Fifth Elite of the Pokemon World

You can read ahead up to 30 chapters on my Patreon, and I've also activated a (date-to-date) subscription model on my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/darkshadow6395

Espurr emerged from the Poké Ball in a daze. As soon as she saw Mismagius's face suddenly approaching, she bristled and bolted straight to Diantha's side, trembling.

Diantha and Luther looked at the flustered Espurr in confusion, then suddenly realized something at the same time.

"You didn't beat up Espurr, did you?" They asked in unison while Mismagius shook her head vigorously.

"So… two beatings?"

Mismagius continued to shake her head.

Luther sighed. "Sounds like three…"

Mismagius pounced on Luther, showing affection, as only her Trainer really understood her. Luther had originally planned to build a good relationship with Espurr over time and gently persuade her to join his team. But now, it seemed that wouldn't be necessary.

After Luther had left the outdoor pool earlier, Mismagius, knowing Luther really wanted an Espurr, enthusiastically approached Espurr, who was helping clean Chansey, and started chatting.

She first praised Luther's qualities, then boasted about all the good food they had, pointing out how even a glutton like Marill could be well-trained under Luther, which proved a lot.

Espurr bit her paw in thought. She was a little tempted by the "lots of delicious food" part Mismagius described, but she still felt more comfortable interacting with the Pokémon already in the house, so she politely declined.

Mismagius, however, kept enthusiastically promoting the idea. Espurr nodded at first, but eventually just ignored her...

Once Mismagius ran out of patience, she decided words were useless. Time to drop the act, action time!

The Shadow Ball slammed into Espurr before she could react. Chansey, who had just happily scrubbed and towel-wrapped Jumpluff stared in stunned silence.

Goodra was eating a midnight snack and looked between Espurr and Mismagius, at a total loss.

Espurr initially tried to resist, but after being blasted by another Shadow Ball and sent flying, she could only flee in panic, seeking help from the other Pokémon.

Goodra and Gourgeist (who had just arrived at the pool) originally wanted to stop Mismagius, but when Mismagius explained her noble reason, to capture Espurr for Luther, they hesitated… and then joined in, helping block Espurr's escape.

Mismagius was very popular at Diantha's villa. Though mischievous, she was well-liked by the other Pokémon and had a bit of a "big sister" status. So when it came to authority, she was clearly in charge.

When Jumpluff heard that Luther had supposedly ordered Mismagius to act, she joined the fray immediately.

Chansey, holding a towel, took a moment to recall... Luther had been beside her earlier… but he definitely hadn't said anything like that.

Espurr was soon tightly bound by Gourgeist and Jumpluff, then secured even further by Goodra's sticky, gooey tail, layer upon layer…

She had never had such a miserable "meow-life"… Where was the friendship she earned by working for them every day?

She cried out for help, but no hero came to save her.

Mismagius dragged over some of Luther's discarded clothes, which happened to have an empty Poké Ball in them. She activated it and tossed it straight at Espurr's head.

Espurr struggled with all her might inside the Poké Ball, and popped right back out.

As soon as she was released and tried to bolt, a giant ghostly face from Gourgeist appeared in front of her. Terrified, she spun around to flee, only to be pinned to the ground by Goodra's goo-covered hands.

Mismagius was confused. Why had Espurr escaped the ball? She had seen Luther capture Pokémon before, and usually, once they went in, they stayed in.

Gourgeist shook her head and explained: You have to knock Espurr out first. That's the proper method. She even mocked Mismagius for being clueless, earning herself a disdainful eye-roll from Mismagius.

Once they knew what to do, it was easy. Jumpluff released Hypnosis powder while Mismagius, not wanting to take chances, added a Dark Void.

Overwhelmed by sleepiness, Espurr soon passed out in the middle of this muscular ambush.

The Poké Ball hit her again, this time, with no resistance, no rolling. Immediate capture confirmed.

Luther, of course, had no idea about the details of Espurr's capture. He could only imagine some brutal battle at the outdoor pool…

So far, he'd been "collecting" Pokémon left and right. But if he thought about it... had he ever actually captured one through battle?

The only Pokémon he had that was caught through battle hadn't even been commanded by him. It was his own Pokémon who interpreted his desire and acted decisively.

Something about this whole picture just felt… off.

Diantha had to soothe Espurr for a long while before she dared to approach Luther again. Just as she got close, Mismagius popped out from behind and made a scary face at her.

Espurr flinched and stumbled backward, right into Marill, who was digging for snacks with her butt in the air.

Luther took the initiative and picked up the fallen Espurr. Seeing that she wasn't as resistant as he expected, he followed his usual routine: start petting first, talk later. After all, it wasn't like Diantha hadn't seen him pet Chansey before.

Espurr's silky fur was amazing. It brought back memories of petting cats and dogs in the past.

But after some time, he realized something strange, he couldn't find Espurr's "happy spot." He should've covered every inch by now.

