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In the restaurant next to Rainbow University,
Diantha and Cynthia were struggling to hold back their laughter, while Lance sat across from them, his expression dark, clearly wanting to snatch the photo from Diantha's hands and tear it up.
"You two are still laughing!" Lance grumbled.
Diantha covered her face, but a chuckle still escaped. "I just remembered something happy."
Lance turned to Cynthia, who quickly looked away. "I also remembered something happy."
"Then tell me, what happy thing are you both thinking of?"
"I'm a multi-Type Champion," Diantha said, smiling.
"So am I," Cynthia added.
"Enough! I've had enough! They're about to revoke the Dragon-Type status of all my Dragon-Type Pokémon. The most outrageous part is this: tell me, what makes that a Dragon Type? Just because it has a long neck?" Lance snapped, gesturing to the photo of Alola Exeggutor in Diantha's hands.
Diantha glanced at the picture of the Alola Exeggutor and couldn't hold back her laughter.
"Times are changing; research is keeping up with the times. You'll need to get used to it," She teased.
Cynthia chuckled, trying to comfort Lance.
Lance now had a running joke about his Pokémon, one he had shared with several renowned Pokémon researchers.
He once grabbed the collar of a professor and asked why Aerodactyl, Gyarados, and Charizard, after so many years of study, still couldn't be classified as Dragon Types, while the Alola professor insisted that Exeggutor was a Dragon Type just because of its long neck.
As a result, Lance had earned the nickname "Lance Bird," which had become even more popular after this incident.
"Then do you want Alola's Exeggutor? I heard it's quite strong," Cynthia teased.
"I'd rather die than admit that thing is a Dragon Type! I absolutely will not catch it!" Lance's voice was resolute.
Diantha and Cynthia had been in Celadon City for over a week, and today was the first time they had met with Lance.
Lance, always busy fulfilling his duties as a search officer, rarely had time to meet with others, especially those from the Indigo Pokémon League. But after finishing his routine tasks, he had finally managed to meet with them and hand over a file.
"I remember that there hasn't been any new incident involving the amplification device in Kanto, right?" Diantha asked, flipping through the file.
"It just hasn't been discovered yet. As for whether it's happened or not, well... that's a bit harder to say," Lance replied, taking a sip of ice water. "You can directly ask for this file. They'll give it to you. No need to go through me."
"We don't want to owe any favors to the Pokémon League," Cynthia answered for Diantha.
"Aren't I part of the Indigo Pokémon League as well?" Lance raised an eyebrow.
"You are you, and the Pokémon League is the League," Cynthia replied. "I can owe you a favor, but owing the Pokémon League itself is a whole different matter."
"How is the investigation into the amplification device going?" Lance asked, his tone turning serious.
Cynthia's expression darkened. "We've got a lead. I have to say, Oleander's probably the reincarnation of a Growlithe, her sense of smell and intuition are insane. Following her suspicions, we've dug a bit, and there are definitely some concerning points."
"Now it's not just concerns," Diantha added, slamming a page from the file onto the table.
Cynthia tilted her head and read the document carefully, her expression turning grim.
Seeing the serious expressions on both Diantha and Cynthia's faces, the waiter bringing their desserts couldn't help but tremble a little at the charged atmosphere.
Diantha, unaware of how much she'd eaten, continued spooning her parfait, completely oblivious to the fact that she'd exceeded her calorie limit. Cynthia, on the other hand, absentmindedly bit her straw, waiting for Diantha to speak.
"Luther asked me how to build confidence that night at the Cake Shop," Diantha finally said, setting her spoon down. She gazed out the window. "After I answered, I could clearly feel that he…"
Diantha paused, thinking carefully before choosing her words.
"Relieved... or maybe liberated? If you'd seen his eyes at that moment, you would've seen him come alive."
The table went silent. Diantha rested her chin on her hand and continued, her voice softer now.
"It's hard to explain, right? I don't know why I felt that way. But after that conversation, there wasn't a shadow in his eyes anymore. Everything he saw seemed like a gift, things that truly moved him."
What Diantha didn't say was that when she watched Luther interact with his Pokémon, though he clearly cared for them, there was an unsettling sense of detachment.
It was almost as if he feared that the Pokémon in his care would leave him at any moment, giving off the impression that he had never fully integrated into this world.
Diantha had sensed something similar in Oleander. That day when Oleander handed something to Luther, everyone thought it was a joke, but Diantha was deeply concerned.
Oleander had been betrayed, but what about Luther? Why was he so distant?
Thankfully, that uneasy feeling quietly faded after that night.
As Luther gently stroked Chansey, perhaps even he didn't realize that there were tears in his eyes.
When Luther said he could hold it for a day, Diantha felt that this was the truest version of him. She had no doubt that once he reached that level, he would absolutely follow through.
"I've never seen you so serious, so earnest, using so many rhetorical devices to describe a person. Even Cynthia hasn't received this treatment."
Lance was taken aback.
"Maybe I'm just easier to describe; a brute is enough," Cynthia shrugged it off.
"No, you didn't quite catch what I meant. What Diantha said describes a state of mind, whereas you, she called you a brute because you're simple and easy to understand... I don't think Diantha was exactly praising you," Lance explained.
Cynthia clearly didn't appreciate Lance's interpretation and rolled her eyes at him.
"Call Luther and help him buy a train ticket while you're at it," She muttered.
Diantha, who had just picked up the page of information again, quickly glanced at it before placing it back into the file.
"Is this your final answer?" Cynthia asked, her eyes narrowing slightly.
Diantha, chewing on a spoonful of parfait, nodded. "I believe in him. Haven't you been hinting at it all along? If he can face it, it shows I wasn't mistaken."
"Do you need any help with something?" Lance scratched his head, unsure of what to do next.
Originally, he had planned to vent to Diantha and Cynthia, hoping they might help him put some pressure on the research professors to reconsider the classification of his Pokémon as Dragon Types. But now, it seemed he was out of luck.
"If there's nothing else, why don't you come with us to Sinnoh? The leads on the amplification device have already been uncovered. Aren't you curious about who has been hiding in the shadows, secretly competing with the Pokémon Leagues of various regions all these years?"
(End of Chapter)