Chapter 151: The Well-Behaved Little Emma

Chapter 151: Chapter 151: The Well-Behaved Little Emma

"You won’t need to confront Diantha directly. In fact, it’s best if you don’t appear in front of her at all."

Lysandre said, "I need you to find the captain of the Saint Warren and obtain a ledger from him."

It sounded absurd.

Yet reality was often stranger than fiction.

Balfam didn’t want to face Diantha and expose his ambitions, so he dragged Lysandre into the situation and hoped he would resolve this problem for him.

That ledger contained more than just Balfam’s dirty secrets.

There were records involving Lysandre as well.

And even evidence of the corruption and darkness lurking within other regions and kingdoms.

"Ugh!"

Malva looked reluctant.

"Smuggling? You’ve gotten involved in something like that too?"

"I haven’t!"

Lysandre loathed that bastard Balfam.

The incident that had left psychological scars on him years ago had been orchestrated by Balfam from behind the scenes.

Although it had opened his eyes to the ugliness of the world, the grudge remained.

One day, he intended to repay it a hundredfold.

As for smuggling—

Lysandre had no interest in such things.

If he wanted Pokémon, he could simply send people to catch them.

Why resort to shady methods when legitimate avenues existed?

Only useless fools like Balfam needed smuggling rings to acquire powerful Pokémon.

Lysandre was the sort of man who set his sights directly on Zygarde.

As the leader of Kalos’s villainous organization, if he wasn’t plotting around Xerneas, Yveltal, or Zygarde and instead wasted his time on smuggling, wouldn’t that be lowering himself too much?

"I understand."

Malva finally relaxed.

Thankfully, Lysandre hadn’t stooped to that level.

"If that’s all, then I’ll go."

Ideals were ideals.

Malva still had her own principles.

She had no intention of cleaning up after a bunch of scumbags.

"By the way, what should I do with the smugglers?"

"Do whatever you want."

Lysandre couldn’t care less about such trash.

"If they’re troublesome, throw them into the ocean and let the fish eat them."

Smugglers.

Poachers.

In Lysandre’s eyes, they barely qualified as fellow human beings.

Their lives meant nothing to him.

"That’s a relief."

Malva’s objective was to retrieve the ledger and destroy the evidence, not to act as bodyguard for a criminal syndicate.

If possible, she’d like to wipe them out while she was at it.

After all, as an Elite Four-level Trainer, her love for Pokémon was unquestionable.

She genuinely despised anyone who harmed them.

"Though it’s a shame."

"I actually wanted another chance to battle Diantha."

Malva hadn’t forgotten her defeat.

She’d always wanted a rematch.

"Come out, Talonflame!"

Releasing her Talonflame, Malva leapt onto its back.

Without any protective gear whatsoever, she shot into the sky and disappeared beyond the horizon.

Thus, a seemingly minor incident involving a handful of smugglers escalated completely because of Diantha’s involvement.

Balfam believed Diantha was investigating the Saint Warren and feared the secrets hidden aboard would be exposed.

Lysandre worried that records of his past investments might fall into her hands, further widening the rift between himself and Balfam.

Neither of them knew that everything had begun because four smugglers had kidnapped a little girl’s Espurr.

That evening, Sora brought Emma to the ship’s buffet restaurant.

The dining hall was enormous.

It resembled a banquet for high society, filled with exquisite and expensive dishes that dazzled the eyes.

At their core, Sora and Emma weren’t very different.

Both were country bumpkins.

The two of them ate happily while sharing whatever delicious food they discovered.

As the meal went on, they grew noticeably closer.

Especially Emma.

Originally, she’d assumed that someone who possessed a permanent VIP ticket and could chat casually with Diantha must be some kind of important figure.

Who would’ve thought that after getting to know him, she’d discover he came from an ordinary background too?

"Big Brother Sora, you’re really amazing."

Emma sat across from him, watching Ogerpon and Victini seated at his sides.

Magearna hadn’t come.

She’d remained in the cabin to keep Volcanion company.

Sora had ordered Pokémon meals from the cruise line, and staff members would deliver them directly.

The Saint Warren had problems.

But not everyone aboard was involved.

The upper management might be connected to smuggling and crime, but that didn’t mean the ordinary employees were.

Most of them had no idea what was happening.

They were simply doing their jobs.

"What about Big Sister Diantha?"

"Hm?"

Sora shrugged.

"She went to attend an even fancier private banquet."

"There’s something even fancier than this?"

Emma’s eyes widened.

To her, this buffet was already so luxurious it surpassed anything she could’ve dreamed of.

Yet apparently there was another level entirely.

"It’s somewhere else on the ship."

"The venue is smaller, but the decorations are more refined, and the service is even better."

In truth, Sora also had access to that banquet.

He simply couldn’t bring himself to attend.

For starters, the requirement to wear formal attire before entering was enough to kill his interest.

Originally, Diantha hadn’t wanted to go either.

The food wasn’t much different.

This place was more relaxed.

And Sora and Emma were here.

Only someone whose brain had been kicked by a Tauros would willingly choose the other banquet.

"Did Big Sister Diantha go because of me?"

Flick!

"Oww!"

Seeing Emma lose herself in thought, Sora flicked her forehead.

"Don’t overthink it."

"This situation has long since stopped being your problem alone."

"A smuggling network this large definitely involves a lot of people."

Lowering his voice, Sora explained the key points to her.

Though young, he believed she was capable of understanding.

"I-I see..."

Emma nodded obediently.

At that moment, she noticed the food on the table disappearing rapidly thanks to Victini and Ogerpon.

"Ah! The lobster’s ready!"

"I’ll go get some for you, Big Brother Sora!"

"Careful."

"Don’t underestimate me! I can handle something this simple!"

Emma was constantly looking for ways to repay Sora and Diantha for their kindness.

However, only a short while later, she came running back in a panic.

"What happened?"

Seeing how pale she looked, Sora frowned.

It was as though she’d just seen something extremely dangerous.

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