"We will never betray Lord Alva."
"You idiot, you already exposed it."
Cherie lifted her leg and kicked Levi hard, signaling for him to shut up immediately.
Standing beside Silas, Diantha spoke calmly. "Alva is a councilor of the Azoth Kingdom. He is also one of the main developers behind the Mega Wave."
"What is his goal?"
"It cannot possibly be just ruling the Azoth Kingdom, right?"
Silas casually voiced the guess, but the moment the words left his mouth the expressions of the two prisoners changed drastically.
That reaction was all the confirmation needed.
Silas could not help thinking that these villain truly lacked ambition.
There was no need to interrogate them further. The truth had already revealed itself. Now they only had to wait for the League to send personnel to take over the case, after which they would receive official authorization to directly raid the enemy headquarters.
Fortunately they did not have to wait long.
Several League squads soon arrived, descending from the sky aboard helicopters. Leading them was an old acquaintance.
Siebold.
"Silas!"
Before the helicopter had even fully landed, Siebold was already leaning out the door and waving toward him.
"I just received a message from Lady Drasna saying you needed reinforcements. I volunteered to lead the team here. I did not arrive too late, did I?"
"Not at all," Silas replied with a smile. "Your timing is perfect."
The two had not seen each other for quite a while, so they briefly exchanged greetings.
Then Siebold's attention shifted to the unconscious Pokémon scattered around.
"These Pokémon…"
"They were forced into Mega Evolution through the Mega Wave," Silas explained. "Dragonite knocked them all out. They still have not regained consciousness."
"How despicable…"
Siebold crouched beside the fallen Sharpedo and saw the painful expression frozen on its face. His brows tightened.
Turning around, he immediately called out loudly.
"Nurse Joy! There are injured Pokémon here that need treatment."
"I am coming!"
A Nurse Joy hurried over together with her Chansey, both carrying a large medical case.
The moment she saw the condition of the Pokémon, anger appeared clearly on her usually gentle face.
"Mr. Siebold, Mr. Silas," she said seriously, "Pidgeot and the others are in very poor condition. I can only stabilize them temporarily here. They will need to be transported back for more detailed treatment."
Siebold immediately called over one of the League members and instructed him to escort Nurse Joy for protection.
Before leaving, Nurse Joy gave them a preliminary medical assessment.
This abnormal form of Mega Evolution came at the cost of the Pokémon's lifespan.
Each forced transformation left behind residual energy that continued damaging the Pokémon's bodies.
In contrast, proper Mega Evolution performed through a Key Stone and a Mega Stone used the stones as a stabilizing medium. That method caused no harmful side effects.
Mega Evolution itself was essentially a process in which Pokémon temporarily unlocked the latent power hidden deep within their genes.
The strength of that power varied greatly and was difficult to measure precisely.
However one thing was certain.
The current environment of the world could not fully sustain that power permanently.
Otherwise, during the countless years of evolution, those genes would not have hidden such abilities within themselves.
That was one of the reasons why Mega Evolution could only exist temporarily.
Even the few Pokémon discovered in the wild that could Mega Evolve carried their own corresponding Mega Stones.
Without a stabilizing Key Stone, the energy likely caused them to become extremely aggressive.
After watching Nurse Joy take the fourteen Pokémon away for treatment, Silas accepted the Inspector identification badge that Siebold had brought with him.
With that badge in hand, they were now officially acting on behalf of the Pokémon League.
Their mission was to conduct a full investigation of the Azoth Kingdom.
Dangerous technology like the Mega Wave that harmed Pokémon would end here.
It had to be sealed away before it spread further.
Fortunately, the Mega Wave had not yet been widely adopted.
If the League had discovered the problem only after it became common, the damage and consequences might already have been irreversible.
Compared to Key Stones and Mega Stones, the Mega Wave was far easier to produce and distribute.
Everyone present was an experienced Pokémon Inspector.
They needed almost no direct instructions.
Soon the League forces within the Azoth Kingdom were mobilized.
The royal palace itself was temporarily sealed off.
When the trainers living in the kingdom learned the reason behind the operation, their reactions were furious.
To them, Pokémon were not tools.
They were partners and family.
Power gained by sacrificing a Pokémon's lifespan was something even trainers like Paul, who valued strength above all else, would have despised.
The operation proceeded smoothly without any resistance.
Alva attempted to fight back.
But facing the combined strength of Silas, Diantha, and Siebold, his resistance created no real waves.
