Marnie felt like she had just woken from a long dream.
On the day of the Gym Challenge, her brother Piers had embarrassed himself in public. Later, he argued with their father and was beaten. After that, their father, angered by the humiliation and threats from Macro Cosmos, launched a strict investigation into the Team Yell members under him. In the process, he pushed one of his subordinates, a man named Firth, to the breaking point. Firth killed him.
Then, that same Firth was torn to pieces by his two enraged Pokémon. Not long after, Shiro and a stranger she was told was her uncle arrived at the scene by coincidence. To protect the gym, they immediately sealed the place off.
Her brother, however, pinned all the blame on her. He claimed that if she hadn't let Shiro go, the embarrassing incident during the Gym Challenge would never have happened. Their father wouldn't have gotten angry, wouldn't have discovered anything among his subordinates, and wouldn't have died.
She had been terrified. It was only the Corviknight guarding the door that kept her safe.
But… were all these things real?
Marnie felt as though she was sinking into a vast, white ocean. Her mind was blank, but flickers of those memories still flashed before her eyes.
"Marnie… Marnie…?" Someone seemed to be calling her.
Then came a sharp, piercing shout.
"Miss Marnie!"
The voice jolted her awake. She sat up abruptly.
When she opened her eyes, she saw a familiar street. She was at the entrance of Spikemuth Gym, the place she had lived for more than ten years. There was no way she could mistake it.
But now the street was packed with vehicles and people. They wore the black and white uniforms of Macro Cosmos and were busy with… something she couldn't quite make out.
"Miss Marnie?" The same voice from before called again from nearby.
She parted her lips slightly, still a bit bewildered by what was happening. Turning her head, she saw someone she knew, a female squad leader from Team Yell named Kennya.
"What is it, Kennya?" Marnie murmured.
Kennya let out a breath of relief and wrapped an arm around her, speaking quietly, "The Gym Leader is dead… Shiro and Felix, those two sirs, contacted the League. After the people from Macro Cosmos arrived, they found the body and used a Psychic-type Pokémon to trace the cause of death. It was Firth who did it."
Marnie's confusion deepened. Was her "dream" actually the truth?
"You fainted from the shock," Kennya added, gently patting her back in comfort. "Master Piers… he…"
At the mention of his name, Marnie recalled the image of her brother closing in on her with a group of grunts. She hunched her shoulders.
Kennya held her a little tighter, hesitated a bit, then continued, "He seemed… unstable. Just now, in front of the company staff, he went on a rant inside the gym, shouting that he was the real Gym Leader and so on. The League suspects he may be connected to Firth, the one who assassinated the Gym Leader. Lord Shiro restrained him and had him taken away."
"Mhm…" Marnie replied softly, a dull ache growing in her head.
She then noticed an elderly woman approaching from not far away. Her hair was white, she leaned on a cane, her back slightly bent, but her eyes were bright and sharp.
"Marnie." Shae stopped in front of her, glanced at the two sitting close together on the steps, and said in a deep voice, "You're the little girl from Silas' family, right? Do you know you have an uncle? Your father's younger brother."
Marnie felt a vague hint of recognition, though not much. She instinctively asked, "Felix?"
"Yes." Shae gave a slight nod, then turned to leave, tossing over her shoulder, "My condolences."
She walked toward a car, where Shiro was standing with a communication device in hand, speaking to Rose on the other end.
"I've run into Felix before out in the Wild Area. I don't know what his relationship with Silas was," Shiro said.
Rose was dissatisfied with the answer and asked once more, "Shiro, are you sure Felix had nothing to do with Silas' death?"
Shiro paused for a couple of seconds before replying, "Not sure. But his death has nothing to do with the company."
"Hmph." Rose let out a cold snort, saying nothing more.
Silas had just died, and now a man suddenly appeared claiming to be his younger brother, a wild trainer with Gym-level strength. It was absurd. Anyone could guess there had to be a connection.
There was a strong chance Felix was the one who killed the Spikemuth Gym Leader.
Yet at the scene, no matter how thoroughly the company's forces searched, they found nothing linking him to the crime. Even Psychic Pokémon used to trace the killer confirmed it was that worthless Team Yell grunt.
Clearly, the culprit had used Pokémon to control or guide the man into doing it, creating this result.
Rose had no trouble piecing together the truth, but what he needed was evidence.
If someone like Felix killed a Gym Leader in order to pledge allegiance, that would be fine. The League could easily help seal the information and let him quietly take over the Spikemuth Gym.
But the problem was, they had no leverage over him.
If something happened later, it would be easy for him to slip out of the company's control. At the very least, they needed proof he had killed Silas so they could remove him from the Gym Leader position whenever they wanted. Only then would Rose feel secure.
He had expected Shiro to give him something useful, but…
Shiro himself was cursing inwardly.
That sly bastard Felix had given him just thirty million Pokédollars after the job, saying the rest of the thirty-seven million was hidden somewhere and would be paid once he officially took the position.
Thirty-seven million was still due. If Felix died before paying up, Shiro might never see it. So for the moment, he had to help cover for him.
And if he told Rose the truth, there was no guarantee the man wouldn't just toss Felix aside and replace him with someone easier to control, maybe the deranged Piers or even Marnie. Either would be easier than dealing with a Gym-level trainer.
Following a long silence, Rose finally asked, "Why are you staying in Spikemuth?"
"I'm looking for an old enemy… The people who killed my father," Shiro answered truthfully.
Rose didn't press further. After another pause, he said, "Prepare well for the Gym Challenge and the Champion Cup."
With that, he ended the call.
* * *
In the top office of Macro Cosmos headquarters, Rose leaned back in his chair, a shadow in his eyes.
Felix was an unpredictable factor. Even if he said he wanted to join the company now, who could say what he'd do later? But Marnie's ties with Shiro were close, Piers had just gone mad… Neither of them could win over the people for now, and their strength wasn't enough.
"Shiro seems harder to control lately," Oleana remarked calmly from across the desk.
"Mm…" Rose closed his eyes and nodded slightly. "Agree to Felix's request."
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