Inside the group chat, Yellow was the first to speak.
"This Shaymin really likes you."
This time, even those without Yellow's special abilities could clearly see it.
Shaymin was curled up comfortably on Austin Black's lap, sleeping peacefully without the slightest trace of caution. If it did not genuinely trust him, it would never have lowered its guard so completely.
Whitney immediately became emotional.
"The poor little thing is injured, too. So sad.🥹"
Austin glanced down at the sleeping Shaymin.
The tiny Pokémon's breathing was steady, and its body occasionally twitched slightly in its sleep. It had only been with him for a short time, yet it already seemed to regard the Black Crest Jubilife Breeding House as a safe place.
Blue soon joined the conversation.
"Pokémon Hunters are a troublesome group. Not everyone is as weak as Hunter D, so be careful."
The strength of Pokémon Hunters varied tremendously.
The weaker hunters, such as Hunter D, were not even comparable to Gym Leaders.
The strongest, such as Hunter J, possessed strength that rivaled members of the Elite Four.
In Austin's memories, Hunter J had once escaped safely even after confronting Regigigas and its three legendary guardians.
That alone demonstrated how dangerous she had been.
Organizations such as Team Rocket, Team Galactic, and Team Magma were powerful enemies in their own right, but Pokémon Hunters were troublesome for an entirely different reason.
Their greatest strength was not power.
It was for profit.
Pokémon Hunters operated across nearly every region. Only Kanto and Johto had relatively few of them, largely because Team Rocket had long monopolized the underground world there.
Pokémon Hunters required no leader.
They needed no ideology.
They followed no ideals.
Pokédollar alone was enough.
Most hunters entered the trade for profit, and because their interests were scattered across every region, eliminating them had always been difficult.
Lance finally wrote.
"Yes. Pokémon Hunters rarely give up once they've selected a target. Please stay careful."
Besides being Champion of the Johto and Kanto Leagues, Lance also served as the Pokémon League's Chief Investigator.
His understanding of Pokémon Hunters far exceeded that of most Trainers.
Austin wrote back.
"I'll be careful. Thank you for the warning."
Fortunately, he had already installed the Sky Eye surveillance system around the breeding house.
The entire property was now under constant observation.
At least within the breeding house itself, he felt reasonably secure.
The discussion gradually came to an end.
After all, Lance had personally become involved, and Austin himself was far from defenseless.
Even Ethan did not bother saying, "Ask for help if necessary."
In his opinion, it was not needed.
. . .
Police Headquarters, Jubilife City.
10:00 p.m.
The police headquarters, which normally would have been preparing to close for the night, remained brightly illuminated.
Officers moved rapidly through the building.
Phones rang continuously.
Documents were carried back and forth.
The reason was simple.
Lance and Cynthia had arrived.
"What's happening?"
"Two Champions?"
"Weren't they battling on Lily of the Valley Island only three hours ago?"
Three hours earlier, Cynthia and Lance had been fighting an intense battle before thousands of spectators.
Even Steven and Diantha's match had already concluded, with Steven earning the first victory.
Yet somehow, two Champions had already appeared in Jubilife City.
Inside his office, Chief Zorro was still working overtime.
Several officers had compiled records of Pokémon Hunter activity from recent years, and he was personally reviewing every report.
The office door remained open.
A knock suddenly sounded.
Without looking up, Zorro continued reading.
"Didn't I say not to disturb me unless it's important?"
Officer Jenny hesitated.
"Um... the two Champions have arrived."
"...?"
Zorro immediately raised his head.
Adjusting his glasses, he finally confirmed the two people standing in his doorway.
Lance.
Cynthia.
Lance smiled warmly.
"Chief Zorro working this late, I see? You're diligent as ever."
Zorro immediately stood up.
He quickly straightened his brown suit and unconsciously checked whether his appearance was appropriate.
"Aren't both of you doing the same? Please, have a seat."
After sitting down, Zorro learned that the two Champions had come specifically because of the Pokémon Hunter incident.
He spoke somewhat apologetically.
"I didn't expect this matter to reach both of you. I hope reporting it to the League wasn't making too much of it."
After all, these two were not merely Champions.
Lance was the League's Chief Investigator.
Every investigator ultimately reported to him.
He was effectively their direct superior.
Cynthia, meanwhile, was a Special Investigator.
Special Investigators rarely participated in ordinary investigations. Their duties usually involved incidents connected to Legendary Pokémon.
Both Cynthia and Steven held that position.
Lance laughed.
