The passage inside the prison was cold and deep.
Red emergency lights flickered on the walls, stretching and shortening everyone's shadows. The oppressive atmosphere made it hard to breathe.
The air was thick with the briny tang of seawater and the smell of rusted metal.
"Boss, we're in," Ye Li said quietly into the Communicator.
"Understood." Lin Feng's voice came through immediately. "I've taken over the prison's internal surveillance system. You're currently in Sector C3. Turn left fifty meters ahead to avoid the maintenance crew heading your way."
With remote guidance from Lin Feng, their "full-map cheat," Ye Li led his squad as though strolling through his own backyard, narrowly but safely avoiding one patrol and emergency maintenance crew after another.
They moved swiftly through the labyrinthine prison passages, heading straight for the maximum-security area on the lowest level, where the old Gym Leader was being held.
However, just as they were about to reach the heavy alloy gate leading to the lowest level...
Someone unexpected appeared before them.
"I thought there was a leak somewhere. Turns out a few uninvited little rats have come calling."
A slightly hoarse yet resonant voice came from the shadows in front of the gate.
Then a tall man in a warden's uniform slowly stepped out, his long red hair hanging loosely over his shoulders.
A hint of an amused smile rested on his face, but his eyes were sharp as blades.
Ye Li's heart sank.
He recognized this man.
Drake, the former Orange Islands Champion, the man hailed as "the Undefeated of the South."
Why was he here?
According to the Pokémon League's public records, hadn't he been "exiled" to a remote region to guard an ordinary prison after disobeying orders during an operation?
He hadn't expected the Pokémon League's so-called "exile" to