Inside a small meeting room in the League’s central building, there were noticeably fewer people than before.
Only eight individuals were present: President Juan, Joseph Stone, the heads of the Joy and Jenny families, a representative from the Battle Frontier, a representative from the Coordinator Guild, the Commander-in-Chief of Hoenn League Investigators, and Matsuda Takashi, who was currently acting as the president of the Breeder Guild’s Hoenn branch.
Additionally, four screens displayed the current Elite Four of the Hoenn region.
"Is it true that Team Rocket has begun retreating? Has the League headquarters confirmed it? Could this be a trick from Team Rocket?" Joseph Stone asked.
"It’s not. The League has infiltrators within Team Rocket, and it has been confirmed that they are indeed retreating. It seems they’ve obtained something very important. Although they’ve pulled back, their internal activity has intensified, and their resource consumption has skyrocketed to at least twice the usual amount," replied the head of the Jenny family.
As an influential family with ties across multiple regions and strong connections to the League, both the Jenny and Joy families had immediate access to internal information.
"If that’s the case, the start of the Sinnoh Tournament marks the moment when the League will begin consolidating its control over Sinnoh, Unova, and Kalos, correct? I heard that a new region was recently discovered... Alola, was it?" Matsuda Takashi chimed in.
Being one of the earliest discovered regions, Hoenn was under solid League control, second only to Kanto and Johto.
The Sinnoh Tournament, therefore, signaled that Sinnoh would be the next region to undergo intensive development by the League. After that, Unova and Kalos would follow. As for Alola, it had just been identified, and the League had yet to send official representatives.
"That’s correct. However, this Sinnoh Tournament is not just about that. The rankings obtained will also significantly impact the future distribution of resources among the regions."
"The more recognition young talents gain, the more investment they will receive in their training. Consequently, resources will be allocated accordingly."
"Sinnoh and the following regions, Unova and Kalos, fully understand what the League intends to do, so they will give it their all in this competition. It’s not like Hoenn," Juan explained clearly.
Then, the president suddenly changed the subject:
"Now, does anyone have any objections regarding Cain’s identity?" Juan looked around the room, including the Elite Four members displayed on the screens.
Within the League, there had always been some skepticism toward Cain due to the speed of his growth. While it was understandable for someone like Steven, who came from an influential family, Cain was a civilian. Even with his exceptional talent as a breeder, where did the resources come from to train his Pokémon?
Because of this, there had always been reservations about Cain within the Hoenn League, and not even Matsuda Takashi’s mentorship had been enough to dispel them.
"Share your thoughts. If there are no objections, today we will formally recognize Cain as being on the same potential level as Steven. Being a psychic is also a talent," Juan added.
"Agreed," said Drake, the Dragon-type Elite Four, speaking first.
"Agreed," Joseph Stone seconded, trusting his son’s judgment.
"Agreed," said the Battle Frontier representative, recalling Noland and Brandon’s praise for Cain.
One by one, the supportive voices started to accumulate. Matsuda Takashi, as Cain’s mentor, chose to abstain. Some, like Wattson, the Electric-type Elite Four, also opted to abstain, though they did not openly oppose the decision.
Eventually, the room fell silent, with a clear consensus of approval.
"Very well, from now on, Steven Stone, Cain, Phoebe, and Wallace will be considered the main group of potentials for training. The others will maintain their current classifications. The meeting is adjourned."
The four young trainers possessed exceptional talents: Steven had unlimited resources, Cain possessed psychic abilities, Phoebe wielded a special power connected to ghosts, and Wallace was a prodigy in contests.
With this, Cain’s status and position within the Hoenn League were officially established.
Meanwhile, Cain had no idea what was happening.
He was on his way to Leafy Town, where Team Heaven had already accumulated a decent amount of resources. Although most of them were used for the group’s development, some reserves were still available.
Cain planned to use those resources to make up for his lack of funds. After all, his main goal in creating an organization was to leverage it for acquiring the resources needed to train his Pokémon.
Additionally, the Leafy Town Gym had amassed a fair amount of revenue thanks to the flourishing commercial street, which, under the promotion of Devon Corporation, was attracting more and more visitors.
With these resources, Cain would decide how to proceed.
As for the fastest method to make money, Cain already had a clear target: the Void Group in Mauville City, whose leader had gone missing. The Void Group’s situation was dire, and various factions were beginning to attack them.
"If they’re going to come for me sooner or later, I might as well strike first," Cain thought with a smile.
After two days of travel, Cain arrived in Leafy Town at night. After securing funds from Team Heaven and the gym, he departed for Mauville City at dawn.
His goal: to gather the necessary materials to enhance his Marshtomp and Poliwhirl—and, if possible, to collect some ’compensation’ from the Void Group for past troubles.