FEPW Chapter 102 Fate, Inexpressibly Wonderful

"It seems there is nothing left to discuss."

Luther leaned against the wall warily, and Kecleon had fully revealed its form, blocking the doorway and staring intently at Luther.

Shiran toyed with the Poké Ball in his hand.

"I'm sorry; I always hoped to resolve this matter more gently. I have always been a very patient person, after all, I have waited for twenty years. But your words made me realize one thing: I have gotten too deep into my role over the years... now, I need to wake up."

"So, how do you want to resolve it?"

"By taking you back to the organization. Since your parents' Pokémon have been unable to find you all these years, we can try a different approach. I plan to take you to some familiar places; if your parents' Pokémon happen to see you, do you think... they would want to come closer to you?"

"I came here with many people watching."

"You seem to have forgotten that I am your only guardian, and as a Pokémon Trainer, it is perfectly normal to be out of contact for a while."

Luther glanced at the Poké Ball that had rolled into the corner: "Did you not consider that I did not come alone? Perhaps the International Police are following me?"

Luther's words did not have a deterrent effect; instead, they made Shiran laugh uncontrollably.

"You and your parents are really alike; you both like to play tricks and think others cannot see through your schemes. Back then, they tried to extract our secrets, pretending to accept our invitation, but they never considered that we had already lost patience with them and only needed the documents, not the people."

"You are the same. If you said that local police were secretly assisting you, or that your cute companion named Mai was nearby, I would believe it. Why do you think I wouldn't know if the International Police were mobilized?"

Luther never expected the International Police to be so unremarkable... It was obvious that the International Police had someone who could leak information, so it was not a threat to Shiran at all.

After obtaining the information Oleander wanted, Luther revealed a confident smile.

"You seem to think you still have a chance?" Shiran glanced at the Poké Ball in the corner, "You don't have a single Pokémon; what can you use to turn the tables? I don't believe you have the terrifying close-combat ability of Cyrus to create a counterattack opportunity. You might as well sit tight and take a nap; otherwise, I can't guarantee you won't get hurt."

"It seems my night runs will have to turn into muscle training."

Luther teased quietly.

Shiran was taken aback; his somewhat blurry eyes seemed to catch a glimpse of a fleeting glimmer at Luther's fingertips.

"Damn Oleander, the rope is tied so long; it's really hard to pull."

Adjusting his glasses, Shiran saw the transparent thread connected to Luther's waist.

In shock, Shiran threw the Poké Ball in his hand, letting Cloyster block in front of him.

At the same time, a mechanism was triggered, and Lance's Dragonite squeezed out of the Poké Ball. Before it had fully materialized, a light enveloped Luther.

By the time Dragonite fully appeared, Dragon Pulse had already struck towards the window, blasting a huge hole in the windowsill. Dragonite grabbed Luther with one hand and snatched the flying Poké Ball with the other, flying out.

"Dragonite, how could you possibly have a Dragonite! You didn't even have time to catch a Dragonite; Professor Rowan... were the reports you submitted every month fake?"

"No, I have never deceived you until today." As Dragonite soared in the air, Luther stroked its sturdy, powerful muscles and smiled, "This powerful guy is not my Pokémon; he belongs to Lance."

Hearing Luther's praise, Dragonite was very pleased and let out a roar at Shiran in the room as if to show off.

Shiran was momentarily stunned; the familiar name left him dazed, and he ultimately confirmed that Luther was talking about Champion Lance.

"Do you think I would fall for that? Lance's ace would easily lend itself to someone else? Moreover, how could you know him in the Sinnoh Region!" Shiran took Luther's words as mockery, "Cloyster, Ice Shard."

A rain of ice shards covered the area, and Dragonite looked down and called out to Luther. Although Luther did not understand what it meant, he quickly tightened his grip on Dragonite as he saw its movements.

Dragonite gracefully flipped in the air, its tail sweeping through the air in an arc, directly shattering the falling ice shards with its thick tail.

The tiny ice fragments fell on Luther and Dragonite, feeling icy cold.

Luther swallowed; the power of that Iron Tail... he should stop mocking Lance as LanceLance Bird from now on.

Dragonite had its own pride, and it was furious at the Cloyster that ambushed it without saying a word. A powerful energy was building up in its mouth.

The moment the intimidating pressure hit, Luther realized what Dragonite was about to do... it was Hyper Beam.

"Stop, please stop!"

Dragonite glanced at Luther, then looked at the triumphant Cloyster in the room, reluctantly holding back its attack.

"Why aren't you attacking? Fire the Hyper Beam at me," Shiran pointed at himself. "I suggest you use Fire Blast; it would be best to burn down the entire Pokémon Center."

