"Here!" Aoki stood up imdiately, his posture straight and his expression attentive under the gaze of the assembled League officials.
"You did a good job this ti." A genuine, approving smile appeared on President Adams' weathered face, a rare sight in such a formal setting.
What made Aoki feel slightly speechless was that the way Adams was looking at him had started to bear an uncanny resemblance to the way Chief Jenny would look at him—a mix of deep pride and high expectation that was both flattering and imnsely pressuring.
"Cough..." The sound of a deliberate, dry cough ca from beside Adams. It was Drake. The unspoken ssage in his cough was clear: Hey, you old guys, tone it down a little; this is a formal eting.
When Adams heard Drake's cough, a fleeting trace of embarrassnt flashed across his face, but he composed himself almost instantly, his expression returning to one of solemn authority.
"Ahem, it is like this," Adams began, his voice resonating through the quiet chamber. "I conservatively estimate that there should still be quite a few traitors and moles deeply embedded within the League's various branches. As the Chief Investigator, you have never truly been assigned a fixed, suitable position that utilizes your unique talents. Now I officially appoint you as a Special Investigator with a dedicated mandate to hunt down these traitors. You will have broad authority. If there is an operational need, you are permitted to organize and recruit your own team of subordinates." Adams declared, his tone leaving no room for argunt.
Hearing Adams' words, Aoki's body shook subconsciously, not from fear, but from the sheer weight and implication of the responsibility being dropped onto his shoulders.
He knew exactly who beca the most annoying and, ultimately, the most feared figures in any large organization: the people who were specifically tasked with dealing with their own people, the internal affairs investigators.
Aoki gave a very strained, ugly smile, the kind that didn't reach his eyes. "President Adams, with all due respect... is it possible to assign this... montous task to soone else? Perhaps soone with more experience in internal politics?"
Adams simply shook his head, his expression turning stern and unyielding. "Aoki, do not worry about political repercussions! From this mont onward, let it be known that no one will dare to target you unjustly. As long as every individual you apprehend is indeed a verified traitor, then no one will find legitimate grounds to complain about your thods. You are to proceed with your investigations without hesitation or worry. I will personally cover and authorize anything that happens as a result. You operate with my full backing."
This was a declaration made in front of everyone present; it was Adams stating unequivocally that Aoki was under his personal protection. Anyone who even thought of refusing to cooperate or obstructing the investigation needed to be ntally prepared for the consequences of defying the President himself.
"Really? You an that? Full authority and full backing?" Aoki looked at Adams with a strange, unreadable expression and asked for confirmation, needing to be absolutely certain of the scope of the power being granted to him.
Adams nodded once, a firm, decisive motion, showing no regrets or hesitation in his decision.
"Aoki, just do it with confidence. We, the Elite Four, also add our full support to this endeavor!" Drake added, his voice carrying the weight of his station.
As one of the few people present who knew Aoki relatively well, Drake believed he understood Aoki's character quite well—he was not a reckless person who would abuse power without cause. Moreover, as the de facto leader of the Elite Four, his statent could be taken as representing all its mbers. Besides, Aoki's own teacher, Matsuda, was still serving as the acting Elite Four mber and would undoubtedly support his protege without question.
"As for our Stone family," the patriarch announced, "Aoki, just go ahead and do what must be done. You have our support."
"My Jenny family offers its full support too!" declared another representative.
"And our Breeder's Guild pledges its assistance!" voiced the Guildmaster.
"So does our Coordinator Guild!" added another leader.
"Our family will provide any resources you require..."
"And we will ensure cooperation from our sector..."
"…"
Almost all the patriarchs or senior representatives of the major families and influential forces within the Hoenn region spoke up in turn, adding their voices to the chorus of support. Anyone who didn't speak up now would be committing a grave political faux pas, showing clear disrespect to President Adams. Furthermore, regarding Aoki, they all saw a young man with a blindingly bright future ahead of him. Now that he was being appointed Chief Investigator with such powers, he would definitely be able to move up the ranks in the future, so it was definitely a prudent idea to show goodwill and secure favor now.
In truth, even though Aoki looked reluctant and apprehensive on the surface, he was internally, extrely pleased. This was so perfectly suitable for his own, hidden agenda.
For Aoki, this authority was really the perfect shield. Nothing could protect his other, more clandestine identity better than this official, powerful one. He suddenly had the peculiar illusion of being an undercover agent, a feeling reminiscent of a deep-cover operative whose loyalty was constantly in question.
"Are you all completely sure about this? You grant this power?" Aoki asked one final ti, his eyes scanning the room.
Everyone nodded, their expressions a mix of encouragent and solemn duty.
"Okay then. I accept this duty." Aoki smiled, a slow, deliberate smile that didn't quite reach the cold calculation in his eyes.
