[Recent reports indicate that Pokémon disturbances have been occurring in multiple areas across the Hoenn region. According to our on-site reporters, many trainers in the wild have reported hearing Pokémon roars.]
On the television screen, a female news reporter was solemnly delivering the news. The broadcast soon cut to an interview with a teenage boy leaning on a crutch. The boy was wearing a short-sleeved shirt, had two Poké Balls attached to his waist, and carried a bug-catching net on his back.
"Yes, it's true," the boy nodded seriously. "That day I had just grabbed my bug-catching net and planned to go into a forest beneath Meteor Falls to catch some Weedle. After all, my idol, Gym Leader Giovanni, is extremely skilled at using Beedrill and similar Pokémon. But I didn't expect…"
The boy's expression grew slightly shy as he scratched his head, clearly feeling awkward in front of the camera.
"Suddenly, I heard several roars from deep within the forest, and then a bunch of wild Pokémon came charging out!" The boy's expression turned serious as he recalled the experience.
"Were you attacked by the wild Pokémon?" the reporter immediately followed up with concern.
"Ah… no, not really," the boy said, embarrassed. "I kind of… fell down a five-meter-high slope while trying to run away."
He scratched his head again in discomfort, while the reporter holding the microphone wore a conflicted expression, clearly unsure of how to react.
[According to our investigation, the strange phenomena occurring throughout Hoenn may stem from various causes. Famous Pokémon researcher Professor Birch suggested that it could be due to wild Pokémon provoking Apex Pokémon in the forests. The Pokémon League advises all trainers to remain cautious while exploring the wild and avoid stumbling into territory claimed by Apex Pokémon.]
"Alright, Mr. Yanister," a cold voice spoke as the television was switched off. A woman, who had been sitting in a chair, now turned around with her fingers interlocked and locked her sharp gaze onto Yanister, who sat casually at a simple wooden table. "After watching that report, do you have anything to say?"
"Chairwoman," Yanister raised both hands and shrugged with an innocent expression, "I'm just acting according to the contract."
"Let me take a look," the Chairwoman said, flipping through a stack of documents on the table. She pulled out an entire folder filled with complaints and incidents.
"Here's one," she said sharply. "A trainer who just set out from Petalburg City en route to Rustboro City to challenge the Rock-type Gym filed a complaint. She reported that she witnessed someone projecting a horror film inside Petalburg Woods, which frightened her Pokémon so badly it fled and step right into a Weedle's horn!"
She shoved the complaint document in front of Yanister, who merely glanced at it and pursed his lips dismissively.
"And here's another," she continued. "A worker at the Mossdeep Space Center reported that the local wild Pokémon have been acting unusually aggressive lately. There've been loud roars at night near the facility."
Yanister leaned back in his chair, casually crossing his legs and whistling, seemingly unconcerned.
Veins bulged on the Chairwoman's forehead as her temper rose. "YANISTER! What kind of attitude is this?!" she suddenly slammed her hand down on the table — with such force that the wooden table instantly splintered and collapsed into pieces.
A Gardevoir calmly entered the room and used its psychic powers to prevent the teacups from crashing to the ground, expertly saving them.
"Chairwoman, my dear leader," Yanister said with a nonchalant tone, completely unfazed by the outburst. "Didn't I already show you the contract? Mr. Edward is investing five hundred million per year, and we are simply assisting him in culturally enriching wild Pokémon. What's the issue?"
He even leisurely picked at his ear, flicking out imaginary earwax, as if this were a trivial matter.
The Chairwoman's face turned green with frustration.
"And don't forget, Mr. Edward's older brother is sitting right over there. Why don't you ask Champion Steven for his opinion?" Yanister added with a grin, glancing toward the corner of the room.
Instantly, the Chairwoman turned her gaze to Steven, as did Officer Jenny, who had been standing unnoticed in the corner.
They saw Steven sitting there, completely immersed in examining a strange-looking rock, its shape and texture bizarre even by geological standards.
"…" The Chairwoman took a deep breath, suppressing the overwhelming urge to unleash her Snorlax and Hyper Beam these people into oblivion.
Look at this team — what a mess! One department head who only cares about getting paid, a seemingly dignified Champion who spends his days playing with rocks, and a completely invisible Minister of Justice crouched silently in the shadows.
"Steven," the Chairwoman said, still holding in her fury, "what is your opinion on this matter?"
She forced herself to sound calm and gentle. After all, Steven was the new Champion. She had to give him some respect.
"Huh? New rock discovery?!" Steven suddenly jumped up in excitement, cheerfully excused himself without waiting for approval, and dashed out of the room — vanishing from sight in the blink of an eye.
"…" The Chairwoman clenched her jaw so tightly it seemed her teeth would shatter. Beside her, Yanister's shoulders were visibly trembling as he struggled to hold in his laughter.
Her sharp gaze instantly locked onto Yanister again. That cold, threatening look made Yanister's heart skip a beat. He knew full well — if he didn't give her a proper explanation right now, the Chairwoman would not let him off the hook so easily.
After all, she was the Chairwoman of the Pokémon League's Hoenn region. He couldn't just treat her like some push-over.
"Ahem... Officer Jenny, Minister of Justice," Yanister cleared his throat and turned to the woman still quietly watching from the corner. "May I ask, is there any legal regulation within the League that prohibits the broadcasting of films to wild Pokémon?"
Officer Jenny put down her phone and responded without a moment's hesitation.
"No. There's no such law," she said calmly. As the Justice Minister of the Pokémon League, she had memorized every regulation by heart. Her brain was a living legal code — there was no need for her to look anything up.
"Chairwoman," Yanister turned back, speaking more earnestly, "you know better than anyone how underfunded our department is. With five hundred million in funding, we can improve the ecosystems of countless uninhabited islands. We can even organize a massive ocean conservation initiative. Unless there's a clear violation of law, I have no reason to terminate this contract."
The Chairwoman frowned. "Yanister, don't act like you're the only one struggling financially. All League departments are short on funding. Don't come whining to me."
Indeed, despite the grandeur of the Pokémon League, funding was tight across the board. Every year, she had to juggle limited resources and fend off constant budget requests from every department. It was a relentless job.
Still, she had to admit: technically speaking, this operation didn't violate any laws. No one in the League's Justice Department had ever imagined that someone would spend money to show horror movies to wild Pokémon. That was so absurd it could wake a legal expert from sleep just to shout, "Is this guy nuts?!"
That said, it had affected the wild Pokémon — albeit only slightly.
Tapping her fingers on a newly delivered replacement table, the Chairwoman weighed her options. Taking into account Edward's significant contribution to Devon Corporation's tax revenue, not to mention the Trainer's First Step Foundation he had created — which had enabled countless underprivileged trainers to begin their Pokémon journeys — she ultimately made a decision.
"Very well," she said at last. "But you can't keep showing only horror films. From now on, you must intersperse them with short films from other genres. No consecutive horror screenings."
(End of Chapter)