Chapter 150: Malva: You Want Me to Fight Diantha?

Chapter 150: Chapter 150: Malva: You Want Me to Fight Diantha?

"Yes, I’ve already warned them."

Meanwhile, inside the captain’s quarters, the captain of the S.S. Saint Warren was speaking with someone over a communicator.

The person on the other end was the ship’s true owner—

A powerful Kalos noble.

And one of the protectors shielding the smuggling organization.

Of course, he wasn’t the only one.

The Pokémon smuggling trade was supported by an enormous web of interests.

Among the corporations, businesses, organizations, and noble families throughout Kalos, at least one-third were involved in the trade in one way or another.

Including—

Shalour Gym.

Yes.

Shalour Gym.

Naturally, Gurkinn and Korrina were innocent.

The Gym’s students weren’t participating in Pokémon smuggling either.

The problem was that the Saint Warren itself appeared legitimate.

Shalour Gym had invested in the cruise line and owned shares in it.

Indirectly speaking, they had unknowingly become part of the protection network supporting the smuggling operation.

And there were countless people and companies like them.

If a full investigation were launched, an unimaginable number of innocent parties would be implicated.

"Diantha?"

"What exactly did you idiots do to attract her attention?"

The history of Kalos could be traced back more than three thousand years to an ancient kingdom.

Unfortunately, one king’s disastrous mistake had shattered that nation and eventually led to the modern political landscape.

Yes.

This one was entirely on AZ.

Had he not caused that catastrophe, the legendary Kalos Empire would never have become little more than a historical mystery.

Centered around Lumiose City, the Kalos continent resembled a five-pointed star.

After the empire’s collapse, four major nations emerged:

Azoth Kingdom in the northwest.

The Lost Kingdom in the north.

Balfam Kingdom in the east.

And Lumiose, which eventually became the core of the modern Kalos League.

These were the remnants of the once-great Kalos Empire.

Azoth and Balfam still existed, though neither retained its former glory.

The Lost Kingdom had become a vast wasteland after the clash between the powers of life and death, surviving in name only.

Only Lumiose prospered.

Abandoning monarchy, it adopted a civic system governed by elected mayors.

Over time, the former imperial capital transformed into the most important city in Kalos.

The person speaking with the captain was none other than the current king of Balfam.

Odo Balfam.

A man dedicated to restoring his kingdom to greatness by any means necessary.

Of course, times had changed.

Noble titles no longer carried real authority.

Kings and queens held little more legal power than ordinary citizens.

At least in Azoth Kingdom, Princess Allie never considered herself superior to others.

But Balfam was different.

Odo despised the current Kalos system.

He believed the League had stolen the authority and status that rightfully belonged to kings.

So he leveraged his wealth and influence.

Little by little, he corrupted the League from within.

Installing trusted allies into positions of power.

Over twenty years of effort, he could proudly claim:

He now controlled a significant portion of the Kalos League.

The only people beyond his direct influence were:

Gym Leaders

Elite Four members

And the Champion

Because in the Pokémon world, power still mattered.

And Odo knew nothing about raising Pokémon.

To compensate, he’d built a massive smuggling network.

Together with influential figures from other regions, he acquired rare and powerful Pokémon from across the world.

So I’ve been discovered?

That woman Diantha...

I thought she was just an actress with nothing but movies on her mind.

Turns out the whole thing was a disguise to lower my guard.

Odo’s imagination ran wild.

The more he thought about it, the more he convinced himself that he’d underestimated Diantha.

After a moment of contemplation, he picked up another communicator and dialed a number.

Beep.

Beep.

Click.

"What?"

The voice that answered sounded distinctly irritated.

"Long time no see, Lysandre."

Odo smiled.

"I have some information you might find interesting..."

Some time later.

Inside a laboratory.

A man with lion-like crimson hair slowly lowered his communicator.

His expression was extremely unpleasant.

Clearly, he didn’t appreciate being manipulated.

"Damn that Odo Balfam!"

The man was none other than:

Lysandre, leader of Team Flare.

At the same time, he was:

A researcher

A businessman

And a descendant of the ancient Kalos royal bloodline

Unlike Odo, however, Lysandre wasn’t inherently evil.

In fact, he was remarkably kind.

He devoted himself to philanthropy.

He wanted everyone in Kalos to be happy.

He constantly offered aid to those in need.

Unfortunately, young Lysandre had never understood one simple truth:

Give someone a bowl of rice, and they’ll thank you.

Give them a sack of rice, and they’ll resent you.

The very people he had helped eventually turned against him.

They criticized him.

Despised him.

Blamed him.

Those experiences left deep emotional scars.

And gradually, they changed his view of humanity.

The world was corrupt.

The world was ugly.

And therefore—

The world needed to be remade.

"What’s wrong?"

A woman with long pink hair and sunglasses stood beside him.

Curious, she asked what had happened.

"I’m going to need you to take a trip, Malva."

The pink-haired woman was none other than:

Malva, Fire-type Elite Four member of Kalos.

"Where to?"

Malva didn’t refuse immediately.

She was one of Lysandre’s closest collaborators.

She genuinely believed in his vision of improving Kalos.

Of course, she didn’t know the full extent of his plans.

Nor did she understand just how dangerous they truly were.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have eventually turned against him in the original story.

"The Saint Warren."

Lysandre’s eyes narrowed.

"I need you to retrieve a ledger for me."

"Or destroy it."

Lysandre himself wasn’t directly involved in the smuggling business.

However, he was connected to it.

He had invested in the Saint Warren.

He had invested in numerous companies.

Now those investments threatened to come back and bite him.

"That’s all?"

Malva sounded unconcerned.

She had complete confidence in her abilities.

With Talonflame’s speed, catching up to the Saint Warren would be effortless.

"Diantha is aboard."

Malva’s expression instantly changed.

Then she stared at Lysandre like he’d gone insane.

"Are you joking?"

Malva thought:

You want me to fight Diantha?

If she could beat Diantha, she wouldn’t be one of Kalos’s Elite Four.

She’d be the Kalos Champion.

For a moment, Malva seriously suspected that Lysandre simply didn’t like her anymore and was looking for an excuse to get rid of her.

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