Back to the Pokémon Center.
Baimu immediately contacted Leo from the International Police.
Worried about disturbing him during his rest or work, he only sent a message. Surprisingly, it didn't take long for Leo to call him back.
After listening to his explanation, Leo didn't taunt him for being overly sensitive; instead, he asked him to wait a moment.
It was a five-minute wait.
"Hello? Are you still there?"
"Yes, I'm still here."
Baimu set down the brush in his hand, shoved his right hand into the gaping mouth of the noisy Deino, and asked, "What do you say?"
Leo said over the phone, "You're not planning to sleep yet, are you?"
"No, not at all."
"Alright then, a bearded man will come to pick you up shortly; just follow him."
"Huh? Am I supposed to go with you too?"
"Of course, as a witness, you have to go too. Do you think you can just hand over the black box and wash your hands of the matter?"
Leo's matter-of-fact tone left Baimu speechless.
Truthfully, he was thinking along those lines... but it would be a bit much to shirk responsibility like that.
"Alright, alright. I'll wait."
He responded, and with that, the call was ended.
He lulled all the Pokémon to sleep.
Soon after.
Someone knocked on his door, and looking through the peephole, Baimu saw the bearded man Leo had mentioned. He had a full beard and tan skin, appearing to be in his late thirties or early forties at least.
When he opened the door, their eyes met.
The bearded man spoke first, giving a salute, "Hello, are you Mr. Baimu?"
"Yes, I am."
Baimu patted his bag and said, "The item is here."
"Alright, please follow me." The bearded man led him out, and as they reached the first floor, Miss Joy called out to remind him that the Pokémon Center would be closed soon.
Baimu apologized, then with Miss Joy's resigned look, he got into the bearded man's car.
The car drove into Martial Arts Town.
Along the way, the driver remained silent, not even glancing at Baimu, whose serious demeanor oddly reassured him.
But wearing civilian clothes, was he implying he was undercover in Martial Arts Town?
As he pondered, the car stopped in front of a garage of a two-story house.
"Follow me closely, don't lag behind."
The bearded man turned his head to give the instruction, then opened the door and walked inside.
Baimu followed him in, and as he stepped through the door, he clearly sensed a red light scanning him from head to toe.
Beep!
The red light from a camera overhead turned green.
He instinctively asked, "What's this?"
"Security verification system, checking if you've disguised yourself or used a Ditto for camouflage." The bearded man explained.
Without a doubt, this house was a secret base of the International Police in Martial Arts Town.
Though unsure why they had to remain undercover, they surely had their reasons.
Following the bearded man into an elevator disguised as a large refrigerator, waiting for it to reach its destination, Baimu suddenly felt a surge of excitement; he was reminded of the movie "Men in Black," where secret agents often dealt with such bizarre equipment.
However.
Upon arrival, the interior was a slight disappointment.
The secret base was spacious and brightly lit, but it resembled an office with neatly arranged desks filled with various computers.
Several International Police officers sat at different stations, merely casting a sidelong glance at Baimu's presence.
Except for a middle-aged man wearing glasses who approached him.
"You must be Baimu?"
The man appeared rather ordinary, dressed in a white shirt, speaking warmly, evidently a clerical type.
"Yes, hello." Baimu subtly noted the man's bulging muscles under his arm.
Indeed.
Appearances can be deceiving.
"I'm Liu Yuan, in charge of the Martial Arts Town base. Leo has informed me about the black box. Please follow me." Liu Yuan smiled as he led the way.
Baimu turned to look at the bearded man, who calmly sat down at one of the desks, and withdrew his gaze.
As Liu Yuan led him deeper inside, he explained:
"We have also been monitoring the New Water Fleet and Lugia matters. We even called off Guang Hai."
"You know Guang Hai?"
"Of course, we do. Do you think refitting a stranded ship wasn't on our radar?" Liu Yuan chuckled, "When that short video gained unusual traction, we advised him not to expose his location further."
"As for the New Water Fleet coming in with Dr. Akihabara... To be honest, we found it rather coincidental, but without solid evidence, we can't prematurely declare them an illegal organization again."
He softly added, "Even if the black box truly contains data of Lugia, it can't prove anything. Besides, is someone tracking Lugia's whereabouts to catch and misuse it? Not necessarily.
"Many across the world pursue Legendary Pokémon; should we arrest them all? You need evidence to act—we hope you understand."
"Uh, yes."
"You needn't be disappointed; it's in everyone's best interest if they stay compliant." Liu Yuan assumed he regretted not capturing the New Water Fleet.
Truthfully, Baimu was contemplating the possibility of the New Water Fleet's interest in Lugia.
Honestly.
Having once targeted the creator of the seas, Kyogre, they seemingly had no reason to capture a Lugia. Surely, the New Water Fleet hadn't degenerated into a profit-driven entity like the Rocket Team?
If Aquan was truthful, and the New Water Fleet indeed aimed to protect the sea, there was a logical explanation.
It could be they were trying to safeguard Lugia from constant Trainer harassment to protect the marine ecosystem.
Liu Yuan led him to the farthest corner, where someone was crouched working on something.
The former squatted down too, before turning back to Baimu, "Alright, hand over the black box."
"Oh."
Baimu retrieved the black box from his bag and handed it over.
He watched as they sanitized the black box before attaching electrodes to it.
"Power it up!"
"Roger!"
Under Liu Yuan's command, someone hit a button nearby.
Boom!
A burst of electric light startled Baimu, and the base's lights dimmed momentarily.
But as power flowed into the black box, it came alive like a puzzle, disassembling into pieces to reveal a chip-like inner structure.
"Let's see what contents lie within."
Liu Yuan picked up the chip and inserted it into a DVD player-like device, smiling at Baimu as he stood.
They moved to a computer station.
The former casually initiated some commands, bringing forth numerous data files.
"Found video files... audio recordings... here they are."
Liu Yuan opened a video file, and as static noise played, numerous New Water Fleet members and a man with curly hair and glasses appeared on the screen.
Baimu instinctively wanted to look away, but Liu Yuan assured him, "It's alright, since you brought the item, you should understand its contents, as long as you're discreet."
As he spoke, audio from the video played.
"Professor, we can commence the experiment anytime."
"Great! Experimental Porygon Submarine No. 1, prepare to set sail!"
Aquan's voice rang out, followed by Dr. Akihabara.
Soon.
The camera, amidst countless bubbles, sank into the pitch-black ocean.
Hearing this, Baimu sat silently down.