Although Shiro seemed to have casually brought up Blaine just now, only an idiot would believe that he had mentioned him by accident. He was practically saying it outright: Devon Corporation was secretly working with the Cinnabar Research Institute.
Had Blaine actually told Shiro about something like this?
Was Shiro really that influential in the research community? Were his connections really that strong that he could easily earn Blaine's trust? Or had Blaine simply grown old and been tricked into revealing things by a younger man?
Who knew? It no longer mattered.
In just a few seconds, Steven felt as if he had fallen into an icy pit. His calm demeanor vanished completely and his eyes were filled with confusion.
After all, he was only a nineteen-year-old young man.
With his family's interests being held in the other's hands, he was already extremely nervous.
The atmosphere in the room also became tense. It seemed as if a conflict could erupt at any moment. The Metagross floating above the room seemed to sense its trainer's emotions. It couldn't help but activate its Psychic power and reveal a faint outline of its body.
Tap.
Shiro lightly tapped the table and called out in his heart.
'A!'
In an instant, a faint yellow light appeared inside the room. It carried a slight chill and looked like a pale crescent moon.
Only the Metagross floating above them seemed to have seen some indescribably terrifying creature. Its black and red eyes shrank in fear as its body and limbs pulled backward. It looked as though it wanted to squeeze itself into the corner of the room or even into the cracks in the walls.
"Meta! Metagross!"
The Metagross let out two frightened cries before actually taking the initiative to retreat into the Poké Ball at Steven's waist.
At the same time, another layer of faint yellow Psychic power spread throughout every corner of the room.
"Steven, I think we should probably use a different Psychic Pokémon to seal the room."
Shiro's voice remained as calm as ever, as if he were casually chatting with him.
Steven opened his mouth but didn't dare make a sound. He could only nod quietly.
After all, releasing a Gym-level Psychic Pokémon into the room without saying a word was already extremely dangerous. Forget ordinary Gym-level trainers. Even if another veteran Elite-level trainer were sitting here, they would have to take out a Poké Ball and fight back the moment they saw Metagross.
Who would dare conduct business with a Gym-level Pokémon hovering right above their head?
That was extremely rude.
No one would believe that Steven simply did not understand this, or that his background was different and his way of thinking was unlike that of ordinary people. Only Steven himself could explain it that way.
But he had not even been given a chance to explain.
This had actually been an attempt to test Shiro's strength.
Many people had described his strength in almost unbelievable terms. The youngest Champion, the youngest Champion-level trainer, and even the youngest Professor!
Being a genius was one thing, but how could anyone possibly be so well-rounded?
If Shiro had lost his composure and reacted the moment Metagross appeared, it would mean that his strength was not enough to deal with an attack from a Gym-level Pokémon right in front of him.
That would have been a very dangerous signal.
It would mean that he could potentially be taken down through a surprise attack in the wild.
His strength might also be far below the Champion-level.
Even if doing this might offend Shiro, Steven had still released Metagross as usual. Devon Corporation had prepared enough sincerity for this negotiation, along with some suspicions they had developed after conducting a detailed investigation.
Perhaps Shiro was called the Galar Champion, but his relationship with Galar was actually rather distant?
Otherwise, as the Champion of a region, even if he had come here to promote his region and participate in the academic conference, shouldn't he have returned to Galar by now? How could he still be staying in Hoenn and running a research institute?
By all rights, he should have returned to Galar and become a Professor there.
Devon Corporation needed to determine whether this newly appointed Professor of Hoenn would leave the region at any time and whether he could be trusted.
However, everything that happened now was completely beyond their expectations.
Faced with a Gym-level Psychic Pokémon like Metagross, Shiro remained incredibly calm. It was as if the Pokémon didn't even exist. This was a clear sign of absolute confidence in his own strength.
And in reality, that was exactly what had happened.
Before Steven could even understand what was going on or identify what kind of Pokémon it was, Metagross had already admitted defeat on its own.
On top of that, Shiro clearly knew about the secret relationship between Devon Corporation and Cinnabar Island. The vague threat in his words had left Steven completely at his mercy. He could barely breathe.
On the other hand, Cairo gradually calmed down after his initial nervousness.
Seeing Shiro's completely calm expression, Cairo understood that this was nothing more than a way to raise the price.
Whether Devon Corporation had worked with someone else or betrayed the Oak Research Institute, the truth of such things could all be negotiated.
As for Shiro being too powerful?
Once they partnered up, they would all be in the same boat. The stronger he was, the better!
"Professor Shiro..." Cairo's voice was already much more respectful. "Our Devon Corporation can offer any terms as long as they are within our ability."
Shiro no longer bothered to hide his intentions. He spoke slowly, "I want shares in Devon Corporation. At least thirty percent. After that, I can help Devon completely take control of the Hoenn region."
In the future, once Steven became the Champion of Hoenn, Devon Corporation would naturally have the strength to control the region.
But right now, with only the physically weak Mr. Stone and Steven, whose career as a trainer had only just begun and who perhaps possessed Gym-level strength, the company simply couldn't support its current scale. They also had no way to deal with the Oak Research Institute's retaliation and break away from it.
This was a mutually beneficial partnership.
Steven also calmed down. He silently wiped away the cold sweat on his forehead and closed his eyes for a few moments. After thinking it over, he countered, "My father and I don't have that many shares either. We still need to discuss this with all the directors."
"At most, we can give you five percent!"
The Stone father and son owned around sixty percent of Devon Corporation's shares, while the rest were distributed among the various directors. Most of them were influential figures in Hoenn.
In fact, the previous Champion had also been one of the directors, but unfortunately, he had died a tragic death.
Shiro didn't get angry when he heard Steven's drastic counteroffer. Instead, he smiled and raised two fingers. "Twenty percent. I won't go any lower. I believe those directors won't have much of an objection once they know it's me."
As long as they worked with him, Devon Corporation could easily become an enterprise comparable to the Macro Cosmos in Hoenn.
Before long, a new Hunters Guild would also be established in Hoenn. It could completely merge with Devon Corporation.
If Shiro wanted to continue growing stronger, he needed more power. Pokémon, resources, breeding, and even the search for Unown all required the support of a stronger organization. Hoenn under Devon Corporation's control would make a very good base of operations.
Across from him, Steven and Cairo remained silent for a long time.
After discussing it briefly, the two finally agreed.
They simply had no reason to refuse.
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