After the explosion, the area around the Mining Base entrance descended into absolute chaos.
From Steven's vantage point, he could see Evergreen's forces steadily being overwhelmed by Leader Zero's men. If not for the blonde-haired girl displaying such incredible combat ability, the battle would have become completely one-sided long ago.
"That Mira girl can really fight," Steven remarked.
Thanks to Luther's earlier description, both Cyrus and Oleander recognized Mira immediately. Unlike everyone else, Mira's Pokémon weren't equipped with Amplification Devices. Yet with just a Scizor, a Gengar, and a Nidoqueen, she single-handedly beat back every Pokémon and Trainer standing in front of her.
"The Hodgepodge Organization has someone this capable?" Steven said in disbelief.
To protect the people fighting beside her, Mira released a Slowking and a Weezing as well. Even while commanding five Pokémon at once, she looked completely at ease. Her battlefield awareness and ability to control the flow of combat were exceptional. Time and time again, all five of her Pokémon coordinated perfectly to repel the enemy.
There was no way Mira could issue five commands simultaneously. The Pokémon that hadn't received direct orders were clearly acting on the trust and understanding they had built with her.
Someone like her could have simply recommended herself to the Pokémon League and demonstrated her strength. No matter what, she would have been welcomed with open arms. So why join an organization that had to operate in the shadows?
Just as Luther had said, Mira possessed the kind of boldness and loyalty people often associated with great leaders.
Hardly anyone present could stop her if she wanted to break through. She could have escaped long ago. Instead, she chose to protect the people beside her, fighting while slowly falling back.
Steven couldn't help feeling it was a waste. If not for her background, both he and the Hoenn Pokémon League would gladly have offered Mira a place.
Just as Steven was lamenting that fact, the number of Pokémon attacking Mira's position suddenly multiplied. More than a dozen Pokémon unleashed their moves at once, tearing through the defensive line formed by Nidoqueen and Slowking.
A Beedrill shot straight toward Mira. Had Gengar not protected her at the critical moment, that Twineedle would have done far more than simply leave a gash on her arm.
Mira covered one ear, apparently speaking into a communicator. The next moment, surrounded by a thick Black Mist released by Gengar, the same "loyal" Mira Steven had just been admiring... vanished.
The most stunned person wasn't Steven, who had just been praising Mira's loyalty and mourning her wasted talent. It was Evergreen's own faction, who had been fighting right alongside her.
Without the "loyal" Mira holding everything together, Evergreen's defensive line collapsed instantly. Their formation was torn apart, leaving everyone to fight on their own in complete chaos.
Watching a six-man squad chase after the direction Mira had disappeared, Oleander could no longer sit still. She stood up, clearly intending to rush down and join the fight herself.
"Cynthia and the others have already reached Oreburgh City. They'll be here in about half an hour," Cyrus hurriedly stopped her. "If you make a move now, you'll only alert them."
Steven quickly tried to persuade her as well.
"Steven." Oleander turned toward him. "Tell me something. Among the people attacking Evergreen's side, who's the one that hasn't fought personally? The one being heavily protected by a group of well-trained Pokémon while giving orders the entire time. Did you get a good look at him? Tell me who he is."
Steven answered apologetically, "Ever since I became Champion, I haven't been involved in these kinds of frontline operations, so I don't recognize him. But judging from the situation, anyone who can command this much of the Hodgepodge Organization's strength is most likely the legendary Leader Zero."
Oleander burst into laughter. Yet the sound was unbearably bitter, and tears welled up in the corners of her eyes.
"Cyrus," she said, "tell him. Tell Steven who that man, the one who's probably Leader Zero, really is."
Thunder crashed overhead. There wasn't even a gradual buildup; dark storm clouds swallowed the sky, and moments later, a torrential rain poured down.
The rain soaked Cyrus from head to toe. His expression shifted again and again. Already worn by age and hardship, his lips trembled, as though the name he was about to say weighed a thousand pounds.
