Penny answered the call.
"Chairwoman?"
"Good evening, Penny."
A familiar laugh came from the other end of the phone. Baimu and the others quietly perked up their ears to listen, which made the noisy Pokémon fall silent as well.
Paldea League Chairwoman Geeta said, "Have you finished dinner?"
"Yes."
Penny glanced at her companions and lowered her voice. "Did something go wrong with the system again? I'll head back right away—"
"Not at all. The system you maintain is very stable."
Geeta interrupted her with a chuckle. "This is merely an evening call out of concern for all of you outstanding young talents.
"And also to welcome Baimu. Say hello to him for me."
She clearly knew Baimu was listening. As for why she had not called him directly...
Perhaps she did not want to make things too formal?
The fact that she called him a student made that obvious. If she called Baimu directly, there would inevitably be a long exchange of formal pleasantries. After all, both sides held official positions.
It might even turn into a formal meeting between Paldea and the Orre Champion.
After all, they had not known each other for long.
"Uh..."
Penny froze for a moment, hesitating over whether to hand the phone to Baimu. He saw through her thoughts and shook his head, declining on his own initiative.
She immediately had no idea how to continue the conversation.
Fortunately, Geeta had no intention of chatting at length. When she learned that they would arrive in Mesagoza tomorrow evening, she simply said that she would wait for them at headquarters and hung up.
Penny let out a sigh of relief.
She was not good with words. She usually spoke softly and looked rather frail, which was why those troublesome students had targeted her before.