Chapter 543: When Delusions Collide
Entering the room, which had been carefully preserved in its original state, Arthur examined the many materials hanging on the walls.
The information was scattered and seemingly unrelated, mostly consisting of news reports about Arthur's public appearances, interviews, and tournament activities over the past two years.
It seemed someone was intentionally collecting traces of his public life.
This undoubtedly further confirmed Arthur's suspicion—
The Stitched Shadow Army!
Their base of operations wasn't within the Kubfu Alliance, and they had been completely driven out of the surrounding regions two years ago.
So, even though Arthur was now a household name in the Kubfu Alliance, they mostly had to rely on these public news reports to track his movements.
The result was quite impressive. At first glance, it looked like something out of a spy movie, with the target's photos and information covering an entire wall. The visual effect was quite striking.
Specter, hiding in Arthur's shadow, felt guilty and didn't dare make a sound. Mismagius, however, floated out gracefully and analyzed the situation with Arthur.
"I didn't expect them to still be watching you after all this time, Master."
Arthur spoke slowly. "Yeah, I didn't expect it either."
He had always thought his connection with the Stitched Shadow Army should have ended two years ago.
Even if there were misunderstandings back then, hadn't they changed leaders?
But the most unpredictable thing in this world is human imagination.
As the saying goes: invisible delusions are the most deadly!
Dayna and her followers never believed that the mastermind who had controlled their organization for a century was just a Gengar who had lost his master and wanted revenge on society.
They always felt there was someone else behind it!
And as long as this mastermind wasn't dealt with, Dayna couldn't sleep peacefully, even after usurping the leadership.
At this very moment, this master of delusion had even found another master of delusion outside Old Tyranitar's lair: the driver.
A disguised Dayna took a risk and approached Forrest.
"I heard that the young man who entered the lair is your companion. Do you know him well?"
Forrest glanced sideways at this overly familiar woman.
"You're not from the Kubfu Alliance?"
"Uh, no, I'm from the Star Brilliance Alliance."
She casually named a small alliance near Kubfu.
Forrest nodded and smiled. "No wonder. His name is Arthur. Actually, not just me, but the entire Kubfu Alliance knows him well now. He's a genius who appeared out of nowhere and has become very famous in the last two years."
Dayna played along with a few polite remarks until the atmosphere warmed up, then changed the subject. "Did you mention before that this genius boy is a descendant of a Champion?"
Forrest nodded.
He had been keenly digging into Arthur's background, waiting to write these findings into his book, so he didn't mind discussing this topic with others.
"Yes, he should be related to one of our Kubfu Alliance's most outstanding first-generation Champions. Interestingly, that wartime Champion was also named Arthur, just like him."
Dayna wasn't interested in historical secrets from two hundred years ago. She was more concerned with: "Then do you think this boy might have other relatives or elders? After all, a Champion's descendants shouldn't be few in number, right?"
Forrest subconsciously refuted, "That shouldn't be the case. Everyone in Kubfu knows Arthur is an orphan, raised by Pokémon in the mountains."
However, Dayna offered another theory.
"Not necessarily. Maybe his elders have special identities and can't reveal themselves? For example, they might have been carrying out secret missions abroad."
In that moment, her eyes seemed to flash with a light of wisdom!
That's right, the Stitched Shadow Army's delusion was this—they always felt there was a mysterious elder behind Arthur, and that person had been secretly manipulating their organization for decades or even longer!
An unrevealed Champion descendant, a mysterious pawn of the Alliance's secret agency, a shadow guard family hiding in the cracks of history!
Everything seemed to make sense!
Forrest was momentarily stunned by this person's earth-shattering imagination.
"Do you... know something?" he asked in shock.
When delusions collide.
Things gradually became more confusing...
Dayna smiled confidently.
"Have you never noticed? The Gengar that boy uses is an old ghost. How could a boy of his age raise such an old Ghost-type Pokémon? I heard he obtained that Gengar outside the Kubfu Alliance. It has quite a history!"
Forrest was even more surprised.
"You seem to know the origin of that Gengar?"
Forrest knew Old Flame's origin. He had confirmed it with his own Dragon "senior," and it could be found in military records.
Old Flame had remained in service in the Kubfu Alliance after Arthur left, so information about him was never a secret.
But Forrest didn't know Specter's identity.
He had asked the Dragon "senior" once, but the dragon said the Gengar he knew couldn't Mega Evolve.
So Forrest's lead went cold.
Dayna was the opposite!
The Stitched Shadow Army knew Specter. It was precisely because they saw Specter fighting for Arthur in this year's Kubfu Alliance Professional League that they focused all their attention on this boy who had appeared out of nowhere!
But they didn't know Arthur's other Pokémon.
Both of them knew a little, but only a little.
And both of them had imagined a lot, far more than a little!
Dayna said leisurely, "I do know some things about that Gengar. It's not a Pokémon that boy should possess. It must have been passed down to him by his direct elder. Doesn't your Kubfu Alliance have any news about the family or elders behind him?"
Dayna wanted to get information from Forrest.
However, Forrest was thinking about how to get information from her.
For a moment, they were evenly matched.
The ensuing battle of words was intense!
Dayna firmly believed that there must be a secret family behind Arthur, hidden behind the thick curtain of history!
This family descended from an outstanding Champion. Each generation lived anonymously, watching over the Alliance from the shadows. In recent decades, they had single-handedly planned and manipulated her organization. Perhaps due to living abroad for a long time, they had even lost their child at one point.
Then, two years ago, the Kubfu Alliance closed the net and wiped out the Stitched Shadow Army. It was also from that time that this boy named Arthur began to rise rapidly!
Before this, Arthur's minor internet fame from the title "Son of Suicune" hadn't spread outside the Kubfu Alliance, so these people naturally overlooked it when searching for information abroad.
They pinpointed the timeline of Arthur's rise to the day he first stepped onto the competitive stage after graduating from the youth camp!
Thus, a logical conclusion was drawn—
It was precisely because the Kubfu Alliance closed the net and the old Stitched Shadow Army was destroyed that the head of that secret family finally returned to the country after many years. So the Alliance immediately gave his son heavyweight compensation, allowing him to soar!
Including the former leader's Gengar, it must have been passed to Arthur by that person at that time!
Everything seemed reasonable from Dayna's perspective!
After this exchange, Forrest felt: I don't understand, but I'm greatly shocked!
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