Unknowingly, everyone's gaze in the meeting room converged on Lucian.
No one had dealt with the International Police more than Lucian; as the only member of Sinnoh's four Elite Four frequently dispatched on out-of-region assignments, his opinion was crucial.
Flint and Aaron silently pulled out their handheld consoles to play together; they knew today had little to do with them.
Cynthia, on the other hand, raised her head with interest; she was curious to see how Lucian would handle the current situation.
As early as when news of the amplification device resurfaced, the Sinnoh Pokémon League had already tasked Lucian with a detailed investigation; however, after the International Police's agent Cyrus informed the Sinnoh Pokémon League, he too got involved.
The International Police, after all, was a forceful organization jointly established by various regional Pokémon Leagues to combat cross-regional crime; stepping into regional violent crime cases was part of its duty—ideally, the regional Pokémon League and International Police would investigate together, cooperating.
But Cyrus wasn't someone who could cooperate; Lucian knew it, and so did the International Police internally.
Out of trust in Cyrus's Luck, while retaining doubts about his methods, Lucian ultimately handed over the case he was responsible for at Cyrus's earnest request.
You couldn't say Cyrus was wrong to crack down on this violent crime incident; the issue was that he went overboard.
Lucian paused for a moment, then asked, "Where's Cyrus now?"
"At the Pokémon Center near Veilstone City Gym, Pokémon League personnel have temporarily restricted his movements."
"What's the International Police's reaction?"
The Pokémon League official answered, twitching his mouth and said, "They said it's up to us to handle."
Lucian mulled over the International Police's words, resting his chin in his hand, scanning the other Pokémon League officials calmly before speaking, "Your handling suggestion is…"
"Hand the amplification device incident, previously managed by the International Police's Cyrus, back to the Sinnoh Pokémon League for investigation."
"Who's the candidate?"
The question was a bit silly, so Lucian tapped the table himself and said, "I'll take it again; I'm familiar with it."
"I'll assist Lucian then."
Everyone in the meeting room widened their eyes, staring in stunned silence at Cynthia, who was wiping her mouth with a napkin.
Their shock wasn't unfounded; Cynthia rarely involved herself in Pokémon League affairs, and no one could order her around, so she often vanished, sending the Pokémon League absurd leave messages one after another.
Now, Cynthia volunteering to take on a task was downright rare.
"Just temporary assistance; I happen to be heading to Veilstone City for personal reasons," Cynthia added.
Lucian gave a knowing look and readily agreed to Cynthia's help.
The Pokémon League official responsible for documentation quickly scribbled Cynthia's name onto the file; after reconfirming case details and Lucian and Cynthia's opinions, the hastily called meeting officially concluded.
Flint and Aaron, who'd been mere bystanders, left separately.
Cynthia returned to Sunyshore City; Diantha's message indicated she'd already boarded her flight and would arrive in Sunyshore City that evening.
In truth, Cynthia's temporary assistance to Lucian was indeed because it was on her way; the ruins she wanted to visit were in Veilstone City, and the museum Diantha wanted to see was also in Veilstone City.
Idle time was idle time; if Lucian was in trouble, helping out wasn't a big deal.
Lucian hurriedly rode Skarmory to Veilstone City, landing close to midnight.
Upon entering the Pokémon Center near Veilstone Gym, Lucian followed Nurse Joy's directions to an empty small room in the Pokémon Center.
Two Pokémon League personnel at the door saw Lucian, took out a key, and unlocked the room's door.
The room was meant for Pokémon Trainer lodging, with a bed and bathroom; it wasn't large, but it had all the essentials.
Cyrus sat in an armchair, snoring lightly, seemingly asleep.
Lucian knew it was late, but he couldn't suppress the urge in his heart and gave Cyrus a nudge.
Cyrus, not deeply asleep, sprang up like a coiled spring, warily scanning his surroundings; seeing Lucian standing before him, he relaxed, sitting back in the armchair.
"If you want to sleep, why not use the bed?" Lucian asked softly, feeling a pang of guilt for waking an old man in the middle of the night.
"Occupational habit; hard to break," Cyrus said with a bitter smile. "Coming here so late, I assume the Sinnoh Pokémon League has made a decision— let's hear it."
Lucian glanced at Cyrus and sighed, "You're no longer in charge of this case; I'm taking it over again. Sinnoh Region Champion Cynthia will temporarily assist me in Veilstone City."
"What did the International Police… say?" Cyrus's voice trembled slightly as if he feared something.
"They didn't say anything; they left it to us to decide."
