The moment Rose's voice fell, Sherry and Fredo, sitting on either side of the screen, were thrown into visible panic.
Sherry's greasy, bloated face could no longer hide her disbelief, while Fredo's old face looked as if he had just seen a ghost.
What was Rose even saying?
Calling them fools did not matter, but what was this about the Galar Champion? Who was the Galar Champion? That wanted researcher?
Impossible!
Bang!
George could not hold back any longer. He shot to his feet, his brows raised sharply as he slammed the table.
"Rose! What exactly are you talking about?!"
He was not only furious that Rose had gone off-script, but also enraged by the blatant contempt in his tone. George himself was the Chairman of the Sinnoh League, yet he was being looked down upon by the Chairman of a closed-off region like Galar.
On the screen, Rose glanced at him with clear disdain and ignored him completely. He continued calmly, "Shiro, a native of Spikemuth in Galar, a well-known genius trainer and researcher. Half a month ago, after completing the Gym Challenge, he fought his way into the finals of the Galar Champion Cup and defeated Leon to become the new Champion of Galar..."
He paused slightly, then asked, "I didn't get anything wrong, did I?"
Shiro frowned deeply and said nothing, confusion surging in his mind. What was Rose trying to do? What was his goal?
And from a public standpoint, wasn't Leon still the Champion of Galar? Since he had left, Macro Cosmos should have used some method to let Leon take his place. Why was Rose suddenly acknowledging his title?
"Chairman Rose!"
Fredo hunched forward, his voice hoarse. "You took the advance payment! You agreed to testify for us!"
"Hm?" Rose cast him a casual glance, dragging out his tone. "I am testifying. Everything I said is true. Is there a problem?"
"Chairman Rose!"
The fat man, Vince, rubbed his hands and stood up with a forced smile. "Did you perhaps remember something incorrectly? This doesn't seem quite right. Weren't we discussing a wanted criminal, not some Galar Champion?"
"Weren't we discussing Shiro's identity?"
Rose raised an eyebrow, feigning confusion. With the massive screen towering over them, his face seemed to look down upon everyone, his contempt unmistakable.
Bang!
Another loud slam echoed through the meeting room.
Ignored once again, George roared, "Rose, stop playing dumb! What nonsense Champion are you talking about? This wanted criminal? Isn't he your Galar fugitive? Huh?"
"Is that so?" Rose glanced at the time on his wristwatch, then said playfully, "Has Galar issued any such notice?"
"This is going too far!"
At some point, Sherry had already stormed up to the screen. Her thick finger, adorned with a bracelet-like ring, pointed straight at Rose as she cursed loudly. "You've lost all shame! We already gave you the information! I'll send the transaction records to the main League right now!"
"Oh?" Rose seemed intrigued as he looked at her as if observing livestock. "Then you'd better hurry. Let's see how Goodshow handles it."
Before Sherry could react, she was forcefully pulled away by Vince.
It took him quite some effort to explain things to her. Those Sinnoh materials were merely a down payment and were never worth much to begin with. They had already intended to give them away. Even if the transaction records proved that Rose had accepted something, it was still them who had provided it. Before Rose could be implicated, they would have exposed themselves first.
Sherry's face turned pale after hearing this, and she did not dare to speak again.
Watching from the side, Shiro had already grasped the situation. Rose had taken their payment and agreed to help, only to help them fail spectacularly. He clearly never took these Sinnoh officials seriously.
"Heh..." Rose shook his head lightly, completely unconcerned.
"Chairman Rose!" Fredo stood up, his expression dark. "The Galar League's reach has its limits. Since you value this boy so much, even if you interfere, the four of us can still build a case against him in Sinnoh..."
Spread the rumors wide enough, and even if cleared later, the stain would remain.
At those words, Rose's gaze suddenly sharpened, and his calm voice carried a chilling edge. "Fredo, I am well aware of what you've been doing in the southern seas of Sinnoh and the northern seas of Galar. If you want to stay alive during the coming Kanto reckoning, sit down quietly."
Fredo felt as if he had been struck by a heavy blow, as though a massive bell had crashed down inside his chest.
Knowing about the pirates in southern Sinnoh was one thing, but this man knew about his arrangements in northern Galar as well, and even about the coming reckoning in Kanto?
Goodshow... did he know how to deal with Goodshow?
Fredo stood there in shock. His body trembled as he slowly, almost involuntarily, sat back down.
By now, everything was already set in motion. Listening to Rose might still leave a sliver of hope.
The meeting room fell into complete silence.
Rose turned his gaze back to Shiro, his smile gradually returning. "Shiro, Champion of Galar. After claiming the title, in pursuit of greater strength, he left Galar the very same day to travel and train. At present, the runner-up, Leon, is acting as interim Champion."
After speaking, he narrowed his eyes and swept his gaze across the entire room. "Does anyone still have any questions about Shiro's identity?"
The room felt frozen. No one responded.
George and Allen remained silent, deep in thought, while the three Elite Four members sat speechless, not daring to make a sound.
Beside Shiro, Rowan had yet to recover. His entire body shook as if he had been struck by a Confuse Ray.
"Th-this..."
He raised a shaking finger, his lips stumbling over his words. "No, this... this..."
Rose shifted his gaze toward him. "Professor Rowan, do you have any questions?"
For a long moment, Rowan could not form a complete sentence.
From the very first word Rose spoke, he had felt as though his entire understanding of the world had been overturned. His worldview was collapsing and rebuilding at the same time, and his brain felt like it was burning.
Shiro was not just a researcher. His main identity was a trainer, a famous genius in Galar. Then he was the Champion of Galar. And after casually publishing a few research papers, he had...
Ah!
Rowan almost wanted to grab his head and slam it against the table. Everything Shiro had said before was actually true. He really was the Champion of Galar.
Why hadn't Shiro said it earlier... no, he had said it. Rowan simply had not believed him.
His emotions surged wildly before suddenly settling into calm.
So nothing was wrong after all. Then everything was fine.
Rowan lowered his trembling hand. "No, I don't have any questions."
Rose then turned his gaze toward Carolina.
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