John's Team
Tyrant - Slaking
Vordt - Ursaluna
Smough - Snorlax
Klee - Blissey
Port - Mantine
Zephyr - Pidgeot
Klaus - Wyrdeer
Luna - Clefable
Pixel - Porygon2
Euphie - Sylveon
Ornstein - Obstagoon
Wraith - H-Zoroark
The New Normal – 11-8 – A War of Opinion
As planned, the Sinnoh League ended up releasing their findings to the public early in the morning on the following day. They were careful to not make any wild accusations, making sure that all their claims and statements were rigorously supported by their factual findings so that we couldn't be accused of exaggerating things.
It was Lucian who had the responsibility of making the speech.
"After many sleepless nights of hard work and dedication, we have finally come to the unfortunate conclusion that the finances of the Galactic Company are suspicious beyond reasonable doubt, and it is beyond what could be excused as a mere rounding or unintended administrative error. As you can see from our analysis of the financial documents that THEY submitted, you will see that an unexplained, enormous amount of funds, are being diverted to their R division with no formal reports or documentation being provided for what these funds are being used for."
"This goes beyond merely having an overly excited research group. It is the majority belief of the financial analysts working on this case that, should these documents be accurate as Galactic Company claimed that they are, then it would be completely unsustainable for Galactic Company to continue doing business. We go in more detail in our official analysis report, but in summary, we have sufficient reason to believe that the financial documentation provided by Galactic Company are false."
"Therefore, this is an official demand by the Sinnoh League for Galactic Company to provide an official explanation for why they have provided false financial information to us. Should their explanations not be forthcoming or are inadequate, then we may proceed to proper criminal investigations and charges."
Expectedly, that sent shockwaves throughout the public of Sinnoh. Cyrus was quick to fire back, but not with blazing statements and lashing anger, but with a composed and measured response where he calmly refuted our statements and presenting it as a bout of paranoia.
Annoyingly, his calm response actually made it more difficult for us.
Had Cyrus reacted with anger and vitriol, then it would have been much easier to convince the public that Cyrus' anger was because he HAD done something wrong, so he was now lashing out in an enraged panic to try to conceal his crimes.
However, the fact that he was acting so calm and composed about it made him look confident – as if he had nothing to worry about at all. It was like the accusations being laid against him held no truth within them.
He didn't just stop there, because he also went on the counterattack, where he made use of Galactic Company's large range of connections with other prominent businesses of Sinnoh to make a joint complaint about the Sinnoh League's 'Massive overstep of their authority, spurred on by an overly eager Champion who fails to respect the private boundaries of businesses', even though the results of the audit were always going to be public.
With this, they were trying to win over the public's trust by painting themselves as the innocent victim who had been subjected to unfair and unjust accusations by an overly paranoid Sinnoh League.
Of course, we had expected something like this, and the Sinnoh League wasn't just going to allow Cyrus to sway public opinion so easily. From what Cynthia told me, she had given strict instructions for the Sinnoh League to not overreact and to be seen as the 'aggressor'. If Cyrus was maintaining his calm and trying to appear rational and composed, then it was extremely important that the Sinnoh League did the same.
And she reached out to other larger businesses for their expertise, such as Devon Corp and Silph Co. Both Steven Stone and a representative of Silph Co came back with similar statements that supported the Sinnoh League's arguments, stating that they both agreed that the finances of Galactic Company did not make sense for such a large business.
Steven worded it best, "Every CEO of a company focusing on creating technological developments knows and understands how much of a money sink that the R department are. That's the inherent risk of investing into researching new technologies. However, that is why the budget that is allocated to the R department always have to be carefully measured and accounted for. Otherwise, the R department can be a blackhole where your invested money just disappears."
"So for Galactic Company to claim that they sink that amount of funds into their R department is unreasonable, and could not possibly be standard procedure for such a large and successful company. Furthermore, even if they did spend that much money, the fact that there are no reports provided about what that money is being spent on – even vague descriptions about why the R department requires that much funding, is completely reckless and extremely damaging to the longevity of the company."
"Therefore, I agree with the analysis and observations of the Sinnoh League. I believe, beyond reasonable doubt, that Galactic Company have provided false records of their finances, for their business would be unsustainable with such numbers."
