Because Lance personally took charge of the investigation, everything moved forward quickly and efficiently.
Austin was more than satisfied with how the attack on the Breeding House had been handled.
Barry was ordered to pay full compensation for the damage, cover the staff's lost wages, provide additional compensation for emotional distress, and ultimately serve time in prison.
Austin had no interest in dwelling on a minor figure like Barry.
His family had opened a Breeding House to care for Pokémon, not to make enemies. There was no point carrying resentment against someone who had already paid the price for his actions.
What concerned him more was Evergrow Company.
Evergrow Company was the largest breeding corporation in the Sinnoh region. Making an enemy of a local franchise owner was one thing. Standing against the corporation itself was an entirely different challenge.
Fortunately, Austin wasn't intimidated.
His grandfather was one of the region's top Pokémon Breeders and a Master-class Pokémon chef.
His uncle, Hanson Black, was a renowned Pokémon fashion designer whose work had dressed royalty and earned the respect of influential figures such as Steven Stone and Wallace.
Austin also had connections with people like Blue, Cynthia, and Lance.
If necessary, those relationships alone could put enormous pressure on Evergrow Company if they decided to try something funny.
But it would never be as reliable as becoming stronger himself.
A quote suddenly surfaced in Austin's mind.
Power grows from strength.
From a personal standpoint, the meaning was simple.
The stronger you become, the more choices you have.
Austin quietly set himself a long-term goal.
One day, Black Crest Jubilife Breeding House will surpass Evergrow Company.
For now, however, money was the immediate concern.
Between the double compensation and the insurance payout, the Breeding House would recover all of its losses and more.
They could even renovate the damaged facilities.
It was almost an unexpected windfall.
The newly purchased incubation machines and other equipment had drained nearly all of the Breeding House's recent profits, even with the League's discounted pricing.
Leon simply laughed and repeated the phrase he always used to encourage himself.
"No investment, no return!"
Thankfully, the League had already approved Black Crest Jubilife Breeding House to breed Piplup and Turtwig, two starter Pokémon intended for rookie Trainers.
Austin's family only needed to raise the Pokémon until they met League certification standards.
After that, the League would purchase them in bulk before distributing them to regional laboratories and beginner Trainers throughout Sinnoh.
Not long after his conversation with Lance ended, another call came through.
It was Cynthia.
"I heard from Lance. Everything has been settled."
Austin nodded.
"It has. The Breeding House didn't suffer much in the end, and we even received double compensation."
A faint smile appeared on Cynthia's face.
"Choosing forgiveness isn't the same as being weak. I respect that."
Goldsmile's crimes were far too numerous to count. In Cynthia's opinion, he deserved every year that awaited him behind bars.
Barry, however, had only hired criminals to vandalize the Breeding House. While it was a serious offense, it wasn't attempted murder.
After a brief silence, Cynthia asked,
"If money becomes a problem... I can lend you some."
Austin immediately shook his head.
"Really, it's fine. Most of the expenses are for new equipment. We're not in financial trouble."
Cynthia gave a small nod.
"If you ever need anything, just ask."
She paused before adding,
"Are you free tomorrow?"
Austin blinked.
Is... she asking me out?
"Yeah, I'm free."
"I'll send Garchomp and the others over. Could you look after them for me?"
Austin immediately realized he'd gotten ahead of himself.
"So... you're not coming too?"
It was strangely difficult to imagine Cynthia and Garchomp being apart.
A gentle smile touched her lips.
"Goldsmile's case reminded me that Sinnoh isn't as peaceful as I believed. It's time I got extra serious with my responsibilities as Champion."
"So Garchomp won't be with you..."
"Don't worry," Cynthia replied. "I won't be working alone, and I have plenty of other Pokémon. I'm only helping dismantle a few criminal organizations. This isn't a battle against Team Rocket or Team Galactic."
For operations like that, she wouldn't even need Garchomp.
Her other Pokémon were more than capable.
Austin smiled.
"Then be careful out there."
"I will," Cynthia replied softly before ending the call.
. . .
After ending his call with Cynthia, Austin glanced at his phone and noticed the group chat was still buzzing.
His dispute with Barry had officially come to an end.
Lance had already explained the entire situation to everyone.
Yellow: Austin is so kind!
Ethan: I think he's just after that double compensation.
Lt. Surge: If I were him... I'd probably want the double payout too.
The discussion about Black Crest gradually died down. Overall, everyone supported Austin's decision to let the law handle the matter instead of holding a personal grudge.
The chat remained active for one reason.
Lance had started telling stories through voice messages.
His latest one immediately caught everyone's attention.
"Goldsmile refused to confess at first. During the interrogation, he broke down crying and claimed he had a paralyzed daughter at home. He said everything he'd done was to earn money for her treatment."
Yellow: Huh? Then... what about his daughter...?
Ethan: That has to be another lie, right?
Lance let out a quiet sigh before replying.
"It's a lie now... but ten years ago, it was the truth."
The group instantly fell silent.
Lance continued.
"Ten years ago, Goldsmile wasn't known as Goldsmile. He was arrested for theft and told the police the same story."
"The officer who arrested him didn't believe a word he said."
"By the time everything was verified... his paralyzed daughter had already passed away."
"From that day onward, he abandoned everything and walked a path he could never return from."
No one responded immediately.
Even the normally talkative Ethan went quiet.
Red: ...That's tragic.
Ethan: I didn't expect him to have a story like that.
Blue: One wrong decision can lead to a lifetime of mistakes.
Lance sent another voice message.
"After Goldsmile told me that story, I flew to his old neighborhood on Dragonite to verify it myself."
"His neighbors confirmed everything."
Despite becoming incredibly wealthy through crime, Goldsmile had never moved. He continued living in the same small basement apartment where he and his daughter had once struggled together.
Lance continued.
"When I came back, I told him I'd already been to his home. I even described what had happened ten years ago."
"He stared at me for a long time, then he said I was the first investigator who had ever bothered to check."
"After that... he confessed to everything."
Another brief silence settled over the chat.
Finally, Lance sighed.
"He wasn't a good man, but he really did love his daughter."
Considering the mountain of crimes Goldsmile had committed, the courts would show him no mercy. Nothing could erase the lives he'd ruined.
Still, in his final moments before sentencing, Lance's willingness to verify the truth instead of dismissing it had allowed Goldsmile to confess without holding anything back.
It did not redeem him.
But it allowed him to face justice honestly.
Yellow: If the officer ten years ago had investigated as you did...
Blue: Maybe none of this would have happened.
Lance hadn't mentioned any of this during his call with Austin earlier. He had only learned the full story after continuing the interrogation. After a moment, another voice message appeared.
"This is exactly why the League Alliance's investigator division still has room to improve."
Austin immediately responded.
Austin: 👍
Red: 👍
Blue: 👍
Lance replied almost instantly.
"Stop sending thumbs-up! Does anyone actually want to become an investigator? I'll pay double!"
The chat exploded with excuses.
Red: Uh... I just remembered I have training.
Blue: I still have a research paper to finish. I'm out.
Ethan: Hey! Grandpa from the Breeding House is calling me. Gotta go!
Austin: Looks like I just got a new customer order. Better get back to work.
Lorelei: A new Trainer wants to challenge me. Going incognito.
. . .
. .
.
Within seconds, everyone had disappeared.
Only Lance remained in the chat.
. . .
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