A/N: I'm increasingly busy so this chapter is short but still fairly important, and from a different POV. Riley doesn't know the whole picture, after all.
Also, thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter!
[Excerpt from the front page of The Lilycove Tribune]
WHO WATCHES THE WATCHMEN? (Opinion)
Finding direction in the wake of the decade's most startling exposé
Weeks have passed since Hoenn News Network dropped a bombshell that would send the Pokémon League and Association into chaos, and yet the million-dollar question still remains unanswered: who exactly is stealing from League revenue and research, and why weren't they caught the moment they showed signs of illicit activity?
On March 15th, discrepancies in records of cash flows and classified documents spurred a series of investigations conducted by none other than the Elite Four. What they discovered was nothing less than a conspiracy worthy of the most insular internet forums: for over four years, large quantities of government funds were being misappropriated by insider threats working from within the Association and League. But corruption and embezzlement are run-of-the-mill scandals, almost expected. The real surprise was the discovery that decades worth of top-secret research was being secretly smuggled and conveyed to an unknown third party agent. Of course, the exact nature of what was stolen remains classified even today. But leading scientists and high-level officials alike agree that the true cause for alarm is not the staggering amount of money lost, but the potential for hostile entities to get their hands on what would be considered some of the most dangerous information that the government possesses.
"We were able to confirm that the leaked information encompasses a wide variety of areas," says Champion Steven Stone. "The League is particularly concerned about the theft of material relating to Mega Evolution and Infinity Energy, among others." When pressed, he refuses to elaborate further.
Mega Evolution: a concept so new and shockingly powerful that only the most high-level trainers are authorized by the League to utilize it. Infinity Energy: Devon Corporation's secret to success and the lynchpin for over half of Hoenn's industries. The idea that a non-state actor, terrorist group, or even a foreign power could get their hands on some of Hoenn's most heavily guarded secrets is astounding and terrifying. So if no one's going to ask the question, I will: how the heck did no one notice that this was happening?
In the past few years, while scandal after scandal rocked Kanto and Unova, we in Hoenn thought ourselves fortunate to have if not a perfect government, at least a transparent one. Sadly, this idea turned out to be nothing short of delusional. As people all across the nation called for an admittance of responsibility, some insight into what went wrong, both the League and Association remained silent. The unanswered questions built up. Where were the internal checks and balances that the Association prided itself on having? What were we even paying the League officials to do in Ever Grande? And who, or what, was stealing from our government for so long? What do they want? Can they be caught?
At this point, the degree of corruption within the League and Association is currently unknown. The only explanation for how the embezzlement was able to remain hidden for so long is that the hostile actors in question have already managed to infiltrate our political and legal systems to a frightening degree. As newspapers and newscasters all over Hoenn have already concluded, a scheme of this magnitude and duration would most likely be the handicraft of a highly organized network of individuals. But the responsible group remains yet unknown. And while they remain uncaught, and possibly still hidden within the ranks of the League and Pokémon Association, it might not be at all paranoid to treat all government action as suspect. Can we really be certain, for example, that the same entities who had a hand in stealing from the League for so long did not also have a hand in the closure of Sea Mauville's valuable research base? Or the sudden appointment of Petalburg's new Gym Leader? Or the League's most recent initiative to massively increase the number of licensed trainers?
These questions remain unanswered. And the people of Hoenn seem to have little choice but to blindly remain under the jurisdiction of a system of officials who seem reluctant to give us a better picture of what's actually happening. And as unrest surges and faith in the institutions meant to protect us plunges, it would do all of us good to remember: the watchmen need to be watched just like anyone else.