Chapter 34: On-Site Investigation

"Beep-beep-beep~ Beep-beep-beep~"

The urgent ringing of the phone jolted Ophelia from her thoughts.

"Ophelia, are you okay? It seems like something big just happened at the Cerulean City Police Department." A familiar, sweet voice came through, laced with a hint of worry. "I remember you went there this afternoon. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Ophelia was momentarily dazed, her brows gradually furrowing, though her tone remained calm. "I've been at the hotel the whole time. Looks like... the chaos has already ended."

"Good, that's a relief," the voice on the other end let out a breath. "Knowing you, I thought for sure you'd rush over."

"Today... I'm not feeling quite myself. Let's talk in person tomorrow morning."

Hanging up the call, Ophelia felt her mind clouded with confusion.

She was right. Why didn't I go over there?

This wasn't normal.

Ophelia was a prodigy, an elite operative trained to respond to crises without hesitation.

As both an ace Pokémon Trainer and a member of the Pokémon League's Shadow Ops, she would never ignore such a situation.

She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts.

Suddenly, a notification sounded—

An email.

Ophelia opened it to find a photograph attached: A one-hundred-meter-wide patch of scorched earth—barren and strangely pure in its devastation. Judging by the surroundings, the scene was undoubtedly within Cerulean City.

Below the image were four words: "Investigate this matter."

The sender was her direct superior—Andreas, Vice President of Silph Co.

Normally, investigative tasks of this nature fell to specialized units, not an executive secretary like her. Yet, this time, Andreas had given a direct order.

A test?

Ophelia didn't hesitate. She swiftly gathered her gear and drove straight to the site of the incident.

If the photo had been shocking, the actual scene was nothing short of astonishing.

What kind of force could cause destruction so precise—obliterating the police department entirely, yet leaving the surrounding area untouched, with no trace of collateral damage? The level of power control… was terrifying.

Even Ophelia, despite having reviewed countless classified cases from the League's Shadow Ops, found herself stunned by the sight before her.

The scene was still in chaos, but Ophelia immediately joined the volunteers, helping the on-site commander coordinate the aftermath.

With the police headquarters destroyed, operations had been temporarily relocated to another League building nearby.

Rumors swirled through the crowd:

Some claimed Team Rocket had attacked the building.

Others suggested a massive explosive device stored within the police department had accidentally detonated.

And then there were the wild claims—someone swore they saw Celebi summon Ho-Oh, and the destruction was caused by Ho-Oh's Sacred Fire. They even had a blurry photo of Celebi to "prove" it.

In short—chaos and speculation.

One thing was clear: Several factions were highly interested in this incident.

Fortunately, the on-site commander, Oliver Doyle, was a capable and seasoned officer. Under his decisive leadership, the situation remained under control, with no one taking advantage of the chaos for ulterior motives.

Though casualties were severe, most officers had been out on patrol or off duty when the building was destroyed, meaning the city's policing capabilities remained intact—strained but operational.

Ophelia felt a wave of relief. After all, her true identity was that of a League undercover operative.

After several hours, she had pieced together a rough outline of events.

Celebi had indeed appeared. The presence of Sacred Fire was also confirmed. However, the actual cause of the disaster was still unknown. Based on eyewitness accounts, the event likely involved the Cerulean City Gym Leader and an International Police agent—presumably the one now leading the investigation.

The finer details would surface in the League Shadow Ops reports later. For now, her priority was fulfilling Silph Co.'s directive.

By this point, Ophelia already had a clear idea of how to frame her report—enough to demonstrate her capability while maintaining her cover as a scholar-type executive.

Meanwhile, Lucius wasn't idle either. While eavesdropping on Ophelia's findings, he was also contemplating his next objective.

The magnitude of this incident had exceeded his expectations, but the gains were equally significant—both his level and abilities had surged.

Now, it was time to think about his next step: establishing an organization of at least ten people.

The mission briefing had been vague, specifying only "ten humans"—meaning Pokémon didn't count. It had to be ten human members.

But forming an organization required three core elements:

Purpose: What was the organization's mission?

Method: How would they operate?

People: Who would be part of it?

With these three components, an organization could take shape.

Lucius sighed. "This Virus Evolution System... why can't you be more like other people's systems—smarter, clearer?"

"No hints, no guidance—just 'build an organization.' Does registering a company and hiring ten employees count?"

He pondered the loophole for a long time but doubted it would be that simple.

"Well… I guess I'll test the waters in some remote area."

"After all, even the Umbrella Corporation had their labs in isolated places. Maybe I'll just start my own—how about... Parasol Corporation?" he joked to himself.

By the time Ophelia checked the clock, it was already 9 a.m.

Despite the night's chaos, the sun rose as usual, and the city carried on.

She took a deep breath. Time for her meeting.

Stepping on the gas, she sped westward across Cerulean City.

At the Game Corner, a girl barely glanced up from her handheld console as Ophelia entered.

"Oh? You're actually on time. I thought you'd be too busy with last night's mess to show up," she said, her eyes flicking away from the screen for barely a second.

Ophelia slid into the seat beside her, booting up a console of her own. "The building that blew up wasn't from my company. Why should I be busy?" she replied with feigned indifference.

The girl turned her head, locking eyes with her. A sly smile tugged at her lips. "Fair point."

Her smile was dazzling—stunning, even. Yet, to Ophelia, it felt oddly cryptic, sending a rare chill down her spine.

Her name was Mia Hjelle, a former classmate from the prestigious Saffron City Pokémon Academy.

Though most peers saw Mia Hjelle as just a pretty, ordinary student, Ophelia knew better—this girl was the heir to one of Kanto's most powerful families.

Despite her noble upbringing, Mia Hjelle had one amusing obsession: a deep addiction to arcade games.

As her friend, Ophelia often found herself dragged into the Game Corner for countless matches.

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