Steven's words had the effect that many of us were hoping for, as it gave our side's argument the credence that it needed; it meant that Cyrus couldn't so easily dismiss them as he would have wanted to.
It was ironic that the public seemed to give more credit to the words of a heir over the careful considerations of experienced and qualified analysts, but that was how public perception worked.
Everyone knew that Steven Stone was 'the man' to look to if you ever wanted to develop a career in business. He was the shining prodigy and the role model, which I knew was a reputation that he had carefully crafted for himself.
So his words carried a certain weight to them. I supposed this was the power of star appeal.
Yet Cyrus continued to fire back, this time switching tactics so as he calmly accused Cynthia for trusting the words of outsiders and foreigners over the established reputations of those who have helped to support Sinnoh during their darkest times.
"While it is undoubtedly a good thing that our Champion seems to wholeheartedly embrace change and reform, a wiser Champion would know that there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. Unfortunately, Cynthia has long since stepped away from the old traditions and establishments of Sinnoh. Instead, our Champion chooses to embrace and adopt the new, tempted and excited by the potential and fortune that outsiders may bring."
"However, what about those who have been loyal to Sinnoh since time immemorial? Those like Galactic Company that have constantly and endlessly supported the region of Sinnoh – being a stable pillar of beacon of security, hope, and innovation that have stood the tests of time. While new ideas are shiny and alluring, it is both unwise and unjust to prioritise the words and plots of outsiders rather than the trusted words of those that have, and will continue, to loyally serve the interests of Sinnoh."
Unsurprisingly, his statements appealed most to the traditionalists, many of whom were likely slighted or dissatisfied by Cynthia's reformist actions. So while Cyrus never actually labelled himself as a traditionalist, his words were still able to strike a chord with these people.
Combined with the joint complaints that he was making with a few other businesses from Sinnoh, Cyrus was able to maintain a strong enough position and force the situation into a bit of a stalemate, even in the face of mounting suspicion.
That wasn't ideal, but the situation was acceptable. With all this extra attention suddenly on Galactic Company, it meant that they had to be extra careful with their finances. They knew that the slightest slipup would bring their whole story crumbling down around them, and they couldn't afford to lose their shield that was public opinion.
All the while, the noose that we had tied around Galactic Company's neck was slowly going to tighten. With them losing their ability to easily shuffle around their monies to further fuel their criminal schemes, we were confident that their criminal operations would not be sustainable without any form of reliable cash flow.
That would put them in a really bad position, where they likely would either have to take the risk to try to discreetly divert funds to keep their criminal operations afloat, despite all the attention that was currently on them, or lash out with their fanatics and try to make up for their loss funding by force.
The former would hopefully get them exposed by us, leading to them being discredited in the public's eye and for legal charges to be pressed. The latter was exactly what Team Rocket had tried to do in Indigo, and they failed. We hoped they would make the same mistake here, and patrols would be maintained and enforced to ensure we would punish them in the act. Overall, we hoped to have them trapped between a rock and a hard place, where their actions would be limited to only bad options.
And of course, the analysts would continue working hard to see if there were any further discrepancies that we could attack them with, while others would try to see if they could whittle away at the support that Galactic Company was receiving from other businesses.
At the same time, with a plan of action firmly established, it meant that Drake and I were no longer needed in Sinnoh. In fact, we were close to overstaying our welcome. With Cyrus trying to target Cynthia's overreliance on foreigners to 'solve' Sinnoh's problems, if Drake and I were to continue staying in the spotlight, it would give credence to his words.
No, while inviting foreign assistance had led to visible benefits, Sinnoh now had to prove that they could solve their own problems. That they weren't entirely dependent on foreign aid to be able to do anything.
So while Lorelei and her team would stay for a little longer to wrap up any further leads, it was time for Drake and I to make our exit. But with my imminent departure, Cynthia suddenly had a bright idea.
"There should be a celebration dinner for all the hard work that you have all contributed to helping out with Sinnoh." She said to me over the phone, "I think it would be better received if we had a nice dinner and invite everyone that has helped us. That includes all of the International Police analysts, and those brought over as staff members as well. It would serve as a symbol of our gratitude for your joint assistance."