The councilor of the kingdom even tried to flee.
However the three quickly caught up to him.
In desperation he released his final trump card.
A shiny Gengar.
Under Alva's control, the pale white Gengar attempted one last desperate struggle.
In response, the three trainers had no choice but to conduct what could only be described as a righteous group beating.
"Kangaskhan Mega Evolve!"
"Gardevoir Mega Evolve!"
"Blastoise Mega Evolve!"
Three Mega Evolved Pokémon surrounded the single white Gengar.
The battle began quickly.
It also ended quickly.
"This should be the source of the Mega Wave, right?"
Silas bent down and casually picked up the cane that had fallen to the ground.
His gaze shifted toward the white Mega Gengar that was currently pinned beneath Blastoise.
"Kang!"
"Blast!"
Silas tossed the cane toward Kangaskhan's feet.
Kangaskhan raised its foot and stomped down heavily.
Crack.
The cane, along with the device generating the Mega Wave, shattered into powder under Kangaskhan's powerful stomp.
The shiny Mega Gengar, which had still been in its Mega Evolved form, immediately showed a pained expression.
The Mega Evolution gradually faded.
Its body shrank back to the size of a normal Gengar, though its condition looked extremely weak.
"No… my greatest invention… I surpassed Nikola…"
Alva began delivering the standard villain speech.
"You all… one day I will…"
"Stop."
Silas interrupted him immediately.
He had no interest in listening to meaningless villain monologues.
Stepping aside slightly, Silas smiled brightly and gestured toward the League officers behind him.
"If you have something to say, save it for when you get to prison. You can talk slowly there. Goodbye."
The captured villain boss was escorted away.
The rest of the cleanup would be handled by the League.
The three of them then turned their attention toward the shiny Gengar.
Its condition was visibly terrible.
"Let us bring it to Nurse Joy," Silas said. "She should have a way to stabilize it."
"Alright."
The three of them rode their Pokémon to the nearest town.
There, the shiny Gengar was handed over to the Nurse Joy staff.
In total, fifteen Pokémon had been affected by the Mega Wave.
Afterward, the three of them did not leave immediately.
Instead they found seats in the resting area of the Pokémon Center.
Silas and Siebold had not seen each other for a long time, and they had plenty to talk about.
"Not bad, Silas," Siebold said while patting his shoulder twice. "You only have one Gym left before completing the circuit."
A strong sense of determination appeared in his eyes.
"In a few days, you should be able to see my Elite Four challenge match on television."
Silas raised the glass of juice in his hand.
"Then allow me to congratulate you in advance, Elite Four Water specialist Siebold."
"Hahaha!"
Siebold quickly looked around nervously.
"Shh. Do not shout it so loudly."
When other people said things like that he did not mind.
But hearing it from a close friend made him feel strangely embarrassed.
He quickly changed the topic.
His eyes examined the two people sitting across from him.
They were sitting unusually close together.
"And you two?"
"Well… it is exactly what you think," Silas said.
Under the table he gently squeezed Diantha's hand.
Normally Diantha appeared confident and strong.
But at this moment she looked shy like a young woman experiencing love.
"Oh?"
Siebold immediately gave Silas a knowing and teasing look.
Seeing Diantha's face gradually turning red, Silas hurriedly shifted the conversation again.
If they continued discussing it, she might completely turn crimson.
"You are not planning to challenge the Champion position?" Silas asked.
"No," Siebold replied with a relaxed smile. "The Champion has too many responsibilities. If I become an Elite Four member instead, I will still have time to improve my cooking."
Then he looked back at Silas.
"What about you? Is your goal the Elite Four or the Champion?"
"The Elite Four," Silas answered honestly. "You know how busy the ranch is."
Siebold then turned toward Diantha.
She was leaning slightly against Silas's shoulder, quietly watching his profile the entire time.
"Diantha, what about you? I remember you already challenged all eight Gyms. Are you not planning to challenge the Champion as well?"
Diantha quickly pulled her gaze away.
But the happiness in the corners of her eyes could not be hidden.
"With Silas around, my path to the Champion will be very difficult."
"That is right," Silas said with a serious expression. "I will not hold back because in Pokémon battles, you must always give your full effort."
"Hiss…"
The moment he finished speaking, Silas suddenly sucked in a breath of cold air.
A small hand had quietly appeared at his waist.
(End of Chapter)