On the other side, Tabitha still had no idea what was happening with Team Magma. He kept congratulating his leader.
"Congratulations, Boss. You successfully obtained the Red Orb. Once we awaken the God of the Land, Team Magma will rule Hoenn—"
"I am asking you how the mission went!"
Maxie suddenly shouted. His urgent and heavy voice immediately brought Tabitha back to his senses.
Tabitha was already used to his leader's unpredictable mood, so he simply reported what had happened.
"Boss, those Water-type Pokémon successfully surrounded Lilycove City. They completed the mission of disrupting and delaying the Hoenn League. However, the Galar Champion suddenly appeared and quickly found my hiding place..."
"Unfortunately, we couldn't complete the final great tsunami."
There had never been any great tsunami in the first place, but that did not stop Tabitha from expressing his regret.
"Good."
Maxie's tone suddenly turned cold. He calmly said, "Go tell Devon Corporation that the orb was taken by the Sootopolitans. After that, have Stone contact me personally."
With that, the call ended.
Tabitha was still standing there in a daze. He had yet to recover from the huge amount of information he had just received.
Maxie had revealed everything?
No. The Red Orb had been taken by the Sootopolitans!
In the span of a few seconds, Tabitha looked as if his entire world had collapsed. His face went deathly pale as he tremblingly dialed another number.
* * *
Rustboro City, Devon Corporation Headquarters.
Joseph was inspecting the employees as usual and was preparing to head out for a trip.
Although he was already quite old and his hair had turned mostly white, Devon's president still enjoyed traveling to different places. It allowed him to interact with trainers and observe what they needed. At the same time, he could search for some rare rocks.
Steven's love for stones had been influenced by his father.
The father and son were both deeply fond of rocks.
After taking the elevator to the lobby, Joseph walked out with his hands behind his back. Professional trainer bodyguards stood on both sides of him.
Outside the lobby's open glass doors, an extended luxury car was already waiting.
Just as he was about to get into the car, the communication device in his pocket suddenly began ringing nonstop.
Joseph took it out and glanced at the screen. He then quickly entered the car before answering.
The call was from one of Devon Corporation's department heads.
"President, I received a message from Tabitha. He said Maxie has a message for you..."
A moment later, Joseph hung up while forcing himself to remain calm. Then he told the driver to stop.
"There's no need to go. Cancel this operation."
The driver was somewhat surprised, but he silently got out and opened the door for his boss.
A few minutes after getting into the car, Joseph stepped out again.
Perhaps the car's floor was too high, or the roof was too low. As he stepped out, he suddenly stumbled and nearly fell.
Fortunately, the driver reacted quickly and caught his arm.
Joseph shifted his weak legs slightly and calmly held onto the driver's arm as if nothing had happened.
"Alright. Thank you."
After saying that, he patted the driver's hand. The driver understood and let go before stepping away.
Joseph walked back into the lobby. He ignored the greetings from the receptionists behind the long counter and hurried into the elevator, pressing the button for the top floor.
The two bodyguards followed closely behind him.
Joseph had never felt as insecure as he did now.
What could the two Gym-level trainers he had spent a large amount of money hiring actually do?
If they encountered ordinary Advanced-level trainers, there was basically no need for them to act. They could deal with them easily. But if an Elite-level trainer attacked, the two of them would definitely run faster than anyone else.
This job was mostly about appearances. It let everyone know that President Stone had two Gym-level trainers protecting him. It gave him plenty of prestige and also scared off some petty troublemakers.
But once someone reached a certain level, who would care about an ordinary company president?
Even if that company practically covered the entire Hoenn region.
When they reached the top floor, Joseph stepped out of the elevator and entered his office. He stood behind his desk and forced a smile before speaking gently.
"You two can go rest for now. I have some private matters to deal with."
Although they were only Gym-level trainers, his voice was quite polite because no one wanted to offend them over some small detail. If either of them became unhappy and decided to use their Pokémon to cause trouble for the frail Devon president someday, he certainly would not be able to handle it.
The two trainers were also sensible. They said a few simple words before leaving.
After all, they had already earned their money, and it was completely legal. Making a million a month was much better than going out to catch Pokémon.
Joseph sighed inwardly. He was just about to call Steven when he noticed that another number happened to be calling him.
The moment he saw the number, Joseph lightly tapped his forehead and immediately answered.
"Professor Shiro, it's a pleasure to hear from you. May I ask what this call is about?"
"I'd like to ask about some specific aspects of Devon's operations. Is that alright?" Shiro replied from the other end.
"This... of course."
Joseph felt somewhat uneasy.
This mysterious Galar Champion had incredibly deep connections. He could even easily influence Professor Oak. On top of that, he was now Devon Corporation's largest shareholder.
Not long ago, a mysterious shareholder known as T had transferred his shares to this Champion. Just two hours ago, the Hoenn League Chairman had also contacted him and said that he intended to award his shares to this hero for his great contribution in Lilycove City.
As a result, Shiro now owned nearly 40% of Devon Corporation's shares. The company's major shareholders had been reduced to Joseph and Steven, Drake, and Shiro.
Drake only held a small single-digit percentage of the shares, far less than the other three.
The combined shares held by the Stones only amounted to 51%. Separately, Joseph held 20% while Steven held 31%.
Shiro was now the undisputed largest shareholder of Devon Corporation. After the next board meeting, he would most likely become Devon's chairman, which was essentially the president of Devon Corporation.
Joseph, who had originally been both chairman and president, would become only the president, or CEO.
Still, no matter what happened, the actual control of Devon Corporation remained in the hands of the Stone family.
Now Shiro had suddenly called and said he wanted to ask about the company's operations… Was this really just about operations, or did he intend to take control of Devon Corporation from the father and son?
A League Champion had acquired such a large portion of Devon's shares in such a short period of time. It was simply...
Joseph could not help but speculate. The happiness he had felt earlier had already turned into complicated unease.
"Heh..." Shiro chuckled from the other end. He noticed the tension in Joseph's voice and immediately tried to reassure him. "Mr. Stone, there's no need to be nervous. Although we are partners, I have no intention of interfering with how you manage and guide Devon."
"I just wanted to ask about Tabitha from Team Magma and Shelly from Team Aqua… Are they people from Devon?"
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