Chen Shi didn't bother checking on Phoebe for the moment. Looking at the devastated surroundings, his expression darkened.
"Senior… were both Orbs taken?"
Phoebe's grandfather let out a long sigh, then nodded.
The Orbs being stolen was already an undeniable fact. There was no point pretending otherwise.
"Who took them?"
Chen Shi was still clinging to a sliver of hope.
If it wasn't them, then maybe—just maybe—the situation wasn't completely hopeless.
But the old man's answer made Chen Shi's heart sink straight to the bottom.
"I don't recognize them," Phoebe's grandfather said slowly. "But one of them had a Champion-level Camerupt, and the other had a Champion-level Sharpedo. Their strength was terrifying."
Chen Shi pressed his fingers to his temples, a sharp headache blooming instantly.
With those two Pokémon, there was no need to guess anymore.
It was definitely Maxie and Archie.
And the reason they took the Orbs was obvious—to control Groudon and Kyogre.
What worried Chen Shi even more was the timing.
They'd chosen to act now.
Which meant… they might have already discovered where Groudon and Kyogre were sleeping.
That thought alone made his head throb even harder.
Those two idiots had no idea what kind of monsters Groudon and Kyogre truly were—yet they still dared to dream of controlling them.
The only possible outcome was awakening both beasts… and triggering a catastrophic clash.
"Child, what are you thinking about?" Phoebe's grandfather asked when he noticed Chen Shi lost in thought.
Chen Shi snapped back to his senses and said apologetically,
"Sorry, senior. I arrived too late. If I'd been faster, maybe I could've stopped them from taking the Orbs."
"This isn't your fault," the old man shook his head. "Who could've predicted an attack on Mt. Pyre out of nowhere?"
"You made it here this quickly from Verdanturf Town—with two Champion-level Pokémon, no less. That already shows how much you cared."
He was an old man, but not an unreasonable one. There was no way he'd blame Chen Shi for this.
After thinking for a moment, Chen Shi spoke firmly.
"I once promised you—if anything happened at Mt. Pyre, I would help."
"But I failed to keep that promise."
"From now on, I'll take responsibility for tracking down Team Magma and Team Aqua. Before they cause an even greater disaster, I'll do everything I can to reclaim those two Orbs."
His tone was calm, but resolute.
Part of it was guilt—he'd accepted enormous benefits before, yet hadn't fulfilled his responsibility in time.
And more importantly, Groudon and Kyogre were simply too dangerous to ignore.
If Maxie and Archie succeeded in awakening them, the Draconid people would come knocking on his door sooner or later anyway.
In short—
Chen Shi was already entangled with Hoenn's three greatest headaches.
There was no running from it.
Phoebe's grandfather opened his mouth, clearly wanting to say something—but seeing the determination in the boy's eyes, he knew any persuasion would be useless.
He could only nod helplessly.
"Then… be careful. Those two men are ruthless. Until you're certain you can handle them, don't act recklessly."
Chen Shi smiled and nodded.
Then he turned to look at Phoebe, who was still sobbing quietly in her grandmother's arms.
"You should stay with your grandparents for now," he said gently. "Cynthia and I still have things we need to take care of."
Phoebe nodded rapidly, like a pecking chick. She didn't want to go anywhere right now—she just wanted to stay with her grandparents.
"Senior, we'll take our leave. If anything happens, contact me immediately."
"I understand," the old man replied. "Go."
...
After leaving the Ghost-type secret realm, Cynthia looked at the massive craters scattered around the entrance and couldn't help cursing.
"These people are disgusting. They couldn't find the entrance, so they just bombed everything."
"Who knows how many graves were destroyed."
Originally, the entrance to the secret realm had been hidden in a cliff face—extremely well concealed.
But Maxie and Archie clearly had no patience. They'd carpet-bombed the entire area, forcibly blasting the entrance open.
As a result, countless Pokémon graves were destroyed in the process.
Chen Shi had no energy to dwell on that now.
His thoughts were consumed entirely by the Orbs.
Cynthia, unable to contain her curiosity, finally asked,
"What exactly are these Orbs?"
"Why were they after them—and why do you care so much?"
Chen Shi sighed and briefly explained the origins and functions of the Red Orb and the Blue Orb.
When Cynthia realized how important they were, shock flashed through her eyes—followed by deep concern.
These Orbs sounded eerily similar to Sinnoh's Adamant Orb and Lustrous Orb—core artifacts tied directly to legendary Pokémon.
And now, they were in the hands of ambitious extremists.
That was… bad. Very bad.
"So what's your plan now?" Cynthia asked softly.
"Hoenn is huge. How are you supposed to track two underground organizations?"
Chen Shi rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"I can't do it alone."
"I'll have to rely on the Pokémon League—and the Devon Corporation."
"This concerns Hoenn's safety. There's no way they'll just sit back."
"I'll head home first, finish my papers, and settle the auction matters."
"After that… I'm planning to visit the Draconid people and give them a heads-up."
With a clear plan in place, Cynthia didn't say anything more, quietly following him down the mountain.
Just then, Chen Shi glanced back at Garchomp and asked curiously,
"How did you convince Garchomp to bring you along?"
Cynthia raised an eyebrow, her tone calm and casual.
"I promised him three bottles of alcohol."
Chen Shi covered his face, then shot Garchomp a look filled with disappointment.
"You're a Champion-level Pokémon. A pure-blooded dragon, no less."
"Can you have some dignity?"
"Three bottles of alcohol is all it took to buy you?"
Garchomp turned his head away awkwardly… then snapped back, glaring defiantly.
"GARCHOMP!"
(Can you blame me? She offered too much!)
...
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