"That's a good idea." I nodded, especially since it would give me an excuse to spend more time with Cynthia, "But this is on quite the short notice. Are you sure you'll be able to arrange, organise, and invite everyone in time?"
She snorted, "I'm not going to be the one doing it. I'll pawn it off to Aaron to arrange."
I chuckled, "Ah, the joys of delegation."
That was scheduled for later tonight, so I had some time to kill. I had heard from Drake that he had captured a Gible for himself, and so I was on the hunt for any new Pokémon to catch. Not just for myself, but for Whitney and Karen also.
However, when I called the both of them up and asked if they wanted me to catch them something, both of them actually replied in the negative.
For Karen, she told me that she didn't want to take in a new Pokémon now while she was still going through the Conference, and would rather focus her efforts on winning and ascending to the Elite Four. For Whitney, she was busy with her new Farigiraf, and didn't want to add on a new Pokémon now. Plus, the only 'unique' Normal Types in Sinnoh were the Bidoof, Glameow, and Buneary lines. She didn't express any interest in the first two, which was fair enough as I didn't think they provided anything unique to her team either, but there was some interest in the latter.
Not enough for her to ask for one now – but she told me she would use her own money to purchase one in the future if she wanted to add a Lopunny to her team.
However, Whitney did ask if I could catch something for Janine, since Sinnoh had a lot of powerful Poison types that would be really good to have on her team. I offered to get them all for her, but she insisted that one was enough. In the end, I decided to catch her a Croagunk, since I felt that a Poison/Fighting Type was eminently suitable for her, considering her ninja background.
That was very easy for me to do. I literally didn't even need to catch one myself. With the new PSS system, I just asked one of the scientists if he knew where to get one and simply bought it off of him. Very convenient.
I knew that Croagunk would be an excellent addition to Janine's team.
Still, with Croagunk 'caught' and transferred to Janine, I briefly considered if I should catch another Pokémon for my own team before quickly decided against it. I was very happy with what I had so far, and nothing really caught my eye in Sinnoh. Perhaps in the future.
Instead, I spent the remaining time before the dinner to buy souvenirs for everyone, though it wasn't nearly as voluminous as the amount I had bought the last time I was here. I kept it very simple this time and limited my gifts to just my closest family and friends.
And of course, something small for Cynthia too.
So Aaron had actually managed to arrange everything in time. I got the official invitation just before it turned evening, which would have been barely enough time to get changed and get ready for the dinner.
As far as I knew, everyone was coming. That included all of the Sinnoh Elite Four, Drake, myself, Lorelei, as well as everyone else who had accompanied us onto this trip.
Aaron had chosen a good job choosing the location. We were in the Sinnoh League building, where they had repurposed the usual reception area and fitted in more tables so that everyone could be seated. I also noticed that Aaron had deliberately toned it down on the decorations and the formality, so while the place was still undoubtedly fancy, it wasn't so fancy that it would have been stifling to sit in.
I suppose he wanted to make sure that the common rank-and-file staff members didn't need to feel overly pressured by attending this dinner.
Drake and I arrived together, because we were both living in the same place. The two of us had dressed up appropriately, with me wearing a proper suit and tie that was standard for these types of events. On the other hand, Drake was still teetering between formal and informal with his lack of a tie and with the coat jacket that he had intentionally left hanging off his shoulders.
He actually looked like someone out of the mafia. It was pretty cool, actually, and I made sure to say as much.
"Son, I've had years to develop my sense of fashion." He barked out a laugh, "I better fucking look good."
"Just because I'm old doesn't mean I have to look like some boring grandpa." He added with a smirk, "I'm not going to follow the likes of Bertha and Agatha. They're old, sure, but their choice of clothes don't fucking help either."
I nodded. Drake was very wise.
Once we entered, we found that the Elite Four members were organised to be all seated together in a circular table near the front, with Cynthia obviously joining us. I silently thanked whoever had the foresight to seat myself next to Cynthia.
We didn't have to wait long before the others started to arrive too. Lorelei had actually arrived first with all her companions, and she strode in at the front of her group as she headed towards our table. She was wearing a deep blue dress that exposed just enough of her leg, and it matched very well with the red of her hair.
Drake whistled, "A big change from your usual looks, isn't that right Lorelei? You usually look a lot more bookish."