Seeing his expression, Oleander felt her nose sting. Her face had turned an intense red, the flush of pure shame. Shame at her own foolishness, and an anger so fierce it burned across her features.
"Do you know why Cyrus ambushed the International Police Department of Safety's outpost outside?"
Steven shook his head.
"Because someone secretly gave Cyrus a file," Oleander said. "It claimed that Cyrus had seen Dr. Zishan inside the Hodgepodge Organization, and that Dr. Zishan had been the one arranging for Hodgepodge members to infiltrate the Department of Safety."
A flash of lightning lit up Steven's stunned face.
He had never met Dr. Zishan, but he'd certainly heard the name after becoming Champion. Dr. Zishan was the Head of the Department of Safety, Oleander's direct superior. He was the man responsible for internal investigations, information security, and numerous other vital duties within the International Police.
Now that the nine inspectors had delegated authority and the various International Police departments worked together to manage the organization, it effectively meant that one of the International Police's own arms had belonged to the Hodgepodge Organization all along.
No wonder Evergreen had escaped from prison so brazenly. No wonder Oleander could never find the mole, no matter how hard she looked. No wonder she couldn't find a single lead on Evergreen.
When your own boss is the biggest traitor of them all... what is there left to investigate?
So when Cyrus first showed Oleander that file, she thought he was trying to fool her with forged evidence. The two had nearly come to blows over it.
It wasn't until Cyrus presented evidence recovered from several Department of Safety facilities that linked them to the Hodgepodge Organization, then cross-referenced it with information from various documents, that Oleander finally began to suspect Dr. Zishan.
The International Police had existed for decades. It was a mature organization with a well-established structure and vital responsibilities; the world genuinely needed it. The fact that Dr. Zishan was one of the Hodgepodge Organization's Leaders could never be made public.
If it were... everything would collapse. In the public's eyes, the International Police would no longer be the organization leading the fight against serious crime. It would become nothing more than a cancer.
This secret could never be exposed.
Cyrus had no idea how to face that reality. At first, all he could do was run from it. That was also why Oleander never returned to the International Police. That was why Cyrus hoped Luther, even after learning the truth, would still believe in the International Police, and still believe that there were more good people than bad in this world.
And that was why Oleander and Cyrus refused reinforcements. They wanted no help from the Pokémon League, and no help from the International Police. They intended to see this through with only the people they had brought.
---
Without Mira holding the line, Evergreen's faction could only fight by risking their lives. The battle became increasingly brutal.
But the three of them no longer paid attention to the battlefield. Instead, through their binoculars, they watched the familiar figure standing in the shadows. Leaning on his cane, Dr. Zishan coughed repeatedly as he calmly issued one order after another, surrounded by his followers and their Pokémon.
By the time Cynthia and the others reached the designated meeting point, guided through the forest by Oleander's Haunter, the fighting around the Mining Base was nearly over.
Soaked by the rain, Cynthia noticed the grim expressions on Oleander and Steven's faces. As she tied her wet hair back into a ponytail, she asked what had happened.
With a bitter smile, Oleander recounted everything she had seen and heard.
Cynthia, Diantha, and Lance stood frozen for a moment. Then, all three snatched the binoculars from the others. Their gazes pierced the curtain of rain and settled directly on Dr. Zishan.
A long time passed. Finally, they lowered the binoculars.
Luther, standing behind them, couldn't see their expressions, but he could see their bodies trembling.
"Dr. Zishan was wounded during the operation to eliminate the Hodgepodge Organization," Lance said quietly, tightly gripping the Poké Ball in his hand. "He died in the line of duty."
"Dr. Zishan was wounded during the operation to eliminate the Hodgepodge Organization," Diantha repeated with a heavy sigh. "He died in the line of duty."
One after another, the others echoed the same words with cold expressions as they reached for their own Poké Balls.
Tonight... there was only one ending left for Dr. Zishan.
He would die in the line of duty.
'(End of Chapter)'
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