As soon as the broadcast ended, the city fell into chaos.
"Shiro! Shiro..."
Shouts echoed throughout Lilycove City.
The photographers who had received the news were in such a hurry that all they managed to capture was Corviknight's retreating figure. However, many cameramen from Lilycove TV quickly turned their cameras toward the delighted residents and the now peaceful coastline.
Apart from a few people who had missed their chance to catch a Pokémon and were hiding in the alleys, regretting their decisions, the entire city was bustling with activity.
Just as Shiro was about to leave Lilycove City, he glanced back at the trainers following behind him and gave them a casual wave. Then he ordered, "Corviknight, speed up!"
In just a short time, Corviknight doubled its flying speed and left the pursuing trainers far behind. A few minutes later, it disappeared over the horizon, forcing them to stop and turn back.
If they could have caught up, they wouldn't have needed to chase him in the first place.
* * *
Littleroot Town.
Littleroot Town was still bustling with activity today, but it was no longer attracting as much attention as before.
No one wanted to see the faces of those people outside. Every household had tightly shut its doors and windows, yet the residents were still afraid that someone might break in.
Groups of people dressed in dark red robes moved through the streets like strange, devout religious followers. As members of Team Magma, they truly did worship the God of the Land.
A man and a woman wearing similar hoods led the group. Their footsteps were hurried.
"Courtney, we're almost at our destination," Blaise said in a sinister tone.
Courtney gave a slight nod but didn't reply. Instead, she took out a Poké Ball.
Seeing this, every Team Magma member, including Blaise, took out their own Poké Balls. At Courtney's command or even a simple gesture, their Pokémon could immediately surround Birch's laboratory, which was also his home.
The three-story villa before them was relatively tall for Littleroot Town, but it was still just an ordinary residential building. It couldn't compare to a proper professor's laboratory. Those facilities had at least dozens of researchers and hundreds of Pokémon.
Without the slightest hesitation, Courtney threw her Poké Ball.
A flash of red light appeared in midair as a dark purple Weezing emerged. Its two heads, one large and one small, wore foolish grins while yellowish-green smoke poured constantly from its body.
In an instant, flashes of red light appeared one after another as Fire-type and Ground-type Pokémon surrounded Birch's house.
Blaise also released his Magcargo before quietly looking toward Courtney and waiting for her orders.
Although both of them were Team Magma's Three Fires, Courtney clearly held a higher position than him.
Apart from the special favor Maxie showed her, Courtney had also worked as a researcher in the past. She was quite capable and could lead Team Magma in developing various devices.
Given the current situation, Blaise was more than happy to act as her subordinate.
After all, they were surrounding the home of a Pokémon League Professor!
Whether they forced the professor to hand over the Red Orb or simply kidnapped him, the Hoenn League would never let them get away with it.
If things went badly, even the League's headquarters might step in to deal with Team Magma.
Stealing the orb to awaken Groudon was an all-or-nothing gamble. If they failed, it would cost them their lives.
If Team Magma ultimately failed, Blaise would need to keep a low profile and remain as inconspicuous as possible to escape punishment.
He had already planned how he would flee if things went wrong.
As for what to do now, they could either show some courtesy and knock on the door, asking Birch to come out, or threaten him directly. They could also take a more forceful approach...
Bang!
Courtney walked up to Birch's front door and kicked it without hesitation.
The door didn't budge.
She seemed to have simply wanted to test whether it was special or could be broken. After kicking it, she immediately gave an order.
"Weezing, use Tackle!"
"Weeeez!"
The massive Pokémon charged forward with tremendous force, smashing Birch's front door into countless pieces.
"Toxic!" Courtney continued.
Thick yellowish-green gas immediately poured out of Weezing's body. Within seconds, it filled the entire first floor of the house, blocking the view inside and even spilling out through the broken doorway.
The Team Magma members skillfully put on their gas masks before rushing inside.
Only Blaise remained outside.
He hadn't expected Courtney, who usually seemed so delicate and well-behaved, to act so brutally.
Now, he had even more reason to stay outside and provide backup.
What if Birch was actually an Elite-level trainer who had remained hidden for years? Oak and Shiro were examples of that possibility. Even if Birch wasn't one, surely any professor could bring out a few Pokémon at the Gym-level.
If a battle broke out inside someone's home, Birch might have prepared some nasty traps. He could easily catch Courtney and the others off guard and kill them.
Of course, the most important reason was to prevent League trainers from coming to their aid.
Birch had probably already sent out a distress signal. Given how openly Team Magma was acting, the Hoenn League must have learned of their operation and taken action.
Blaise naturally had to keep an eye on the League's movements and check whether any high-ranking officials were coming.
Besides, staying outside would allow him to escape as quickly as possible without getting caught by the League.
Rumor had it that Drake of the Hoenn Elite Four was extremely ruthless. He was particularly skilled at torturing criminals and could make them reveal secrets going back several generations.
Blaise had no intention of suffering the same fate as some idiot from Team Aqua who had ended up in League custody.
* * *
Inside the house, Birch was trembling in fear in a guest room on the second floor.
This was Shiro's bedroom, but after searching for a long time, he still couldn't find any powerful Pokémon that Shiro might have accidentally left behind.
Birch curled up in the corner with his head buried in his arms, filled with regret.
If only he had urged Soyln to go to Kalos and stay with Sycamore. Although some of Sycamore's personal habits had drawn criticism, at least his character was trustworthy.
In Kalos, he would certainly have been able to protect Soyln and Sapphire.
They wouldn't have ended up in this situation...
Birch had long known that a day like this might come, but he had never expected it to happen so soon.
And it had happened to coincide with the few days Shiro was away on business.
Perhaps Team Magma had investigated the situation beforehand and only dared to raid Littleroot Town after confirming that he was gone.
Birch could only hope that Team Magma would take longer to find him and that the damn Drake would finally prove reliable for once and arrive a little faster.
The hurried footsteps of Team Magma members outside were unusually clear.
But then, they suddenly stopped.
Courtney, who was leading the group, raised her arm and warned them in a low voice. "Everyone, be careful. The Galar Champion was staying here just a few days ago. He might have left some Pokémon behind to guard the place."
She glanced toward the stairs before continuing, "I'll check upstairs first. The rest of you, keep searching downstairs. Don't leave even the smallest gap unchecked!"
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