Seeing that Duncan still wasn't moving, Woods tried to persuade him again.
"Come on, man. Don't make this awkward. What if a few of the higher-ups inside—"
"That's none of your business," Duncan cut him off coldly and shoved him aside, then placed his hands on his knees and sat upright.
Woods trembled with frustration. He hadn't expected this guy to be so ungrateful. Those food and drinks weren't free; he had spent his own money to buy them from one of the restaurants below.
His face flushed with anger, but Woods held back his complaints and turned away to chat with a few of the more sociable B5 squad members.
* * *
Meanwhile, inside the Pokémon Center.
The red door behind the central counter creaked open, and the quiet sound roused both Shiro and Edgar from their sleep.
They looked up to see Lexi, the woman with the brown braided hair, slowly pushing out a small cart. In front of her were an Audino and Indeedee, leading the way.
"How is he?" Shae stood up and asked first.
Lexi blinked, surprised to see two elderly strangers she didn't recognize. But the sharp aura and overwhelming pressure radiating from Shae made her tread carefully as she replied, "He was in really bad shape when he arrived. Severe burns over large areas of his face and chest, and internal—"
"Just tell me if he'll live." Shae rapped her cane impatiently.
Lexi paused for a second, then quickly reported as if giving a briefing.
"His condition has stabilized. He's got a strong will to survive. With the right care and medicine, he should be able to get out of bed in about a month."
"Good." Shae gave a nod, then turned to Shiro. "Go call in the squad outside to help carry him. It's time we left."
There was a hint of disappointment and frustration in her tone.
Shiro nodded, but as he looked at the thick layer of ice outside the door, he turned back and said, "Granny, about the ice…"
"Mhm." She reached for her belt and released Vanilluxe from its Poké Ball.
The bulky creature turned sideways to squeeze through the Pokémon Center's door, then activated its energy, slowly drawing back the freezing layer outside. Since the ice was condensed from its own power, it could absorb it at will. If it had been created by another Pokémon, melting it would have required brute force and intense heat, which would've been a hassle.
Within moments, the icy layer had completely dissolved. Shiro stepped out, his boots landing on the solid, rough pavement of the street.
Yet as he emerged, a wave of commotion echoed from the direction of the stadium. It didn't sound like a fight, though, more like the kind of panicked scramble students make when caught playing games in class.
Shiro glanced over and, upon spotting the food and alcohol they'd set up, immediately understood what was going on.
He slowed his pace, letting the few squad members who hadn't drunk much and were quick to pack up form a neat line. Then, he strode forward.
"Report!" Duncan called out sharply. But before he could continue, Shiro beat him to it.
"Go carry Gareth out."
"Yes, sir!"
A chorus of scattered replies rang out, and the men at the front sprinted toward the Pokémon Center, leaving behind the others who were still trying to fix their clothes and clean up the tables fully exposed.
They gave awkward smiles, but Shiro didn't say anything. These guys weren't really his concern.
* * *
A while later, four B5 members carried a steel stretcher as if it were a coffin, surrounded by over twenty teammates as they descended the stairs.
Along the way, the scene drew many onlookers on the street, but no one dared approach or speak. The sight of the police squad following closely behind was enough to keep everyone at a respectful distance.
The officers escorted Shiro and his team all the way to Hammerlocke's main entrance. Only when they had completely cleared the threshold did the police stop. Following a final sycophantic wave from Woods, they firmly shut the massive city gates.
Behind the gates, an officer leaned in toward Woods and whispered, "Sir... should we go grab a few people off the street? Some idiots might start gossiping if they don't know better..."
Woods' face darkened. His eyes swept over each of his subordinates before giving a nod. "Lord Raihan gave clear orders. We need to clean up any leftover ripples as fast as possible. Make it look like nothing ever happened. Of course we'll grab people. Anyone dares say a word, we take them in. Once the Gym Challenge starts in a few days, most folks will forget anyway."
"Yes, sir!"
With that order, the group scattered.
* * *
In the wilderness beyond Hammerlocke.
"I've already contacted the company. Flying taxis should be here soon."
Edgar shook the communicator in his hand, glanced at the bandaged Gareth, and said, "Guess this mission's done. Everyone made it out alive."
"Yeah, but we didn't get any benefits out of it..." Shae grumbled discontentedly. Standing in the waist-high grass, she tightened her grip on her cane and turned toward Shiro. "Did you take anything from Raihan?"
"Huh?" Shiro was confused. He didn't quite get what she meant.
Why would he take anything from that guy? Or rather, what reason did Raihan have to give him anything?
Was she referring to Raihan's earlier attempt to win him over at the Pokémon Center? Had Granny Shae predicted that?
A heavy feeling settled in his chest. After a pause, he replied, "I didn't take anything from Raihan."
"Ugh!" Shae smacked her cane on the ground in frustration. "Why didn't you?"
Edgar also joined in, "They gave you trouble in there, right? You battled, didn't you? And you won—so where's your reward?"
Frowning slightly, Shiro went quiet, lost in thought. Edgar assumed he was recalling the details, so he didn't interrupt.
'Take something from Raihan... Raihan should've given me something…'
Shiro pondered carefully and realized something didn't add up.
Granny Shae and old man Edgar seemed eager to stir something up. Were they planning to go all out in Hammerlocke?
This must have been Rose's decision. He was likely waiting for a chance to seize control of the gyms. Even if he had to take them by force, the company was large enough now to immediately send people in, with plenty of trainers ready to pledge loyalty.
In the end, this task force was just one of Rose's cards, thrown out to test the waters.
The cost? Shiro's safety might not have been guaranteed from the time he entered the city until the two elders arrived.
Then he remembered what Raihan and Rylan had said to him.
The key difference was this: the Dragon Tamer family had the opposite intention. They didn't want conflict with Macro Cosmos. They wanted to get the company's forces out with the least damage possible.
"We're just a couple of old geezers. Wouldn't be right for us to throw our weight around," Edgar said with a shrug. "Rose's idea was for you to go in, cause trouble, and we'd clean up the mess after… didn't you see the message he sent on the communicator?"
At that, the old man chuckled. He figured Shiro had seen it but didn't trust the situation enough to take action. So he just acted tough instead of going all in.
'I really didn't see it...'
Shiro thought to himself and instinctively pulled out his communicator.
**
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