Villain Rope

"Berry grandpa!"

A little trainer appeared outside the hut holding his Pokémon.

Malkin subconsciously was about to walk out. But Kumas stopped him.

"Put away those thoughts of yours here! None of these little guys mean any harm."

After reprimanding his grandson, Kumas had a kind smile on his face before walking out of the hut.

"Oh, little one, what happened to your Pokémon?"

All the while, Malkin was in the hut, watching the interaction between Kumas and the little boy through the window.

Kumas looked at the Sentret in the little boy's arms, then first patted the little boy's head as if saying some comforting words, then he found a Sitrus Berry from the berry fruit pile on one side, and then used the juicer on one side to make juice and poured it into Taili's mouth.

Sentret's face quickly improved and he also came out of his stupor.

The little boy then hugged Sentret excitedly and then bowed down to thank Kumas.

Kumas smiled, then pointed north, indicating that it would be best for the little boy to take Taili to the elf center to have a look around.

The boy thanked Kumas again and left.

Malkin saw this, but didn't know what to say. It just felt like... this kind of behavior from Grandpa was really far from what he used to be.

Malkin shook his head. Maybe age really could change a person. But to think that a person who is not even thirty yet shouldn't change that easily.

Perhaps he would show such a pleased smile in the future. But that certainly wouldn't be now.

Malkin didn't stay here for a long time, after finishing his meal, he took the two Ace Pokémon Pokéballs that Kumas handed over and left.

In time, no matter how much you don't want to let go of the beauty in front of you. But if he didn't take care of that matter, then the beauty in front of him would most likely turn into even greater sorrow.Malkin couldn't tolerate such a thing to happen.

So he simply had no choice.

According to the information given by Mr. Arceus. The target of his mission was somewhere in the middle of a forest in the Galar region. He didn't have time to keep stalling. He didn't want to be like the other guys who took this opportunity to either develop their forces to plot against him, or to be masculine and want to drag his feet.

He just wanted to finish this damn mission and quit Servants of God before it was too late, and then use the reward to open a detective agency, a false identity he had found for himself a long time ago.

It was both a retreat and a disguise.

And, of course, a bit of a dream.

But it's not long after Malkin leaves that trouble finds Kumas and the others.

In the hut, Rope sits on the couch looking at the layout of this surroundings and laments, "Berry Master's hut looks humble, but in reality your furnishings in the house can be really understated and luxurious."

Rope looks at all these antiques, fossils, and specimens in front of him that look like imitations but are actually the real thing... tsk tsk tsk.

"Hahaha, Professor Rope is joking. But it's just ordinary ornaments. Old man I used to learn some imitation craft back in the day. It looks like these imitations still caught your eye."

Berry Master, also known as Kumas, said with a ha-ha laugh.

The expression on Rope's face remained the same as well, only exclaiming, "Then this is a really good craft of yours!"

He pointed to a wall painting hanging on the wall depicting a group of people bending down in pilgrimage to worship the Ho-Oh hovering over Bell Tower and said, "This one rings a bell with me. I think it's called 'Pilgrimage'. It should be hanging in the museum in Johto's Ecruteak City for sure."

"Hahaha, when I was young, I also traveled all over the world! In my old age, I thought I'd show my children all the beauty I've seen before, so I made copies of them all!"

Berry Master had sensed something bad.Rope's arrival didn't seem to be as simple as he claimed.

He definitely didn't just come prepared to ask for some berry seeds to conduct research.

"Is that so? I happen to still be good friends with that museum owner in Ecruteak City, and he had previously told me that Ecruteak City's museum had once been stolen. And this Pilgrimage was one of the lost paintings."

"Except that they received another pair of Pilgrimage that was good enough to be a fake just a few days later, so they had to hang that fake Pilgrimage in the museum for now even after a fruitless investigation."

"And then later, the fake became real."

Rope's smile looked clean. But Berry Master didn't think so...

He read the threat in Rope's smile.

The young man in front of him was the opposite of Malkin, who was always cold to everyone. Malkin was always cold to everyone, but he didn't always speak with malice.

But this youth in front of him was always smiling. But every word carried temptation and provocation.

