"Actually..."
Shiro hesitated for a moment, but still explained the general situation from before.
"I'm from Spikemuth in Galar. My parents died early... While in the Wild Area, I accidentally joined Macro Cosmos. In the end, to break free from them and also to attend the research summit, I planned my escape and finally managed to leave during the Galar Champion Cup."
Everything he said was true, though he deliberately glossed over certain parts, such as the Rusted Sword and Shield, the Unown, Mesprit, and even his final victory.
While Sinnoh seemed far more orderly than Galar, and both Rowan and Carolina appeared trustworthy, Shiro had not fully placed his trust in them, especially Carolina. After all, how long had they even known each other? It was impossible for him to lay everything bare.
After listening, a trace of sympathy appeared in Carolina's eyes. "That must have been very difficult..."
Living in a chaotic place like Spikemuth was no better than the slums in certain parts of Sinnoh. Just when he had gained his freedom, he was taken in by Macro Cosmos and forced to work for them, all while trying to conduct research without proper conditions…
"Shiro truly is a genius!"
Rowan could not help but sigh in admiration.
He had originally assumed Shiro was the head of some laboratory within Macro Cosmos or the League, already a somewhat renowned researcher in Galar, but he had never expected him to be a combatant, a trainer.
At the very least, Rowan knew he could never achieve what Shiro had. No matter if it was luck or talent, the gap between them was immense.
Whether it was sympathy or praise, Shiro shamelessly accepted it all and continued, "But I still can't be certain whether the Sinnoh Chairman can contact Galar..."
More importantly, he couldn't be sure if the company would expose him because of this. Previously, Rose had not issued any announcement, which could be explained by their inability to capture him and their desire to preserve the Galar branding associated with him.
But now, the opportunity was perfect.
As long as the company coordinated with a few high-ranking figures in Sinnoh to define him as a wanted criminal, the names Shiro and Corviknight would be completely ruined. Even if he fled to Kanto and changed his identity, he would have to change everything from top to bottom.
Shiro could not predict Rose's intentions. Yet this concerned both his identity and the safety of the Rowan Research Institute, so the meeting tomorrow was unavoidable. He had finally come this far and even planned his future. He refused to go back to a life of constant escape.
It was all that damn Agatha.
Shiro was furious. Originally, it was six hundred million in total, with three hundred million demanded from Sinnoh, yet Agatha had somehow twisted it into two billion.
Wasn't that clearly forcing the Sinnoh leadership into a desperate corner?
Could this be a setup by Agatha? A test to verify his identity, perhaps for taking him in as a student or for the Indigo Plateau Conference later?
What should have been a small matter had been escalated into this mess by her. It was absolutely outrageous.
Seeing Shiro's darkened expression, Carolina thought something else was wrong and asked, "They said you stole some valuable Pokémon and items?"
"Well..."
Shiro hesitated briefly before replying vaguely, "Since I needed to do research and lacked resources, I didn't really have a choice."
"Oh!"
Carolina immediately figured out. It was likely nothing more than ordinary Pokémon and items, but given the nature of Galar's local forces, they would exaggerate the value to worsen Shiro's charges.
"I see." Carolina nodded slowly, now having a clearer understanding.
Rowan also no longer had any doubts. Although he had initially harbored some suspicion about Shiro's identity, he had chosen not to probe. Everyone had their own secrets, and… both the research community and the Rowan Research Institute needed Shiro.
Now that things had been clarified, Rowan felt completely at ease. After discussing for a while longer, they soon set off for the Sinnoh League.
* * *
The next day.
Early morning.
After traveling overnight, the express train departing from Jubilife City arrived in the northern part of the Sinnoh region, at the end of Mt. Coronet.
Not far ahead stood the Sinnoh League, built atop the mountain. Looking up from below, one could see the towering platinum-colored structures faintly visible through the white mist.
"If you challenge the Sinnoh League through the normal process, you'd start from the foot of the mountain, pass through Victory Road, and defeat the Elite Four and the Champion along the way to reach the summit and become the new Champion..."
Seated in the train, Cynthia gazed out through the glass as she spoke softly.
Shiro nodded beside her. This system ensured that the strength of the Champion and the Elite Four would continue to rise. However, the issue was that sometimes, becoming part of the Elite Four or even the Champion did not require going through this process.
"The current Elite Four... aside from Bertha, all inherited their positions after meeting the basic strength requirements."
Rowan shook his head with a bitter smile from the front.
Shiro leaned forward slightly, puzzled. "Inheritance? Like passing from father to son? Doesn't anyone challenge Victory Road? If someone defeats even one Elite Four member, shouldn't they be able to take that position?"
Carolina explained, "It is inheritance, but not familial. When a previous Elite Four member or Champion retires due to age, if no young challenger steps forward, the position is passed to a reserve Elite Four member. The Champion is then decided internally among those reserves."
"Oh~" Shiro understood.
These reserve Elite Four members had likely been waiting for years, and once they filled the positions, with the League Chairman facilitating things, they would naturally become closely aligned.
"Then what about the younger trainers of Sinnoh?"
"They've all gone to Kanto!"
Rowan tugged at his white beard as he spoke.
"Kanto is the main League. It has the largest territory and is the center of the research world. Naturally, its trainers are top-tier as well. There are even rumors that people would rather place in the top four or top eight at the Indigo Plateau Conference than become a tournament champion in other regions."
"That's..." Shiro was speechless.
Was it that absurd? A tournament champion was still a champion. Surely that sounded better than top four or top eight?
"A tournament champion only gains some recognition. They're still young trainers, just with great potential. It doesn't mean they immediately become Elite Four or Champion..."
Rowan continued, "Most tournament champions are around the quasi-Gym level. True Gym-level trainers are usually invited by major factions. They're older, and they neither have the time nor the interest to participate in such competitions. People would just accuse them of bullying the younger generation."
"And Kanto has the highest number of Gym-level and Elite-level trainers. In fact, even the Kanto Elite Four are quasi-Champion level, comparable to Champions from other regions. For ordinary League trainers, even a bit of guidance from them would be invaluable."
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