The two worked fast. In just a minute or two, they sorted out the Poké Balls and cleaned up the scene completely.
From Shiro's perspective, the dirt road and forest looked identical to when he had first arrived. Nothing seemed out of place, except for the large, brownish-yellow rock by the roadside. Actually Drednaw in disguise, where Nessa had been leaning previously.
Seeing the heavy look on her face, he spoke first. "I boarded the ship earlier, but then came back to wait near the Hulbury Gym. That's when I noticed Nathan rushing this way... and, well, you know the rest."
Nessa blinked, realization and worry flashing in her eyes. She said quietly, "You could've just pretended not to see anything. He's a Gym Leader, after all. The League might—"
"They won't do anything," Shiro interrupted. "Even if you tell Oleana and Rose exactly what happened, they'll just clap and call it good news."
"C-Clap...?" she repeated, still unable to adjust. Her mind was stuck in the rhythm of previous routines: battle, victory, ceremony, the next challenge. Even during missions arranged by Macro Cosmos, she had always followed orders step by step. She had never faced something like this.
A Gym Leader. One of the most important positions in the League, essentially the mayor of Hulbury.
If such a person suddenly turned up dead, surely there'd be an investigation. Eventually, they'd find out...
"It was me who killed him," she whispered.
"Who said that?" Shiro asked, sounding puzzled. "Who says you killed him? Do we even know where Nathan went?"
"We..." she started but couldn't finish. Her mind was still blank.
He sighed and wandered toward the trees, leaning against one as he said, "Heaven knows, earth knows, you and I know. If no one saw anything, then no one knows anything."
He paused before adding, "The Gym Leader just vanished, right? Simple. If it were a normal situation, they'd just mark him missing and appoint a replacement. But since the Gym Challenge is underway, and there are challengers waiting, they'll just tell the public he's sick and let Lina fill in for him."
It was only now that Nessa began to understand. And seeing how calm he was, how routine this seemed for him, eased her anxiety a little.
Still, her long-ingrained fear of the League and the company made her uneasy. She had never experienced anything like this herself, so she wasn't sure if it would actually work.
Shiro continued, "What matters now is that you finish your roadblock challenge against Lina as soon as possible, then act like nothing happened. If someone from the company questions you, say you'll need to check with Oleana first. If she tells you to talk, tell the truth, but only if it's the company asking."
League officials didn't always move through the same channels as Macro Cosmos staff. They both worked for Rose, but their duties were different.
As far as Shiro was concerned, once the body was dealt with, the problem was gone. Even the company wouldn't find anything troublesome about it.
Nathan disappeared, and that was that. No witnesses, no crowd, no evidence. Replace the Gym Leader, keep the challenge going, and everything would move on.
"You've got the company behind you," he said. "Just answer to them. Don't get caught up in procedure or moral ideals."
With that, he closed his eyes and pretended to rest.
He could have reported it to the company immediately, but why should he? He was tired of doing their dirty work for nothing. Better to let Oleana panic for a while. When she got desperate enough to send Psychic-types to track him down, then he'd report in.
For now, all he had to do was wait for the League personnel to arrive, then quietly blend into the crowd and let the company notice him on their own.
They were probably already searching Hulbury for him by now.
Watching how relaxed he was, Nessa finally began to calm down herself. She leaned against a nearby tree and took out Drednaw's Poké Ball.
"In the wild," she said softly, "when resting or waiting, a Pokémon can disguise itself as something ordinary nearby. It helps to fool potential attackers and gives one a chance to strike first."
"Yeah," Shiro replied, opening his eyes slightly. "You asked me about that before."
Perhaps she hadn't thought much when she had Drednaw pretend to be a rock; she just wanted something solid to lean on. Who could've guessed how it would end?
A faint smile touched her lips as she put the Poké Ball away. She had avenged her parents.
* * *
Hulbury.
Over the eastern sea, the red dome of Dynamax Den was fading. The dim, spherical space dissolved into the air.
A massive bronze cruise ship slowly emerged from it, like a ghost returning from the underworld to the world of the living. Finding the clear blue sky again, the captain, crew, and passengers all felt as if they had been reborn.
But Peony, who had returned to Hulbury with his Bronzong, wasn't relieved. His face was grim as his sharp eyes scanned the port town below.
Where was Shiro?
Had the boy never boarded? Or boarded and slipped off? Or maybe... escaped by some other means?
If he had a sea-traveling Pokémon like Lapras, along with enough food and water, he could theoretically leave Galar entirely by following a charted route.
But Peony had already searched the surrounding seas and found nothing.
There was no way Shiro had gotten far in such a short time. He was likely still somewhere in Hulbury.
The question was where?
Landing on the high bridge overlooking the town, Peony leaned against the railing and pulled out his communicator to make a call.
"Hello…Oleana? No sign of him. Neither on the ship nor anywhere in the surrounding waters."
"He should still be in Galar," she responded. "I'll have people continue the search for him."
Peony grunted, clearly annoyed. "Move up the Champion Cup schedule. I can only stay for half a month. After that, I'm leaving."
"...Alright," Oleana said after a brief pause.
Without another word, he ended the call.
He had left his newborn daughter behind for this ridiculous mission!
All because the company didn't get their hands on some ancient relics. Meanwhile, he, a father, was forced to stay away from his own child for half a month.
How was that fair?
Cursing under his breath, he shoved the communicator back into his pocket.
Damn that Rose.
He fumed inwardly as he turned and headed toward Hulbury Gym.
* * *
At the same time, a group of company camera operators was arriving at the town's western outskirts with Lina in tow.
Accompanying them were Leon and Raihan, both scheduled to appear in today's broadcast. Every battle would be filmed, with them at least watching from the sidelines.
Lina walked ahead confidently, her short brown hair swaying with each step.
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