Cyrus seemed to relax a bit, his furrowed brow easing.
"That's just the surface; I won't hide it from you— there are already plenty of people in the International Police who doubt your methods, and the calls for you to retire and take it easy are growing loud."
"Where'd you hear about internal International Police matters?"
Lucian shook his head with a wry smile. "It's not even internal; the International Police working with various regional Pokémon Leagues have talked about your exploits with others; as an Elite Four member, I hear more."
Cyrus fell silent, tilting his head back, his gaze unfocused.
"Over the years, I've rarely heard what people say about me— what kind of evaluations?"
"Lunatic, violent maniac, cleanup disaster, troublemaker— those are the negative ones; there are good ones too: strong execution, hates evil like an enemy, strict with himself."
"What do you think of their hope that I retire and take it easy?"
"I think they're right."
Cyrus shot up, looming over Lucian, who sat on the bed's edge; his facial muscles twitched, and veins pulsed faintly on his forehead.
"We fought Pokémon poaching together in the Orange Islands!"
"Yes, we worked closely back then."
"We busted a Pokémon abuse-for-profit case in the Kanto Region!"
"We… should count as friends," Cyrus said, his words tinged with a lack of Confidence.
"That's not wrong; we've always cooperated well, or I wouldn't have handed this case over to you so easily when you asked, but that doesn't mean I can deny what your colleagues are saying."
Lucian continued, "Privately, I think the fresh blood in the International Police has good Ability; at your age, Cyrus, you should let some things go and enjoy your later years; publicly… the cases you've handled over the years are a mixed bag— they are hard to judge."
A clear anger surfaced in Cyrus's eyes; he lowered his voice and said, "You think I did wrong?"
"Forgive me, but after seeing a report of one corpse, over a dozen people hospitalized, and dozens of Pokémon injured, I can't agree that what you did was right."
"They… deserved it!" Cyrus's hushed voice carried a hint of madness, like a beast's roar.
Hearing Cyrus's words, a cold glint flashed in Lucian's eyes, and his voice turned grim, "So you stormed into the factory's underground after the Pokémon riot, shut off the power, released the remaining caged Pokémon, indulged and guided them to attack and destroy at will; after starting a fire, you ignored it, leading to a chain explosion in the underground factory! You stood by as the escaped Pokémon continued to ambush the fleeing factory personnel, causing massive casualties!"
"You wouldn't say such foolish things if you'd seen the inside of that factory!"
"I've been in touch with Luther; he's described the scenes Misdreavus saw in its dreamscape to me."
"It's even more unforgivable than what Luther said— their experiments are simply beyond anyone's tolerance!" Cyrus roared.
Lucian fell silent; he'd read Cyrus's post-incident report. "Beyond anyone's tolerance" was an understatement— he didn't even know who could've devised such infuriatingly outrageous experiments.
He could understand Cyrus's emotions; Lucian knew of that unmentionable past of Cyrus's, but he couldn't convince himself to condone Cyrus's actions.
"They're heinous and irredeemable, but we don't have the right to judge; if private justice becomes the norm, what's the point of the Pokémon League's laws?"
"In the past, when you handled violent cases and beat criminals to a pulp, as long as they didn't lose limbs, the International Police turned a blind eye to it; we could all say they had it coming; but this time, you directly used a Pokémon riot to cause deaths; what do you expect us to do? The Sinnoh Pokémon League is carefully suppressing this, controlling the spread of news, just to save face for the International Police."
"You crossed the line," Lucian said, his sharp gaze piercing Cyrus.
Cyrus's icy stare met Lucian's; after a long moment, he let out a heavy sigh.
"What will Sinnoh… do with me?"
"Though the International Police said it's up to us, privately, they've still framed it as 'self-defense' for you; you'll be detained here for a month, then someone from the International Police will contact you; and then, retirement would be a topic you won't be able to avoid."
"That's their way of giving me dignity?" Cyrus laughed, "What if I just don't retire?"
"No one can force you, but you might not get big assignments anymore— just coast along inside; the young ones in the International Police can take up your mantle."
"They can't; I admit the ones joining the International Police are excellent, but excellence alone isn't nearly enough… some join for a sense of justice, some for a burst of passion, some just to hate evil, but…"
Cyrus pressed his hand to his chest and patted it. "Justice wears out, passion cools, hating evil gets self-satisfied; only hatred is the best driving force."
(End of Chapter)
You can read ahead up to 15 chapters on my Patreon, and I've also activated a (date-to-date) subscription model on my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/darkshadow6395