Chapter 44: Finding Out the Truth
"Master Zhang, please have someone drag the Gyarados back to shore. After I question them about why they attacked humans, I'll finish the mission."
Chen Xiaoxiao's voice was calm and decisive as she addressed Curator Zhang, who still looked like he had just seen a ghost.
"O-Okay!"
Zhang finally snapped back to reality, remembering what the League had instructed earlier that a specialist capable of psychic communication with Pokémon would assist in the investigation.
He never imagined that person would turn out to be Chen Xiaoxiao, the youngest Elite trainer in the history of the Alliance.
At the same time, a deep sense of gratitude washed over him. If it hadn't been her, if it had been anyone else, they might not have subdued the raging Gyarados so cleanly and without severe casualties. The incident could've escalated into a city-level disaster.
About ten minutes later, the Gym staff had already used several mobile hover-lifts and reinforced Aqua Rope to pull the unconscious Gyarados group back to the shoreline. Their efficiency could only be described as elite-level.
"Should I call the Pokémon Center to bring in medical support?"
Zhang approached again and asked Chen Xiaoxiao.
"No need. That'll take too long," she replied plainly.
She walked toward the defeated but still-breathing Gyarados and reached for one of her Poké Balls.
"Come out, Gardevoir. Heal one of them gently."
"Sha… nai!"
As soon as Gardevoir materialized onto the beach in a soft shimmer of light, the bystanders broke into another wave of noise.
Excitement surged again.
"Whoa! That's a Gardevoir!"
A typical onlooker, moderately informed.
"Wait, why does this Gardevoir look different from the one in the Pokédex?"
Someone with curiosity, pointing out the obvious.
"Idiot, it's a shiny Gardevoir. Look at the teal hair and the silver-white dress."
A more knowledgeable trainer, stating facts.
"Ahhh! I think I'm in love…"
Some hopeless romantic.
"Cringe."
A guy trying too hard to act cool to impress girls nearby.
Of course, these background voices held no relevance to the actual plot. Without titles, identities, or Pokémon of note, they could only be classified as "someone," and were promptly ignored.
The perspective shifted back to the protagonist.
Gardevoir's eyes glowed as a pale blue psychic aura enveloped her body. She held out her hands, and a wave of soft green energy the classic visual signature of Heal Pulse gathered in her palms before flowing into one of the unconscious Gyarados.
That specific Gyarados lucky to be chosen first twitched as its breathing steadied. The severe burns on its scales dulled slightly, and the tense muscles in its long serpentine body relaxed.
"Rooooar…"
It groaned as it slowly regained consciousness.
As soon as the revived Gyarados let out a guttural roar, it tried to use its remaining strength to launch an attack out of instinct.
"Gardevoir, Confusion. Make it lie down again," Chen Xiaoxiao said flatly. She had anticipated that these aggressive creatures wouldn't be cooperative at first, so she didn't even blink.
The Gyarados that had just recovered thanks to Heal Pulse now collapsed once more under Gardevoir's effortless Confusion. Its eyes swirled in a daze like cartoon mosquito coils.
"Next one."
Heal. Collapse. Heal. Collapse...
After several repetitions of this cycle, the corners of many onlookers' mouths couldn't help twitching uncontrollably. The surreal nature of the process made it feel like they were watching some sort of advanced Pokémon slapstick routine.
Finally, one Gyarados an Elite-level specimen based on its size, musculature, and the vibrant blue tone of its scales remained calm after receiving Heal Pulse. Instead of reacting with rage, it blinked and looked at Chen Xiaoxiao and Gardevoir with wary intelligence.
"Sure enough, the stronger they are, the higher their battle IQ," Chen Xiaoxiao noted to herself.
She knelt slightly to meet the Pokémon's eyes and spoke gently in a measured tone.
"Gyarados, we're not your enemies. I'm here to help. Why did your group attack humans?"
"(Roar! Damned humans!)" Gyarados roared, though not with violence this time just raw frustration.
"A lot of people are innocent. Not everyone has hurt you. If you tell us the truth, we might be able to fix what's been done."
Eventually, the Elite Gyarados relaxed its body and, using slow telepathic phrases with Gardevoir as the medium, explained the truth to Chen Xiaoxiao.