"A different appearance for a different occasion." She replied as she sat down, "And this was the best thing I could come up with in such a short notice. I'm just glad it doesn't look too tacky."
"Nah, you look great." I said, "Anyways, sorry that you have to stay here in Sinnoh for longer. I hope you weren't hoping to head back."
She shook her head, "No, I truly don't mind staying. The longer and more that I'm able to help out around here, the more the people will see the usefulness of the Indigo Revenue Service. I'm hoping to have the Indigo Revenue Service become a proper element of the International Police and be an essential component of it."
"Making you the figurehead and leader of a powerful International organisation." I finished for her.
"Exactly." She nodded, "I'm already building connections to make that happen, like with my new friendship with Lucian. And if it does, then even if I were to drop out of the Elite Four, I'm confident that I'll still play a big part in shaping politics into the future."
"Bah, I'm too old for all this politicking." Drake grumbled, but there wasn't any heat in it, "If I ever do retire, I'd be more than fucking happy to never see another glimpse of the shit that is politics ever again."
Before we could say anything else, the door swung open again, revealing the final group of people that we were waiting on.
The Elite Four of Sinnoh, and their beautiful Champion, came walking in, flanked by the large group of analysts and auxiliary staff that would also be joining us this dinner. My eyes immediately jumped to Cynthia, who with her tight black dress that was lined with a hint of gold, made her look absolutely stunning. And the fact that the dress seemed to hug her figure…
I already thought she was beautiful before. But this was a completely different story.
I almost failed to tear my eyes away before I got slapped hard on the back, "Don't get too enraptured by your girlfriend, lover boy." Drake teased, "I don't want you drooling in public." Lorelei giggled at his words.
"Fuck off, Drake." I replied, which only made him grin wider.
We toned down on our juvenile comments as the rest of the Elite Four arrived and took their seats, sharing a round of greetings with everyone. Though Cynthia had to head to the stage where a microphone was already set up to speak a few words.
"Thank you all for coming, and I do apologise for how last minute this was all arranged. I just thought that you all deserved to see that we here in Sinnoh DO appreciate all that you have done for us, and will continue to assist us with. With your help, we have quickly crushed the threat that these criminals and so-called terrorists before they could truly enact their plans, ripping them out by the roots and tearing down their bases."
"This serves as iron-clad proof that by working together, by extending a helping hand towards our neighbours, and by welcoming them into our region, we are able to achieve a level of security and prosperity that would not be so easily obtained without our joint efforts."
"Look around you. Look at your neighbours, your colleagues, and the friends that you have hopefully made during your time in Sinnoh. I truly hope that during your time here, you would have learnt that the people of Sinnoh are just like the people you are used to seeing. And it is my sincere wish that you have built up some friends or connections with those you have worked with while in Sinnoh, and that those friendships are able to build a strong and sturdy bridge between our regions."
"So that's enough from me! For those of you who will be leaving our lovely region, I hope you have enjoyed your time here and will bring back fond memories and stories to your friends and loved ones upon your return. For those that remain, I look forward to continue working and achieving success together!"
"Now, bring out the food! Let's dig in!"
A loud round of applause came from all of us as she concluded her speech. At the same time, the doors swung open again as plate after plate of food was brought in for us to scoff down.
Conversation flowed smoothly and openly between us Elite Four members, like we had all gathered together as friends for a farewell party. Which was what this was.
"You all ought to visit Indigo some time in the future." I said to them, "We might not have your historical sights, but there's still plenty of things to see and explore."
"We will be." Lucian nodded, "Not only for vacation, but also for political reasons. We need to show that we are willing to reciprocate the help that you have offered us. The same goes for Hoenn, of course."
"Will you be sending me over again?" Bertha asked Cynthia, who shook her head as she took a bite out of her food.
"Probably not, it's best if we sent over a new face." She replied.
"Oooh, please pick me!" Flint waved his hand, "I've always been interested in exploring the likes of Mt. Chimney and Cinnabar Island."
"…Why didn't you do so when we were in Hoenn?" Aaron asked.
Flint rubbed his head sheepishly, "I got too distracted teasing Volkner about Janine that I forgot about it."
I burst out laughing, "Yeah, that sounds like something you'd do." It WAS funny though.
