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In the dense forest on the border between Oreburgh City and Hearthome City, Oleander sat on a thick branch of a towering tree. She clutched her phone, browsing through something using a faint signal.
Meanwhile, Beedrill remained hidden among the thick leaves, completely motionless and in an attack stance, ready to respond to any sudden situation.
From late morning until sunset, Oleander finally received what she had been waiting for. Not far away, a Pidgeot circled aimlessly above the forest canopy, clutching a bulging package in its talons.
Beedrill poked its head out from the leaves and let out a cry. Only then did the Pidgeot locate its target. It flew directly above Beedrill and released the package.
Oleander casually tossed the bamboo tube she had been holding toward the Pidgeot. The bird caught it in its beak, nodded toward her, and then flapped its wings, accelerating away and disappearing from her sight in an instant.
Oleander climbed down from the tree with nimble movements and eagerly opened the plump package, which was about half the size of a Pidgeot.
First came a large supply of food. She took out a can, had Beedrill open it, and enjoyed a meal of peach pulp.
The supply lineup included everything from canned goods to compressed biscuits, along with various snacks to balance the flavors.
Next were clothes: spare outfits for Oleander, undergarments, and even a set of men's clothing.
Lastly came stamina-replenishing drinks and high-calorie berry mixtures that could quickly fill a Pokémon's stomach.
As Haunter, Beedrill, and Mantine happily enjoyed the freshly opened berry mixture, Ninetales came rushing over from a distance.
However, what awaited Ninetales was a rope and the supplies split into two portions and repackaged.
Rarely acting spoiled, Ninetales opened its mouth and leaned toward Oleander as it looked at the bundle strapped onto itself.
"All right, all right. How could I forget you? Here, have a sip of the mixture and some peach syrup. It's delicious."
Oleander stroked Ninetales's head and fed it a mouthful.
Meanwhile, under Haunter's lead, Mantine carried the other package and flew deeper into the forest.
The forest was too dense for Mantine to move quickly, so it left first.
Oleander and Cyrus were temporarily hiding in a cave at the foot of a nearby mountain. In front of them lay the dense forest, and behind them stretched the famous mining area near Oreburgh City. A stream flowed nearby. It was not only safe but also an excellent location.
The cave's original inhabitant was a Rhydon, which Cyrus had now captured. When Oleander returned, Rhydon was sitting with Cyrus, eating canned food.
"Clothes are unnecessary. You should've brought more food instead."
Although he said this, Cyrus had already bathed and changed into clean, dry clothes by the time Oleander returned.
"There's no need to live like savages before we begin our operation. Once the Hodgepodge organization is fully assembled, we can discuss that," Oleander replied.
"Besides, I got these supplies through my own charm. What I want should be my decision, right?" she added, unable to resist snapping at Cyrus. "If you're bad with people, then just keep quiet and eat."
In irritation, she tossed Cyrus's spare clothes outside the cave.
Returning inside, Oleander continued opening cans of food and packages of compressed biscuits; she had only eaten a little earlier in the forest.
Rhydon stared longingly at the berry mixture being shared by Ninetales and Machamp. Oleander patted Ninetales, who immediately understood and allowed Rhydon to enjoy the food properly, as he had never experienced human food processing at this level.
"How's that kid Luther doing now?"
Despite their current rough situation, Cyrus's gaze remained as sharp as ever. In the dimly lit cave, his glowing eyes gave the impression of a wolf ready to devour its prey.
When Luther was mentioned, Oleander slowed her chewing of the compressed biscuit.
"He's doing very well. In the preliminary rounds, he won all three knockout matches and made a bold request to change the format to six-on-six. He ended it with a clean 6–0 victory."
"In the current points-based matches, he's in Group D, and there's no one who can match him. Over the past week, he's completed fourteen rounds, remaining undefeated and firmly holding first place in his group, thus securing his spot in the main tournament."
Luther has already entered the main tournament stage. I have to say, Cynthia has a sharp eye for talent; everyone she favored made it into the main tournament."
As he watched Machamp and Rhydon mix the berry solution with peach syrup and eat with great enjoyment, the hard lines on Cyrus's face softened slightly.
"Earlier, you promised Cynthia and the others that you would destroy the Hodgepodge organization, right?"
Oleander nodded.
"Actually, I don't think Luther should be dragged into this."
Cyrus's words made Oleander pause.
"Lance is a Champion and an investigator; it's his duty to fight crime. Cynthia and Diantha represent the Pokémon League, so dealing with the Hodgepodge Organization is only natural. As for you and me, we're International Police..."
"Were," Oleander corrected. "I've already been dismissed. You're just a wanted criminal now, not a member of the Black Hole Squad anymore. The two of us are basically like stray dogs."
"So what if we are stray dogs? As long as I have teeth, I'll bite their throats out!"
Cyrus crushed the compressed biscuit in his hand. Seeing this, Zangoose quickly crouched down, grabbed the edible pieces, and stuffed them into its mouth before they could be wasted.
