"Who else could have leaked the information? Team Magma's actions are obviously connected to you!"
The main League envoy spoke with such certainty that everyone nodded in agreement.
There was no helping it. Even though they believed Drake was innocent, there were simply too many suspicious points.
They could speculate that Birch had accidentally leaked the information or that Team Magma had some other special way of locating the Ref Orb, but compared to those possibilities, directly judging Drake was far more convenient.
Drake was stunned when he heard this. He had never expected Birch to be so shameless.
First, he claimed that he had applied to preserve the Red Orb long ago, then said that the Hoenn Elite Four had already tacitly agreed to it...
Drake was already regretting that he had held back back then and had not put Birch in his place in front of his wife and daughter.
"It was definitely Birch's fault! He was the one who leaked the information!" Drake slowly looked around, his fierce gaze sweeping across every face. "If I'm a suspect, then Birch is one too!"
"No. We also have Elite Glacia's testimony."
The main League envoy pushed up his glasses and immediately continued, "You already knew about the crisis in Lilycove City, yet you did nothing and even threatened the mayor. The Joy and Jenny families, who were threatened as well, can also confirm this."
Drake clenched his fists, but for a moment, he could not think of anything to refute him.
This was a counterattack from those two shameless families, Joy and Jenny! And Glacia too! That stupid blonde must have been manipulated by those two families!
His thoughts raced as he was about to speak.
Bang!
The meeting room doors were suddenly thrown open. A League investigator rushed in with sweat covering his forehead. Facing the stern gazes of everyone in the room, he could not help but stammer.
"E, everyone... Team Magma, Team Magma..."
"Don't rush. Take your time and speak," Chairman Sterling said with a kind smile as he raised a hand to calm him down.
"Team Magma has appeared again! They're carrying out a large-scale operation in Lavaridge Town—"
Before the investigator could finish his report, everyone in the meeting room stood up.
Team Magma was arguably the most sensitive name to them right now. The Red Orb had been taken by Team Magma, and their goal was to awaken and control Groudon. Why had they gathered in Lavaridge Town?
"Immediately send the Elite Four to surround and suppress them! The main objective is to recover the Red Orb. We must stop them before Team Magma awakens the deity!" The main League envoy spoke sternly before turning toward Chairman Sterling of Hoenn.
Although Sterling was not pleased with being ordered around, he understood the importance of the situation. He immediately leaned over and whispered a few words to the vice chairman before the two of them left the meeting room together.
Seeing this, the other League higher-ups also rose one after another and said their farewells to the main League envoy before leaving.
Some were high-level investigators who needed to cooperate with the Elite Four in the operation. Others naturally had to assess the situation and decide whether they needed to quickly pack up their belongings and leave Hoenn before Groudon awakened.
Within just a few minutes, only the main League envoy and Drake remained in the conference room.
"The situation has changed suddenly, so we can only suspend the investigation for now. Drake, although you have not been removed from your position yet, you are still not allowed to leave the League headquarters." After briefly issuing the order restricting Drake's movements, the main League envoy left with the others.
Drake dropped heavily back into his seat. His unshaven face still looked somewhat dazed as he watched people come and go through the conference room. Deep down, he still could not understand how things had come to this.
He had devoted himself completely to the League. How had everything ended up like this?
Still confused, Drake had no intention of wandering around. He simply sat there in a daze.
Knock, knock...
After an unknown amount of time, two knocks sounded at the door.
Drake did not turn around to look. He did not even want to see who it was.
"Drake!"
It was Wattson. He squeezed through the gap in the door, which had not been completely closed, then reached back and pulled it shut.
"I didn't expect you to just sit here and do nothing," Wattson said. "Aren't you going to go help?"
"Glacia and Sidney, who were nearby, have already gone. Besides, it's not like it's anything important. Drake, there are still a few things I haven't figured out, so I came to find you."
Wattson spoke casually as he skillfully pulled over a chair and sat down beside Drake.
Drake finally raised his head. There was still confusion in his sharp eyes. "Not important? Isn't the Red Orb important enough? If Team Magma awakens Groudon—"
"Team Magma's orb has already been taken."
Wattson raised a hand and cut him off. "Looks like you haven't received Devon's message yet."
Drake finally could not hold back. He stood up and leaned forward anxiously. "The Red Orb was taken? Team Magma..."
Wattson calmly nodded and explained, "After stealing the Red Orb, Team Magma disappeared for a while. They actually went to Sootopolis City. You don't need to think too hard to know that the matter has something to do with that old bastard of the Sootopolitans."
"The Sootopolitans?"
Drake seemed to suddenly understand. He rubbed his neck in realization and looked up at the pale yellow light on the ceiling. "So it was the Sootopolitans!"
He suddenly slammed his fist onto the table and turned around to leave.
"Where are you going?" Wattson grabbed his cloak.
"Damn it, I'm going to Sootopolis City and using Draco Meteor!" Drake yanked his cloak free and cursed angrily. "Those bastards have gotten way too bold. They actually dare to mess with me!"
Seeing this, Wattson still tried to persuade him. "You're already under house arrest. The League's dismissal order will be sent over soon."
"An order? Has it arrived yet? That useless Maxie... Once I get the Red Orb back..."
Drake cursed under his breath as he pushed the door open and strode out.
Wattson watched him leave but did not try to stop him.
* * *
Mt. Chimney.
"Good. So it can be completed within two days at the earliest, right? I've captured some Pokémon. I'll bring them over and place them there when the time comes... Yes, they might be fairly large."
Shiro hung up the phone.
He was currently in a valley on the other side of Mt. Chimney, standing at the entrance to a rock tunnel.
Just now, he had called Dale, who was overseeing the research institute's construction, to ask about its progress. Dale said that most of the research institute had already been completed. Only some interior decorations and several specialized areas in the breeding grounds were unfinished.
If they raised the priority of the Rock-type breeding grounds and sped up the construction, it would take about two more days to finish.
Shiro had already returned every member of the Tyranitar group to their Poké Balls. With Tyranitar taking charge, there had been no accidents or conflicts, and everything had gone smoothly.
At that moment, Unown A emerged from the tunnel. 'These Solrock have all been moved.'
Shiro followed its indication with his psychic power.
Deep inside the dark tunnel, about several dozen meters from the entrance, countless rock spikes had already grown from what had once been a relatively smooth section of the rock wall.
Those were the Solrock that had originally been sleeping deep inside the cavern platform.
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