"Is there such a story? So the person who stole the painting wasn't caught in the end? What a pity!" Kumas' eyes took on a hint of helplessness and grief.

It was as if the theft of such a precious artwork was also his misfortune.

Rope looked at the white-haired old man in front of him. He looked so gentle and kind. There didn't seem to be any resemblance to that legendary evil and murderous thief.

The smile on Rope's face gradually tightened. Then he silently shook his head and said, ''I'm tired, sir. I still haven't hooked up with anyone in a long time. Seriously, if everything I was quite interested in such verbal exchanges, I am now too donated to be weary."

"This type of talk does nothing more than waste the heart and brain power and precious time of both you and me. Of course if you chase the sense of fulfillment you get from being between such offense and defense, then long forget I said anything."

"Mr. Kumas, you have committed many sins. Massacres, hunts, trafficking, stealing... although some people call you by the name of 'Bandit'. Yet you are so much more than a Bandit at all."

"You are a criminal, one of the most hated hunters of all time. Just below you is your grandson, Malkin, who is now active in the limelight."

The words had not yet left his mouth. A faint cracking sound rang from Rope's ears. A snowy, shimmering flying dagger attacked towards Rope's brow.

Rope, on the other hand, did not dodge.

The flying knife went through Rope's head, bringing up a cluster of fluttering embers. It was nailed to the wall behind him.

A painting of a beautiful woman in a Kalos court dress in the grass with Floette was nailed through.

"Tch, Kalos' Princess Gwen and Floette is considered quite a valuable and famous painting. It's a shame it was just destroyed like that."

Rope had the word 'pity' written all over his face. Yet he didn't even stop Flying Dagger from destroying such a precious treasure.

When it came to the power of hypocrisy, Rope was much better at it than some hypocrites.

Although he had always known himself as a true villain is all.

The elderly Kumas in front of him almost didn't hesitate to unhook the Pokéball from his waist, and then a Weavile appeared in front of Rope, and without a moment's hesitation swung its sharp claws towards Rope.

Rope didn't dodge and just let the claws slice through his body. Then in Kumas and Weavile's shocked eyes, his fingers lightly shook, and several flame chains appeared, tightly binding Weavile, who was unable to dodge.

Rope had little expression on his face as he coldly said, "Kumas, I need to talk to you, if you are bent on death and don't care about those grandchildren of yours, I can fulfill you."

"You know League's laws, and if we're going to pursue this to the end, then those grandchildren of yours will all have their good days over."

Kumas's face flushed red, then a little later it went pale. He sat down somewhat helplessly on the sofa, then coughed violently.

"You, ahem, how did you guys know my identity?"

Kumas asked somewhat unwillingly. After all, he thought he was hiding it fairly well. If it had been decades since League had discovered him. Then according to normal circumstances, even until he died League wouldn't be able to find anything wrong with this identity of his.

Unless he turns himself in...

"Wherever you walk, you leave a trail."

Rope shrugged, "You disappeared for a long time in the forests around here back then. league's investigators didn't find you. We didn't find any clues at first either."

"But when I appeared to be bored and started looking at the household registry, I suddenly realized that the previous owner of this berry orchard happened to have taken in a distant relative during that time and through some means got the registry staff to create a false identity for this person."

"That's too much of a coincidence...but because that wasn't enough as evidence. So I simply looked for more statements from that time."

"After all, this berry orchard is actually quite famous. A lot of the local trainers would buy berries here. So I also asked someone to find quite a few trainers from this neighborhood to ask questions about it."

"In the end, I compiled a timetable of Kumas' actions. And on that schedule. There is a blank period. It's also the section I mentioned before."

"And then there was the time when he completely disappeared."

"And in the mouths of some trainers. During the blank period, which very pretty sister in the berry orchard seemed to have a boyfriend. And after disappearing completely, this Berry Grove welcomed a new male owner."

Rope's eyes didn't focus on Kumas as she spoke. Like he didn't even care how Kumas would react.

In reality, he didn't care much either.

After all, judging from Kumas' actions after the blank period, he had tightened up a lot. And the one who had changed him was undoubtedly the old woman who had previously taken her granddaughter out to pick berries.

