"Why did the storm hanging over the International Police suddenly disappear?"
This was the title of an anonymous post on the International Police's internal forum.
They weren't the only ones who were curious. The post quickly became one of the most popular threads, attracting a flood of replies.
As it turned out, even people who spent their days dealing with criminals had the same appetite for gossip as anyone else; their wild speculations could have filled an entire drama script.
Oleander rarely browsed the internal forum, so she had no idea that they were talking about her.
Everyone at the International Police had noticed that internal investigations and audits had suddenly become less rigorous. At first, people thought it was just a short-term adjustment. However, when it stayed that way for over a month, disbelief began to spread.
Oleander's work hours had also become strangely regular. She arrived and left on the dot, never worked overtime, and no longer carted off stacks of case files to review personally. She simply assigned work and gave concise instructions.
Was this really Oleander?
Had the International Police been possessed?
Off-duty officers spotted her at a supermarket in casual clothes, standing in the fresh food section with her Ninetales, comparing ingredients and staring off into space. They were completely stunned.
Who knew that Oleander could look this beautiful out of uniform?
Truthfully, it had nothing to do with Oleander's own will; it was Minami's doing.
After work, Oleander rushed to Minami's place right after dinner. As Diantha put it, this was "pre-job training."
Since they would be working together, learning to apply makeup and dress properly was apparently a prerequisite.
Minami couldn't bear to watch Oleander's clumsy makeup attempts and forced her to practice daily.
"You've got a few crow's feet, but with some skincare and light makeup, you can cover them up."
That one line hit Oleander like a critical hit. Any excuse to escape evaporated instantly, and she dutifully showed up to practice every day.
She didn't know why she suddenly started caring about her appearance. She'd never bothered before. However, her Pokémon couldn't be happier; life had become wonderful lately.
Oleander came home on time every day, personally mixed their food, or cooked something delicious herself; there were no more prepackaged, store-bought Pokémon food.
It was like time had turned back to the days before she met Evergreen, when she lived in a small apartment and busied herself in the kitchen. She ate with her Pokémon and then played games with them before bed.
After Evergreen, she'd barely had time for herself. Her old game console had long been sold, untouched ever since.
But after that strange New Year's Eve conversation with Luther, Oleander had a sudden impulse. She went out and bought the latest console and set it up in her room.
A faint mist seeped under the door; Gastly had arrived. Oleander, who had been staring at the game disc case and controller, snapped out of her thoughts.
"Oh, right. I almost forgot about you guys. It's been ages since I last played. I'm just trying to remember the controls."
She opened the door.
Ninetales, Mantine, and Beedrill bounded inside. Ninetales swung its tail to close the door behind them.
They piled onto Oleander's bed and crowded around her as she took the controller and started the game.
The title she chose was the one Diantha had raved about: "Wailing Road," a massively popular fantasy game. Cynthia was also a fan.
"Cynthia and I often team up to farm materials. Want to join our party?"
Oleander smirked. She used to be a hardcore gamer. Did they think she was a rookie?
'Watch me clear this in one life!'
By the time her phone alarm reminded her that it was time for bed, Oleander's face had turned as pale as a ghost's. Ninetales and Mantine exchanged awkward glances.
All they had seen on the screen that night were endless black-and-white "Game Over" screens and incomprehensible text.
At first, the early dungeons were easy; Oleander mowed through enemies effortlessly.
"This is supposed to be a 'hard' game?" she thought smugly. "Please."
But two hours later, the fun was over.
The monsters became meaner and hit harder. Now, every battle involved solving puzzles mid-fight.
Gastly was having a blast, though. He thought the game was perfect. Every time Oleander's character died, the spirit that floated out of her body looked just like him.
By the end of the first gaming session, Oleander was more than a little frustrated.
She swore she'd win back her pride next time.
The next day was even worse.
She kept hitting a wall until one boss fight dragged on for four straight hours. A furious Oleander nearly snapped the game disc in half. She was convinced that Diantha had given her this cursed game just to spite her.
Diantha said, "Hey, are you playing Wailing Road? Come team up!"
