Fifth Elite of the Pokemon World

Diantha was truly exhausted. She hadn't gotten much sleep on the plane.

Lance had stayed up most of the night compiling some useful information, and Diantha had spent most of her time discussing intel about the rabble-rousers with him.

At the same time, she and Oleander had agreed to keep the existence of the recording pen a secret.

Oleander had a point; if that recording were to be revealed, the traitors within the International Police would only burrow deeper into hiding. For now, it was enough that their group knew about it; there was no need to make a big fuss.

Eating meals, joking with others, Diantha had been forcing herself to stay alert. But now that she was finally back home and at ease, she couldn't help but feel a yawn coming on.

She held it back to maintain her public image.

A meeting that was supposed to last no more than ten minutes turned into overtime, thanks to Bocci's endless venting.

Bocci was the liaison assigned to Diantha by the Kalos Pokémon League, responsible for communicating with her, arranging her day-to-day league affairs, promoting her with league resources, and coordinating her participation in events according to public preference.

Each region handled this role differently. For example, in the Kanto and Johto regions, the League liaison who handled communications with Lance was practically nonexistent; no one even knew who it was.

Lance rarely participated in League events, usually only showing up for major Pokémon Battles or events he couldn't avoid.

As for the Sinnoh Region, Cynthia had rendered the League liaison role completely useless. Hoping to get Cynthia involved in regular events was like praying for a miracle.

In contrast, many regions were said to envy Kalos for having a cooperative Champion like Diantha.

She never missed an event, and as long as her schedule wasn't in conflict, she always made time for League responsibilities.

Diantha was easy to work with, and Bocci's job had become smooth sailing over the years, what was originally thought to be a tough position had turned into a favorable career ride for him.

But fate is never so kind.

After years of never taking a day off, Diantha suddenly rejected all League-arranged activities without a word and disappeared to Sinnoh for over half a month.

After scrambling to do damage control, Bocci started hearing murmurs from his coworkers.

Cynthia had long held the infamous title of "Queen of Absenteeism" in Sinnoh. Most terrifying of all, the Sinnoh Pokémon League had already given up on trying to manage her.

"Diantha's getting close to Cynthia, Bocci, you better watch out."

Bocci wholeheartedly agreed with the saying, "He who stays near vermilion gets stained red; he who stays near ink gets stained black." He believed Diantha's sudden change was the result of Cynthia's influence corrupting her.

As soon as he heard that Diantha had returned to Lumiose City, Bocci rushed over, hinting and gently complaining, hoping she wouldn't follow in Cynthia's footsteps.

Diantha understood Bocci's concerns, so she didn't call out his implications. She gave half-hearted reassurances to ease his mind.

"I'm doing this for your own good. There's a new scandal going around about you, you should really be more careful."

"Scandal? There've always been rumors about me. What's so strange about that?"

As a celebrity and regional Champion, now practically an idol figure with widespread fame, it'd be weirder not to have rumors flying around.

Last time it was about her and a Pokémon League Trainer. Before that, a co-starring actress. The most recent one? Cynthia. Honestly, the imagination of the public was rich and borderline supernatural.

"This time it's more elaborate, full of details that feel real. A lot of people are buying into it," Bocci said, frowning.

"Oh? Let's hear it."

Bocci hesitated for a moment before saying, "They're saying you met your true love in Sinnoh, fell for him hard, and even brought him back to Lumiose City."

Diantha's head buzzed, the sleepiness vanished instantly. She stared intently at Bocci and realized he wasn't making it up. He genuinely believed it. Her brows immediately furrowed.

"When did this start circulating?"

"Seems like it started yesterday."

No wonder there were so many reporters staked out at the airport today. Now it all made sense.

Diantha's pensive expression made Bocci even more convinced that the rumors were true. He had seen plenty of posts about it blowing up online this morning. What started as a vague and clumsy rumor quickly took shape, with more and more details added in.

By noon, even Bocci's coworkers had started discussing the credibility of the rumor.

Diantha knew this wasn't an ordinary situation. Oleander would never escalate a joke into a full-blown media storm just to hurt her, she wasn't that kind of person.

While a few people did know Diantha had gone to Sinnoh, that knowledge was limited to a small circle around her.

Those scumbags hiding in the shadows sure moved fast.

"So it's true?" Bocci asked cautiously.

Diantha, lost in thought, didn't respond. Her silence caused Bocci's heart to sink, he now believed the rumor even more.

"Diantha, did you bring him back to your villa?"

Diantha glanced at Bocci. "That's my personal business. You're overstepping."

But Bocci didn't back off. He continued, "Do you know what you're doing? This could be a huge disaster for your reputation and popularity. I hope you'll tell me, are the rumors true?"

"This is my private matter," Diantha said, rubbing her forehead, her voice tinged with impatience. "I can assure you, this situation will be resolved."

"So that means… he is at your villa?"

"Bocci, let me repeat myself, this is my personal matter. I promise you, there is no one else at my villa."

Diantha forced a smile, trying to end the topic there.

"You're the Champion of Kalos. The Pokémon League has a duty to protect your rights. If he's in your villa, please have him leave with us. We'll safely escort him back to Sinnoh and put this whole matter to rest."

Diantha's gaze turned cold. She had already offered Bocci multiple chances to back off and had maintained her smile for as long as she could, but now it was wearing thin.

She really wanted to snap back and send him packing with sharp words, but in the end, she chose not to.

"I'm the Champion of Kalos, but I'm also just Diantha."

That was the heaviest statement she could think of. She hoped Bocci would understand her meaning.

"You're in trouble right now, we can fix this!" Bocci's voice was filled with exasperation, like steel clashing in frustration.

"In your eyes, Cynthia is trouble too, isn't she? You think she's corrupted me, taught me to neglect the League's duties and do whatever I want." Diantha's tone was calm. "Go on then, fix the Cynthia problem while you're at it."

Bocci fell silent, struggling to speak. "She's a lazy Champion… but you're not."

Diantha gave a bitter laugh. "I really wish she could hear you say that. You don't understand Cynthia. She's not lazy, she just doesn't do things she doesn't like. Her goals are simple: get stronger and enjoy life. That's why she's freer than I am."

"You've made me into some kind of public idol, but did you ever ask me? You've built me up like a goddess, raised me higher and higher, did you ever ask if I wanted that? To be honest, I'm really not as fierce in battle as Cynthia. I don't feel I deserve some of the praise I get."

"Just go. I'm really tired." Diantha rubbed her temples.

Bocci's expression was conflicted. In the end, he swallowed his words bitterly.

Just then, a Marill barged in holding a bag of potato chips. It froze in place the moment it saw Diantha and Bocci.

From behind the door, Luther seized the opportunity, like a starving tiger pouncing on prey, he lunged forward and scooped Marill into his arms.

"Caught you! Hand over the chips!"

Diantha looked at Luther, then at the Marill in his arms, and let out a long sigh.

Bocci slowly stood up and turned to Diantha, his voice raised in accusation: "This is what you call a 'guarantee'?"

Luther was completely confused, but Diantha's bitter smile suddenly made him realize something.

Had he just caused a huge problem?

(End of Chapter)

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