That being the case, Rope wasn't at all worried that Kumas would really lose control. After all, even if he didn't care if he lived or died. But the life and death of his children and his own old partner were always on his mind.

And Rope also believed the same. With the way he had just behaved, Kumas wouldn't have any basic moral trust in his own self, whose moral bottom line was very low at first glance.

So he wouldn't gamble his own death on Rope's goodness.

So he sat stiffly on the couch, his face as ugly as silt at the bottom of a river. Stinky and rotten.

"So you're here to arrest me? Then you can shoot me now. My crime is bound to be a death sentence."

As he said this, Kumas's face stank but his tone was firm, clearly having his mind set on death.

"I will not strike you down on the spot. After all, relative to your evil deeds, it would be too cheap to shoot you directly." Rope's face gradually turned cold, "How could the young girl who was abused by you, the Pokémon who was stripped of their skin by you, the person whose wife was separated and whose family was broken up by you, accept a killing like mine that looks like a personal vendetta?"

"What awaits you will inevitably be procedural justice and resultant justice together."

And after hearing Rope's words, Kumas wasn't speaking. Just lowered his head.

Rope looked at the older man who was much older than Professor Oak in front of him without a hint of pity in his eyes.

He may have been cultivating his body and mind all these years, always helping new trainers. But he was the one who did all those tragedies back then. Those evil deeds were all inscribed amongst the dossiers.

Those dossiers were literally words of blood.

"Since you're here to arrest me, take me away."

Kumas made a gesture to bind his hands. But Rope made no move.

"Do you know what the penalty for harboring is?"

Rope said lightly.

Kumas glared at Rope like a thoroughly enraged old beast, deadpan.

Rope was oblivious to his menacing expression.

"Unknowing harboring is punishable by imprisonment depending on the circumstances. And harboring with knowledge...carries the same sentence."

Rope's tone remains unchanged. The look he gives Kumas is getting colder and colder.

"Let's make a deal. I can erase whichever old lady's charges are completely. And it's nothing more than adding another charge like restricting personal freedom on your body, which makes no difference to you at all anymore."

Upon hearing these words, Kumas's ferocious and indignant demeanor abruptly stalled. A moment later he hung his head low and asked in a muffled voice, "What do you want?"

Rope nodded rather satisfied.

Seriously, back when he was playing the game he was really quite fond of this old man who would give him berries. But what he didn't expect was this. In this real world. This old man's identity was actually so amazing.

The Great Thief Gold Basin Transformation Berry Master?

Wash your hands in a pot of gold?

Can you really wash away all that blood?

Rope's eyes held contempt without the slightest bit of sympathy.

"I need intel on Malkin. Nothing will happen to the old lady until I catch Malkin and get the intel I want. If I get what I need. I can also guarantee that nothing will happen to the old lady and your grandchildren who are spread all over the place."

Rope actually hated making deals with people like that. But he knew better than that, if he didn't give some leverage, then there would be little to no negotiation with what was behind him.

"Are you asking me to protect my family by betraying them?"

The corner of Kumas' mouth lifted into a mocking arc.

And Rope half cared.

He cared about his principles. But cared very little for his reputation. Especially a reputation at the hands of such a villain.

"Think what you will," Rope's body leaned forward, his face cold, "I just want intel. Real intel."

After Kumas took a deep breath, it was also clear that he wasn't going to budge much further.

Making himself choose between his grandson and his old partner...this guy is truly an evil man.

"Torn, Mr. Kumas? Need I remind you of that? The answer to that choice has actually already been given!"

Rope suddenly had a very weird smile on his face. Said, "Didn't you ask Mr. Hoden to make such a choice during a home invasion in the Hoenn area 45 years ago? And at the time, his choice was to choose his daughter. So you didn't kill their daughter after you killed the couple."

"But you f*cked her didn't you... a thirteen year old girl..."

Rope's tone of voice grew colder as he spoke. Then he jerked his head up, took a deep breath, and pushed his anger down again as he asked, "Cut the crap, even if you don't tell me I can find out where Malkin is myself. But if you don't say anything, you're just waiting to go to hell with your old lady."

"She won't go to hell!"

Kumas shouted suddenly in near hysteria.