It looked like Diantha had just gotten back to her villa after work.
Oleander: "Why do people even like this masochistic game? I can't even beat one stupid monster! The gameplay sucks!"
After typing that message, she yanked Ninetales's tail into her arms and hugged it tightly to try to calm down.
Diantha said, "Most of the dungeon bosses in this game are designed for co-op runs. Solo players exist, sure, but they're gods among mortals. Did you really try to solo right out of the gate? That's pretty bold."
"C'mon, add me as a friend. I'll invite Cynthia; we're about to farm some materials anyway."
After a long sigh and some hesitation, Oleander gave in. She added Diantha and Cynthia as friends and joined their group chat so they could coordinate.
Cynthia's character was clad in black-dyed iron armor and had the name "Sinnoh's Worst." Diantha's avatar wore a bizarre feathered outfit and had the name tag: "Kalos's Worst."
Oleander: "What's with your names?" she asked weakly.
Diantha replied, "Oh, I saw Cynthia's name and thought it was funny, so I copied it. Anyway, what boss are you stuck on? We'll help and maybe grab some low-tier materials while we're at it."
Oleander: "The Vengeful Priestess."
Cynthia said, "Wait, people actually get stuck on that boss?" between bites of something crunchy.
Diantha: "You don't have room to talk. I'm the one who helped you clear it when I visited Sinnoh. Yeah, it's hard to do alone. But if you don't care about the achievement, just gang up and smash her; it's way easier."
Indeed, just as Diantha said, the boss melted under their combined assault. There wasn't any level balancing in this area. So, when Cynthia and Diantha charged in with their giant axes swinging wildly, Oleander barely had time to cast a buff before the screen flashed "Victory."
All she could do was send them a "thumbs up" emote, as prompted by the system.
After that, Diantha dragged Oleander through the lower and mid-level regions, collecting materials along the way.
Cynthia asked, "So, what made you suddenly start gaming again?"
Oleander: "Someone recommended it."
While replying, she rolled her character away from an attack, timed a perfect buff for Cynthia, and then ducked back. Multitasking master that she was, she grabbed some snacks and fed a bite to each of her four Pokémon.
Oleander: "You seem a lot freer these days, Diantha. The Kalos League isn't swamping you with work anymore?"
Diantha: "Not really. After Luther beat Bocci, the new contacts from the League rarely assign busywork to me anymore."
As she said this, she blocked a heavy "Bulk Up" strike aimed at Oleander, causing her HP bar to plummet. Thankfully, Oleander's healing spell landed just in time, pulling Diantha back into the safe zone.
Diantha said, "Mismagius, stop it! Give me back the controller!"
Clearly, something chaotic was happening on Diantha's end.
Cynthia, unfazed, rushed in to protect Diantha's avatar until she regained control. Once she did, the fight resumed smoothly.
Diantha asked, "So, how's Luther doing in Whitewind Town these days? And Mismagius, get your face out of mine! We're just talking about him. He's not in the game!"
A disappointed whine came faintly through her mic.
Cynthia replied, "He's doing fine. I heard he developed his own battle rhythm after training with Hakuya, just as I expected. He's the kind of person who improves quickly, learns from every fight, and keeps growing stronger. His Pokémon training methods are interesting, too. I tried one of his routines; it not bad, honestly."
Oleander listened quietly while moving her character.
Diantha said, "Hey, stop spacing out! Jump in; the enemy's almost down!"
Oleander snapped back, sheathing her staff and drawing her dagger to join the finishing combo.
Diantha said, "Looks like he's bound to cross paths with you someday."
Diantha's character unleashed a final Bulk Up strike, cleaving the sticky monster in two.
Cynthia said, "He's not really interested in being Champion, though. Winning the Lily of the Valley Conference, earning some fame and prize money, and then retiring somewhere peaceful is much more his style. I even hinted that he might have the potential to become one of the Elite Four, but he only seemed mildly tempted."
Diantha said, "I see. So, for him, finding a place to retire really is the most important thing in life."
As Oleander divided the loot, her hand trembled slightly on the controller.
Because once, that had been her dream, too.
(End of Chapter)
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