It turned out that a submerged industrial outflow pipe had been illegally installed beneath the sea, continuously discharging untreated sewage into the local ecosystem. The pollution had killed or displaced numerous marine Pokémon especially weaker ones like Magikarp, several of which had died near the source.
Angered and grieving, the Gyarados group had seen human ships and patrol units in the area and believed they were responsible. Driven by pain and vengeance, they had launched the attack.
Under Gyarados' guidance, Chen Xiaoxiao and Master Zhang donned specialized Aqua Gear and followed the Pokémon underwater. They found the pipe exactly where it had said coated in sludge and reeking of chemicals. Confirming the evidence firsthand, they marked it for closure and promised the Gyarados that justice would follow.
After resurfacing, Chen Xiaoxiao oversaw basic healing for the rest of the Gyarados and made a pact for them to temporarily retreat deeper into the sea until the pollution was dealt with.
"Master Zhang, with this, my mission is complete. The next step cleanup and accountability—has to be handled by your local team."
"Understood. I'll report it to the League's environmental division immediately," Zhang replied, still shaken by how close the situation had come to catastrophe. "Thank you, truly. Without you, this might've turned into a full-blown maritime disaster. You've earned a day off in Shantou City. Tomorrow morning, we'll process the final report."
"Alright," Chen Xiaoxiao nodded. After all, she needed time to submit her own briefing and rest after two solid months of field duty.
"Guoxiong!" Zhang called to his son. "Escort Miss Chen Xiaoxiao and make sure she's treated properly."
"Got it!"
Zhang Guoxiong cheerfully accompanied Chen Xiaoxiao as they chatted on the way. He brought her to a luxury hotel near the Shantou coastline, reserved the Champion Suite for her personally, and departed quickly. Though he liked spending time with her, he was smart enough to know she wasn't someone he could casually try to impress.
The next morning, Guoxiong returned to the hotel and delivered a sealed investigative report detailing the now-closed pollution case.
Chen Xiaoxiao flipped through the report, scanning the conclusions with a trained eye. Then she opened her Pokédex and dialed a secure connection contacting her direct superior, Leng Xin, a regional inspector under the League's internal taskforce.
As soon as the video connected, Leng Xin's voice carried warm approval.
"Xiaoxiao, excellent work. The situation was resolved neatly. You handled everything just as I hoped."
"Heehee, of course! Who do you think you sent?" she said with pride, then added with a slight frown, "But… was it too high-profile?"
She noticed from Leng Xin's tone that he already knew most of the outcome perhaps even before she reported in. Such efficiency was typical of someone in his rank.
Leng Xin chuckled. "You little rascal. That wasn't 'too high-profile' at all. This wasn't a parade you neutralized a mass-Pokémon riot and saved the local ecology. What good is power if you never use it?"
"And don't worry about exposure," he added. "You're officially part of the Prosecutor Division, a restricted-visibility sector of the League's secret service. Your name and profile are locked under Level IV clearance. You won't appear online unless the League deems it necessary."
Feeling reassured, Chen Xiaoxiao sighed in relief and chatted for a few more minutes before ending the call.
Still, she opened the public Pokédex feed to verify for herself.
As expected, all that was reported publicly were a few photos images of scorched Gyarados floating in the harbor, and one freeze-frame of Thunder crashing down on them. Solgaleo was absent from the frame, cropped out entirely.
In the League press release, the incident was described as having been resolved by an "official Prosecutor deployed from the Chinese Champion's department." Solgaleo was only mentioned as "the Prosecutor's Pokémon," without further classification.
Chen Xiaoxiao couldn't help but smirk.
It really is different when you have people up top watching your back. Even the best UC gossip blogs were quiet for once.
Later that day, the Shantou City government published an official bulletin. It confirmed that a local steel manufacturing plant had been dumping toxic waste through an illegal underwater pipeline.
The factory had been shut down under an emergency Embargo Order issued by the League's environmental tribunal.
The announcement even listed names of the corrupt individuals involved including water-quality inspectors who had falsified autopsy reports on Pokémon corpses, misleading prior investigations.
Some were city officials caught accepting bribes to ignore environmental violations.
Justice, it seemed, had begun.
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