Rope looked at his trembling body and laughed, "She will go to hell for harboring you.Kumas you are a scourge. Your son was killed by your enemies seeking revenge. Your wife will inevitably end up in hell because of you."

"You are a scourge, so have you decided...who you will betray?"

Rope couldn't help but give a smile as he watched Kumas' sorry state.

He hadn't seen Kumas in their heavenly home. All he knew was that Kumas was a villain who was too good to die. And to say that the old woman who harbored him because of her love was perhaps a bit too much to say that she was deathly unscrupulous. But to say it was a heinous crime seemed to be fine.

After all, in Rope's perception, this kind of blind harboring is a sin in itself.

The original world's punishment for harboring wasn't heavy, but in the Pokémon world, which could be described as a world with harsh laws. The penalty for harboring was heavy.

"Malkin went to Galar, Mera-home."

Kumas still betrayed his grandson. It wasn't that he wasn't important, but the choice itself was brutal. And for Kumas. There was no one in the world more important than the girl who had redeemed him.

"You shall not die!"

Kumas looked at Rope with a spiteful look after finishing the information, speaking is tone like an evil spirit after being tortured.

"You'll definitely die better than you."

Rope had a smile on his face. Then got up and said, "Mr. Kumas, I've already told the SinnohLeague about you, and I believe they've already guarded the entire forest."

"Don't presume to escape. You will all be safe until I catch Malkin. After all, you're also my bargaining chips for exchanging information with Malkin."

"Of course, you sent out outside."

"Enjoy the last of the good times. This is the last of my mercy."

With that, Rope left the place without looking back.

And just as he was walking out of the hut, Rope met the old lady head-on who was returning from picking berries.

The old lady looked at Rope with a smile and said, "Professor Rope! I'm just getting ready to make tonight's dinner!"

And Rope shook his head, not responding to the old lady. Instead, he opened his mouth and asked.

"Do you think love is important, old lady?"

The old lady looked a bit overwhelmed by this sudden question. But after organizing her words, she still nodded and said, "Love is one of the most important components of one's life. What, has Professor Rope gotten into trouble in that regard?"

Rope smiled and shook his head, "No, not really... I'm just saying that love is indeed important, but if it's the love you choose, you have to pay for your love."

After saying that, Rope once again walked towards the outside of the berry orchard without looking back.

The old lady's eyebrows steeply twisted into a frown, she instinctively felt that Rope meant something.

And the little girl beside the old lady looked at Rope's back as he left, and said a little less happily, "Grandma, this brother doesn't seem to like us."

The old lady touched the little girl's head, but didn't say anything.

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"Keep a good eye on the one here. Don't let him get away."

Rope said seriously to Flint, the person in charge here.

Flint wasn't his usual hangdog self, but said with the same seriousness and earnestness, "I will."

Then he said with some emotion, "I really didn't expect it either... that person would actually hide by our side..."

Rope shook his head and said, "Life is like that..."

"Professor Rowan is coming later." Flint said suddenly.

"Oh? Why?"

"It seems that Professor Rowan had a piece of research material stolen by Kumas, it was an important support for the paper he was going to present at the Research Summit, but because of the difficulties in data collection, that paper ended up not being done..."

Rope nodded, "I have a memory of hearing Professor Oak talk about it. It seemed like it was the biggest blow Professor Rowan had ever experienced in his life. He sulked for a few years because of it, but eventually became professor and got that paper published again after he became professor."

Flint nodded, then scratched his exploding head, "I don't know much about the ways of you researchers, but... that's the kind of situation where Professor Rowan would hold a grudge for the rest of his life, right?"

"Yeah... no amount of generosity could possibly forgive something like this." Rope lamented, "When the time comes, you guys take Professor Rowan inside and don't let him get too worked up. For the sake of such an old man's scum, it's not worth it to make Professor Rowan angry."

"Don't worry, I have the numbers."

Flint responded, then asked, "Where are you going next?"

Rope 'tsked', "To Galar's Mera-home. A place with another little guy very similar to me."

Flint couldn't quite follow Rope's dumbing down.

"Anyway... have a safe trip."

Rope chuckled softly at Flint's well wishes.

"I'll be fine."