FEPW Chapter 100 The Broken Mask

Luther didn't bring Mai with him this time; she only knew that Luther was heading back to take care of some matters and would return soon.

Luther set off with Oleander at dawn and arrived back at Twinleaf Town just before noon, where Diantha and Cynthia were already waiting by the roadside platform.

"Let me introduce you to Lance, the Champion of the Kanto Region," Diantha said.

Luther finally noticed the red-haired, muscular man standing next to her. After a handshake, Luther realized that this team was stronger than he had anticipated.

In fact, this had been Oleander's request. She didn't want to involve International Police personnel for the operation because the credibility of a Champion like Lance was far more convincing than the current reputation of the International Police.

"The Pokémon from Professor Rowan's Research Lab are also spread out nearby. Our Pokémon are tasked with guiding them to form a perimeter," Oleander explained.

No one found the large scale of the operation inappropriate. They had clashed with the organization behind the research amplification device multiple times already, and Oleander, having suffered the most from those encounters, had nearly lost her life. Now, with a solid lead, it was worth going all-in, no matter what the outcome might be.

"Luther, you understand your mission, right?" Diantha asked, eyeing him carefully.

"Last night, I texted Director Shiran before bed," Luther explained. "I told him I had visited my parents' old home in Sun Heart City and found a document hidden in a secret compartment. The contents were odd, so I wanted to bring them back to him."

Everyone looked at Luther in surprise. The original plan was for him to claim he felt something after returning to his parents' house, asking Shiran about his parents' past to create an opening. But Luther had clearly disliked that narrative and had altered it.

"Let him handle it his way. He's the one in the middle of this," Diantha said, giving her approval. "I trust Luther's judgment."

"Just be careful," Cynthia warned. "The Shiran you're about to face might not be the one you're familiar with."

Oleander handed Luther a ring tied with transparent thread. Confused, Luther put it on with her help. The other end of the thread was attached to a small mechanism that was directly linked to the Poké Ball button.

She also slipped a voice recorder into Luther's jacket pocket.

"This is the same model Ruiyan used to attack you," Oleander said. "I know how to make them, and you've seen how they work with Ruiyan, so I won't go into details. Just remember, if it comes down to it, your life comes first. If necessary, don't hesitate to take him down."

"Oleander, stop putting those thoughts in his head," Diantha snapped. "Luther is not like you! Besides, if we kill him, how are we going to continue investigating the amplification device?"

Oleander shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm just giving your boyfriend a little reminder. Do you really need to yell at me? As for clues, he's been here for over twenty years. Surely, he's got connections to his organization. The Pokémon Center is the biggest lead we have. As long as we dig deeper, we'll find something."

Ignoring the argument, Lance handed Luther a Poké Ball, asking him to tie the thread and mechanism to it.

"I've heard about your skills," Lance said. "But your Pokémon may not have encountered a situation like this before. I have more experience in these matters."

Luther took the Poké Ball containing Lance's Dragonite. "Thank you," he said, grateful for the trust.

Dragonite was one of Lance's signature Pokémon. Given their close bond, it was rare for Lance to lend it out.

Luther approached the Pokémon Center that he had left over two months ago. The familiar scene before him filled him with an overwhelming sense of strangeness.

Memories flooded back, he could remember playing under the tree before he had Pokemon Phobia. He couldn't help but reach out to the Pokémon he saw in his mind's eye.

He could see himself feeding sweet nectar to the Nidorino and Nidoran, who had now evolved into Nidoking and Nidorina, and he could also see the Beedrill living in the nearby trees, curiously watching him.

Old colleagues eyed him with curiosity as he returned. His return piqued their interest, and a few came over to ask what had happened. Luther forced a smile and gave vague answers before heading straight for Director Shiran's office.

"Come in," Came the voice from behind the door.

Luther pushed it open, stepping into what felt like another world.

He hadn't noticed it before, but now it stood out. Shiran's office exuded a sense of age and decay, starkly different from the pristine and well-kept Pokémon Center.

Dusty books crowded the shelves, and the clock, still broken, had yet to be repaired by Shiran. Piles of newspapers and magazines in the corner had yellowed with age.

Luther's gaze then shifted to the ivy outside Shiran's office window, which had nearly overtaken the space, yet Shiran seemed uninterested in addressing it.

"I thought you'd be back a bit later," Shiran said with a warm smile, just as he always did in Luther's memories.

Luther sat across from him at the desk.

"You seemed in a hurry in your message, so I couldn't afford to delay."

Luther couldn't help but feel he was quite skilled at acting; his tone and pacing were almost exactly the same as before.

