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(Translator- There were some problems previously as Cynthia's Match is against Lucian.)
Alon stood frozen, staring blankly at his defeated Delcatty and Mightyena. Reality sank in slowly. It wasn't the loss of fifty points that stung, that was trivial to him, but the utter humiliation of the crushing defeat.
Then, something clicked. Alon's gaze shifted to the three Poké Balls at Luther's waist, a sudden realization dawning. Luther had only used Misdreavus and Ralts, but where had Misdreavus come from? His eyes gleamed with a spark of malicious intent.
Just as Luther reached out to pat Misdreavus in gratitude, a Poké Ball hurtled through the air, striking her from behind. The red light engulfed Misdreavus, pulling her inside.
Fury ignited within Luther. He lunged toward the Poké Ball, but Alon's voice rang out, smug and unapologetic.
"You didn't catch her, did you? Then whoever captures her gets her. That's fair."
Luther trembled with anger. He wanted nothing more than to crush that Poké Ball beneath his heel, but the fear of harming Misdreavus restrained him.
The realization burned. Alon had noticed the three Poké Balls on Luther's belt, corresponding to Ralts, Marill, and Jumpluff, and figured out Misdreavus wasn't officially his. Alon seized the opportunity like a vulture.
"Espeon, use Shadow Ball to destroy that Poké Ball."
The voice came from the referee in purple. With a flash, a sleek Espeon materialized, its eyes glowing fiercely.
Before Espeon could launch its attack, the Poké Ball burst open. Misdreavus emerged, trembling with fury. The air crackled with her pent-up rage. Without hesitation, she formed a Shadow Ball and hurled it at the Poké Ball, shattering it into pieces with a resonant explosion.
But even with the source of her confinement gone, Misdreavus's anger didn't subside. Her cries echoed across the arena, thick with raw emotion.
Luther's heart ached. He knew her pain. Even though her physical wounds had healed, the emotional scars lingered. Every time she dared to trust again, the world seemed to betray her. Alon had just ripped open those barely-mended wounds.
The spectators instinctively retreated, creating a wide berth around the battlefield. Only Alon, Luther, and the referee remained. Espeon tensed, prepared to act, but it seemed even the Psychic-type could sense the volatile energy radiating from Misdreavus.
Despite the clear danger, Alon refused to back down. In an act of sheer recklessness, he barked out commands to his injured Pokémon.
"Delcatty! Mightyena! Attack!"
But his Pokémon didn't move. Fear froze them in place. They refused to face the seething ghost. Their trembling forms made it painfully obvious that they wanted no part of this fight.
Luther had to act before things spiraled further. He sprinted forward, wrapping his arms around Misdreavus, his warmth pressing against her quivering form. Her body tensed, but he didn't let go.
"It's okay," He murmured softly, his fingers running along the curves of her wispy form. "It's over. I'm here."
Misdreavus let out a shaky wail, but it gradually quieted. The rhythmic rise and fall of Luther's breath steadied her own. Slowly, her trembling ceased.
Luther knew how much she cherished comfort. He had glimpsed those moments in her memories, scenes of her happily nestled beside a girl, seeking affection and warmth. Now, she clung to him just the same.
Espeon lowered its guard, sensing Misdreavus's growing calm. Even the referee, initially apprehensive, watched in quiet awe as the tension melted away.
For a moment, all was still; the only sound was Misdreavus's soft breathing, safe in Luther's embrace.
"You haven't captured her. As a wild Pokémon, I have the right to catch her," Alon said firmly, stepping forward and pulling out another Poké Ball.
After everything Luther had done to help Misdreavus regain her trust in humans, this fool was about to ruin it all with one selfish action. Did he really think he could solve everything with a Poké Ball?
Luther had grown fond of Misdreavus, but he still approached her with care, knowing how delicate her emotional state was. Now, seeing Alon's blatant disregard, his anger bubbled beneath the surface.
Suppressing his frustration, Luther turned to the purple-clad referee standing calmly nearby. Lowering his voice, he asked, "Mr. Lucian, what happens if Pokémon Trainers fight each other?"
Lucian, a member of the Elite Four and a well-known psychic-type expert, adjusted his glasses with a sly smile. "It depends. If you have a justified reason, you might get off with a warning. But if it's an unprovoked attack, the punishment could be more severe."
"Like what?"
"Well, for Pokédex holders like yourself, the League could temporarily confiscate your Pokédex. You'd also need to report the incident to the regional Professor's lab for further evaluation. It's a hassle, really. But if you're smart, you might find... other ways to deal with it."
Lucian's eyes gleamed with amusement. "A little 'accidental' trip into the wild, a well-timed Smokescreen... I'm sure something could be arranged. If you don't have the right Pokémon for the job, I wouldn't mind lending you one."
Luther grinned despite his anger. "Beating him up without dragging it out overnight? Now that's satisfying. Honestly, I thought he was trying to steal my Pokémon eggs or something."
With that, Luther calmly set his Pokédex down on the ground, clapped the dust from his hands, and strode straight up to Alon. Without a word, he threw a punch, landing it square on Alon's nose.