"It's the duty of every best friend to relentlessly tease the other when they finally find themselves in a relationship." Flint said firmly, before getting whacked over the head by Aaron.
That was basically the mood of the entire conversation. It wasn't anything serious, as we all knew the plan moving forwards for Sinnoh anyways. It was just a nice opportunity to hang out one last time before we had to head home to our respective regions. To my slight surprise, I noticed that Lucian and Lorelei actually got along really well together, and unlike how she handled Agatha, Bertha wasn't hostile to Drake and found some common ground.
On my end, I actually spent most of the dinner chatting with Aaron, who I had probably spoken to the least out of the Sinnoh Elite Four. The man was incredibly enthusiastic about Bug Types, even more so than you would expect a typical Type specialist to be. He made it very clear that he genuinely found Bug Types to be beautiful, and part of his motivation to become a Bug specialist was to unlock the full potential of their beauty.
He also told me that he was extremely envious of Cynthia's new Kleavor, and wanted to get his hands on one himself. Cynthia said if they had spares then she would see if she could acquire one for him. The two of them also arranged for a spar and to exchange tips, since Cynthia wanted to make sure she was training her new Kleavor correctly.
Besides talking amongst each other, all of us made time to thank the rank-and-file personally, moving from table to table to thank them for their efforts. Even if they expected it, they still seemed to appreciate the effort. I think it made them feel valued.
The dinner was actually wrapped up pretty quickly, and Cynthia announced that you were free to leave whenever you wanted to. There was no obligation to stay until the end.
Of course, that also applied to us as well. So as we finished our meals and the conversation slowed, Cynthia and I both got up from the table and made our way out of the League building together, walking with our arms linked around each other towards the large waterfall that served as the 'entrance' to the Sinnoh League.
"…Saying goodbye is always hard, isn't it?" I said softly to her.
"We should be used to it by now." She replied, "But it probably will be some time before we can meet in person like this. Since right after the Conferences are over, we'll all be busy with the start up of the new circuit soon."
"And…as callous as this might sound, some physical distance between us might be a good thing for our shared image." She continued, "Right now, our relationship is going to be one of the things in the forefront of the public's mind, both because of how new it is and since we're always spotted spending time with each other. If we gave the public some time and by not always appearing in the spotlight together, it might normalise our relationship for them."
I nodded, seeing the benefits, "I can't disagree…but I'll miss you."
She smiled softly, "Don't worry. I still have that locket you gave me. I won't forget."
"That reminds me, I bought you a small little something too." I fished her gift out of my pocket, "Here, for you."
I knew that she liked wearing dress shirts underneath that long coat of hers, so I had gotten her some golden cufflinks that were shaped like a Pokéball. They were small and subtle, but I figured that was how she preferred her accessories.
Her eyes sparkled as she saw them, "Oh my, that's a very lovely gift. You definitely got the colour right – I'll be trying them on tomorrow. Thank you, John."
"…Actually, I got you something as well." She added, "Unfortunately, it's actually still being prepared, and it would have been a little too big for me to have brought it to the dinner party. But I'll make sure its shipped to your home as soon as its ready."
That caught my interest, "Now I'm very curious. What kind of gift is it? If it's so big, maybe I should've gotten you something bigger too."
She chuckled and shook her head, "No, no. It didn't really cost me anything. You'll see when you receive it."
I was still curious, but I let the matter drop and just focused on enjoying our last night together. And so that was how the two of us remained for the rest of the night, spending time in each other's loving care as we remained under the bright and starry night.
We both had our duties to our regions, and we would once again be separated physically from each other.
But that just made the small moment that we could share together all the more precious.
A.N. A wrapping up chapter as John's time in Sinnoh once again comes to an end! Sadly, he can't stay there with Cynthia forever, and he does have his own duties in Indigo that he's unwilling to give up on. I hope you enjoyed his mini-adventure in Sinnoh. Things aren't completely resolved here, so he'll be back again one day. Cyrus isn't just going to roll over. However, now it's time for John to deal with everything else that's happening back in Indigo! Hope you enjoyed!
And to anyone who wants to support me, please check out my p atreon at CartecTNN where you can read 8 advanced chapters! Thanks to those who have supported me already!