Thinking it over, Luther tried gently rubbing her ears.

Diantha had intended to stop him but, seeing his technique was quite gentle, decided to observe for a bit.

This time, Espurr finally showed a reaction, an expression of pure bliss, mouth slightly open, a blush appearing on her little face. Her droopy ears perked up slightly, then drooped again.

Diantha rested her chin on her hand. "Such strong self-control, huh?"

"Ah, you mean me?" Luther looked up.

"Try scanning Espurr with your Pokédex."

Luther pulled it out, but the Pokédex couldn't read any of Espurr's data.

Diantha suddenly remembered something. "Oh, right, seems like Sinnoh's current Pokédex still doesn't support the latest Pokémon data from the Kalos region. You might need to update the software."

"What did you want me to check about Espurr?"

"Did you know Espurr is a self-restrained Pokémon?" Diantha asked.

Luther recalled something, yeah, he had seen that description before. The first time he saw it, he thought it was a mistranslation. But now that she brought it up again, it did sound a little odd.

"Espurr's organs for controlling psychic energy are located right under their ears. So to keep their powers in check and prevent them from spiraling out of control, their ears droop like that." Diantha gently patted Espurr's head. "They're always troubled by the uncontrollable power within them."

Luther's hand trembled a bit. So self-restrained didn't mean self-made; it meant self-control.

No wonder Diantha had looked a little on guard earlier when he was comforting Espurr…

"But your Espurr is interesting, she held back just now."

Diantha gently teased Espurr's ears. When she saw them twitch rhythmically, rising and falling, both she and Luther were a little moved.

They brought Espurr to Diantha's Pokémon garden, where Gardevoir, Gourgeist, Mismagius, and Clefable stood a few meters away from her.

"Alright, Espurr, try lifting your ears."

Espurr, surrounded in the center, thought at first she was about to be ganged up on again. But hearing Luther's voice, she relaxed a little. After glancing around at the others, she hesitated, then slowly started to raise her ears.

Halfway up, Espurr curiously sensed her surroundings. When nothing happened, she suddenly perked them up completely.

With her ears fully upright, she looked like a bunny with extra-long ears, adorably cute.

The surrounding four Pokémon didn't find it cute at all. As fellow Pokémon, they could feel the raging psychic energy storming around Espurr's body. Wave after wave intertwined and rippled outward, crashing into them.

Diantha and Luther waited.

After about thirty seconds, a surging wave of force exploded outward from Espurr's body. Mismagius and Gourgeist launched Shadow Balls, while Clefable and Gardevoir used Psychic attacks to block the force, it wasn't even a move, just raw psychic energy being poured out.

Realizing the outburst, Espurr quickly clamped her ears down. After confirming that things were under control, she finally sighed in relief.

"Thirty-two seconds. That's her limit for controlling her powers. Honestly, that's stronger self-control than most Espurr I've seen. You could even say… she might be capable of eventually harnessing that uncontrollable power."

Luther rubbed his chin. "So during those thirty-two seconds… could she burst out with an attack?"

"She could. But it would only hurt her. Most Espurr only raise their ears like that for self-preservation, relying on power they can't control. Do you think her body can handle that kind of energy overflow?"

Diantha softly explained. She knew Luther wasn't someone who would seek victory at the cost of his Pokémon's suffering, she was sure of that.

"Anyway, she's got talent. You can gradually help her get used to it."

Luther suddenly thought of something. He crouched in front of Espurr and ruffled her fluffy head. "Were you afraid of damaging Diantha's place or hurting the other Pokémon, so you didn't fight back?"

Though Luther didn't know the full details of how Mismagius captured Espurr, he could imagine: if Espurr had gone all out, releasing everything, Mismagius wouldn't have had it so easy.

Espurr slowly nodded.

So Mismagius brought back a good girl.

Luther carried Espurr and followed Diantha to his room. After seeing how the other rooms were set up, he was curious what his own looked like.

"Just a few little things, I asked Minami to help order them while I was in Sinnoh. If you like anything, feel free to take it."

Luther turned on the lights. Inside was a neatly folded set of white pajamas with a Mismagius design, a giant Jumpluff plush pillow, Chansey and Marill plush dolls on the bed, a Ralts-shaped lamp, and a big Musharna hanging above the bed.

He let everyone out of their Poké Balls. Except for Marill, who was still resting by the pool with Goodra, the rest of the Pokémon were busy exploring the things related to them.

"Alright, I won't disturb your rest. Sweet dreams."

"You too."

Luther lay on the bed and noticed that Ralts and Espurr were staring intently at each other, both biting their hands in the exact same posture, pretty funny.

Oh well, he pulled both little ones into his arms and fell asleep.

In such a lovely environment, plus the exciting day of shopping ahead tomorrow, Luther rolled around for a while in excitement before finally drifting into a deep sleep.

(End of Chapter)