Pokemon: Rising From The Dark Chapter 703 - 955 - Other Chief Investigators

Aoki walked out of Adams' office and headed straight for the door of the conference room next door. Inside, three of the League's top investigators were seated, each carrying an air of authority.

In terms of status, the Chief Investigators were not far beneath the Elite Four. Both answered directly to the Champion, yet the Elite Four held greater influence, overseeing critical League operations—sothing the Chief Investigators could not match.

When it ca to raw strength, the gap was even more pronounced.

Many Elite Four mbers had once been Chief Investigators themselves, proving that the position served as a stepping stone to greater power.

Lance himself had walked this path.

Adams had paved the way for Aoki, clearly intending for him to follow the sa trajectory.

Thus, it was no exaggeration to call the Chief Investigators the "Reserve Elite Four."

Knock knock.

Aoki rapped lightly on the door.

"Co in," a woman's voice called from within.

Pushing the door open, Aoki stepped inside.

Three figures sat around a small conference table.

All three were won.

Where was Steven's uncle? Or rather—his aunt?

But none of them looked old enough to fit that description.

As Aoki entered, all three stood. Their expressions varied.

The most familiar face was that of Joy Yui, his forr superior. As always, her deanor was icy, her sharp gaze assessing him silently.

Next to her stood Junsha Aya, a Chief Investigator from the Stone family. Unlike the stern reputation of her clan, she wore a small, polite smile.

The third woman was the most animated. Though Aoki had never t her, she seed to recognize him imdiately.

With a bright grin, she extended her hand.

"Hello, Aoki! I'm Mumuko of the Stone family—Steven's cousin."

Steven's cousin?

Aoki shook her hand automatically. Her grip was oddly soft, almost fluid—nothing like what he expected from a mber of the Stone lineage.

Before he could dwell on it, Junsha Aya stepped forward, her black Chief Investigator uniform crisp and formal.

"A pleasure," she said. "I'm Junsha Aya. I look forward to working with you."

Aoki nodded, shaking her hand as well.

Joy Yui remained where she was, her piercing eyes fixed on him.

"Yui," she stated simply.

With that, the three retook their seats. An empty chair waited at the table—clearly ant for Aoki.

He hesitated.

Sothing about sitting between three powerful won sent an inexplicable chill down his spine.

Still, he sat.

So all three Chief Investigators were won. Interesting.

"President Adams has already briefed us," Mumuko began cheerfully. "You'll retain your position as Chief Investigator, but your workload will be adjusted. We don't want to overburden you."

Aoki nodded. He wasn't here to seize authority. Adams had arranged this as a formality—a way to bolster his standing while he grew stronger.

If Aoki reached Elite Four-level strength, he might take on more responsibilities. But if no vacancies opened among the current Elite Four, he'd remain a Chief Investigator indefinitely.

"However," Junsha Aya interjected smoothly, "to ensure you have the proper authority, you'll have access to any task force under our command."

Mumuko nodded in agreent.

A task force ant a team led by a Senior Investigator. This arrangent had been decided among the three of them. Adams had left the specifics to their discretion, and though Aya had initially hesitated, Yui and Mumuko's agreent had settled the matter.

Now, Aoki effectively had three Senior Investigators at his disposal—though they would remain under their original superiors unless summoned.

It was a compromise—one that granted him legitimacy without disrupting the existing hierarchy.

"There's one more thing," Aya continued. "Previously, the three of us divided responsibilities. I oversee internal investigations, Mumuko handles affairs within Hoenn, and Yui manages all external matters."

Aoki's eyes flicked to Joy Yui.

So that was why he'd been assigned to investigate Team Rocket's auction before. External operations fell under her jurisdiction.

Yet her cold, detached deanor seed ill-suited for diplomacy.

Then again, the Joy family's reputation alone might smooth over any tensions.

Or perhaps Yui's strength rendered diplomacy unnecessary.

"Among the three of us, Yui is the strongest," Mumuko suddenly whispered—loudly enough for the others to hear. "As her forr subordinate, you'd best not provoke her."

A rush of warm breath tickled Aoki's ear.

Junsha Aya stifled a laugh behind her hand. "Yes, tread carefully. Yui doesn't tolerate mistakes."

Aoki blinked, reassessing Joy Yui. Her expression remained impassive, but the implication was clear—her power dwarfed the others'.

"Your role," Yui said at last, her voice cool and steady, "is to provide backup whenever one of us requires assistance. No objections?"

Aoki shook his head. "None."

He wasn't about to argue. This was Adams' arrangent, and he had no intention of disrupting it.

With that, Yui stood and left without another word.

Mumuko leaned in conspiratorially. "Sister Yui's always busy. She handles the most work out of all of us—but she's also the strongest. Rumor has it she could rival so of the Elite Four."

Aoki's pulse quickened.

That strong?

The Joy family truly was a force to be reckoned with.

Soon after, Mumuko and Aya excused themselves, leaving Aoki alone in the conference room.

He exhaled, stretching his arms.

"A title like this is comfortable, but it's a double-edged sword. Authority cos at the cost of ti—ti I could spend training."

Just as he began to relax, a voice called out from down the hall.

"Aoki—!"

His stomach dropped.

This again?

Would Lysandre's plan actually work?