Sanzhi asked with a dark expression, "What do you mean by that?"
"Did you abandon him?"
Hiraoka replied expressionlessly, "I didn't abandon him. It was too dangerous at the time. I was lucky enough to escape myself; I didn't have the ability to save him."
"You guys are truly useless," Ogura mocked. "You couldn't even handle a simple task, and you let a huge group of our people get captured by the police."
"Our losses this time are far too great."
"You two better think long and hard about how to face the boss's wrath. I'm just as unlucky as you."
"Maybe Celeste and I will get scolded too," Ogura added.
Celeste frowned and said, "The most important thing right now is to transport the White iron ore remaining in the warehouse."
"We'll explain the situation to the boss in a moment and request further instructions."
"Furthermore, we need to move the White iron ore before those guys from the League find the warehouse," Celeste added.
An hour later, the plane landed in a clearing. It was deep within the forest, a place where it was hard to imagine a warehouse would exist.
The warehouse was built into a mountain, with a two-story building standing outside it.
Hiraoka and the other three walked into the building with practiced ease. Inside, many Team Rocket members were busy packing up.
They took what they could and destroyed what they couldn't; everyone was rushing in and out.
The sound of cars echoed continuously from outside. In the lobby, a Team Rocket member jogged over to Celeste.
"How much White iron ore is left?" Celeste asked in a decisive tone.
The man replied hastily, "Most of it has been shipped out, but there is still a portion left."
"How much longer until it's all gone?" Celeste asked.
The man hesitated for a moment before saying cautiously, "It will take another hour."
"No, that's too long. We don't have that kind of time," Celeste snapped.
Just then, a voice came through the headset on Celeste's ear: "Ma'am, are you there?"
"What is it?"
"Ma'am, the League's people are heading toward us. They are moving very fast and are expected to reach the warehouse in an hour."
Celeste's expression changed as she turned to Hiraoka and the others. "There's no time. The League is closing in."
The faces of the other three shifted.
"So fast?"
Then, Celeste said to the subordinate, "Order everyone immediately; we must all evacuate within half an hour."
"Understood," the man said before hurrying away.
The four of them walked out to see a line of trucks constantly emerging from the mountain cave.
Then, they drove off into the distance.
The four returned to the plane, and a minute later, the aircraft took off toward the horizon.
Half an hour later, the sound of engines roared as countless dark shadows appeared near the building, blotting out the sky.
Judging by the energy fluctuations radiating from the Pokémon in the sky, their levels were clearly not low.
After英士 returned to the Pokémon Center, the police cars arranged by Officer Jenny arrived, consisting of several patrol cars and a large bus.
Three hours later, the group finally returned to Silver Academy.
A crowd had gathered at the academy gates, and the police cars pulled into the plaza.
The students were stunned as soon as they stepped off the bus; there were so many people. Except for those who had already left for the break, almost everyone else was there.
The Vice Principal stood at the very front. After Director Yanagi stepped down, the Vice Principal said, "I am relieved to see that everyone is safe."
Then, Director Yanagi said to Ying Shi and the others, "You all should go back and rest for a bit."
Ying Shi and the others nodded and headed back. The other teachers did the same, leaving only the Vice Principal, Director Yanagi, Director Fukiishi, and Director Yoshijima to discuss matters together.
Ying Shi and Tetsu walked together back to their dormitory. At the dormitory entrance, Tetsu sighed with lingering fear.
"Ying Shi, this was truly too intense. I've never experienced anything like this," Tetsu remarked.
"Don't dwell on it," Ying Shi comforted him. "It was my first time experiencing something like this too. Anyway, take a good bath and get some sleep; you'll feel better."
"Mhm," Tetsu replied.
After entering his room, Ying Shi took a long bath and lay on his bed. The surroundings were silent.
Lying there, Ying Shi recalled the events of the day. Today, he had truly felt the power of an Elite Four-level Pokémon.
Furthermore, he realized the danger and fear of being caught in the middle of a chaotic battle.
Facing the attacks of the three Team Rocket Captains, they had lacked the strength to resist entirely.
Clenching his fists tightly, Ying Shi thought to himself: I am still too weak. If I had the strength of the Elite Four, this wouldn't have happened. I could have just crushed them all.
Just like Teacher Lin, leading the way with three Pokémon. It was incredibly imposing.
In another room, Tetsu was lying on his bed just like Ying Shi, also reflecting on the day's events.
During the escape, he hadn't really been able to help much. Aside from the Houndoom raised by his family being somewhat useful, he hadn't contributed at all.
Ying Shi had taken out two Gym Leader-level Pokémon all by himself.
He's so strong. He could win even with a level gap of over ten, and his Heracross even held back several Pokémon at once, Tetsu thought.
Compared to him, Tetsu felt he fell far short. For the first time, he truly felt his own weakness.
Elsewhere in a certain dormitory, Sato was not sleeping. He sat at his desk, deep in thought.
Although he hadn't experienced the events inside the cave personally, he had heard from other students that Ying Shi's two Pokémon were exceptionally powerful, even defeating Gym Leader-level opponents.
He didn't doubt the truth of these stories; after all, there were many witnesses. He simply felt a massive amount of pressure.
He knew that if he had been in that position, he might not have been able to defeat a Gym Leader-level Pokémon.
It wasn't just Sato; the others were also in a state of mental disarray. They all came from extraordinary families and had lived comfortable, safe lives since childhood.
They had never experienced such things, and several were still shaken. The shock of this event was simply too great.
In the evening, Ying Shi and Tetsu received a notification that Director Yanagi wanted to see them.
Besides the two of them, the other eight students from their grade were also summoned.
When they arrived at the bottom of the teaching building, they happened to run into Sato. They greeted each other and went up together.
Several people had already arrived at Director Yanagi's office.
Once the three of them entered, the group was complete. Teacher Lin was also present.
Seeing that everyone had arrived, Director Yanagi stood up and said with a smile, "Alright, everyone is here."
"How did everyone rest?"
After speaking, he looked at the group.
"Pretty good, I slept very soundly," one student replied.
"It was okay," said another.
Director Yanagi nodded, seeing that everyone's spirits had mostly recovered. "I'm relieved to see you all looking better."
Then, Director Yanagi's tone became serious as he said, "Alright, I have some things to discuss next. Everyone, please listen closely."