"Everyone, that's the situation. I believe we need to immediately escalate the manhunt for both Team Magma and Team Aqua. What do you think?"
Inside a conference room at the Hoenn League Headquarters, Drake spoke in a low, steady voice, recounting everything that had happened the previous day without missing a single detail.
The room fell silent.
It wasn't that the officials present were unwilling to intensify the pursuit of the two criminal organizations—it was that what Drake had said was simply too shocking.
One by one, their gazes shifted toward the elderly man seated at the head of the table.
After a brief pause, Chairman Miyazaki Ryūya let out a quiet sigh.
"Champion Drake is telling the truth," he said slowly. "The Sendoff Mountain lineage has indeed been guarding two orbs capable of awakening Groudon and Kyogre."
The moment those words fell, the meeting room exploded into chaos.
"That kind of object should never have been kept secret from the League!"
"Why were the orbs entrusted to Sendoff Mountain instead of being placed under League protection?"
"This is ridiculous—if they're that important, why weren't we informed?"
Voices overlapped, arguments stacking on top of one another.
"Exactly! If those orbs are tied to something this catastrophic, they should've been secured by the League!"
"And now look—Team Magma and Team Aqua stole them! If they locate Groudon and Kyogre, the consequences will be unimaginable!"
The discussion spiraled rapidly, the core argument always circling back to the same point—
The orbs should never have been entrusted to Sendoff Mountain.
The Hoenn Elite Four, senior officers from the Officer Jenny and Nurse Joy families, and Wallace all remained silent, listening without interruption.
Finally, Miyazaki Ryūya had enough.
Bang! Bang!
He slammed the table twice.
The room instantly went quiet.
"That's enough," he snapped. "What kind of behavior is this? Is this a marketplace or a League conference?"
"And let me make this clear—this meeting is about how to recover the orbs, not about debating who should have held them in the first place. Do you understand?"
The last words were practically shouted.
Miyazaki Ryūya's eyes were tired.
How could he not know?
The League had long since begun to rot from within. Too many parasites occupied key positions of power.
If their interests weren't touched, everything was fine.
But the moment real reform threatened their benefits, obstacles appeared everywhere—procedural delays, internal resistance, endless excuses.
He wanted to clean them out more than anyone.
But it wasn't that simple.
A slow purge wouldn't work.
A rapid one would destabilize the entire Hoenn League, spark panic among civilians, and possibly cause collapse.
And with Hoenn lacking a reigning Champion, there was no one powerful enough to suppress the fallout.
So he endured.
After nearly half a minute of heavy silence, it was Officer Jenny Sūhara, a top-tier investigator from the Jenny family, who finally spoke.
"Then I'll lead a task force to fully investigate the movements of Team Magma and Team Aqua. We'll do everything possible to capture them as quickly as possible."
Miyazaki Ryūya's expression eased slightly, but he shook his head.
"This matter is too serious to leave to you alone," he said. "Both organization leaders command Champion-level Pokémon."
"Mueller has prior combat experience against Maxie. I want Mueller and Sidney to assist—focus on tracking Team Magma."
Mueller, who had been resting with his eyes closed, opened them slightly. A sharp glint flashed in his gaze before he nodded calmly.
Sidney followed without hesitation.
Though Sidney, as a newly promoted Elite Four member, lacked a Champion-level Pokémon, he was confident enough with Mueller at his side. Against Maxie, his role would be support—and that was enough.
"Champion Drake," Miyazaki Ryūya continued, "you and Phoebe will handle maritime operations. Track Team Aqua."
Drake nodded immediately. "No problem. I'm already used to operating at sea."
Phoebe simply shrugged. "Wherever I'm needed."
Seeing no objections, Miyazaki Ryūya made the decision final.
"Then it's settled. That will be our operational deployment regarding Team Magma and Team Aqua."
He paused, then continued.
"Next—about the newly discovered secret realm near the waters outside Sootopolis City."
"After discussion with other regional Leagues, we intend to invite outstanding performers from the World Championship to enter and undergo practical trials."
"What are your thoughts?"
Mueller immediately raised both hands in approval.
"I support it completely. Young trainers today grow up in greenhouses. If they don't taste danger now, how will they shoulder responsibility later?"
Drake nodded in agreement. His thoughts aligned perfectly with Mueller's.
League Champions and Elite Four weren't just ceremonial titles.
They dealt with criminal organizations, disasters, and god-level Pokémon.
That wasn't competition.
Mistakes meant casualties—Pokémon deaths, even human lives.
The newly discovered secret realm was ideal: harsh environment, powerful wild Pokémon, real danger.
Exactly what the next generation needed.
No one objected.
Even if they did, it wouldn't matter—this was a joint decision by multiple Leagues.
This meeting was merely notification.
Miyazaki Ryūya gave a firm nod.
"Then it's decided. Let's finalize the rules and entry schedule."
After intense discussion, a consensus was reached.
Entry time: half a month later.
As the officials gradually left the room, Miyazaki Ryūya leaned back in his chair, rubbing his temples.
His voice was barely a whisper.
"You youngsters… grow stronger. Quickly."
...
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