"Don't waste food! A lot of effort went into preparing all this," Oleander scolded.
Cyrus remained unmoved and continued, "Getting back to the point, there's only one person who shouldn't have been involved."
"His parents were killed by the Hodgepodge Organization, and he was threatened by Evergreen," said Oleander, knowing Cyrus was referring to Luther.
Cyrus let out a self-mocking laugh. "Doesn't that just prove our incompetence?"
"Because we're incompetent, we couldn't uncover the Hodgepodge organization's trail. Because we're incompetent, Luther was threatened by Evergreen, who dared to appear before us without restraint."
Cyrus grew increasingly agitated, his gaze sharp. "Because we're incompetent, they infiltrated and corrupted the International Police and the Pokémon League right under our noses, and we didn't notice a thing!"
"Because we're incompetent, Luther had to stain his hands with blood. He was forced to survive by the most extreme means: to kill, to become a butcher, just to stay alive!"
Cyrus was breathing heavily now, his face flushed red.
That snowy night when he saw Luther, Cyrus felt utterly ashamed.
As a member of the International Police who should have upheld justice and protected people like Luther, he had failed in his duty.
After meeting Oleander and learning what Luther had gone through that night, the nearly seventy-year-old Cyrus broke down in tears.
That blade should have been wielded by Cyrus. That person should have been killed by him.
Luther should have continued his journey instead of being forced to act and struggle desperately just to survive.
Fortunately, Luther was not too deeply affected. In the end, he still moved toward the stage of his dreams, which eased much of Cyrus's inner torment.
"I don't have your strong sense of justice, old man. I just want Evergreen dead," said Oleander lightly after taking a sip of water. "Of course, destroying the Hodgepodge organization is important, too; otherwise, I won't have peace of mind."
"Only when that day comes can I go to Diantha's side and work with her."
By the time they finished eating, it was nighttime.
Under the cover of darkness, Oleander and Cyrus followed a long-scouted, uninhabited path and arrived at a raised slope not far from the cave. Concealed by nightfall, they lay prone on the ground and used binoculars to observe from a distance.
In the darkness, several Pokémon wearing faintly glowing collars wandered across a flat clearing in front of two mines.
Over the past half month, Oleander and Cyrus had observed at least four groups of heavily guarded individuals arrive here and enter the underground base.
If their deductions were correct, these people were the leaders of the Hodgepodge organization.
Their numbers were still increasing.
Cyrus and Oleander stayed hidden until the latter half of the night. This time, three more groups arrived.
The seemingly flat ground suddenly sank. In no time, the once lively clearing was completely empty.
Then, the nearby Pokémon began to repair and camouflage the sunken ground.
Everything matched the information Cyrus had obtained.
This location, in the Oreburgh City mining area, had once been the Hodgepodge organization's largest base. Although usage of the base had decreased over time, it still stored the organization's most important data and experimental results.
According to Cyrus's intelligence, however, for the sake of secrecy, this base should have only one permanent leader, with only a few members assigned for security; the rest should be handled by controlled Pokémon.
So why did it now look as lively as a festival, with leaders arriving every few days?
At least eight leaders had already entered this underground base, by count alone.
"Are they holding a gathering?"
Cyrus frowned, but his tone revealed an uncontrollable excitement.
"It looks like they've come from different regions. At least the last group's Pokémon clearly had characteristics of the Kalos region."
Oleander had also noticed something.
Norman traveling all the way to Sinnoh was definitely not trivial. Most likely, something had happened within the Hodgepodge organization, forcing its leaders to hold an urgent meeting.
Otherwise, there was no explanation for why these leaders would travel across regions just to meet in person.
"Wait."
Cyrus gritted his teeth.
Oleander agreed with his decision.
The defining trait of the Hodgepodge organization was its ability to hide. An opportunity like this, where all the leaders were gathered in one place, was practically a gift from the heavens.
If they didn't take advantage of this moment to deal with them all at once, it would only lead to trouble in the future.
"Judging by how only one or two leaders showed up every few days, it seems the Pokémon League's recent action of wiping out Team Galactic and sweeping their bases has shocked the Hodgepodge organization," Cyrus chuckled.
No one wanted to be wiped out all at once, so they had no choice but to act cautiously and stagger their arrivals.
"We can't rely on reinforcements from the International Police. There are moles within the Pokémon League. The only help we have is Cynthia and the others, but the tournament is still ongoing. If we contact Cynthia, Luther will probably get involved too..."
Oleander's words caused Cyrus's smile to freeze.
Looking at the bright moon that night, Cyrus sighed.
He didn't know if any gods could hear him, but he still murmured his prayer aloud:
"Please, just this once, stand on the side of justice and slow down their gathering."
"Please, hold them there until the day the tournament ends!"
Seeing Cyrus's expression, Oleander sighed inwardly, closed her eyes, and silently made her own prayer.
"For this world… for those innocent Pokémon who have suffered…"
"The Hodgepodge organization must be destroyed."
May the gods be listening at this very moment.
(End of Chapter)