"Your colleagues, the people you have taken care of, are all inside. If I let Cloyster self-destruct..."

Shiran noticed that Luther did not seem intimidated by his threat; his expression resembled that of an audience watching a clown perform in a circus.

"You seem to misunderstand my intention. The reason I am not attacking directly is that I fear you might drop dead from shock."

"Don't you find it strange? Dragonite made such a big hole, yet no one has come to check it out?"

Shiran's eyes widened as he picked up the phone on the table and dialed the front desk, but there was no response.

Suddenly, an explosion was heard from the west side of the Pokémon Center. Shiran looked out through the makeshift balcony and saw black smoke rising not far away.

Another explosion came from the east, not far off, and he could still hear the sounds of a Pokémon battle.

"You evacuated the Pokémon Center."

"Diantha did; she is always very meticulous in her work."

"You are trying to deceive me again."

Luther shook his head pityingly: "You see, I told the truth, but you just don't believe it."

"Diantha is in Kalos; you have no qualifications and no way to know her." Shiran forced a smile, trying to bolster his courage.

"Thanks to Cynthia, many things in this world are so coincidental. I met Cynthia, got to know Diantha through her, and then met Lance... fate, inexpressibly wonderful."

"You think you can mix in with the Champion's circle? You think you are worthy?"

Shiran, who usually remained calm, found his emotions fluctuating more today than in the past twenty years.

"I know my own worth, but whether I am worthy or not is not for you to decide; they will determine that. In any case, I will eventually reach their level. Thank you for giving me shared memories of battle with them... those memories are truly invaluable."

"I won't be intimidated by you. Cloyster, Ice Beam; Kecleon, Thunderbolt; Mantine, take me up!"

Standing on Mantine's spacious back, Shiran commanded the two Pokémon to attack Dragonite while flying closer to Luther amidst the chaos.

Facing the pressure from Mantine, Luther instead directed Dragonite to meet the moves head-on.

Ice Beam, Thunderbolt, and Icy Wind alternately struck Dragonite, which pushed Luther further into its embrace, leaving only half of his head exposed.

Shiran quickly understood Luther's intention and urged Mantine to lower its flight.

Lance's Dragonite had the ability Multiscale, which halved the damage taken when in good condition. Even if hit by three super-effective moves, it was not much of a concern for it.

Mantine was very agile, but it depended on who it was up against.

Under Luther's command, Dragonite used Thunder Punch, and to Luther's eyes, Mantine became almost a stationary target.

The experienced Mantine flipped at the last moment, allowing the Thunder Punch to only hit the edge of its wing.

Holding onto Mantine's antennae, Shiran was unharmed, but Kecleon and Cloyster, who were dealing damage from above, fell from the sky.

Shiran, who narrowly avoided the attack, felt a lingering fear as the sounds around the Pokémon Center gradually diminished.

"These useless guys!"

Members sent by the organization to disguise themselves alongside him were supposed to use the Pokémon Center as a cover to obtain perfect identities.

Now, none of the three had successfully alerted anyone or come to help him; they were simply useless!

"Kecleon, go into the Pokémon Center and use Flamethrower to burn everything."

"Cloyster, use your moves to hold Dragonite back."

After saying that, Shiran and Mantine quickly flew toward the quiet side.

Kecleon's body suddenly turned transparent, disappearing right under Luther's nose.

Dragonite, which had turned back to pursue, was hit by the falling Hail and the continuous Icy Wind, causing disturbances. The reduced visibility from the Hail infuriated Luther. Considering the direction Shiran had fled, he turned to deal with Cloyster.

"Marill, Jumpluff, Ralts, Chansey, run! Don't let Kecleon destroy the Pokémon Center; this Pokémon Center is very important to Oleander and Diantha!"

Before reaching the ground, Luther urgently commanded.

This made the four Pokémon quickly understand the seriousness of the situation, and under Jumpluff's lead, they rushed into the Pokémon Center.

Dragonite gently landed on the ground, facing off against the Cloyster, known for its dragon-slaying abilities.

"Your master has abandoned you and fled; do you still want to resist?"

Cloyster glanced at Dragonite and then at Luther, who stood beside Musharna.

Its gaze gradually became resolute, and Luther understood what Cloyster was trying to express.

"He can abandon me, but can I not be loyal?"

Luther sighed.

They were such pure and kind lives; why must they be used as stepping stones to satisfy someone else's disgusting desires?

"Musharna, it's our first battle together; please take care of me."

Musharna excitedly called out and came to stand in front of Luther.

Dragonite sensed the atmosphere and silently stepped back.

This was Luther's battle. 

(End of Chapter)

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