"During the interrogation, an experienced Officer Jenny noticed that something was off about the other party's behavior."
Wallace's voice came through the phone. "Then we brought in a professional Miss Joy to assess him and discovered that the 'Archie' we captured may have been hypnotized by a Pokemon."
"Hypnotized?"
"Yes, and it was an extremely advanced, multilayered form of hypnosis. While hypnotized, this 'Archie' firmly believed himself to be Team Aqua's leader and acted according to prearranged instructions."
Wallace's tone was grave. "In other words, he's a fake."
"That's... unbelievable."
Tetsuya was thoroughly astonished.
Hoenn Region had always viewed Archie as "a bold and generous man who treated his subordinates well."
Though he would not hesitate to sacrifice some people for his Ideals, compared to Maxie's image as someone "resourceful and calculating," Archie undoubtedly gave off more of a "big-headed, brainless" impression.
The facts proved it.
Things like "impressions" and "feelings" were not particularly reliable.
Who could have imagined that the "Archie" active in Hoenn Region for more than a decade was merely a puppet the real Archie had deliberately placed in the open?
"Then where is the real Archie?"
Tetsuya could not help asking.
Then his pupils suddenly contracted. "You mean?"
"That's right. There's a very good chance he's near Mt. Pyre right now, preparing to make a move on the Blue Orb."
Wallace confirmed Tetsuya's thought with utmost seriousness.
Tetsuya instinctively tightened his grip on the round object in his pocket.
Originally, Steven had indeed intended to take away the Blue Orb and place it under protection at League headquarters.
It would be hard to call it the safest place in the world, but unless the entire League stood at a critical juncture of life and death, it would probably be impossible to breach.
But later, they considered