When Drake heard all this, his mind stalled for a moment.
At first, he had thought this was just a routine attack incident—at most involving unusually powerful Pokémon. But after listening to Chen Shi, he realized this matter was far bigger than he had imagined.
Orbs capable of awakening Groudon and Kyogre.
Team Magma and Team Aqua.
The Draconids' prophecy.
A catastrophe from a thousand years ago.
It all sounded almost unbelievable.
For a moment, even Drake found it difficult to accept.
If what Chen Shi said was true—if Team Magma and Team Aqua had stolen the orbs to awaken Groudon and Kyogre—then wouldn't the disaster from a thousand years ago repeat itself?
And this time… would there still be a Dragon God to stop it?
Chen Shi spoke again, his tone serious.
"Sir Drake, I believe you understand how severe this is. Those two orbs cannot be allowed to fall into the hands of people with ulterior motives."
"So I hope you—and the Pokémon League—can conduct a full-scale search for Team Magma and Team Aqua. They must not be allowed to awaken Groudon and Kyogre."
Drake fell silent for two seconds, then said in a deep voice,
"How do I know what you're saying is true?"
"You can report this directly to Chairman Miyazaki," Chen Shi replied without hesitation. "He definitely knows what those two orbs represent."
Hearing this, Drake nodded immediately, without the slightest delay.
If he couldn't confirm the truth himself, then reporting it to someone who knew more was the correct choice.
No issues there.
"Very well," Drake said. "Since things here are settled, I'll take my leave. I'll report what you told me to the League."
"That's all I needed to hear," Chen Shi said, nodding.
He trusted Drake's character.
"Until next time," Drake said with a laugh. "You're an interesting young man."
With that, he jumped onto Salamence's back and flew straight back toward the ship.
Watching Drake depart, Chen Shi decided there was no reason to linger any longer. He turned to the girl beside him.
"Let's head back too. Otherwise, my grandparents will start worrying."
"All right," Cynthia replied softly, giving a small nod.
Inside the Chen family villa, Grandma Chen sat on the sofa while Grandpa Chen paced back and forth across the living room, his face full of worry.
"I say, old man," Grandma Chen finally snapped, "can you sit down and rest? You're making my head spin walking back and forth like that."
"I'm worried!" Grandpa Chen said. "They've been gone so long—who knows how things turned out?"
"Whether it's good or bad, you'll only know when they get back," Grandma Chen said irritably. "What's the point of pacing like this?"
Grandpa Chen sighed and sat down heavily, his gaze fixed on the door.
"You think those two old fellows might really be in trouble?"
"Oh, stop worrying," Grandma Chen said, trying to comfort him. "Didn't they have a Gengar? And didn't Xiao Shi bring Salamence and Garchomp along? It'll be fine."
"I hope so…" Grandpa Chen muttered.
Just then, noise came from outside, followed by Chen Shi's voice.
"Grandpa, Grandma, I'm back!"
Both elders lit up and stood immediately. A moment later, they saw Chen Shi enter with Cynthia.
Grandpa Chen hurried over and grabbed his grandson's hand.
"Xiao Shi, are those two old fellows all right?"
"And where's Phoebe? Why didn't she come back with you?"
Chen Shi patted his grandfather's hand reassuringly.
"Don't worry, Grandpa. Both seniors are fine. Phoebe stayed behind to keep them company."
"The secret realm suffered some damage, but that's all."
"That's good—thank goodness!" Grandpa Chen finally let out the breath he'd been holding.
At his age, there weren't many old friends left in this world. He truly didn't want anything to happen to those two.
"So what exactly happened?" Grandpa Chen asked. "I heard there was even fighting between Champion-level Pokémon."
Chen Shi hesitated briefly, then decided to explain everything in full. It was better to tell them outright than let the old man worry endlessly.
After listening, Grandpa Chen fell silent for a few seconds, then shook his head.
He knew a little about what his old friends had been guarding—but not much. Now that he was old, he didn't want to get involved in such chaotic matters anymore.
Grandma Chen, having confirmed everyone was safe, finally relaxed. She turned and took Cynthia's hand warmly.
"Child, I've prepared a room for you upstairs. Go take a look—if you're missing anything, just tell Grandma."
Cynthia smiled gently. "Thank you, Grandma Chen. You don't need to trouble yourself—just a place to stay is more than enough."
Grandma Chen patted her hand with a smile. "All right. Let Xiao Shi show you upstairs. If you need anything, just let me know."
"I understand, Grandma Chen."
With that settled, Chen Shi stretched lazily.
"Grandpa, Grandma, we'll head upstairs first. You two should get some rest early."
He then led Cynthia upstairs to the prepared room.
There were only four rooms upstairs—one for himself, one for Florges, one for Phoebe, and now the last belonged to Cynthia.
"Each room has its own bathroom," Chen Shi said. "My grandma definitely changed the bedding. You can stay here without worrying. My room's the first one on this floor—if you need anything, just come find me."
Cynthia looked around, clearly satisfied, and nodded.
"Got it. Aren't you supposed to be writing your paper?"
"Go back and work."
Chen Shi raised an eyebrow, folding his arms.
"You sound like you really want me gone."
Cynthia paused, then looked at him with a faint, teasing smile.
"You don't have to leave," she said lightly. "I don't mind."
"After all, back when we were traveling together, your tent was always breaking. We've stayed in the same tent plenty of times."
Meeting her meaningful gaze, Chen Shi scratched his head awkwardly.
"That was a long time ago. Why bring it up now?"
"And those were all accidents—I didn't mean for it to happen."
As if worried she might say something even more shocking, he quickly added,
"That's enough. You should get some rest. I'm heading back."
With that, Chen Shi waved, stepped out, and thoughtfully closed the door behind him.
After he left, the smile on Cynthia's face slowly faded. She snorted softly.
"Coward."
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