Chapter 196: Lance’s Million Questions
Lance strode quickly down from the guest booth, a sly smile on his face as he headed toward the conference exit.
"Rio—you must be terrified right now. You never expected me to find you, did you?" Lance gloated inwardly.
"Just you wait, Rio. Unless you get on your knees and beg for mercy, you won’t be able to compete in this tournament in peace. Collaborating with Team Rocket and attacking an Elite Four member—those two charges alone will keep you in custody for a while. I’ll deal with you properly once the conference is over."
"Are you Lame?" A sinister voice suddenly echoed in Lance’s mind.
"Lame? Sorry, my name is Lance." Lance responded with a flat tone, assuming it was a fan wanting an autograph.
But the next second, he realized something was off—the area was still full of staff, and no one was approaching him for a signature.
"Hehehe—I’m right behind you," the voice came again. Lance spun around—and saw a Gengar lurking in his shadow.
"Rio sent me to find you."
Rio? Lance raised an eyebrow, then smirked. So you are scared—you’ve come to beg for mercy, haven’t you?
"Where is that kid?" Lance smiled.
"He’s waiting for you outside."
"Perfect—saves me the trouble of looking for him."
Lance headed toward the exit—but just as he reached the entrance, a swarm of reporters blocked his path. He had no choice but to answer their questions first. After finishing, he glanced back—the Gengar was still there. He gestured for it to keep leading the way.
Soon, he spotted Rio sitting calmly at a restaurant, sipping a drink—and beside him, the Munchlax he remembered all too well, head buried in a plate of food. Lance narrowed his eyes and started to sit down across from Rio—but before he could take a step, Gengar stopped him.
"Don’t go over there. You can’t sit across from him—you need to sit over there."
Lance frowned, confused. He turned back to question the Gengar.
"Don’t ask—you’ll understand soon enough," Gengar said, using Psychic to vibrate the seat Lance had been about to sit in.
Lance looked at Gengar, then back at Rio. "Let’s see what trick you’re playing," he muttered coldly. Though puzzled, he moved to the other table.
The moment he sat down, he saw the Gengar sink back into his shadow. A few seconds later, Rio’s hand dropped beneath the table—as if tossing something. Lance frowned, still clueless.
Then Gengar reappeared at his feet, levitating a piece of paper and a pen to him. The paper read: "HELP ME."
Lance’s eyes widened. He instinctively turned to look—but Gengar used Psychic to hold him in place.
"Don’t look back," Gengar’s voice echoed in his mind.
The serious tone immediately put Lance on edge. "Got it," he whispered, scanning the room with subtle glances. He picked up the pen and wrote: "Help with what? Why should I help you?"
But before he could finish, a waiter approached him. "Sir—would you like to order anything?"
The polite voice startled Lance, who had been deep in tension. He quickly pressed down on the paper. "Not yet—I’m waiting for a friend," he said, swallowing hard.
"Very well, sir." The waiter left, though his expression showed clear confusion.
Lance exhaled in relief. He realized that even a Pokémon battle had never made him this nervous.
A moment later, he passed the paper back to Gengar. Gengar delivered it to Rio. Lance sat expressionless, but his eyes kept darting toward Rio—hoping he wouldn’t strain them.
I can feel someone watching me... Rio thought.
Half a minute later, Rio’s reply appeared before Lance. The first line read: "Please keep Articuno’s feather safe for me." The second: "I feel you’re the only person I can trust right now."
Lance’s pupils contracted. The sheer weight of the two sentences sent his mind reeling. He instinctively turned to look—but Gengar’s Psychic held him again.
"What’s going on here?"
"How does that kid have Articuno’s feather? And why would he ask me to keep it? Doesn’t he know we’re enemies?"
"He actually said I’m the only person he can trust?"
A torrent of thoughts flooded Lance’s brain. His mind was in chaos. He couldn’t comprehend Rio’s actions—they defied everything he thought he knew. Who asks their enemy for help?
He wanted to stand up and demand answers, but held back. Taking a deep breath, he wrote: "What happened? Why do you want me to keep Articuno’s feather?"
Another minute passed. The paper returned. It read: "I can’t tell you why yet. I’m only asking you, Elite Four Lance, to keep it safe for me. If I’m still alive after the tournament, I’ll come back for it. Please don’t tell anyone about this."
Lance’s pupils contracted again. His mind was spinning. He instinctively wanted to turn around—and Gengar’s Psychic held him back once more.
At that moment, he felt like a million questions were swirling in his head.