Luther wanted to call Evergreen insane, but the man's expression remained entirely calm, as if what he had just swallowed weren't a fatal poison, but merely two sugar pills.
"You wanted me dead. Now I'll die right in front of you. Are you satisfied?" Evergreen smiled, looking just as warm as he had during their first meeting that afternoon at Moonbow Commerce, a friendly, boy-next-door smile.
Luther slowly sat back down on his stool, completely stunned by Evergreen's resolve.
If he said he'd take poison, he took poison. If he said he'd die, he died. Without the slightest hesitation. All of it was simply to make Number Zero pay the price, to defeat Number Zero in this battle fought across a distance.
"And what if I agree to help you kill Number Zero, then go back on my word afterward?" Luther asked. "By then, you'll already be dead. You won't be able to come back and take revenge on me."
Looking at Luther, Evergreen smiled.
"The last time, I failed to understand you. This time, I won't misjudge you again. You act like you don't care about anything. You're always talking about living lazily, finding some quiet place to slack off, looking like a hopeless slacker... and yet, you have this strange sense of justice."
"You roar in anger for lives that others think insignificant. You can't ignore the things hiding in the darkness. You're a meddlesome fool who loves lecturing people, and someone who refuses to take even a single step back when it comes to the people you care about."
He took a slow breath, his voice tightening.
"Number Zero is the shadow standing in your path. Your sense of justice will make sure he disappears from this world... because, in your eyes, the world is supposed to be peaceful and tranquil."
Luther covered his forehead. "I can't believe I'm actually hearing words of praise coming from your mouth."
The commotion had driven everyone nearby away. People were now peeking at them from a distance, while only the employees of the nearby stalls remained dutifully at work.
"Waitress," Luther called out.
The young woman shivered before cautiously approaching. "Bring me two bottles of liquor."
Evergreen's life had already entered its final countdown, yet when he saw Luther ordering alcohol, he made no objection. The two of them should have one final drink together.
Two large glasses of liquor were placed before them. Without a word, they clinked their glasses in perfect understanding and drained more than half in one gulp.
"Was it worth it?" Luther asked in confusion. "If you'd hidden away, with your abilities, you could have survived for the rest of your life, couldn't you?"
"What would be the point of muddling through life like that?" Evergreen replied. "If that was the kind of life I wanted, I wouldn't have joined the Hodgepodge Organization. After being rejected by the Pokémon League, I would have honestly settled down and become an ordinary person. You're different from me, Luther. You've won before. You've experienced the taste of victory. You aren't starving for it anymore. You have someone you love, and you've achieved success and recognition. You'll never understand what someone like me is truly pursuing. I just want to win!"
Evergreen clenched his teeth, but the muscles in his face had already begun twitching uncontrollably.
"I've never won a truly significant battle. I've never once left behind a name that people would remember!"
They raised their glasses again. Looking at the hand that was rapidly losing its strength, Evergreen lifted his head and stared seriously at Luther. "Your answer?"
"I promise you," Luther said. "I'll make Leader Zero disappear forever. I once thought I would never stain my hands with blood again, but you're right. I do have a strange sense of justice. There are some people who simply don't deserve to breathe the air of this world."
Relief washed over Evergreen's face as he gave a slight nod. Taking the USB drive from Machamp, he pressed it into Luther's palm.
"I'm already losing control of my body. Move your chair closer. What I'm about to tell you is mostly speculation, but I want you to verify it personally with Leader Zero. I want to prove that I wasn't just a pawn. I've already seen his entire plan... and it was I who overturned his chessboard."
Evergreen recalled Machamp, allowing Darkrai to slip back into his shadow to wait for the right moment. Luther pulled his chair right beside Evergreen and listened intently.
Evergreen spoke rapidly. His breathing had already become erratic, and the convulsions had spread throughout his limbs. He was racing against time, entrusting Luther with every piece of information from his duel of wits against Leader Zero so that Luther could deliver the fatal blow.
Gradually, Evergreen's speech became sluggish. His eyes lost their focus, and white foam began to gather at the corners of his mouth.
Listening to everything, Luther felt his heart pounding with fear. He wanted nothing more than to leap to his feet immediately, set off, find Leader Zero, and strike without delay.
Even from Luther's perspective as a transmigrator, though there were a few flaws in the plan, it was without question the most far-sighted and meticulously conceived strategy he had ever witnessed in the Pokémon world.
"Who exactly is Leader Zero?!"
Watching Evergreen's gaze grow increasingly vacant, Luther reached out and gripped his shoulders.
Evergreen struggled to open his mouth. Instead of saying a name, he uttered a single sentence that made Luther's blood run cold. Luther staggered backward, nearly losing his footing as his mind reeled in shock.
"...My... other Pokémon... have already... been released..." Evergreen wheezed. "...Only... Weavile... Hitmonlee... and... Machamp... are still with me. ...They're... yours now."
Luther removed the Poké Balls from Evergreen's belt and placed them into his backpack right in front of him. "I'll respect their wishes."
The moment those words left his mouth, Evergreen's convulsing body suddenly collapsed onto the table with a loud 'thud', completely without warning.
Luther hurried around to his side and saw white foam continuously spilling from his mouth. He placed a finger beneath his nose; there was barely any breath left.
"Notify Officer Jenny!" Luther shouted toward the crowd watching from afar. "Tell them that the suspected Hodgepodge Organization Leader, Evergreen, has died from poisoning!"
Burning with urgency, Luther was about to leap onto Darkrai's back when he suddenly remembered something.
Turning around, he grabbed the empty medicine bottle Evergreen had pushed toward him. Darkrai then forced its way through the crowd and sped toward the Eterna City Gym.
---
The Gym was pitch black. Luther climbed over the back wall into the courtyard, only to smack headfirst into a tree.
The Exeggutor that had been on guard against intruders recognized him and looked at him curiously, seemingly wondering why he had chosen to sneak in over the wall.
"Where's Gardenia?" Luther asked anxiously.
Exeggutor shook its head, indicating that Gardenia wasn't at the Gym.
Luther hurried to the Gym's telephone and dialed Cynthia's number using the contact information provided by the Pokémon League. He paced impatiently, but no one answered. He tried calling the Elite Four, but still got no answer.
Luther considered contacting someone else in the Sinnoh League, but the same concern that had arisen during the operation against the Hodgepodge Organization surfaced again: he was afraid the information might leak.
Sweat covered Luther's forehead. Then, he noticed Tropius in the courtyard, leisurely enjoying the spray of water from a hose that Exeggutor was controlling. There was no time to think. Luther ran into the courtyard.
"Tropius, take me to Sun Heart City. I know your Trainer, Gardenia, isn't here, so you might not want to listen to me... but please help me. If I'm too late... there won't be any way to undo what's about to happen."
Seeing the desperation on Luther's face, the soaking-wet Tropius froze for a moment before slowly lowering its body. Overjoyed, Luther hugged Tropius's head and gave it a quick kiss before nimbly climbing onto its back.
"Fly as fast as you can! To Sun Heart City!"
---
(End of Chapter)
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