Xiao Ran and Qiu Yuxuan exchanged grim looks and slowly sat down. This was no time for shock. They needed to work out a solution.
"Teacher Qiu, win that branch first!" Xiao Ran said darkly, then turned to Yun Mengqiu.
"Elite Four Yun, sorry for the trouble, but we need you to act. We have to catch whoever supplied this auction item!"
There were plenty of wealthy and influential people aboard the Airship, but very few had Elite Four Class strength. Almost no one could escape Yun Mengqiu, making her the best person for the job.
"What happened?" Yun Mengqiu asked gravely.
"This branch appeared at an auction in Border Town before. The seller back then was Team Rocket!" Xiao Ran explained.
"Team Rocket?" Two puzzled voices echoed the name, though Yun Mengqiu was shocked, while Wang Yunshu was genuinely confused.
"Are you sure?" Yun Mengqiu asked, her expression darkening.
Almost every Elite Four member in the country had received information about Team Rocket. These people had to be stamped out inside the Secret Realm, yet now they seemed poised to flee the country. If they escaped, they would be completely beyond anyone's control.
"This branch is exactly the same as the one back then!" Qiu Yuxuan said. She was still bidding, and the price had already reached one hundred million.
"This isn't a branch of the World Tree. It's Xerneas's Branch, from the Legendary Pokémon!"
"Xerneas only gave out two in total. I have one, which I left back home before we departed. Team Rocket brought the other one out."
"The branch's most important function is to track down Yveltal after it was released, then open the gate to Xerneas's Secret Realm."
Xiao Ran explained. Although he had no idea why the branch had ended up here, Team Rocket