Chapter Seventy-Four: Snow and Dreams (Part Two) (Double Release!!!)

A long time passed. Just when the air seemed about to solidify, making it impossible to breathe, Xue finally spoke.

“If it comes to it, I can handle these things myself. All I need is your silence.”

Meng was about to scoff, but Xue waved her hand to cut her off, signaling for her to listen.

“Don’t talk to me about how the organization saved us. For one thing, even in those desperate times, we weren’t completely without options. And besides, over all these years, we’ve more than repaid whatever debt we owed them. Whatever price they paid to help us, we’ve balanced the scales.”

Her tone was cold and methodical. Though Meng felt dissatisfied, she couldn’t find any grounds to argue. After all, everything Xue said was true...

Over the years, the two sisters had handled more than their fair share of the organization’s dirty and dangerous work. The organization, in turn, had used them to the fullest—reconnaissance, assassination, seduction...

Yet neither they, nor most of the other members they knew, had any idea what the organization’s true purpose was. All they knew were the grand promises Arceus had dangled before them.

If it weren’t for the high and punctual pay, this group would have fallen apart long ago.

In that sense, the Devotees really were the textbook definition of a ramshackle operation... Lacking any real competitiveness, with no core ideology to hold it together, loyalty among the members was always in question.

It was nothing like the villainous organizations of other regions—those had true ideals, clear goals, and decisive action.

But, unfortunately, due to the League’s relentless crackdown, and the greatly strengthened powers of legendary Pokémon in this parallel world, almost none of those villainous groups chasing legendary Pokémon had succeeded.

It was said Team Rocket did create Mewtwo, but not long after, they began their path to redemption, as if something had thoroughly frightened them...

Aqua and Magma had indeed called forth Kyogre and Groudon, but the fight was short-lived—Rayquaza quickly beat those two fools back, and Steven, with a group of trainers from Hoenn, took down both teams in one fell swoop.

As for Sinnoh, the tale was even more bizarre. The “little Dialga” and “little Palkia” may have fallen under Cyrus’s control, but in this world, “little Giratina” had a good relationship with them and immediately came to the rescue. With their power even greater than in the normal world, and the three working as one, even Cyrus could only fail, disappearing in the aftermath of Roar of Time and Spacial Rend. Perhaps he was dead, perhaps not—no one could say for sure.

As for Unova and Kalos...

Team Flare and Team Plasma hadn’t even managed to make a ripple.

Rumor had it Team Plasma was crushed by Kyurem, and Team Flare was obliterated by Yveltal. In fact, if the people of Kalos didn’t rein themselves in soon, the XYZ trio might emerge to save the environment and reset the region.

That, too, was the meaning behind Arceus’s task for Chen Ou.

Humanity would inevitably anger the gods with some of its actions. Without a channel for communication, there would be nothing but war. But if there were someone who could speak as an equal to both legendary Pokémon and those above humanity, there would at least be a basis for negotiation.

But that was straying from the point. Meng was still caught up in her own turmoil.

On one hand was the organization she’d served for years, to which she felt a certain loyalty.

On the other was the bright path her sister had found.

For someone who longed to live openly under the sun, Meng shouldn’t have had any doubts.

But... what if Chen Ou made some outrageous demand? After years of struggling in this world, Meng was all too aware of the allure she and her sister’s beauty held for men. And as twins, the temptation they posed was only greater, as their experiences had shown time and again.

Would they really have to pay such a price for the right to live in the light?

After all these years walking in darkness without losing themselves, would they have to give up everything just to chase the sunlight?

Her thoughts were a tangled mess, no answers to be found. But she knew that if her sister decided to make a deal, she herself could never rest easy enjoying the fruits of that sacrifice.

As for turning to someone else—how could the sisters, who still felt uneasy even about Chen Ou after a single meeting, ever trust other League officials, who naturally regarded them with suspicion or worse?

They were, in the truest sense, criminals—the daughters of a mass murderer. Would those self-righteous League trainers ever give them a chance? For some, being allowed to serve the League would already be considered an honor. How could they dare hope for more?

The people living under the League’s rule might not feel it, but for those who dwelled in darkness, like the sisters, the League’s arrogance was all too clear.

The League was admirable, but nothing in this world was perfect.

“Sister, do you really trust that Chen Ou?” Meng finally asked, her voice uncertain, her gaze complex as she looked into Xue’s eyes.

Xue smiled faintly, unsure what to say. Could anyone really trust someone they’d only met once or twice?

Few would. And someone who had glimpsed the darkness in human nature, even less so.

But Xue decided she was willing to take the risk.

She’d had enough of scraping by in the shadows. Year after year, with no one to trust but her sister. So many burdens, buried deep in her heart. She was not some iron-willed woman; she only longed for a peaceful life...

But was redemption ever so easy? Team Rocket had spent years and immense effort just to rebrand itself as a civilian group. As for those four hunters... they’d never committed heinous crimes...

But Xue and Meng—they had indeed strayed from the path.

After a long silence, Xue looked at her sister and spoke slowly: “I believe in him. He has the ability, and he will keep his word. As long as we can offer the right terms, he will help us.”

Her tone was certain, as if she truly believed it.

Meng could see her sister was not truly confident...

But she was willing to take the chance with her.

She nodded in agreement.

“Uh, have you two finished your discussion? May I come out now?”

A clear male voice called from the depths of the woods, full of awkwardness...