“Master Glacia.”

After arriving at her location, Terrance greeted Glacia, who was dressed in a purple gown and had the appearance of a noblewoman with golden curls.

“Gym Leader Terrance, the last time we met was at the opening ceremony of the Fallarbor Gym. It’s only been a year, and I didn’t expect you to be standing at the doorstep of the highest hall for Trainers,” Glacia said with a smile.

“You flatter me. I’ve just been lucky; I’m still far from the level of you masters,” Terrance replied with a wry smile.

The reason he had been able to defeat Leo involved many external factors. His own strength still had many shortcomings that needed further improvement.

Glacia and Terrance exchanged a bit of small talk. After some lighthearted chatter, Glacia finally got to the main topic.

“Gym Leader Terrance, the mysterious aura shown by Arcanine and Altaria during the battle just now should be the totem aura from the Alola region, right?”

“Yes,” Terrance nodded.

“I’ve been to the Alola region myself. The mysterious aura on those Totem Pokémon intrigued me for a long time…” Terrance said with a smile. “So I took on the Island Challenge there and studied the Totem Pokémon while I was at it. I never expected to actually discover the source of the totem aura.”

Glacia gave Terrance a deep look and said, “The totem aura has a very unique origin, it’s said to be related to creatures from another world.”

“Ultra Beasts…” Terrance said slowly.

“That’s right, Ultra Beasts. These beings from another world are not only stronger than most Pokémon, but their presence can also cause serious damage to our world’s ecosystem.”

“In recent years, the International Police have been investigating these mysterious creatures, but progress has been limited.”

“Miss Glacia… what are you trying to say?” Terrance looked up at her.

“I’m here on behalf of the Hoenn League and the International Police to extend an invitation, we’d like to recruit you as a member of the International Police’s UB Task Force.”

“UB is the code name the International Police use for Ultra Beasts.”

“Of course, since you’re a Gym Leader in Hoenn, you won’t be required to go to Alola in person to investigate the Ultra Beasts. But since totem aura may be linked to the Ultra Beasts, the International Police would like to invite you to join the UB Task Force as a researcher. Naturally, the benefits of this position will be several times, perhaps even dozens of times greater than that of a Gym Leader,” Glacia extended the offer.

Terrance gave a slight smile, as if he had anticipated this, and said, “Totem aura was something I discovered by chance. There are still many flaws in it. I believe that, with the scientific capabilities of the International Police, it can be refined to perfection.”

“This little bit of skill of mine isn’t worth showing off. I’m willing to hand over the totem aura imbuement technique to the UB Task Force.”

Glacia was momentarily stunned; she hadn’t expected Terrance to agree so readily.

“There’s no need to rush your answer. The International Police will send someone to discuss the details with you soon. In the meantime, you only need to keep the totem aura technology confidential.”

“After all, this involves the Ultra Beasts, and Ultra Beasts are dangerous creatures that could pose a catastrophic threat to our world.”

Terrance was, of course, well aware of this. Even without Master Victor’s reminder, he knew what he should do given his current position.

Moreover, neither the Pokémon League nor the International Police would ever accept Terrance’s totem aura technology for free.

This was a transaction.

“I understand all of that,” Terrance nodded.

“But, Miss Glacia, I was planning to use the ‘totem aura technology’ to obtain the Senior Breeder title. The assessment process for that…” Terrance frowned slightly.

“You don’t need to worry about that. The International Police will handle the patent application for you and get involved in your Senior Breeder exam. Rest assured, if everything goes smoothly, you may not only receive the Senior Breeder title, but also gain the honor of being recognized as an international researcher.”

With a slight pause in thought, Glacia quickly caught on to the implication behind Terrance’s words. This guy wasn’t really worried about the totem aura being exposed, he was just trying to leverage it for more benefits.

Glacia didn’t mind this. Since they were making use of the other party’s research results, it was only natural for the side she represented to pay a corresponding price in resources.

This was a transaction. And when dealing with a young Trainer like Terrance who had both potential and strength, the deal had to be equal, or even tilted in Terrance’s favor.

Just as Terrance and Glacia were engaged in a deep discussion, a sudden rumble echoed from outside. The chaotic noise surged in like a crashing wave, startling them both.

What happened?!

Wasn’t there supposed to be an ongoing battle between Albus and Wallace outside?!

Terrance and Glacia exchanged glances and quickly exited the room, heading toward the Sootopolis Plaza.

…

Sootopolis Plaza, Battle Arena.

Lucario was wildly unleashing its Aura, forcing back anyone trying to approach the arena.

Fujiki summoned Ninetales and demonstrated the “Blazing Tails Technique,” becoming the first person to set foot on the arena.

Wallace commanded Milotic but remained hesitant, unable to give any orders as he looked at the scene before him.

In the arena, Albus, wearing a black trench coat, suddenly collapsed during his match against Wallace. The change happened so abruptly that no one present reacted in time.

Not only was Wallace stunned, even Steven, who was supervising the entire match, frowned deeply.

“Aura power…”

During the match, Lucario had been battling Wallace’s Milotic and had been on the back foot for a long time. Both sides displayed their full strength in the intense fight, but at one moment, Albus’s Lucario erupted with tremendous power, nearly suppressing Milotic. However, the surge didn’t last long before Albus, Lucario’s Trainer, suddenly lost consciousness.

This sudden collapse triggered an intense reaction. Medical personnel rushed over, but were forcibly blocked from the arena by Lucario’s power. At the very moment Albus fell, Fujiki abruptly leapt onto the arena and summoned Ninetales to Albus’s side.

“What in the world is going on?” Festival person-in-charge Raoul Contesta was drenched in sweat as he watched the unexpected incident, anxiety rising in his heart.

During his battle with Wallace, Albus had shown overwhelming strength. Darkrai took down Wallace’s main Pokémon in the first round, causing a sensation throughout the venue. Wallace then sent out his ace Milotic, which defeated Darkrai after several exchanges and continued to hold the upper hand against Albus’s Lucario. And then… the unexpected happened.

A festival that had been going so smoothly suddenly turned turbulent the moment Albus collapsed.

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