Seeing that particular smile spread across Aoki's face, many of those who had just nodded in agreent felt an involuntary shudder travel down their spines. Even the confident smile on Adams' own face tightened and beca a little stiff. An unsettling feeling crept into the room—a collective premonition that sothing unpredictable and potentially dangerous was about to be set into motion.
After receiving another round of unanimous confirmation, Aoki's smile remained. He pushed his chair back, the legs scraping softly against the polished floor, and began to walk slowly around the large, circular eting room.
Every eye in the room turned to follow Aoki. They watched, srized and slightly bewildered, as he walked a slow, deliberate circuit around the conference table.
Adams' expression gradually darkened as he watched. This kid... He imdiately takes advantage of the fact that he is being protected and starts to act recklessly, testing his boundaries right in front of everyone.
After Aoki had completed three or four full circles around the room, Adams could stand it no longer. He raised his hand, intending to slam it down on the table to remind Aoki to pay attention to the occasion and the dignity of the assembled high-level officials of the League, who were not his toys to play psychological gas with.
But just as his hand was about to descend onto the polished wood, Aoki abruptly put away the circling, playful smile on his face. His entire deanor shifted to one of cold, serious intensity.
He stopped directly in front of one specific individual, his posture rigid. He was standing before a slightly fat, middle-aged man sitting on a chair towards the side of the room, who had been watching the proceedings with an air of detached boredom.
Seeing Aoki stop squarely in front of him, the middle-aged man's face suddenly clouded over, looking distinctly unhappy. A hint of displeasure and indignation puffed up his already round cheeks.
"Then I'll start with the first act of this new play," Aoki said, his voice light but carrying an undeniable, chilling weight.
"Aoki! Stop this ssing around at once!" Before the fat man could even get angry, Aoki's own teacher, Matsuda, jumped up from his seat, his face pale with alarm. To arbitrarily slander a high-ranking League executive without any concrete evidence presented to the assembly would have severe, irreversible consequences for Aoki's newfound position and standing.
Aoki ignored Matsuda's frantic warning. His gaze was locked onto the man in the chair.
He looked down at the fat man, his tone dropping, becoming heavy and accusatory. "Excuse , Vice President Beakley. What exact benefits did the Hunter's Guild offer you that made you choose to betray the Hoenn League and provide them with our internally bred and secured Pokemon?"
This Vice President Bickley was the head of a specific association within the League hierarchy: the Starter Pokemon Association. This body was responsible for the distribution of starter Pokemon to new Trainers registered with the League. When direct mbers of the league received their first partner Pokemon, these creatures were predominantly allocated by this very association. There were exceptions, of course; esteed individuals like Professor Oak could personally assign Pokemon to people they favored. The Pokemon bred by these renowned professors were often much more valuable and sought-after than the standard offerings from the three starter families, and such privileges were not easily obtained. With the vast number of mbers in the league, the majority of initial Pokemon were allocated by this Starter Pokemon Association, giving it significant, albeit bureaucratic, power. It was also a position known for having considerable opportunities for under-the-table deals and embezzlent, a fact everyone knew but rarely spoke of aloud.
Beakley's expression straightened into a mask of outraged integrity upon hearing Aoki's direct question. "Investigator Aoki," he said, his voice dripping with condescension, "although you were just personally appointed by President Adams, you should also be acutely aware of the severe consequences that co with casually slandering a high-ranking mber of the League in a formal setting such as this. These are not baseless accusations to be thrown around."
Aoki stared intently at Beakley, noting that there was no obvious sign of weakness on his face or in his portly body language. The man still looked every bit the affronted, upright official.
Aoki just laughed, a soft, derisive sound.
"Of course I know the consequences," Aoki replied, his voice low but clear in the silent room. "But I still have to find you out and call you on it now, because with your identity and position, you sitting here in this council, privy to our most sensitive discussions, poses too great a danger to the entire Hoenn League." Aoki looked so utterly confident, so completely sure of his ground, that many of those who had initially had great confidence in Vice President Beekley's innocence now felt a seed of doubt begin to grow, their certainty crumbling in the face of Aoki's unwavering conviction.
Adams, who had raised his hand and still hadn't brought it down, watched Aoki—who had just received his imnse new authority—go straight for the jugular of a senior League executive. A complex, indescribable feeling settled in his stomach. It seed undignified to just lower his hand now, and he felt a strange need to see this through, to uphold the authority he had just bestowed.
Pah pah pah——
For reasons utterly mysterious to everyone else in the room, Adams actually started clapping, his face a completely deadpan, unreadable mask. The slow, deliberate applause echoed starkly in the tense silence.
In an instant, everyone's attention was ripped from the confrontation between Aoki and Beakley and drawn back to the President.
So people exchanged confused glances, utterly failing to understand why Adams had chosen to applaud at this specific, volatile mont.
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