Alon staggered back in shock. He hadn't expected Luther to go straight for physical violence in front of so many onlookers. By the time he recovered enough to consider striking back, Luther had already followed up with another punch, sending his head spinning.
But Luther wasn't done.
He knocked Alon to the ground with a swift kick, straddled him, and delivered a series of punches to his face. Luther wasn't holding back. The idea of 'avoiding the face' never crossed his mind, what was the point of fighting otherwise?
Every time Alon attempted to rise, Luther struck again, driving the air from his lungs with well-placed punches to his gut. His Pokémon, Mightyena, Delcatty, and Tangela, all flinched but dared not intervene. Misdreavus and Lucian's Espeon stood like silent guardians, preventing them from interfering.
Lucian, meanwhile, remained an amused spectator. Despite his words of supposed concern, his actions suggested otherwise.
"Alright, alright, that's enough."
"Okay, okay, you can stop now."
"Really, this isn't good."
Lucian's half-hearted pleas echoed through the air, but he made no move to separate the two Trainers.
From the moment Luther's first punch had landed, Alon's ears had been ringing. He could barely make out Lucian's voice. His body ached, and every time he thought he could recover, Luther's fists brought him crashing back down.
Luther, on the other hand, was perfectly aware of everything. He heard every word, every cheer, every gasp from the crowd. And with each satisfying blow, his fury ebbed away, replaced by a strange sense of calm.
Lucian was murmuring beside him.
Comments like,
"It's not right to hit like that."
"Aim a little lower, so you can explain to Officer Jenny."
"He's getting up; give him another punch!"
Espeon watched her Trainer flitting back and forth like a fool, feigning concern while clearly enjoying the scene. It was hard to believe her usually composed Trainer had such a mischievous side.
The one who finally stopped Luther was Misdreavus.
She understood that Luther's anger stemmed from what had happened to her. Seeing him so worked up, nearly mirroring her own moments of uncontrollable rage, made her anxious. Misdreavus floated closer, her Psychic powers gently restraining Luther, signaling him to stop.
Seeing the moment, Lucian, who had been deliberately avoiding any real intervention, instructed Espeon to use Psychic as well. With a shimmer of light, Alon, bruised and beaten, was dragged away from Luther and laid down near his Pokémon.
Despite his fury, Luther had held back. Though his punches had landed, Lucian's provocative remarks had strangely helped him burn through the worst of his anger.
Alon, however, was not faring well. His face throbbed, and though the humiliation stung just as sharply, the fierce stare of Misdreavus crushed any lingering thoughts of retaliation. He didn't dare move.
Before long, Officer Jenny arrived, having been alerted by the commotion. Luther and Alon were taken to a private room at the Pokémon Center to provide their statements. Lucian, of course, tagged along with Luther.
Luther's account was concise. He explained Misdreavus's ordeal and the emotional scars she carried. Then he firmly declared that it had been a mutual fight, though Alon had simply been on the losing end, just as his Pokémon had been.
Lucian, skimming through a book, casually reminded Jenny and the notetaker to proceed with the formalities without paying him any mind. Jenny, visibly weary, acknowledged that the matter was more complicated than a simple brawl, though Luther's actions had certainly crossed a line.
Mutual combat was mutual combat.
Incidents like this weren't unheard of among Pokémon Trainers. Cases where disputes escalated into fistfights usually ended with some form of reconciliation, often involving minor fines or medical compensation. In this case, however, Luther had no intention of paying a fine, he argued that Alon's actions had destabilized Misdreavus's emotional state, and he demanded compensation from Alon instead.
By the time the reporters arrived, news of the altercation had spread. If Alon had any sense, he'd accept a settlement with Luther. Otherwise, with the public already siding with Misdreavus and Luther, it would be an uphill battle for Alon to win anyone's sympathy.
Ultimately, it was Lucian who brokered the resolution. Suggesting a penalty of three times the normal point deduction as compensation, Lucian framed it as a way for both sides to walk away without further trouble. Faced with the growing media presence and the undeniable fact that he had lost both the battle and the brawl, Alon grudgingly agreed.
He exchanged numbers with Luther, hastily applied some ointment, and slipped out of the Pokémon Center through the back door.
And with that, the brawl incident came to an end.
Jenny sternly warned Luther, reminding him of the regulations for Pokémon League Trainers. As a rookie, he'd be under greater scrutiny going forward. After her final reprimand, she left with the other officers.
Leaning against the Pokémon Center corridor window, Lucian closed his book, his eyes lingering on Luther with intrigue.
Luther was genuinely thankful. Without Lucian's intervention, things could have gone far worse. His presence during the inquiry had saved Luther a considerable amount of trouble.
"I was actually at the Pokémon Center near Baidai City," Lucian remarked, a smirk tugging at his lips. "I was preparing to head to Lily of the Valley Island to train for my upcoming match with Cynthia. But when the Pokémon League released the news of your encounter with Misdreavus, I decided to investigate. Baidai and Oreburgh City were the most likely places to find you."
It all made sense now. One of the Elite Four had gone out of his way to uncover the truth about the mysterious amplification device, a device powerful enough to leave even Misdreavus in turmoil. Luther's experience had drawn Lucian's attention, leading him directly to Oreburgh City.
(End of Chapter)