Luther really wanted to laugh at Evergreen.
The man had always fancied himself the clever one, taking pleasure in watching others struggle while carrying himself as though he were above the rest of the world.
And yet, in the end, he had merely been another pawn, remotely controlled and sacrificed by someone else. A convenient scapegoat.
The power struggles, the internal purges, those schemes had likely all been anticipated by the mysterious Leader Zero. From the Pokémon League's perspective, Dr. Zishan's identity as a member of the Hodgepodge Organization absolutely could not be exposed.
Since remnants of the syndicate were still at large, treating the missing Evergreen as though he were still alive and pinning the title of "Leader Zero" on his head while covering up Zishan's death was a cautious, sensible course of action.
And if Evergreen was telling the truth, if Leader Zero really was someone else, then that person had likely foreseen this exact outcome. By letting the League brand Evergreen as the mastermind, the real leader had slipped away without anyone noticing.
"Do you know who Leader Zero really is?" Luther asked.
Hearing the question, Evergreen revealed an eerie smile. Luther's expression sharpened, a sudden prickle of unease washing over him.
"What exactly do you want?"
The more he thought about it, the more something felt wrong. Evergreen was a wanted fugitive, and Hearthome City was incredibly close to the underground mining base. The Pokémon League should have been conducting a carpet search throughout the area.
Even if Evergreen intended to hide nearby until the heat died down, there was no reason for him to stroll around so openly. The coast wasn't far from here; if he truly wanted to disappear, he could have laid low, found a boat, changed his identity, and vanished.
That would have caused both the League and Luther the greatest headache. Once someone as cautious as Evergreen went off the grid, catching him again would be next to impossible.
"You stayed here on purpose," Luther spoke again.
The corners of Evergreen's mouth curled upward as he gave Luther an approving round of applause. "Good guess. I've been waiting near Hearthome City for someone to pass by."
"Who?" Luther hadn't actually expected an answer, but Evergreen gave one anyway.
"It could've been Cynthia, or Lance, or Diantha. If all else failed, even Gardenia would've been acceptable." He casually lifted his glass of lemonade toward Luther. "Of course, the best possible outcome was running into you. You're the ideal choice. But after that night, you completely disappeared. I even thought something had happened to you. Fate is a fascinating thing, though. It delivered you right to me and gave me the chance to win everything back."
Evergreen burst into loud, almost hysterical laughter. The diners at the neighboring tables looked over once again, staring at him like he was a lunatic.
Luther finally cut him off. "Do you even understand your situation? You don't seriously think you're leaving here alive today, do you?"
"Oh?" Evergreen smiled. "And you're not worried I'll drag everyone around us down with me?"
"Oh, give it a rest." Luther looked at him with open contempt. "The trick you used to bluff me before doesn't work anymore. Our meeting today was pure coincidence, don't tell me you used Future Sight and prepared this place in advance. My Darkrai quietly swept the surrounding area while we were talking, and it couldn't detect a single dangerous presence nearby. Evergreen... it's over. I'm not the Luther from a year ago who could only survive by putting on an act. The moment you sat down at this table, you lost every chance of turning things around."
Resting his chin in one hand, Evergreen smiled as he studied Luther, almost as if he were admiring an irreplaceable treasure.
"Didn't you hear what I said?" Evergreen asked softly. "My hope of making a comeback, my hope of winning this confrontation... is you. The Pokémon League has already branded me as Leader Zero, a top-level criminal. No matter what I do, no one will believe a word I say. That person's position is simply too high. Anything I say would amount to nothing more than baseless slander; it wouldn't create even the slightest ripple. Even if I found Lance or Cynthia and told them the truth, they probably still wouldn't believe me. That's why you are my only chance."
Evergreen tightened his grip on his glass and growled, "Yes, I lost to you. I underestimated how quickly you would grow, I underestimated your talent, and I underestimated how deeply the events at Moonbow Commerce would change you. If I, Evergreen, lost to you, then I have no complaints. I was arrogant, and I thought too highly of myself. You're the winner, so anything you say now is right. But I didn't lose to the Hodgepodge Organization, and I certainly didn't lose to Number Zero."
From his pocket, Evergreen slowly pulled out a white USB drive. "They thought I was just a discarded pawn, something they could throw away whenever they pleased. But I have never believed I was a disposable piece."
A vague realization began to dawn on Luther. Something important was hidden inside that drive.
Seeing Luther's eyes locked onto it, Evergreen smiled faintly. "Everything in here is a record of the things I've been involved in during my years with the organization, my communications with the various leaders.
It's all rather trivial and not particularly useful on its own. But there are some other things that I think you'll find very interesting: the list of key members who weren't deployed during this operation, the ones still hidden inside the Pokémon League, and the International Police."
The words 'list of key members' nearly made Luther leap to his feet. "If Leader Zero really saw you as nothing more than a disposable pawn, how could he possibly have let you see information this confidential? If you're going to lie, at least make it believable."
Luther wasn't convinced, but Evergreen merely chuckled. In truth, he had never been supposed to have access to those files.
On the eve of the explosion at the underground mining base, Number Zero had wanted to reassure the naturally suspicious Evergreen, handing him the information as a show of trust. Knowing Evergreen would likely verify the list's authenticity, the data was entirely genuine.
What Number Zero had never expected was for Evergreen to quietly copy every last bit of it while no one was paying attention.
"What do you actually want?" For the first time, the composure Luther had been struggling to maintain completely crumbled. "Cynthia and Lance can't give you what you want, but somehow only I can? Are you really sure I have what you're looking for?"
Evergreen reached into his pocket again, pulling out a small medicine bottle. He poured two white pills into his palm, tossed them into his mouth, swirled the lemonade in his glass, and swallowed them down.
"I want Leader Zero's life," Evergreen's voice carried an icy chill. "I'm not sure whether Lance or Cynthia would actually be able to kill him. But I believe you can."
For a brief instant, Luther froze in confusion.
At that very moment, a Machamp suddenly materialized behind Evergreen, and the man casually tossed the USB drive into its hand.
"What are you doing?!"
Darkrai instantly emerged from Luther's shadow, placing itself protectively in front of him.
At the same time, Houndoom fired a warning jet of flames into the sky, signaling everyone nearby to evacuate. The diners fled in a panic, but Evergreen remained perfectly calm, quietly watching Luther.
"I don't have much time left," Evergreen said.
"The pills I just swallowed are a byproduct developed by the organization. In another ten minutes or so, I'll lose the ability to speak and my consciousness will begin to fade. Twenty minutes after that, my entire body will go into convulsions. There is no cure. Luther... I'm already dying. Once I lose consciousness, Machamp will crush that USB drive you've been staring at. Those hidden people will disappear back into the darkness, and the next time you try to drag them into the light, who knows how many years it will take."
"I can also tell you everything I've pieced together, everything I believe he's planning. You're a smart man; you'll know immediately whether I'm telling the truth. I know you hate me. You fear me even more than the rest of the Hodgepodge Organization. Leader Zero is someone far beyond your reach right now. When you say 'the Hodgepodge Organization must be destroyed,' what you really mean is 'Evergreen must die.'"
Evergreen slowly pushed the empty medicine bottle across the table toward Luther.
"I'm wagering my life to buy back the right to be the winner. They want to exchange my life for their victory? Fine. Then I'll exchange my life for the destruction of every last one of them."
(End of Chapter)
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