Sequel to "Risen from Betrayal" - Galarian Adventures

Chapter 22 - Temporary Abandonment

At the Energy Plant:

"So how did it go?" asked Rose to the traitors and the 15 employees.

"Not good at all. Ash and his friends got backup this time, with another 7 people," said Employee 1, causing Rose to become slightly frustrated.

"Blast it," said Rose. "These people are smarter than expected."

"So I'm guessing that we don't attack for the timebeing," said Employee 2.

"No, we will continue what we are trying to achieve," said Rose.

"What about the traitors?" asked Employee 3.

"Well they have already established that they are still on our side and will help us. For now, Trip and Calem are still continuing their gym challenges for the World Coronation Series," said Rose.

"So I'm guessing that we will still keep them updated time by time regarding our progress and what they might need to do," said Employee 4.

"Another thing we need to be careful of is regarding how we tread in the future," said Rose.

"Why's that?" asked Misty.

"Well after two attacks on Ash and his friends, they are bound to report it to someone. The good thing is that they don't remember what our uniform looks like and since you lot didn't give away who we are during the second attack, that makes things difficult for them when investigating," said Rose.

"Who are they most likely to report to?" asked May.

"My best guess is they will get Leon to help, since Ash is friends with him, which would only mean one thing," said Leon.

"And what may that be?" asked Drew.

"If Leon sees you lot here in this facility, we're pretty much doomed, so the whole lot of you will need to leave this place as soon as possible. I'm guessing you guys are heading to Spikemuth Town?" replied Leon.

"Understood, and yes, we are," said Misty and the others. 

"That's what I thought too," said Rose and he turned to Employees 1 & 2. "Check outside to see if Leon is anywhere nearby. I must make sure the coast is clear before Trip and the others head off."

Immediately, the two employees began heading outside the facility and came back a few minutes later confirming that it is safe.

"Good. Stay safe and be careful for now," said Rose as Misty and the other traitors farewelled Oleana and the employees.

"Well thank god they're safe. Otherwise our plan would have gone down the drain," said Employee 3.

About half an hour later:

"Boss, Leon is at the entrance of the Energy Plant," said Employee 4.

"Let him in," said Leon and the Employee nodded in understanding. A few minutes, Employee 4 came back with the Galarian Champion.

"Ah, Leon. How are you doing?" asked Rose.

"Doing quite well, just the usual," said Leon.

"So what brings you here?" asked Rose.

"Well recently, Ash Ketchum and his friends reported two incidents that occurred, in which the traitors and four people during the first skirmish, fifteen people during the second skirmish, attacked them. Luckily, despite being outnumbered, Ash and his friends managed to defeat them easily," said Leon.

"Interesting. How come you're telling me about this?" asked Rose.

"Well I've agreed to investigate on the incident, but wasn't sure where to start, so I wanted to ask you if you know anything about it," said Leon.

"I'm afraid I don't. If they're bothering Ash and his friends so much, why not ban them from competing further in the World Coronation Series or revoke their Pokemon Trainer licenses?" suggested Rose.

"I've said the same thing too, but Ash insisted on settling this feud in the later part of the tournament," said Leon.

"Fair enough," said Rose.

"Alright, I won't bother you any further. See you later," said Leon as he began heading out of the Energy Plant.

"Seems like you were right about Leon asking you about the incident," said Employee 5.

"Indeed. Thank Arceus Trip and his friends left before he came here," said Rose in agreement.

About an hour later, with Ash and his friends at the raven-haired trainer's cabin:

"I wonder if Leon managed to get any answers from Rose," said Chloe.

"Hard to say, Chloe. Rose is only the Chairman of the Galar League, so it isn't very likely that he would pay attention to these sort of stuff," said Goh.

"Well we'll just have to wait for Leon to contact us with answers. I'm sure he won't be too long," said Gary.

Less than a minute later, Ash's Nanodex began to buzz and when he opened it, the call turned out to be no other than Leon.

"Looks like Leon's got answers. Let's hear him out," said Brock.

"Hi Leon. How did it go?" asked Ash.

"Unfortunately when I asked Rose if he knows about the incident, he says he doesn't have any idea on who might be behind it," said Leon.

"I see. Is there anybody else who we could possibly ask?" inquired Ash.

"Not that I could think of," said Leon.

"But it isn't likely that the traitors and those people would try to pull of another attack," said Max.

"That is true. However, it doesn't hurt to assume the worst, so we must be on a constant watch at all times," said Dawn.

"Dawn is right. While they're not planning an attack, they're definitely preparing for something big, and I can tell it's definitely not pretty at all," said Leon.

"We're bound to find out sooner or later. Just a matter of time," said Clemont.

"Agreed. In the meantime, be careful out there. If there is anything I find, I'll inform you guys as soon as possible. Stay safe and I'll see you guys soon," said Leon.

"You too, Leon," said Ash & his friends and the hologram of the Galarian Champion then disappeared.

"So what do we do now?" asked Serena.

"We'll relax for the rest of the day.  Tomorrow morning, I will challenge the gym and after lunch, we shall head to Spikemuth Town," replied Ash.