After changing clothes and coming downstairs, Kelly was already sitting there properly, waiting for Nathan.
"Wasn't the matter already resolved? Why are you still coming to see me?"
Nathan plopped down on the seat opposite Kelly. Having just finished showering, his body felt a bit weak and relaxed, and as soon as he sat down, his posture became noticeably lazy.
"The incident is indeed over," Kelly replied. "But I still need to submit a report to my superiors. That's why I wanted to ask you for the specific details."
Seeing that Nathan clearly didn't want to engage, Kelly felt a bit helpless.
The higher-ups were already paying close attention to matters involving this Dark Organization. Every incident related to them needed to be thoroughly documented.
But who could have predicted that this entire operation against this Dark Organization would be handled single-handedly by Nathan?
"I see..."
Nathan propped his chin on his hand, his mind starting to spin quickly.
He had already considered this issue while he was showering earlier.
After being brought in for this mission, he had taken on everything alone and completely crushed the Dark Organization's plan.
He knew exactly what had happened inside, but he still needed to give others a proper explanation.
Looking around, Nathan noticed that people were occasionally walking past the area.
Noticing his actions, Kelly quickly suggested, "If it's inconvenient to talk here, we can go somewhere more private."
Nathan nodded, and the two of them moved to a quieter place.
Once they settled in, Nathan took out his phone and opened a video he had recorded, showing it to Kelly.
Unfortunately, the only ones he'd managed to capture on camera were members of the Dark Organization — Entei and the other two legendary Pokémon didn't show up at all.
But even so, the footage was enough to shock Kelly.
As the person assigned to oversee this operation, Kelly was undoubtedly strong in his own right.
Even though the Pokémon in the video weren't clearly shown, just the techniques being used indicated that at minimum, they had to be at the Gym level.
"This video...?" Kelly looked at Nathan, filled with surprise and confusion.
"Everyone killed in that video was a member of that Dark Organization," Nathan explained.
Kelly had already guessed that part.
There was one particular scene in the video that especially stood out to him — a thunderbolt descending from the sky. It had left a deep impression on him.
But what he really wanted to know was what kind of Pokémon had launched the attacks.
"What level were the Pokémon that did that? Were they yours?"
Kelly asked again.
Nathan shook his head and replied, "That's exactly what I'm about to explain."
At that, Nathan sat up straight, his previously relaxed demeanor replaced with a serious expression.
Seeing this shift in Nathan's expression, Kelly sensed that what was coming next would be very important.
"I'm listening," Kelly said, sitting upright.
"You know about the three legendary Pokémon in the Wandering Mountains, right?" Nathan asked.
He had already reported this to the authorities last time. Since Kelly was sent by the officials, he should also be aware.
"I know. Are you saying the ones who took action in the video were those three legendary Pokémon?" Kelly asked with a nod.
At this point, Kelly didn't even know how to process what he was hearing.
A Dark Organization trying to incite a Pokémon riot was already a very serious matter.
But compared to legendary Pokémon, even a full-scale riot seemed minor.
After all, even if this Dark Organization provoked a large number of Pokémon to riot, humans could still suppress them with sheer numbers.
But it was different with a legendary.
If legendary Pokémon ever decided to attack humanity directly, there wouldn't be many people capable of stopping them.
Unless humanity resorted to using advanced weapons — but once those were used, the resulting destruction would be irreparable.
"That's right. They were the ones who acted — and I was the one who invited them to step in," Nathan said, nodding.
Kelly suddenly felt like he couldn't keep up with the pace of the world anymore.
What did Nathan just say? He invited the three legendary Pokémon to take down a Dark Organization?
Right now, Kelly really wanted to go to the hospital to get his ears checked.
"You're saying the ones who attacked — those legendary Pokémon — were invited by you?"
As a fairly capable trainer himself, Kelly was still struggling with how to get his own Pokémon to the Champion level.
But Nathan could already ask legendary Pokémon for help?
"Yes, I invited them. On the one hand, I have a decent relationship with those three legends. On the other hand..."
At this point, Nathan suddenly paused.
That abrupt silence made Kelly itch with curiosity. What was the other reason?
"They want humans to disturb them less."
In truth, Entei and the others had never said such a thing.
Nathan had made that up himself — to add more mystique to the legendary Pokémon.
Now that Dark Organizations was already treating powerful Pokémon as mere tools for their own gain, Nathan wanted to use this opportunity to instill a sense of awe and respect for higher-level Pokémon in humanity.
"What does that mean?" Kelly asked, puzzled. Did it mean people wouldn't be allowed to enter the Wandering Mountains anymore?
"Have the video published under the name of the official authorities. Let the people — and the Dark Organizations — know: Pokémon, like humans, are living beings. If you have no reverence for life, the consequences will be just like what you saw in the video."
Hiss—!
Kelly took a sharp breath.
This wasn't a small matter anymore.
Publishing this video with such a message under the official government's name was essentially a warning — or even a threat.
But they had no choice.
If the legendary Pokémon ever decided to take action against humanity, the consequences would be catastrophic.
"I'll report this exactly as you've said," Kelly replied with a serious expression before heading back.
…
This time, Kelly's report was bound to cause a stir among the authorities.
Because this was, in the truest sense, the first real communication between humans and legendary Pokémon.
In the past, forget communication — even catching a glimpse of one usually involved looking through long-range equipment from miles away.
And the message the legendary Pokémon conveyed this time was something the officials found particularly troubling.
Inside a conference room in the capital, a rare meeting between three Elders was taking place.
"Everyone has heard the message Kelly brought back, right?" asked the First Elder.
"Who would've thought something like this would happen right before the World Tournament..." the Third Elder muttered, clearly stressed.
The ashtray in front of him was already filled with cigarette butts — a clear sign of how troubled he felt.
"Now that human-trained Pokémon are getting stronger and stronger, someone actually dared provoke legendary Pokémon!" said the First Elder sternly.
Legendary Pokémon were entities that no nation dared to antagonize lightly.
And now they had managed to provoke not one — but three — at once.
Thankfully, the message Kelly brought back was just a warning. But what if it hadn't been?
What if the three legendary Pokémon had chosen to strike directly?
"Right now, our only option is to try and mend relations between humans and the legendary Pokémon. As for Nathan... should we...?" the Second Elder hesitated.
This incident involved Nathan, the national champion — and more importantly, the key figure capable of communicating with the legendary Pokémon.
"You mean we should establish communication with Nathan?" asked the First Elder, catching on to his colleague's implication.
"Exactly."
"But now that our country has someone like Nathan who can speak with legendary Pokémon, maybe we should use this opportunity to make a statement at the World Tournament," the Third Elder added.
No other country had yet reported any alliances or connections with legendary Pokémon. They were the first.
Although this incident risked angering the legends, it also revealed something critical: Nathan, their national champion, had a relationship with them.
If, at a time when no other country had control over legendary Pokémon, Nathan appeared at the Global Tournament alongside them...
Such a display would surely shock and deter any nation with ambitious ideas.
"Let's hold off on that until we talk to Nathan," the First Elder decided. "For now, let's publish the video."
…
That very day, the national internet exploded.
Servers of every major social media company went into overload from the sheer traffic.
Even the national servers were overwhelmed.
The video quickly spread across the globe.
Attached to it was a message bearing the warning from the legendary Pokémon.
Online, the video sparked intense debates.
Keyboard warriors filled forums with heated arguments.
Some conspiracy theorists even claimed that the video was a declaration of war from the legendary Pokémon against the nation.
But there were positive reactions as well.
And what intrigued people the most was one question:
Who exactly filmed this video?
(End of Chapter)