"Hmph!"
Carolina let out a cold snort and said nothing.
Rowan also forced down his anger. He knew very well that the other man was referring to Shiro, but although Shiro had fled from Galar, there had been no official notice from Galar at all. On what basis could they call him a wanted criminal?
It was slander. Pure, forced slander.
"Our Rowan Research Institute has not embezzled a single penny of League research funds, and there is no wanted criminal in our lab!"
Rowan spoke decisively, his tone firm and unyielding. There was no way he would admit to such baseless accusations.
"Professor, you wouldn't want your laboratory to be shut down for investigation, would you?" George showed no concern at all, clearly confident of victory. "Also, the research summit you've been looking forward to is about to begin, isn't it?"
Rowan's expression froze.
He had never expected the Chairman of the Sinnoh League to be so despicable. Not only was he shouting about fabricated accusations, he was even using the research summit to threaten him directly.
Rowan's face shifted through a storm of emotions. After a long moment, he finally spoke again, "George, how much do you want?"
"Hehe..." George chuckled lightly.
"Two billion Pokédollars."
"Where would I get that kind of money?!" Rowan nearly jumped up and shouted. "Even if you sold the entire laboratory, it wouldn't be worth that much!"
"Hmph!" George showed no mercy. "That's the number demanded by Kanto. Either you pay, or the Rowan Research Institute will be dissolved!"
"Impossible!"
Rowan burst into curses.
"You beasts are worse than Houndour! George, I—"
Carolina grabbed Rowan's lab coat and snatched the phone from him.
"Hello, Chairman of Sinnoh League, is it?"
"Professor Carolina, what can I do for you?" George's tone was unusually relaxed.
Carolina answered coldly, "I know your goal is to resolve the amount Kanto is demanding. But those pirates were your people, and you're trying to pin something like this on the Rowan Research Institute?"
George straightened in his seat and retorted, "Don't throw around false accusations. How would we know any pirates? It's simply that a wanted criminal is hiding in your laboratory… I've heard he killed quite a few people in the Triangle Sea!"
"Just a few pirates, and under your silent approval they've become law-abiding citizens?" Carolina dragged out his words in mockery.
"Hehe..." George did not respond directly and instead changed the subject. "I've also heard that this Shiro stole several very valuable Pokémon in Galar, along with two precious ancient artifacts..."
Carolina's brows tightened as she looked toward Rowan. Rowan was equally confused and shook his head.
"There has been no official notice from Galar," Carolina replied.
"It's only been a few days. Perhaps there will be soon," George pressed on. "As long as you find a way to resolve the two billion Kanto is demanding, naturally there will be no notice from Galar, and the Rowan Research Institute will remain safe."
"I don't believe Shiro is that kind of person!" Rowan snatched the phone back and shouted again. "George, I'm telling you, if you want to investigate, then come! I've endured humiliation in the research world for over twenty years. Do you really think I'm a doormat?"
"…"
The other side of the line fell silent, clearly not expecting Rowan to be so unyielding.
In truth, it wasn't just stubbornness. Rowan simply couldn't produce the money, nor could he solve the problem of those two billion.
Two billion Pokédollars. Anyone could tell this was the main League deliberately making things difficult for the Sinnoh officials. No matter how foolish Rowan might be, he wouldn't go against the main League. More importantly, his safety and that of his laboratory had little to do with those people in Sinnoh. What truly mattered was the main League.
If that side remained stable, and his relationship with Professor Oak stayed intact, then even if the laboratory were investigated for a time, it could recover quickly. The consequence would be that his name would be stained, and he might never rise again in the research world.
But at this point, that no longer mattered. Protecting Shiro and relying on the main League to deal with those scoundrels in the Sinnoh upper ranks was enough.
A sense of mutual destruction seemed to spread through the call.
"Whether there's a problem or not, we can discuss it face to face."
At this moment, George instead became calm and unhurried. "Professor Rowan, we'll be waiting at the League. Bring that Galar 'Dr.' with you. Tomorrow morning. If he doesn't show up, news of your laboratory's embezzlement and harboring a wanted criminal will spread across Sinnoh within a day."
Buzzt!
Without waiting for a reply, George hung up.
"This is going too far!"
Rowan almost smashed the communication device in his hand.
In the end, it all came down to his low standing in the research world. Twenty years without results had hurt him too much. Anyone who didn't know him, after hearing such conspiracy theories about embezzling research funds, would inevitably grow suspicious.
A professor. Twenty years. No results to show.
How could that sound reasonable? Wouldn't people assume he had been misusing funds for personal indulgence instead?
"Rowan, take a moment to calm down."
Carolina's expression remained calm. After taking the phone, she said, "Let's call Cynthia and Shiro back first."
* * *
"Something urgent?"
Walking along the streets of Jubilife City, Shiro had two Piplup on his shoulders and bit into a popsicle as he spoke vaguely, "Okay, okay, Professor Carolina, I understand."
He then hung up, bit off the rest of the popsicle, swallowed it, and tossed the stick into a nearby trash can before pulling Cynthia toward the parking area.
"Piiiplup!"
"Piplup, piplup!"
The two Piplup, transformed from Unown A and Unown G, stared wide-eyed, their gazes fixed on a nearby puff pastry shop. Their round blue heads kept turning back reluctantly.
Unfortunately, the shop grew farther and farther away.
"What happened?" Cynthia asked quickly.
When they reached the parking area and got into the car, the two Piplup disappeared as well. From the passenger seat, Shiro gave a brief explanation.
Once he finished, Cynthia said nothing more. As soon as they hit the road, she accelerated immediately.
If they had to reach the Sinnoh League by tomorrow, they needed to leave by noon today. Time was tight.
* * *
The off-road vehicle soon returned to Rowan Research Institute.
Rei greeted Shiro and Cynthia and led them into the room where Rowan and Carolina were waiting.
"This is likely a spur-of-the-moment extortion attempt," Shiro said as he sat on the sofa with a frown. "They've probably already started making moves behind the scenes. Tomorrow, they'll likely reveal everything. Threats combined with negotiation."
"Ah…"
Rowan sighed dejectedly. Thinking back on his years of frustration, he had only just begun to see hope, and now it was about to be crushed again.
Cynthia stayed silent, while Carolina looked straight at Shiro and asked, "Shiro, to be honest, I've been wondering about something."
She paused briefly. "You know what I'm going to ask. Shiro, you need to explain clearly what happened in Galar."
**
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