Telling Cramorant to open its mouth was actually nothing special, but it just loved to spit out the Arrokuda stuck in its throat.
'Forget it, better than spraying it out with its ability,' Lina thought to herself as she pulled out two Poké Balls, recalled her partners, and turned toward the small door of the white-domed building behind her.
After passing through two corridors and a side room, she finally reached the office of the Hulbury Gym Leader, her father.
She knocked.
Bang...
The door swung open. A plump middle-aged man smiled warmly and pulled it back, letting his daughter inside.
He had dark brown hair, the same as Lina. His round face, bloated with fat, narrowed his eyes into thin slits.
"Lina... Cramorant can freely fire its Gulp Missile now, can't it?" Nathan turned, sitting on his oversized leather sofa, and added, "You've only raised it for two months, but that bird is clever. It understands orders easily. Hehe, as long as it knows how to use its ability properly, that's all that matters."
Cramorant's ability, Gulp Missile, allowed it to spit out the Pokémon it had swallowed and stuck in its throat to attack. The power depended on both its own strength and the Pokémon it spat out.
She nodded reluctantly, uneasily taking a seat across from him before hesitating to reply, "But that Cramorant was Nessa's first..."
"I told you already. Wild Pokémon caught only days ago don't recognize their trainer." Nathan waved a hand dismissively. "And Cramorant is a dumb one at that."
Her expression softened a little. She then asked, "What about those two who came to the gym before..."
Some memories surfaced, making her face twist in disgust.
"They left," Nathan said indifferently. "Don't worry, they were just fishermen. They wouldn't dare cause trouble. Their daughter didn't die, so life goes on."
"That's good." She patted her chest and let out a sigh of relief.
Smiling, Nathan advised, "It doesn't matter if you train Cramorant or not. As long as you prepare Barraskewda, you won't lose in the roadblock challenge. That Nessa is just a wild girl. She beat you last time only because she cheated. This time it's a proper Gym Challenge. Different story."
As he spoke, the phone on the table beside him rang violently.
Brrring!
His expression changed. He quickly stood up and grabbed the receiver. Lina quietly slipped out, and just as the door closed behind her, his voice rose inside.
"An official notice from the League? What is this? A wild Pokémon attack... seven Fighting-types cut down by that boy alone? It mentions Kabu being injured... and warns all Gym Leaders to be cautious? Hahaha, what a joke!"
His fat face stretched into a grin that seemed to take up a third of it, as he continued, "No need to doubt it. It's true. Killing a few Fighting-types... hehe, the League wouldn't spread such news as a prank."
His tone grew heavier with each word. "Rose… Macro... Cosmos... they want us to help eliminate Shiro!"
Then his voice dropped, quieter, "Go... make contact... see what's going on."
Outside the door, Lina tiptoed away silently.
"Eliminate Shiro..." she murmured, picturing that ever cold-faced company trainer she had only seen on TV.
* * *
A few hours later.
At the Galar Mine No. 2 entrance, the area was quickly sealed off in secret once Macro Cosmos' forces arrived.
Kabu was soon taken away by the company staff and escorted to Wyndon, straight into the headquarters.
"Gym Leader Kabu of Motostoke fainted inside the gym as a result of congenital illness and exhaustion, his duties have been temporarily suspended. His cousin Bobby will serve as the acting Gym Leader..."
"Chairman Rose of the Galar League and president of Macro Cosmos expresses his regret, and has approved his medical leave... This is the exclusive Gym Challenge broadcast channel, please stay tuned..."
Buzz!
The radio station changed.
"This is..."
Another host's voice came through, still reporting on Gym Challenge matters. Calm and magnetic, it echoed through the glittering cave, as though even the crystals listened.
"Due to the public's extreme passion for the Gym Challenge, an incident occurred this afternoon in front of Motostoke Gym. A stampede broke out, resulting in the death of a fifteen-year-old boy. Cause of death was suffocation due to trampling. No signs of foul play..."
* * *
As evening fell, deep inside the Galar Mine No. 2, Shiro rested within a freshly pitched tent.
Outside, following the clatter of pots and bowls, a voice called from the entrance.
"Shiro... have you eaten?"
Ryan stood there holding a standard plastic bowl filled with steaming meat soup.
"I've eaten." Shiro waved him off and kept his eyes shut, pretending to nap.
Ryan hesitated, then seeing he had no intention of coming out, walked back toward the cameramen who were eating together nearby.
He wanted to remind him that Oleana might have issued new orders again, but Shiro surely knew that already.
Days of traveling had passed on the road, and between him and Macro Cosmos, a strange balance had formed.
They were both waiting for the Champion Cup.
After Ryan left, Shiro's eyes snapped open. He listened to the clinking of cookware and the hushed whispers outside, then took out his laptop from his backpack.
He needed to contact Professor Rowan as soon as possible.
The next stop, Hulbury, was the perfect chance. He could fake a retreat there first, just to see how the company would respond.
Opening his laptop, he logged in to the academic website and clicked on Rowan's chat window.
These past few days in the wild, he hadn't chatted with him like usual. The professor had only been sending routine check-ins in the early evening, then nothing more.
"Professor Rowan, are you free right now?" he typed fast.
In less than ten seconds, a reply came.
"I'm here! Always here! Did something happen? Do you need help?"
* * *
On the other side, Rowan answered cautiously. He knew Corviknight had never asked him directly if he had time like this. If he did now, something was clearly wrong.
Was it research data? Equipment? Funding? He could only guess wildly until the next message popped up.
"I'm preparing to leave Galar, and I need a ship to pick me up. The best time would be three days from now at Hulbury's port. I'll be waiting there."
'Corviknight is leaving Galar?' The professor froze at the thought.
When it came to Corviknight from this region, he had always felt worried. In research, he trusted him fully. But Galar was known everywhere as a dangerous land...
**
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