Chapter 353: Ecruteak City Hall? This Is League Champion Aurelia

The video continued playing.

An extremely regretful expression appeared on Selene’s face.

"That’s such a shame."

She sighed.

Then she reached into her bag, pulled out Ho-Oh’s feather, and twirled it between her fingers.

"I was originally thinking that since Ecruteak City is the birthplace of the legends surrounding Ho-Oh, this feather would be perfect to donate to the Bell Tower as its most treasured relic."

Morty’s eyes instantly locked onto it.

"And while we’re at it, the Sun-Moon Group could fund a complete restoration of the Bell Tower."

"We could also spread the story of the Bell Tower throughout the world, so everyone would come to know the legend of Ho-Oh."

"But since you don’t think any of that is necessary..."

Selene slipped the feather back into her bag.

"Then never mind."

"Sorry to bother you, Gym Leader Morty."

"Until next time."

"WAIT!"

Morty’s expression immediately became far gentler.

"Miss Selene, I think..."

"Perhaps we can discuss your earlier proposal a little further."

"Oh?"

Selene tilted her head.

"But didn’t you just say that the legend of Ho-Oh shouldn’t be commercially exploited?"

"...Did I say that?"

Standing behind Selene, James quietly leaned toward Jessie.

"That speed at changing his tune is almost catching up to us."

Jessie lowered her voice.

"Shh."

"Don’t say things like that."

"We’re respectable working people now."

Perhaps even Morty himself found the situation awkward, because he coughed twice.

"Ahem..."

"Even if I did say something like that, it merely proves that my understanding too shallow."

"I failed to recognize the Sun-Moon Group’s genuine commitment to preserving cultural heritage."

Selene pulled out her business card again and offered it to Morty.

"Easy enough!"

"Then why don’t we head over to the Bell Tower right now and inspect the site in person?"

"Of course, of course."

"I’ll personally show President Selene the way."

Morty stepped aside and made an inviting gesture.

The group then headed toward the Bell Tower together.

Time had weathered the Bell Tower’s exterior, leaving parts of it mottled and aged.

But its overall structure remained remarkably sturdy, carrying the solemn dignity of a place that had accumulated a thousand years of history.

Morty walked at the front and pushed open the heavy tower doors.

Selene walked over to the altar in the center and placed Ho-Oh’s feather on top.

Then she planted both hands on her hips.

"All right!"

"Now we can start discussing the restoration plan—"

Before she could finish—

The Ho-Oh emblem on the altar suddenly lit up.

Golden light spread outward along the carved patterns.

Like countless golden snakes coming to life, the light crawled from the altar toward every corner of the tower.

Morty’s expression changed abruptly.

"Wait."

"This reaction isn’t right..."

Golden lines had already spread across the entire interior of the tower.

The wooden floor beneath everyone’s feet began giving off a deep buzzing vibration—like a thousand Beedrill beating their wings at the same time.

Jessie grabbed James’s arm.

"I don’t know why, but I’ve suddenly got a really bad feeling about this."

"Me too."

"And every time we get this kind of feeling, it usually means—"

James didn’t get to finish.

The floor in the center of the tower suddenly flipped downward.

A pitch-black hole opened beneath them.

"AAAAAAAHHHHH!"

"LOOKS LIKE TEAM ROCKET’S BLASTING OFF AGAAAAAIN!!!"

Four people and one Meowth dropped straight into the darkness.

The instant the black hole swallowed all five figures—

Click.

The floor flipped back into place.

The Ho-Oh emblem on the altar slowly dimmed.

And the Bell Tower fell silent once more.

[VIP Chat Group]

[Sabrina]: !!!

[Karen]: Wait, wait, wait. There’s actually a hole underneath the Bell Tower?!

[Clair]: So did Selene trigger some kind of mechanism? Or was it Ho-Oh’s feather?

[Koga]: Not even the locals in Ecruteak City knew there was a hidden passage beneath the Bell Tower. Judging by Morty’s expression, this was clearly his first time seeing it too.

[Morty]: ...I genuinely didn’t know.

[May]: Um... Selene isn’t in danger, right?

[Phoebe]: Relax. Selene is Asher’s daughter. If danger runs into her, danger should be the one running away.

[Glacia]: Why does that sound strangely reasonable?

[Volkner]: Huh? Wait a second. We’ve gotten this far and Steven still hasn’t appeared to praise Asher?

[Raihan]: You’re right. @Steven, what’s going on? Skipping your daily quest?

[Steven]: Shh... Don’t interrupt me. I’m cooking something up.

[Flint]: Cooking up what?

[Steven]: A piece of flattery powerful enough to make Brother Asher tremble with awe.

[Wallace]: ...

The scene changed again.

Indigo Plateau, Pokémon League Headquarters, Champion’s Office.

Aurelia closed the final document on her desk.

Then she looked up at her secretary.

"No urgent matters left for today?"

"No, Champion."

The secretary nodded.

"You can actually leave work on time today."

This seemed to be the first time since Aurelia had become Champion of the Kanto League that she had finished all her official duties before the sun had even set.

Aurelia stretched her wrist.

Then she walked over to the window.

"How have my parents been lately?"

The secretary immediately replied:

"Mr. Asher and Gym Leader Sabrina are both doing very well."

"Last week, they visited the Sun-Moon Group’s newly opened hot-spring resort together."

The corner of Aurelia’s mouth moved ever so slightly.

"I see."

"What about Selene?"

The Secretary-General’s hand suddenly stopped while flipping through the records.

Aurelia turned away from the window and looked directly at him.

"What happened to Selene?"

"President Selene traveled to Ecruteak City yesterday to negotiate a cooperation project with Gym Leader Morty."

The Secretary-General swallowed.

"And then..."

"She disappeared."

The temperature inside the office dropped instantly.

For the first time—Aurelia failed to keep her psychic field under control.

Her voice turned cold.

"What do you mean, disappeared?"

"Gym Leader Morty accompanied President Selene into the Bell Tower."

"But after entering, neither of them came back out."

"Personnel have already been dispatched to search the area."

"I only just received the report myself."

Aurelia didn’t hesitate for even a second.

She immediately picked up the secure-line telephone on her desk and dialed a number.

The call was answered almost instantly.

"Ecruteak City Hall?"

"This is League Champion Aurelia."

There was a brief silence on the other end.

Then came the sound of a chair crashing to the floor.

"Ch-Champion?!"

"Hello! Yes! Hello!"

"What instructions do you have for us?!"

"Get your mayor on the phone."

"Now."

"I’m waiting."

A chaotic series of crashes and hurried footsteps came through the receiver.

Moments later, the breathless voice of a middle-aged man appeared.

"Ch-Champion!"

"I’m here!"

"Please, go ahead!"

"I’m listening!"

"Exactly how did my sister disappear?"

Aurelia’s voice was perfectly calm.

"Explain everything from beginning to end."

"Don’t leave out a single detail."

The mayor of Ecruteak City immediately began reporting everything they knew about Selene’s disappearance.

But after listening carefully it ultimately amounted to little more than: She entered the tower and never came back out.

There was almost no useful information.

Aurelia hung up.

Then she turned around, took the white coat hanging from the rack and pulled out the Master Ball containing Latios.

The Secretary-General cautiously spoke.

"Champion..."

"You’re going to...?"

"Ecruteak City."