Free Web NovelChapter 1513: Chapter 1509: The Humiliation of the League
"Steven! Phoebe! Wallace!"
Pokémon World, Mt. Silver.
Inside the League’s headquarters, in the very same hall from which everyone had departed earlier, numerous high-ranking League officials had already gathered.
Although this training had ended earlier than expected, no one was caught unprepared. Before being summoned back, the spatial stones would flicker continuously for an entire day, warning them to get ready. Once the time came, the League would use a special device to bring them back.
At that moment, watching people emerge one after another from the device, the newly crowned Hoenn Champion, Drake, was smiling so broadly that the wrinkles on his face stood out clearly. ƒгeewebnovёl.com
They were the future of the Hoenn League. Just by seeing them for the first time, Drake knew that this experience had been worth it: those youngsters had been forged exceptionally well.
After that, Lance, Lorelei, Cynthia, Diantha, and others also came out. Each of them was wearing completely new clothes, and if not for the obvious change in their expressions and the pressure they emanated, the high-ranking officials waiting in the hall might have thought they had simply gone on an outing.
The first to emerge were almost all from the group that had gathered in the Aura Valley; since they had made preparations in advance, they looked quite clean.
At first, nothing seemed amiss, but without comparison there is no harm. Those who came out later—just by looking at their appearance—it was obvious they had gone through countless hardships.
If everyone had been equally battered, it wouldn’t have been a problem, since everyone present knew how dangerous the experience was. But the problem was that, compared to Steven and his group, those people looked like wild vagrants standing next to wealthy city folk.
For a moment, the atmosphere turned awkward.
However, that awkwardness did not last long. When everyone finished coming out of the device, one after another, several spatial stones were thrown into the air from inside it.
Upon seeing those spatial stones, the expressions of the high-ranking officials darkened. Each stone expelled meant that one person had been trapped on the Space-Time Continent.
Very soon, Drake’s expression also turned grim.
Because Cain had not appeared.
"Where is Cain?" Drake asked, looking at Steven and the others with an expression of disbelief.
It wasn’t favoritism. Seeing how impeccable Steven and the others looked, Drake could not believe that Cain had been left behind on the Space-Time Continent.
Steven was also surprised. He couldn’t understand how Cain—who was theoretically the strongest of them all and the one who should have had the easiest time—had not come out with them.
"Lance, what’s going on?" asked the president of the Kanto League, the most senior among those present, who was the first to notice that something was off.
Under normal circumstances, either everyone would come out battered—indicating a lack of strength—or everyone would come out immaculate, a sign that everyone was very strong. It was rare to see such a stark polarization.
Moreover, in terms of strength, Shauntal of Unova was at least somewhat stronger than Karen of Johto, or at the very least they were on the same level. There shouldn’t have been such a huge difference in their current condition.
Hearing his name, Lance’s face turned serious.
Although the intervention of the Sacred Church did not have a direct relationship with the League, the fact that the League had failed to detect even the slightest prior sign made him deeply uneasy.
But this was not the time for complaints. Cain not having returned was also beyond his calculations.
"The Sacred Church has intervened," Lance said in a deep voice. "And they were extremely strong."
"What?!"
The hall erupted into commotion. Although some had already suspected it, hearing it confirmed by Lance himself was shocking.
"It has been confirmed that the Psychic-type Elite Four of Johto, Will, and the Steel-type Elite Four, Irene, were infiltrators of the Sacred Church."
Another bombshell.
That infiltrators from the Sacred Church had managed to occupy positions in the Elite Four was, for the entire League, an outright humiliation.
Without a doubt, the region most affected was Johto. All eyes turned toward the president of the Johto League.
His face was filled with disbelief; he found it hard to accept what he had just heard. But too many people knew the truth, so whether he wanted to or not, the matter was already settled.
"Everyone, to the main conference hall! Emergency meeting!" ordered a voice that echoed through the room as everyone remained in shock.
No one dared to delay.
It was imperative to discuss matters related to the Sacred Church, as well as the fate of the League members who had not returned. ƒreewebηoveℓ.com
Drake wanted to keep asking about Cain, but the one who had spoken was one of the supreme elders of the League; he could not disobey.
Even so, the weight in everyone’s hearts was evident: first, the forced intervention of the Sacred Church; second, those who had failed to return.
...
But all of this... seemed to have absolutely nothing to do with Cain!
For the time being, he could not leave the mountain barrier, but he was not too worried. From his point of view, at most there would be just over a month left before the training officially concluded. Since he couldn’t leave, it was better to focus on training his Pokémon and calmly wait for the League to summon them back.
Sometimes, ideals are beautiful, but reality is cruel: the others had already returned, and he was still there.
The only comforting thing was that Cain... had not the slightest idea about any of this!
So right now he felt no pressure at all, and his spirits were excellent. Gengar, Mismagius, and Salamence had increased their strength enormously, and that alone was reason enough to be satisfied.
Moreover, the rest of his Pokémon had also adapted to the environment and were training according to Cain’s plan.
It was exactly what he wanted to see.
In the time to come, everything would gradually fall into place, and Cain could calm down and carefully study Giratina’s reverse scale, whose energy had already been completely absorbed.
One must not forget that within this barrier there still existed a hidden treasure, whose value far exceeded even that of Giratina’s reverse scale.
Thinking that he had spent such a valuable relic just to obtain that object made Cain feel a little excited.
But until the Unown recovered their consciousness, Cain did not have the slightest clue about that so-called treasure. He could only hope that they would awaken soon.
(End of Chapter)
