Chapter Thirty-Six: Epilogue

Chen Ou sat in the chair, pressing his brow as he spoke to the four burly men before him, “So, what you’re saying is, Xin Xiu died without any dignity at all.”

The four men exchanged glances. Though they didn’t quite understand what Chen Ou meant by “dignity,” from the way Xin Xiu had died, they could more or less guess at his implication.

“That Gengar of Xin Xiu’s probably wasn’t even his own Pokémon,” Chen Ou muttered, gazing up at the ceiling. He seemed to be talking more to himself than to his audience.

The four burly men realized Chen Ou wasn’t addressing them and, wisely, kept silent. Eyes downcast, they dared not interrupt his train of thought.

“The whole affair started with a large-scale operation by poaching syndicates across the regions. We mobilized a huge force to organize our response. When Hoopa broke free, it would either be sealed again by the Prison Bottle, or reconciled with Little Hoopa and become whole once more.”

Chen Ou’s tone grew more ethereal, his gaze increasingly distant.

“The suspicious points in all this: Hoopa’s dark side acted in a bizarre way. Its behavior skipped several expected stages and its growth was far too rapid. There’s Xin Xiu’s death, and the disappearance of Gengar.”

“The conclusion: Someone has been manipulating things from behind the scenes, driving the unsealing of Hoopa’s dark side. And among all involved, Xin Xiu, the supposed mastermind of the poaching syndicate, is not the real puppet master. He’s merely a pawn—perhaps even an expendable one.”

“The whole incident was set off by Lei’s capture, and we got more clues when Dian surfaced…”

“Question: Dian claims to be Lei’s brother, but Lei never mentioned him. Moreover, they don’t look much alike. After completing his mission, Lei stayed on in Kanto, even taking on several extremely dangerous jobs, but he’s not short of money… Four hunters from Kalos have already come to assist, so why didn’t they just bring the Prison Bottle themselves?”

“My guess: There’s some connection between Lei and Dian, but it may not be the brotherhood Dian claims. Lei stayed in Kanto for another reason, maybe even to deliberately expose himself to us. Lei might be extremely powerful; only if he carries the Prison Bottle would the Kalos hunter leader feel at ease. That suggests Lei could overwhelm the four of them at once. He couldn’t possibly lose to me, especially when I only have a Charmander.”

Chen Ou’s airy voice drifted through the somewhat empty office. At some point, Cynthia, Karoline, Wataru, Red, and Green had all crowded in, quietly listening to Chen Ou, none of them daring to disturb him.

“In conclusion… There’s something off about Lei and Dian. They might very well be the true masterminds.”

“Question: Why would Lei and Dian deliberately expose themselves?”

“My guess: The two of them couldn’t stand Xin Xiu; or perhaps they felt that Xin Xiu, or rather the entire poaching organization, was blocking their own plans.”

“Eliminating the first guess: If they couldn’t stand Xin Xiu, why be so roundabout? Telling us directly about his existence would be much more straightforward.”

“Extending the second guess: Xin Xiu and the whole hunter organization existed as a cover, but Xin Xiu’s high-profile expansion drew too much attention, making the organization less effective as a front, even risking exposure. So, both the organization and Xin Xiu needed to disappear. And conveniently, they had a way to put Hoopa’s dark side into the state mentioned before. That also explains how Hoopa’s dark side was tampered with. The three known to have come into contact with this method: Lei, Dian, and Xin Xiu.”

At this point, Chen Ou suddenly snapped back to himself. In a flash, he sprang to his feet, transformed into a blaze of fire, and shot off at full speed toward the place where Lei and Dian were being held.

“Bang!”

Ah, he didn’t use the door—he crashed right through the wall.

Fortunately, it wasn’t a load-bearing wall…

Watching Chen Ou’s retreating figure, Wataru’s face darkened as he hurried to follow. If Chen Ou’s suspicions proved true… then as the person in charge of this operation, he had been grossly negligent…

Green and Red exchanged glances. Each saw in the other’s eyes a trace of concern, and—hidden deep beneath it—a flicker of excitement.

Had an individual or organization powerful enough to control legendary Pokémon finally emerged?

Karoline watched the distant trail of fire as if seeing a deity.

“How on earth… did he deduce all that?” she asked, still a little dazed.

Cynthia smiled at her and replied, “That’s why I always tell you—not to underestimate Chen Ou.”

Karoline gave a wry laugh. “Are you kidding? The youngest Professor in the League, one of the League’s legendary Pokémon trainers, practically a human Pokémon himself, and so brilliant too…”

At this, Karoline looked at Cynthia with a complicated expression.

“I used to think it was a shame you fell for a rookie trainer. Even if his research achievements are enough to outclass ninety percent of the field, without strength, there’s always a limit to how far you can go or what you’ll have in common. Don’t forget, even Professor Oak—the leading figure in research—started as a trainer before switching fields.”

“I never imagined Chen Ou would, in a single crisis, manage to tame Entei. And that his special abilities could even strengthen Entei. I suppose only my Gardevoir, after Mega Evolution, could go a few rounds with his empowered Entei.”

“Cynthia, now I really think—you have incredible luck.”

Cynthia’s smile was radiant. “I feel the same way.”

————————————

In the dark solitary cell.

This was the holding cell in the Deepgray City Police Department—dim, but not damp; cold, but not filthy.

As far as places for locking up criminals went, the conditions were quite good.

Lei and Dian exchanged a glance. Then Lei smiled, “Looks like our plan worked.”

Dian grinned savagely. “That means we can officially join the organization, right?”

Lei’s mouth twitched slightly. “In theory… yes…”

But for now, they were still locked in this cold, cramped cell.

“All our Pokémon are being kept by the organization… You don’t think they’ll just keep them for themselves, do you?” Lei’s expression was rather odd.

“As if! Do you think anyone would care about our pitiful little handful of Pokémon?” Dian was full of confidence, as if he had absolute faith in the so-called organization he spoke of.

“We certainly wouldn’t covet your barely passable Pokémon.”

From the shadows, a man in a black coat embroidered with gold, sporting gold-rimmed glasses, appeared seemingly out of nowhere.

Lei and Dian immediately tensed, their bodies as taut as drawn strings.

But soon, they relaxed, as if a weight had been lifted from their shoulders.

“Rest assured, since you two have been given our codenames, the organization won’t give up on you so easily.”

The bespectacled man smiled with great warmth.

Pity it was all a façade…

ps. Thanks to Ordinary Little Rabbit from our country, and Book Friend 20200225155208300 for the monthly tickets, and thanks to all the big bosses.

pps. Many thanks to Book Friend 20200225155208300 for the generous 1,500 starting-point coins. Wishing you great fortune and excellent health!

ppps. Another chapter coming this afternoon… probably…