On the communicator, a message from Rose stood out: Start some trouble. Shae and Edgar will support you.
The timestamp showed it came right after he had contacted the company to register as a League trainer, around the time the Hammerlocke police had caused a stir. He had been too focused on what was happening outside the center to notice the message on his device.
After all, Shiro's only goal back there was to protect Gareth, who was being treated inside, and to keep himself safe in that tight situation. He had to stay sharp and alert.
Shiro put away his communicator, feeling glad he didn't follow Rose's instructions. He had even been extra careful not to let Corviknight injure anyone.
If all he did was break in and take over the Pokémon Center, the worst case would just be rumors going around of Macro Cosmos being too aggressive. But if someone had gotten hurt, people with bad intentions could twist the story and claim the company had sent Pokémon into the city to deliberately attack civilians.
Once that had happened, even if Macro Cosmos ended up taking control of Hammerlocke by force, Shiro would be the one blamed for sparking the conflict, with Rose using him as a scapegoat.
He might've even been banned from continuing his Gym Challenge.
These thoughts weighed on Shiro's mind. He didn't care much whether Raihan gave him a gift or not.
The mission had been completed successfully.
He had shown enough strength, and had only broken into the city to save someone who was badly injured. As long as nobody was harmed, the company's PR team would have no problem managing the story.
Luckily, the Dragon Tamer family had played along. That battle Rylan mentioned was most likely an excuse to stall time. Make it seem to Edgar and Shae like he was being messed with... but then release him unharmed, so there's no reason to cause trouble.
Shiro felt a bit relieved. Raihan definitely had Elite-level Pokémon, but he only gave his cousin a single Gym-level Duraludon. That was probably just to test his strength.
Now, it didn't matter anymore. Everything was over.
The Gym Challenge and the Champion Cup were the real things to focus on.
"What are you thinking about? Did Raihan give you a prize or not?" Edgar waved a hand in front of Shiro and asked again.
He gave a helpless smile and replied, "They said if I lost, they'd spread the word that I got beaten by a no-name trainer. If I won, I could take Gareth with me. I thought they were trying to pick a fight. Turns out I got played."
"Oh?" Edgar chuckled, clearly not buying it. Based on what he knew about Shiro, he was sure the kid had made some kind of deal with Raihan behind the scenes to keep things calm. Whether there was a reward or not didn't really matter.
It was the Dragon Tamer family's cooperation afterward that convinced Edgar of their real intention.
"Nothing we can do now..." Shiro rubbed the back of his head.
Although Edgar and Shae had complained earlier about him not starting a fight, he had a feeling neither of them really wanted one either.
If conflict had been unavoidable, he didn't believe Edgar would've just sat there doing nothing. The fact that the three of them had managed to sleep in the Pokémon Center for so long without being disturbed said it all.
Rose had already given them orders, but in the end, it was unspoken—they had agreed not to fight.
They were just working for Macro Cosmos. Why put their lives on the line fighting a few Elite-level dragons to the death? Better to nap in peace.
"Corv! Corv!"
As he thought about it, nine Corviknight flew in from the distance and landed steadily on the grass.
The B5 members carrying Gareth moved ahead with the captain, followed by the rest of the squad.
This time, the birds were equipped with extra-large passenger pods, each one able to seat ten people.
The more than twenty squad members filled them up in scattered groups, leaving three Corviknights still empty. Those were for Shiro, Edgar, and Shae.
After he boarded the Flying Taxi, Shiro's mind felt noticeably lighter. A calm peace washed over him.
No matter what kind of conflict or power struggle there was between Rose and the various gyms, it had little to do with him. Right now, his focus was on the Gym Challenge, and finding a chance to slip into Spikemuth along the way.
That grudge had been festering for months. It was long overdue.
* * *
Wyndon. Top floor of the Macro Cosmos headquarters.
With his hands in his pockets, Rose slowly stepped out of his office. The strands of hair drooping over his forehead swayed slightly as he moved.
"Chairman Rose, the report says the mission is basically complete, except..." Oleana, walking beside him, trailed off mid-sentence as she flipped through the file in her hand, then offered it to him.
But the man didn't even glance at it. He walked straight into the elevator and said calmly, "There wasn't any intense conflict between the two sides, was there?"
Oleana nodded. "That's right."
A faint smile tugged at Rose's lips, and the short beard circling his mouth lifted with it. He waved his hand lightly. "Looks like the Dragon Tamer family intends to compete fairly through the Champion Cup. Go take care of the public opinion side. Hammerlocke should cooperate."
"Yes." Oleana gave a simple nod and stepped out of the elevator, pressing the button for the first floor on her way out.
Moments later, Rose arrived at the lobby. The staff behind the counters on both sides straightened up as soon as they saw him, pretending to be absorbed in work, their eyes locked forward.
But Rose didn't stop. He made his way to a small door on the left side of the hall, pressed a switch, and entered through the dark glass doors.
It was a private elevator.
He pressed the button for the third basement level.
* * *
Two hours later.
Nine Corviknight landed one after another in front of the Macro Cosmos building, gently setting down their transport pods before hopping aside to groom their feathers with their beaks.
Members of the B5 unit quickly carried out a steel stretcher, rushing to bring the barely-conscious Gareth into the lobby. Several staff in white uniforms who had been relaxing also sprang into action.
"Is that Captain Gareth from B5? He's that badly injured?"
"Get him to the emergency room!"
"Go, now!"
Five staff members took the stretcher and rushed toward the wide glass doors on the right side of the lobby. As the doors slid open automatically, they disappeared inside.
Seeing this, the B5 members finally let out a sigh of relief. At least their captain had been delivered safely to base.
They chatted casually as they entered the elevator to head to the break room.
Shiro had just stepped out of the transport pod and quietly followed them into the large elevator.
The group, who had been joking and laughing, instantly fell silent the moment he entered. Everyone instinctively stood straight and lined up neatly.
Even though Shiro wasn't technically their superior, he might as well have been.
Some of them were still wondering whether, after the Champion Cup ended, he would choose to become a Gym Leader or lead a team in the company.
Shiro, meanwhile, was already thinking about how to get out of this damned Galar region.
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