Ring...
Far away at the Kanto League headquarters, Goodshow slowly made his way back to his desk. His round, penguin-like body moved at an unhurried pace as he picked up the phone.
"Hello?"
"Chairman Goodshow, this is Blaine. I have an important matter to report..."
The moment the voice came through the receiver, Goodshow's expression turned serious.
He had personally assigned the mission to eliminate the wanted criminals. It was an A-rank operation and was led by Blaine, one of Kanto's current Elite Four.
Of course, just to be safe, Goodshow also took the opportunity to win over the Sinnoh Champion, who had contacted him through Rose's connections, along with a Sinnoh Elite Four member who joined in as well.
With two Elite-level trainers leading the operation and two Sinnoh Elite Four members supporting them, the lineup was more than enough to wipe out a group of wanted criminals.
Among trainers of the same level, those raised by the League could easily fight several independent trainers at once.
Part of the reason was that independent trainers without strong backing usually couldn't raise their Pokémon as well. Even if one of their Pokémon somehow reached Gym-level, poor training conditions often left lasting injuries.
The other reason was even simpler. Exaggerating one's strength had always been a tradition among independent trainers. A quasi-Gym level trainer with only a single Gym-level Pokémon could easily pretend to be an experienced Gym-level trainer.
As for those so-called Elite-level criminals, having two Elite-level Pokémon at the same time was already considered impressive.
On top of that, Bertha had even managed to invite Galar Champion Shiro to join the operation.
According to the latest intelligence, with Mega Evolution, the Galar Champion could command a Champion-level Pokémon. That practically placed him at the level of a quasi-Champion.
With such a luxurious League lineup, why would clearing out a few criminals require a special report?
Goodshow gently stroked his beard, unable to understand.
To him, the hardest part of the operation had never been the battle itself. It was gathering those scattered criminals in one place.
Those greedy cowards were like frightened hyenas. Even as the Chairman of the Pokémon League, he had spent considerable effort luring them together and had even made use of the Hunters Guild's bait.
Based on the original plan, after today, not only would those dangerous criminals disappear, but the Hunters Guild headquarters would vanish as well.
"Chairman Goodshow." Blaine paused for a few seconds before taking a deep breath. "We encountered a Legendary Pokémon at the Hunters Guild."
"Hmm?"
Goodshow's body stiffened. He accidentally pulled out a few strands of his white beard as he stood up.
A Legendary Pokémon?
To truly deserve that title, it wasn't enough to belong to a Legendary species. It also had to possess at least Master-level strength.
Could the Hunters Guild really have a Master-level Legendary Pokémon?
Still, since Blaine had time to call and didn't sound especially anxious, that meant there was no immediate danger.
"What exactly happened?" Goodshow asked.
Blaine carefully explained everything that had happened after entering the Hunters Guild headquarters, leaving out no details.
Standing beside the office window, Goodshow closed his eyes as a gentle breeze drifted in. He quietly sorted through the information.
Articuno?
Moltres?
Moltres had been personally confirmed to be transformed from Unown?
Hunter J?
As for Articuno... and that Hunter W...
"Where was Shiro during all this?" Goodshow asked as soon as he heard that part.
"He stayed with Bertha, Allen, and the others the whole time while they were pursuing the wanted criminals," Blaine answered honestly. "And..."
Only then did he explain what had just happened, including the proposal to remove the Hunters Guild bans in Hoenn, Unova, and Kalos.
"Lift the ban?"
Goodshow showed little reaction at first. Only after Blaine finished explaining the Hunters Guild's full proposal did his expression change.
"They're willing to accept League supervision, follow League policies, and they've even prepared an escape plan if things go wrong?"
"Hahahaha..." Holding his stomach, Goodshow burst into laughter. "Interesting. This is truly interesting. A hunter actually came up with this? He even managed to pressure me into negotiating."
A few moments later, his usual kind smile returned.
"Tell Hunter W that I accept. This is a worthwhile partnership, and I won't go back on my word. Have him release all of you."
He agreed without much hesitation before adding, "Blaine, remember to give him my number. Tell him to contact me afterward."
"Understood."
* * *
"Our chairman agreed."
Blaine switched off the device, turned around, and spoke to the black-cloaked figure behind him.
His expression was slightly complicated, though he wasn't surprised at all.
Forget the chairman. Any League executive with even a little common sense would agree to these terms. It truly was a win-win partnership that benefited the League.
"Good."
Shiro finally relaxed. After taking the number from Blaine, he glanced at it once, memorized it, then slipped it into his pocket.
"Now, hurry and bring them out," Blaine said with a long sigh. The exhaustion on his face was obvious.
He was getting old. His stamina was nowhere near what it had been in his younger days. After staying tense and focused for so long, fatigue had finally caught up with him.
"Alright."
Shiro didn't make any additional demands, such as insisting on seeing the new policy announced before releasing everyone.
Holding the League trainers had only been a way to make sure Blaine delivered the message directly to Chairman Goodshow. It gave the newly rebuilt Hunters Guild a chance to open a conversation with the League.
This had always been about cooperation. It depended on both sides showing sincerity.
If he kept holding them any longer out of suspicion, Goodshow might become dissatisfied. At best, the League would target the Hunters Guild in the future. At worst, Goodshow could simply abandon all negotiations.
After asking Blaine to wait on the street outside, Shiro used his psychic powers and returned alone to the teleportation device.
* * *
Hunters Guild Headquarters, Conference Hall.
"Please... Chairman Goodshow, you have to agree..." Vince clasped his hands together. He looked as though he were about to kneel and beg despite being regions away.
Allen showed little emotion. Sitting beside the table with his eyes closed, he quietly rested.
Bertha glanced at Vince with obvious annoyance before lowering her head and remaining silent. Deep down, she still hated the idea of dragging something as filthy as the Hunters Guild into the open. Just thinking about it made her sick.
When she was young, she and her older sister had witnessed the horrifying treatment of Pokémon in the black market. The memories had stayed with her ever since.
"Pokémon should never be tools to be bought and sold."
Those were the words Goodshow had once told her when she was a child.
But this was no longer something she could oppose through personal feelings. It involved the League's overall interests as well as the safety of five senior League trainers.
Whatever the outcome, all Bertha could do now was accept reality.
On the other side of the hall, the nine newly promoted seated hunters had already begun to relax. While their leader had been present, they had stood in neat formation. Now that he was gone, the orderly ranks had completely fallen apart.
Hunter Y especially had no interest in staying with this group of nobodies. As the only original seated hunter among them, he naturally looked down on the rest.
In the corner, Unown G slowly swept its eyes across everyone in the room.
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