Carolina looked at Shiro and slowly shook her head as countless thoughts ran through her mind.
She had still underestimated him. His importance was far greater than she had expected.
Rose had personally appeared as a witness, yet what he proved was Shiro's identity as the Champion of Galar. It seemed there was no need for Chairman Goodshow's help, nor Professor Oak's assistance.
Carolina stayed silent.
"What about you, members of the Sinnoh Elite Four, and the Champion?" Rose casually played with a strand of hair by his temple.
Allen shook his head without speaking, already aware that their plan had completely failed. Fredo hunched over and said nothing. The overweight Sherry trembled, while Vince swallowed nervously as a flattering smile spread across his face. He glanced at Rose, then hesitated, unsure whether to speak.
Shiro remained calm. He understood that Rose would not go to such lengths to help him without a reason.
What was his true goal?
He asked, "Chairman Rose, I still don't quite understand your intentions."
Rose gave a slight nod and replied as if chatting with an old friend, "There is something I need. The day after you left by ship, I had Oleana try to contact you. Unfortunately, your communication device could not be reached."
At this point, he showed a hint of helplessness.
"A few days later, Oleana finally found your device in the sea. That really made things difficult for me."
Shiro rubbed his temples lightly, not expecting things to turn out like this. To avoid being tracked by the company, he had casually thrown his communication device into the sea before leaving. Still, he did not regret it. Even if given another chance, he would do the same.
"So I had no choice but to contact you this way." Rose lifted his chin slightly. "What do you think?"
"I understand." Shiro let out a soft sigh.
Rose smiled and nodded. "You know Oleana's number, right? Just contact her directly."
He agreed.
Rose then looked toward Allen and George at the head of the table and said, "My friends from Sinnoh, I will have someone contact you soon."
With that, the remote communication ended, and the screen went dark.
The calm atmosphere in the meeting room lasted only a moment before it was broken.
"Shiro..."
Rowan called out, his eyes filled with resentment.
Shiro could only give an awkward smile and did not explain further.
Beside him, Carolina breathed a sigh of relief and stood up, pulling her dazed granddaughter along.
Cynthia finally shifted her gaze from Shiro to her grandmother, her face full of confusion as she had clearly not yet recovered.
The sudden flood of information had been overwhelming. A genius researcher had turned out to be a genius trainer and already a Champion. On top of that, he even seemed younger than her.
She had never imagined that the person she had proudly shown off her strength to just yesterday was actually the Champion of a region.
A quasi-Elite level trainer… showing off in front of an actual League Champion. It was too embarrassing.
Her cheeks grew warm, though she quickly calmed down. "I suppose the meeting is over?"
Carolina said as she led her out, "We'll be leaving first."
Shiro also stood up and walked around the table with Rowan, heading toward the door.
Sitting back down, George lowered his head and held his forehead, lost in thought and making no move to stop them. But Vince, seated at the edge, hurried over and reached the door first.
Carolina frowned slightly. "What? Do you want to discuss the southern sea pirates again?"
"No, no..."
Terrified, he bent down and opened the door himself. With an eager gesture, he spoke like a loyal servant, "I'll open it, I'll open it."
Under the shocked gaze of the two female attendants waiting outside, Carolina waved her hand in disgust and left with Cynthia.
As Shiro was about to follow, Vince hurried over again, his face full of flattery. "Mr. Shiro, I was blind and failed to recognize you as the Champion of Galar. Please forgive me..."
He simply nodded and said nothing, walking straight out.
Rowan resisted the urge to spit in the man's face. After stepping outside, he muttered, "Hah, now he's asking for forgiveness..."
He cursed a few more times in his heart. Only after going downstairs did he finally feel a bit better.
Bang!
The meeting room door slammed shut behind them.
Inside, Vince returned to his seat, ignoring the disdainful look from Sherry.
"Can we even believe what he said?" George muttered, his eyes red.
"We have no choice. Whether we believe it or not, we must accept it."
After saying that, Allen stood up to leave, adding one last remark, "I'm going back to sort out the accounts. If Galar contacts us, inform me."
The door opened and closed as he left.
The remaining three Elite Four members were each lost in their own thoughts. Among them, Fredo looked the worst.
He was the true mastermind behind the pirates in the southern sea. If a reckoning came, he would be the first to be thrown out as a scapegoat. There would be no escape.
"How old is that Shiro, to already become the Champion of Galar?" Sherry complained bitterly.
She had only become a reserve Elite Four at thirty, then spent nearly ten years climbing up. Now in her forties, she had just become an official member for a short time, only to face a reckoning so soon. It was too fast.
Compared to Shiro, who looked barely twenty, she felt deeply unbalanced.
With resentment, she guessed, "Maybe that Rose from Galar deliberately created momentum and made him a fake Champion."
Vince chuckled and mocked her, "Who cares what kind of Champion he is? He's still a Champion. What are you?"
"You lowlife!" she snapped in fury. "Haven't you taken money too?"
The two immediately started arguing, turning the large meeting room into something like a marketplace.
"Enough!"
George shouted angrily. "A bunch of useless fools!"
"I don't think that Rose would be kind enough to help us. We're actually in more danger now," Fredo said hoarsely as he analyzed calmly. "I also don't believe Carolina and Rowan came here unprepared. Kanto has likely already received the information."
"You bald fool, weren't you the one who suggested going after Rowan and Shiro in the first place? And now you're talking nonsense?" Sherry cut in sharply.
George ignored her and asked directly, "Fredo, what do you think we should do?"
"Goodshow has already set his sights on us. If not this two billion, then next time it will be three or four billion..."
Fredo paused, then added, "First, we gather the money and cover the two billion. Then we retreat in order to advance."
"What do you mean?" Vince showed interest.
Fredo explained, "The Kanto League is powerful, and Goodshow himself is unfathomable. If not for Team Rocket holding things back, he would have personally come long ago to investigate."
"Now that he's freed up his hands, sending someone like Agatha earlier was already preparation. But Sinnoh lacks new talent. There are only two reserve Elite Four. We can collectively resign."
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