"It's not that serious. I happened to be on Lily of the Valley Island, so I decided to take the case personally."
As Chief Investigator, Lance could easily coordinate everything remotely.
But he had always preferred working in the field.
Cynthia nodded.
"Chief Zorro handled this very well. Pokémon Hunters are a problem that needs to be dealt with quickly."
Lance glanced at the numerous documents spread across the desk.
"You seemed very focused earlier. What were you studying?"
"Please give me a moment."
Zorro walked back to his desk and gathered two thick files.
He handed one to Lance and the other to Cynthia.
"These are reports involving Pokémon Hunters over the past several years. I've been organizing their appearance times and locations."
He paused briefly.
"This is only part of the information I've compiled."
Lance nodded and began reading.
As he flipped through the pages, the smile gradually disappeared from his face.
Because the records showed something troubling.
The recent movements of Pokémon Hunters around Sinnoh appeared far too concentrated to be a coincidence.
"Mt. Coronet... Eterna Forest... the Celestic Town ruins..."
He looked up at Chief Zorro.
"This is an extremely detailed summary."
Every location marked in the reports shared one common characteristic.
They all possessed either historical significance, unusual energy fluctuations, or records connected to rare Pokémon.
Many of them were also places where Legendary Pokémon had once appeared.
Lance closed the file and asked,
"Chief Zorro, what conclusions have you reached regarding this Pokémon Hunter operation?"
Zorro adjusted his glasses and smiled modestly.
"I wouldn't dare call them conclusions, but I do have some thoughts."
He organized his words before continuing.
"Pokémon Hunters generally operate in two ways."
"The first is accepting commissions. Wealthy collectors or private buyers pay large sums to acquire rare Pokémon. They also accept assignments on the black market."
"The second is independent action. Those cases usually involve Legendary Pokémon or Pokémon connected to ancient myths."
He paused briefly.
"Shaymin is certainly extremely rare. However, based on the locations where hunters have appeared in recent years, I don't believe this was an independent operation."
He pointed to several locations on the map.
"It appears more likely that someone commissioned the capture."
"The real key to resolving this incident is not simply arresting the hunters. It's identifying the buyer and disrupting the transaction."
For years, investigators, Interpol, and Pokémon Rangers had fought against Pokémon Hunters.
Their efforts had not been meaningless.
Several hunters had been arrested.
Some collectors who purchased illegally obtained Pokémon had also been brought to justice.
Lance slowly nodded.
"Excellent analysis."
He placed the report on the desk.
"I've learned quite a bit from your investigation."
Meanwhile, Cynthia remained silent.
She rested her chin against one hand, quietly studying the information.
Her eyes repeatedly returned to the marked locations on the map.
Seeing that she had yet to speak, Lance asked another question.
"What preparations have you already made?"
Zorro was clearly prepared for that question.
"We've increased patrols, strengthened police presence near the Black Crest Jubilife Breeding House, and we've begun discussing the construction of a permanent police station nearby."
Lance's expression immediately changed.
"I don't think that's a good idea."
Zorro blinked.
Lance explained calmly.
"If you openly establish a permanent station there, you're effectively announcing to every Pokémon Hunter that Shaymin is currently staying at the Breeding House."
"It also alerts the people behind this operation."
Zorro's eyes widened.
"I overlooked that."
Fortunately, the proposal had only been discussed internally that day.
Applications still needed approval, personnel assignments had not been finalized, and construction could not begin before tomorrow at the earliest.
Lance smiled slightly.
"The solution is a disguise."
As the League's Chief Investigator, Lance possessed extensive experience in undercover work.
In his earlier years, he had even infiltrated criminal organizations while disguised as members of Team Rocket and Team Magma.
"The number of officers should absolutely increase."
"But they cannot appear as police."
"No visible station. No obvious security measures."
He continued.
"We also need to hold a press conference as quickly as possible."
"The public should be informed that the captured hunters have already been arrested."
Zorro immediately understood.
A false sense of security.
If the people behind the operation believed their hunters had failed and the authorities had relaxed their guard, they might make another move.
Zorro nodded.
"The preparations are already underway. The press conference will take place tomorrow."
Lance gave an approving nod before turning toward Cynthia.
She had spoken very little during the meeting.
"Any other thoughts?"
Cynthia slowly shook her head.
"No."
She glanced at the map one last time.
"Let's proceed with your plan."
Lance stood from his chair.
"Good."
He closed the file and placed it back on the desk.
"The next thing we need to do is visit Austin."
A faint smile appeared on Cynthia's face.
"And meet Shaymin."
. . .
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