and continued working on the parts that hadn't been completely flattened.
At the same time, similar scenes were playing out in the areas under Flint's and Aaron's responsibility.
The Pokémon League had been silent for far too long. Over the years, it had given people the illusion that, despite being the region's authority, the League itself wasn't particularly powerful.
But when the Pokémon League truly went into motion, everyone glimpsed its real power for the first time.
At its core, the Pokémon League is a violent institution.
(End of Chapter)
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