Shiran's smile remained, and Luther finally understood, it was the same smile every time, the kind of practiced, professional smile he had seen many times before.

Luther pulled out the document bag from his backpack, and Shiran's eyes briefly flickered with a strange gleam. Luther caught a glimpse of fleeting joy on his face and quietly placed the document that Diantha had given him on his lap.

"I found many traces of my parents' past lives in the old house. I was very young when they left... I don't think you ever mentioned them. You must have been both a teacher and a friend to them, right? Can you tell me about them?"

"It's rare for you to ask about this. I'm curious about what you found in the old house," Shiran said with a hint of amusement. "What would you like to know about your parents?"

"During my travels as a student, I realized that while the traveling faction has its fair share of encounters and adventures, it lacks the depth and foundation of the academic faction. My parents... their stories at school must have been quite exciting, right?"

Shiran's smile finally shifted. The wrinkles on his aging face deepened as he chuckled heartily, wiping away tears before speaking.

"Contrary to what you think, they lived quite dull lives."

"They met and fell in love in college, but instead of the usual romantic dates, they just found a lab to test their ideas on each other. They got married without ever picking a real gift for each other. Even their wedding was rushed, only happening because you came along, and they needed to hurry up and tie the knot."

"Both of them lost their parents early on, so the wedding was small, only a few classmates, some friends from the same department, Professor Ralphie, and me were there."

"The first gift your father gave your mother was an Amaura. Can you guess how that Amaura came about?"

Luther shook his head.

"It was a gift from Professor Ralphie's friend in Kalos after he revived the fossil, and Professor Ralphie passed it on to your mother. So, you see, your parents' lives at the academy weren't exactly full of excitement."

Luther smiled to himself. 'Wasn't that enough?'

Perhaps, in Shiran's eyes, the standard of happiness was as fleeting as mist.

"What did they study at the academy?"

"Pokémon Evolution and mutations. It's not an obscure field, Professor Rowan also studied Evolution during his advanced research. Your parents were incredibly talented; Professor Ralphie said they would eventually lead the Rainbow University research school. As Ralphie's assistant, I fully agreed at that time."

"You can't imagine the bold ideas and speculations they came up with. Their papers were remarkable. To protect them, Professor Ralphie actually destroyed one of their papers."

Shiran's gaze now locked onto Luther, who was holding the document on his lap.

"Is this the document you mentioned? The experimental report on the controllability of Pokémon Evolution devices?"

Shiran froze when he heard the name. A visible desire slowly replaced the smile on his face.

"I've never heard of this," He said slowly. "But I can assure you it's not the paper your parents wrote. Your parents' first paper discovered the possibility of interfering with Pokémon Evolution and the feasibility of creating Pokémon Ability amplification devices."

"So this document I have..." Luther began.

"Without a doubt, it's a masterpiece left by your parents after their graduation, something they worked on while traveling the world!" Shiran said with a hint of admiration in his voice.

Luther placed the document on the desk and handed it to Shiran.

When Shiran reached out to take it, Luther pressed it down firmly, not letting go.

"I want to ask you something, Director: what do you really think of my parents?"

Shiran froze, looking deeply at Luther. After a long pause, he countered, "Have you ever met a genius?"

"Does Cynthia count?"

"Do you know what some Trainers call Cynthia?"

Luther shook his head slowly.

"The Dream Crusher," Shiran sneered. "Under her reign, no one can surpass her. Countless people tell themselves that as long as they work hard enough, they can outdo her. But in the end, no matter how much effort they put in, whether it's a hundredfold or a thousandfold, they end up on that stage, only to be effortlessly crushed by Cynthia."

"To outsiders, she's an unbeatable myth, an enviable standard. All the glory, the flowers, the applause, all of it belongs to her. As for those overshadowed by her… whoever pays attention to them?"

"From the moment your parents entered Rainbow University, they were singled out by Professor Ralphie, who was researching Pokémon Evolution. All the praise, support, and honors were theirs. If it weren't for that overly bold paper... they would've led the Evolution department at Rainbow University."

Luther released his grip, and Shiran took the document, carefully unfolding it.

As Shiran placed a stack of papers on the table, the look in his eyes when he glanced at Luther was one of pure shock and... coldness.

It was rare to see such emotions on Shiran's face. The moment his carefully crafted smile fell away, Luther finally saw the true face of Shiran.

"Director Shiran, this may be the last time I address you this way." Luther leaned forward, his cold gaze locking with Shiran's. "The person you are now, this... is the most genuine version of yourself, isn't it?"

(End of Chapter)

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