Glacia felt that she was right.
After all, even the famous Elite Four member Drake had done something like this.
Nearly ten years ago, a wild Water-type Pokémon rampage had broken out in Lilycove City. Drake, who was the Champion at the time, had been responsible for handling the incident. However, he had hidden for a full seven hours and only appeared when the Water-type Pokémon had reached the height of their fury and were about to unleash Surf all at once.
Three Elite-level Dragon-type Pokémon had used Draco Meteor together.
The eastern sea off Lilycove City had been blown into a giant fishpond, yet the League ruled that Drake's emergency measures had been entirely justified, even though they violated the laws concerning Pokémon protection.
Glacia did not believe that this was an acceptable way to solve the problem. In her eyes, such actions were no different from those of an evil organization.
"That probably won't happen..."
Officer Jenny had also heard the rumors about Drake's actions. Her confidence in Shiro suddenly dropped considerably, and her expression became complicated.
After all, as long as the problem was resolved, neither an Elite Four member nor a Champion would care much about how many Pokémon had to die.
Especially since this was Hoenn, not Galar.
Even if these wild Pokémon had to be killed to save Lilycove City, it would hardly be considered a problem. And the current situation appeared far more dangerous than the one Drake had faced back then.
"Heh..."
Glacia was about to say something more when she noticed a dark shadow gradually appearing over the sea to the southeast. It looked like some kind of large bird Pokémon.
"Is that him?"
She couldn't help asking herself the question, but her expression quickly changed.
There was a good chance that Shiro had grown impatient with the wait and decided to use force to put an end to everything.
Many people believed that the League's Pokémon protection policies were flawed. After all, if powerful trainers had to kill some wild Pokémon to protect cities and human lives, there was nothing wrong with that.
However, Pokémon also had their own ecosystems. Many species could not reproduce as quickly as humans.
If the Pokémon before them were killed, the waters around Lilycove City might not see another Pokémon for the next ten years. That was an outcome no one wanted.
Freezing them temporarily was the best option.
Thinking of this, Glacia hurriedly called over her Glalie. She hopped onto its back and sat down with her legs together before directing it into the air.
Glalie flew higher and higher, carrying her back over the sea in Shiro's direction.
But Glacia's expression soon froze completely. Her eyes were filled with undisguised shock.
"How is this possible..."
Before her eyes, something unbelievable was happening.
Starting from the southernmost part of the sea east of Lilycove City, the wild Water-type Pokémon below seemed to have suddenly encountered something terrifying along Corviknight's flight path. Their minds appeared to have cleared as they hurriedly retreated into the open sea.
The League trainers stationed along the shore quickly abandoned their blockade and gathered together.
Many residents who had refused to leave their homes and had been waiting to face their fate finally erupted into excited cheers. Even the broadcasts throughout Lilycove City quickly changed their tone and content.
"Dear citizens of Lilycove City! This is the Central Broadcasting Station. The long-awaited Champion has finally flown toward the coast. And in an astonishing turn of events, all the rampaging wild Water-type Pokémon have begun leaving the coastal waters on their own!"
"This is nothing short of a miracle!"
"I've never seen so many Pokémon gather during a rampage, and I've certainly never seen them leave Lilycove City on their own!"
"It's Shiro! As Hoenn's chief professor, he has discovered the cause of these Pokémon rampages and successfully overcome this crisis!"
"After hours of waiting, the moment we've all been hoping for has finally arrived! The trainers of the Hoenn League have never given up hope… Professor Shiro has now reached the central coastline, and more than half of the Water-type Pokémon have already returned to the sea!"
* * *
Inside the Lilycove City Pokémon Center.
The trainers and residents erupted into cheers as they watched the scenes on television and listened to the broadcasts throughout the city.
Even ordinary residents without Pokémon had crowded inside to watch the excitement.
In one corner, a middle-aged man who lived in the eastern district watched the wild Pokémon retreating into the sea. Unable to hold back his emotions, he burst into tears.
"I can finally go home... The house I just bought is safe! My house is safe!"
Several companions beside him shared his relief.
"It's fine. I told you everything would be fine. You have to trust the League, or at least trust Champion Shiro."
"Exactly! Thank goodness Professor Shiro has already saved Lilycove City."
"Luckily, I never bought a house in the eastern district."
Many workers gathered around them, chatting and sharing their complaints about the ordeal.
Meanwhile, several trainers had taken up positions in the middle of the Pokémon Center, angrily denouncing the situation.
"It's all because the Hoenn Elite Four failed to do their jobs! What a terrible region. We actually had to rely on a Champion from Galar to come and help us!"
"That's what happens in the most chaotic region. The Elite Four are a mess, with the new ones being useless and the old ones refusing to leave. There isn't even a proper Champion. They're either forced to step down or end up dead! And we have two evil organizations! Can the higher-ups in Hoenn really escape responsibility?"
At this point, many League trainers were seething with anger.
They had suffered at the hands of Team Aqua and Team Magma for far too long. The two evil organizations openly stole Pokémon, and the League could barely arrest their members, let alone recover the stolen Pokémon.
What made matters worse was that sometimes, after someone had their Water-type Pokémon stolen by Team Aqua, they would run into Team Magma.
Then their Fire-type, Ground-type, and other Pokémon would be stolen as well, leaving them back at square one as beginner trainers overnight.
At the very least, trainers in other regions didn't have to get robbed twice by two different evil organizations, did they?
Some regions didn't even have any evil organizations at all. Take Galar, where Shiro was from. Did it have an evil organization? Did it? Hoenn's trainers had certainly never heard of one.
Regions like Unova and Kalos not only had no evil organizations, but also had environmental groups dedicated to promoting Pokémon protection and specialized teams equipped with advanced technology!
The more they thought about the differences, the more unfair it all seemed. Naturally, they took the opportunity to tear into the Hoenn League.
Throughout Lilycove City, the sound of the broadcasts grew louder as the reports shifted from the city center back toward the coast.
Glacia floated in the air on Glalie's back, staring blankly as Corviknight and Shiro swept past her.
It took her a moment to recover. Looking down at the Pokémon below, she began to feel that something was wrong.
Although the Pokémon had all left the city, they didn't seem to have fully regained their senses. Instead, it was almost as if they were simply following a new command that was forcing them to retreat.
Glacia couldn't figure out what was happening, so she directed Glalie down toward the water to investigate.
At a glance, she noticed a particularly conspicuous Corphish trapped between two Barboach. It was mechanically moving its pincers as it swam.
A chill ran down her spine.
**
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