Aaron walked down the street, feeling strangely irritated.
The unease in his chest kept growing, as if something bad was about to happen.
Corestone Group, huh...
He took out his phone, found a number, and dialed it.
Beep… Beep… Beep...
After the call connected, an impatient male voice came from the other end.
"Hello?"
"Who is this?"
"Director Jian. It's Aaron."
Aaron got straight to the point.
The person he called was Jian, director of the Pokémon Police Department in Grit City.
He was also Brutus's cousin, someone Aaron had met during the Harker incident.
At first, Aaron had not known about their connection. Jian had casually mentioned it during their conversation, and only then did Aaron find out.
Grit City was Brutus's territory. Having a relative as director of the local police department was not exactly surprising.
After that, Jian had helped Aaron cut through a lot of official red tape, saving him from a mountain of tedious procedures.
The two of them had exchanged contact information as well.
...
In Grit City, Jian was currently holding a meeting with his subordinates.
Suddenly, his phone rang.
Jian's expression immediately darkened.
"Who the hell is calling me during a meeting?"
"Let me see which idiot it is..."
Everyone else in the conference room immediately perked up.
Jian hated being interrupted during meetings more than anything. Whoever was calling was definitely about to get chewed out.
Jian answered the phone impatiently.
"Hello? Who is this?"
"Director Jian. It's Aaron."
A clear voice came from the other end.
Jian's legs nearly gave out.
THUD!
He almost lost his balance and quickly grabbed the wall, cold sweat forming on his forehead.
His expression changed instantly, and a bright smile appeared on his face.
"A-Aaron!"
"What can I do for you?"
Everyone in the conference room was stunned.
Their boss had switched attitudes way too fast.
...
Aaron spoke calmly into the phone.
"Director Jian, I wanted to ask something."
"Tidefall is under Grit City's jurisdiction, right?"
"Tidefall?"
"Yes, it is."
"Do you need something handled there?"
"Say the word, and I'll make sure it gets done."
Jian hurriedly made his position clear the moment he heard Aaron's question.
"Nothing like that."
"I just want to know more about Corestone."
"Can you tell me what you know?"
Aaron stated his purpose directly.
"Corestone?"
Jian's surprised voice came through the phone.
Aaron immediately caught the change in his tone.
"Director Jian... is there something wrong with them?"
"What a coincidence."
"That's exactly what this meeting is about."
Aaron's gaze sharpened.
"There really is a problem?"
Jian began explaining the situation.
The local Corestone branch belonged to a company from Ransei.
Its headquarters were overseas, and the facility here was only a branch.
The company had moved into town five years ago.
On the surface, it was a high-tech research and development company that produced various energy-saving appliances.
But a month ago, someone saw Corestone personnel transporting a batch of dead Pokémon bodies out of the facility for disposal.
That person immediately reported it to the Pokémon Police.
The Grit City department took the matter seriously and had been secretly investigating them ever since.
However, Corestone had a special status, and without solid evidence, Jian could not launch a formal raid or investigation.
...
After listening to Jian's explanation, Aaron finally had a rough understanding of the situation.
So it was a Ransei company.
And dead Pokémon bodies had been discovered?
Aaron's expression turned colder.
That bad feeling in his chest grew even stronger.
"We've been investigating them for a month," Jian continued.
"At this point, we have a preliminary theory."
"We suspect they're using high-tech appliance manufacturing as a cover."
"But in secret, they may be conducting dangerous experiments on Pokémon."
"The problem is that we still don't have decisive evidence. That puts our department in a difficult position."
"Otherwise, I would've shut that company down already."
Jian clearly had no fondness for that Ransei outfit either. His resentment was obvious in his tone.
Aaron frowned and thought for a moment before saying,
"Director Jian."
"I'm going in."
"I'll find a way to get evidence of their crimes."
"Wait for my update."
After saying that, Aaron hung up.
...
In the conference room of the Grit City Pokémon Police Department—
"Huh!?"
"You're going in!?"
"Aaron!?"
Beep.
Beep.
Beep.
Jian shouted into the phone, but Aaron had already hung up.
His expression changed.
He immediately called Aaron back, only to find that Aaron had already turned off his phone.
"Damn it..."
"According to our intelligence, they have several powerful Pokémon inside."
Jian immediately turned to everyone in the room and shouted,
"Move out! Now!"
"Target: the Corestone facility!"
Aaron absolutely could not be allowed to get hurt.
Determination flashed in Jian's eyes.
"Roger!"