Aoki's curiosity about this cult grew significantly. What kind of organization could genuinely enhance the strength of another person's Pokémon? However, after confirming that Mega Evolution would not be exposed prematurely, Aoki felt a measure of relief. He had never heard of this organization in his previous life, likely because its power was relatively limited. Now that he was aware, he knew he had to take it seriously.

A team centered around a psychic-type user, possessing many lost psychic techniques and even enabling temporary Mega Evolution for some members' Pokémon—though it was a one-time event, this form of Mega Evolution could not unleash the full power of a true Mega Evolution and potentially damaged the Pokémon's foundation. Nevertheless, the emergence of such a mysterious and unique entity made Aoki sense a whiff of impending turmoil.

They chose to become active while Team Rocket was scaling back its operations. Did Giovanni know about this organization? Was the League aware of its existence? What was their stance on it? All of this made Aoki, who had originally believed he knew the entire future trajectory of the League, feel a distinct loss of control.

"The second question: who are the people in your cult? Have you already recruited many individuals with psychic powers? Who is your leader? What about this White Messenger you mentioned earlier?" Aoki posed his second question.

Hearing this, the middle-aged man in black looked at Aoki as if he were an idiot. However, after noticing Aoki's expression gradually grow colder, the man remembered his current predicament. "I am merely a person in charge of this level of mission. I have already told you everything I know about the cult. Beyond the individuals I directly report to and those who report to me, I have never had contact with anyone else in the organization," the middle-aged man in black explained, his face a picture of helplessness. "As for who the cult's leader is, I don't even know if such a person exists. Regarding the White Messenger, he is my direct superior. In addition to the White Messenger, there is also a Black Messenger. The task of inviting you to join the Cult of God was assigned to me by the White Messenger. The Divine Stone I received before was a reward for completing a mission given by the Black Messenger."

The middle-aged man in black had no intention of holding back and revealed everything he knew. Even if he remained silent, Aoki would undoubtedly find a way to force the information out of him, potentially subjecting him to inhumane torture. It was better to be straightforward. Perhaps there was still a glimmer of hope for survival, but even if not, a clean and quick death was far preferable to a prolonged, tortured end. He saw the situation with stark clarity.

Hearing his words, Aoki's frown deepened. The organization was strictly hierarchical, with subordinates only aware of their immediate superiors or inferiors. This way, even if one member was captured, only a portion of the information would be exposed. For such a disciplined organization, was it truly possible the League had no intelligence at all? The founder of this group was a frighteningly shrewd individual.

"The third question: why did you initiate this challenge? Is there a deeper purpose?" Aoki asked his third question.

Hearing this, the middle-aged man in black paused for a moment before speaking. "Partly, we wanted to gauge the strength of the younger generation of Trainers out there. Another part was an attempt to stifle some of the League's budding talents. If it worked, that would be ideal. If not, it was of little consequence."

Aoki nodded. It seemed the base of this so-called cult was not within the known Pokémon world. It might be located in a secret place or even another dimension. Their current actions were merely a probe by this cult, testing whether the League's teeth were still sharp after all these years and if it remained capable of striking back.

"Now, tell me everything you know about utilizing psychic powers, as well as all the information you have on your superiors, the Black and White Messengers, and your subordinates," Aoki demanded.

The middle-aged man's hands and feet were bound, but that did not prevent him from using his psychic abilities. Aoki was not concerned about the man's psychic prowess; he had discovered that although the opponent possessed some special techniques for employing psychic power, his overall strength was still inferior. And with Tyranitar present, there was even less cause for worry.

The middle-aged man in black closed his eyes and used his psychic power to project images of three of his subordinates into the air. One of them was Heba, who had participated in the challenge. The other two were individuals Aoki did not recognize. But Heba's strength was clearly superior to this middle-aged man's. Did that mean Heba was also an officer?

As if seeing through Aoki's doubts, the middle-aged man smiled wryly. "Everyone who first joins the organization becomes a subordinate of someone like me. After a three-year probation period and the completion of a certain number of missions, they gain the right to make contact with the Black and White Messengers. That is the path I followed before."

After hearing this explanation, Aoki understood. He committed the faces of the three individuals to memory. Then, words began to appear in the air. They detailed the special techniques he knew for employing psychic powers, including methods for developing psychic abilities and how to better synchronize them with one's own psychic-type Pokémon to achieve an amplified effect.

Just as the visages of the Black and White Messengers were finally beginning to condense in the air, the middle-aged man's eyes suddenly widened. As if he had seen something terrifying, his head lolled to the side, and he ceased breathing.

Witnessing this, Aoki was stunned. This... resembled a psychic phenomenon, yet it seemed slightly different from standard psychic-type energy. The result, however, was the same: the man had lost his life instantly.

Aoki signaled to Tyranitar to release the sand binding the body. He then collected the man's Poké Balls and spatial storage tool. He promptly emptied everything from the storage space to prevent the mysterious organization from having planted tracking devices on the equipment. He kept some of the more valuable items, pocketing a mysterious white card and a book. The Pokémon within the Poké Balls were quite powerful, but they had likely been forcibly enhanced, leaving them with no room for further growth. Their physical condition and foundational stats were subpar—classic cases of being forced to develop too rapidly. It was absolutely impossible for them to reach Champion level. That Heba individual was probably in a similar situation, his strength artificially inflated, causing his Pokémon to lose most of their potential.

This middle-aged man had probably been aware of his Pokémon's condition, which was why, after his own strength had improved, he had devoted all his energy to raising that Alakazam—a Pokémon with decent strength, good potential, and the capacity for Mega Evolution. It was a pity that after using the Mega Evolution divine stone multiple times, Alakazam's body had sustained damage and it could no longer perform at its peak. Furthermore, an intelligent Pokémon like Alakazam must have witnessed everything its Trainer had done. Therefore, Aoki could not take this Alakazam either.

Aoki examined the middle-aged man once more and, after confirming nothing else was amiss, returned Tyranitar to its Poké Ball, waved his hand, and departed. After he left, the entire separate space collapsed, leaving not a single trace behind.