The glasses-wearing young man's identity was undoubtedly fake, as he hailed from the Allen Continent. This meant that someone had to vouch for his identity before being selected as a negotiator, and this person likely knew him well.
By finding this individual, they could gather crucial clues about the glasses-wearing youth. Thus, the group of five split up, starting their inquiries on the streets. Meanwhile, Taro directly approached Jilo City's mayor, since the negotiators were chosen by him, ensuring he would have information on the glasses-wearer's true identity.
Time passed swiftly.
Half a day later, the team reconvened on the streets of Jilo City to share their findings.
First, the three high-level Trainers reported some progress, albeit limited. Through neighborhood inquiries, they discovered that the glasses-wearing young man had appeared only a month ago but had minimal interactions with locals in Jilo City.
Kalia also gathered similar leads; mostly consistent with what the other Trainers found. The glasses-wearing young man arrived in Jilo City a month prior and had made contact with the Gym Leader. His selection by the mayor seemed influenced by connections within the local gym leadership.
Finally, Taro shared the identity information he obtained from the mayor using his authority within the Pokemon League. Although the mayor was unaware of Taro's specific role, he provided the requested data.
The glasses-wearing young man had arrived a month ago, claiming to be a distant relative of a solitary elderly resident and subsequently moved to Jilo City. However, his identity documents contained numerous inconsistencies.
Firstly, there was no mention of his place of origin, nor were the names of his parents listed. Despite these red flags, no one suspected anything due to the Gym Leader's endorsement, leading him to become a candidate for the negotiation team.
The group first visited the home of the solitary elder, but the glasses-wearing young man had already left. It seemed the elder knew the young man wasn't truly his relative; however, out of loneliness, he welcomed the company, even if it was brief.
Unfortunately, everything turned out to be false, as the young man departed without any warning, leaving the elder deeply disheartened.
Due to the swift departure and lack of clues, questioning the elder yielded no useful information.
"Let's go find the Gym Leader," suggested Taro. The young man appeared to have close ties with the Gym Leader, which likely influenced their recommendation. There was a chance that the youth might still be in contact with the Gym Leader.
The Dragon-type Gym Leader was named Sayin, who coincidentally happened to be a fervent admirer of Taro. If Sayin had any relevant information, he would likely share it openly with Taro.
Together, the group entered the Dragon-type gym. Sayin was currently engaged in a battle; once it concluded, they approached him.
Sayin, a long-haired man, stood out as such hairstyles were rare these days, making him somewhat unconventional and even appearing slightly feminine. However, everyone has their own unique preferences.
As a devoted fan of Taro, Sayin recognized him instantly, despite the mask, his eyes widening in surprise.
"T-T... Mr. Taro?"
Noticing the four individuals accompanying Taro, Sayin realized this must not be a casual visit.
"Mr. Taro, is there something specific you need from me?" Concern began to rise within Sayin. With ongoing hostilities between regions, for Taro to seek him out personally indicated a matter of great importance. But what could it possibly be? He couldn't recall doing anything wrong, having stayed peacefully at the gym all this time—except perhaps meeting a promising young individual recently.
"You must know someone called Allen, right?" Taro inquired.
"Yes." Sayin's heart skipped a beat; it seemed his involvement was indeed the reason. Recently, he hadn't done much except meet a young man named Allen. Allen had later requested Sayin to recommend him for the negotiation team, and Sayin agreed.
To Sayin's surprise, Allen was selected as part of the negotiation delegation. However, the negotiations failed, and subsequently, Allen disappeared without a trace.
"How did you get acquainted with him? Has he tried contacting you since then?" Taro continued to inquire.
Recalling their encounter, Sayin responded, "We met about a month ago. At that time, I was alone at the gym when he suddenly appeared, requesting a battle."
"Of course, I didn't agree initially, considering he didn't even have a single badge. However, he displayed remarkable knowledge about Pokemon. Within moments, he identified the weaknesses of my Dragon-type Pokémon, which piqued my interest."
"In the end, we engaged in a battle. His Pokémon were incredibly powerful, and I suffered a devastating defeat. Afterwards, he shared some training insights for Dragon-type Pokémon with me. Seeing his amiable nature, we became friends."
"After recommending him to the mayor, he successfully joined the negotiation team. But once the talks failed, he vanished without further contact. Mr. Taro, now that Ellie failed the negotiations, will he be arrested?"
The failed negotiation was indeed serious, affecting two regions and warranting investigation. If Taro intended to apprehend Allen, Sayin wanted to plead for leniency, aiming to minimize his punishment.
Allen was truly an exceptional Trainer; Sayin estimated his true strength to be comparable to elite high-level Trainers. He possessed unique insights into training Pokemon and had extensive knowledge in the field.
It would be unfortunate if such talent ended up imprisoned without proper consideration.
"It's not that simple, but I can't disclose more details now. If he contacts you, inform us immediately. Do not reveal anything to him; just act normal," Taro instructed cautiously. Despite Sayin being a Gym Leader affiliated with the League, revealing too much about the glasses-wearing young man could have consequences.
"Understood." Sayin nodded, feeling somewhat puzzled. The situation seemed even more complex than he initially thought. Hopefully, Allen would reach out to him soon.
Following this, Taro gathered more information about the glasses-wearing young man, including details about his Pokemon—an essential aspect since combat might ensue later, making it crucial to understand their opponent's capabilities.
Eventually, the group of five left the gym.
While it was likely that the glasses-wearing young man would contact Sayin, given their failed negotiation, he must be aware of potential consequences and thus unlikely to easily reappear among people.
With war already underway between the two regions, their objective has been achieved. Now, they might be preparing to further escalate tensions, intensifying the conflict even more.
"For now, we'll have to wait for an opportunity," Taro said. They could only anticipate the newcomers' next move, as these individuals surely wouldn't pass up any chance to deepen the animosity between the regions.
Once there's any activity, these intruders will inevitably leave traces behind. Although not found yet, gathering more information would eventually lead to capturing them, sooner or later.
Sayin possessed considerable strength, yet the glasses-wearing young man effortlessly defeated him, indicating his formidable power. If all individuals from the Allen Continent possess such capabilities, dealing with them becomes quite challenging.
"Regardless, we must capture them." To halt the war between the regions, compromise is no longer viable, as the Ellie Region holds the initiative; any concession would embolden them further.
Therefore, revealing the presence of the powerful Allen Continent to the Ellie Region seems necessary. Faced with this new, fearsome adversary, the Ellie Region would be compelled to cease hostilities.