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The Charizard Special Operations Team, Team Zero, was undoubtedly a tremendous step forward for the Pokémon Association in its ongoing quest for meaningful reform.
From Team Zero's extensive authority and the fact that it exclusively recruited young people aged eighteen to twenty-two, one could clearly see how exceptionally high the Pokémon Association's hopes were for Team Zero's success.
This naturally led to everyone wanting to join Team Zero and successfully become an official member.
"Every official member of Team Zero must possess Gym Leader-level strength at minimum. After all, to properly investigate Gym Leaders and certain Heavenly King-level Trainers, they must have adequate means of self-preservation and defense."
"Of course, the initial investigation targets for new members do not include the Heavenly Kings and the Champion. With your current strength level, you are not yet sufficiently qualified for such high-profile cases."
After listening carefully to Maximus's comprehensive introduction, Jacob also developed a strong interest in Team Zero. For him personally, joining such a powerful and influential department would be entirely beneficial to his future prospects.
"Just keep this information to yourself, and don't spread it around," Maximus instructed after finishing his discussion of Team Zero. "The establishment of Team Zero has not yet been publicly announced, so you must also maintain strict confidentiality."
"Understood completely." Jacob nodded firmly.
"Oh, and you've already encountered the Captain of Team Zero. It's Alfredo. He serves as both the Captain of the Charizard Special Operations Team and concurrently holds the position of Captain of Team Zero." Maximus then brought up Alfredo's background. "Captain Alfredo is extraordinarily powerful, much stronger than an average Heavenly King member. He could probably be ranked at the level of the Chief of the Heavenly Kings or second-in-command. He is also considered a strong contender for the next Champion position."
At this moment, Colby, who had been standing nearby listening, suddenly interjected with additional information. "You can trust Alfredo completely. My relationship with Westin's and Alfredo's has always been excellent; we are considered close allies. Both Westin and Alfredo are impartial and just individuals, tolerating no corruption whatsoever in their eyes. You can certainly ask Alfredo for assistance with official matters, but not with personal favors."
"Just now in the conference room, Westin wasn't intentionally targeting you or making things difficult for you personally." Colby then spoke up in defense of Westin's earlier behavior. "He's simply like that by nature; he has an unwavering sense of righteousness and justice. Although his words can sometimes be harsh and direct, he's genuinely not a bad person at heart."
"I understand that now." Jacob also nodded in acknowledgment. He suddenly realized that Team Zero was significantly more complex and politically intricate than he had initially imagined.
Each of the seven Champions possessed three recommendation slots, so it was highly probable that the ten individuals who ultimately passed the rigorous assessment and were confirmed to remain would consist of one representative from each of the seven Champions, with the remaining three positions recommended directly by the Pokémon Association leadership. This arrangement maintained a careful superficial balance of power.
The relationships among the seven Champions also varied considerably; some maintained excellent relationships, while others experienced tense rivalries. For example, since Jacob had occupied Colby's recommendation slot, then whether Jacob appreciated it or not, he, Maximus, and Colby would naturally be grouped into one political faction.
Since he was enjoying the substantial benefits brought by Maximus, Colby, and their allies, he also had to bear certain responsibilities and obligations; this was completely unavoidable.
Therefore, in the ten-person Team Zero structure, Colby's allies would naturally become his friends and supporters, and Colby's enemies would also inevitably become his adversaries.
"Speaking of Captain Alfredo, you should have met Roger when you went for specialized training in the Sundawn Plateau Wilderness Area a while back. Do you remember him?" Colby suddenly changed the subject, abruptly bringing up Roger's name.
Jacob's heart sank noticeably when he heard Colby's words. Speaking of the Sundawn Plateau Wilderness Area, he immediately thought of Caleb and Davis, whom he had strategically planted within the poaching organization as informants.
Recently, Caleb had suddenly lost all contact with him and hadn't sent any intelligence reports for an unusually long time.
This development made Jacob feel that something was seriously amiss. He genuinely wanted to travel to the Wilderness Area himself to investigate what had happened, but because he was constantly busy with High School Cup competitions and had no suitable excuse or reason, he had continuously postponed going to the Wilderness Area until now.
Could it be that Davis's cover had been blown and exposed?
Jacob shook his head dismissively. This wasn't necessarily a major problem, and judging by Colby's calm reaction, he probably wasn't referring to that particular matter.
"I remember him well. What's wrong?" Jacob asked as calmly as possible, maintaining his composure.
"Roger is dead." Colby's voice was notably grim and serious.
"What?!" Jacob was genuinely shocked, his eyes filling with complete disbelief.
Roger was dead? Roger was actually dead? How could Roger possibly die?
Roger had possessed several Heavenly King-level Pokémon, yet somehow he had still died.
"How did Captain Roger die?" Jacob couldn't help but ask urgently. "Who was responsible for killing him?"
When discussing Captain Roger's tragic death, both Maximus and Colby's faces became clouded with obvious gloom and anger. "Some time ago, Captain Roger went missing after encountering dangerous poachers during a routine patrol, his whereabouts completely unknown. Only one other Patrol Team member who was accompanying him survived to report back to the main Patrol Team headquarters."
"Roger's sudden disappearance was treated as a major emergency. We conducted extensive searches for a considerable time but couldn't find any trace of Roger or clues about his fate."
"Later, we received an anonymous tip-off video through secure channels. The video clearly recorded Roger's execution, showing him being killed by gunfire. At the same time, the anonymous informant also provided detailed information about the killer, who was identified as Huxley, the Vice President of the Dawn Society."
Jacob could hardly believe what he was hearing. "The Dawn Society is so incredibly bold? They actually dared to kill Captain Roger?"
"This represents the first time such a brazen situation has occurred. We also didn't expect the Dawn Society to be so audaciously bold. Currently, this sensitive matter is only circulating among the high-ranking officials of the Association, which further strengthens the Association's unwavering determination to crack down hard on underground criminal organizations like the Dawn Society."
"You just need to be aware of this situation. The Association's high-ranking officials have already decided to take decisive action against the Dawn Society." Colby said, also feeling deep regret for Roger's untimely death, and his tone became particularly stern. "The Dawn Society will pay the appropriate price for their actions. Blood debts will be repaid with blood. The current Dawn Society has truly become far too arrogant for their own good."
Roger's tragic death caused all three of them to fall into contemplative silence until a moment later, when Maximus finally addressed the final matter on his agenda. "Let's discuss the last important topic. Jacob, are you still planning to participate in the National Finals competition?"
"Of course I am." Jacob replied without hesitation. Wasn't that completely obvious? Of course, he still intended to participate in the upcoming National Finals; his mission reward was directly related to his final ranking performance.
And he had even announced Mega Evolution capabilities in advance; surely that wasn't just to win a mere provincial championship?
"With your current strength level and Mega Evolution abilities, winning the Champion title should not present a significant problem." Maximus then continued. "But you still need to work diligently and prepare thoroughly. The Champion's reward for this year has not yet been decided by the Pokémon Association leadership. It is rumored that this year's reward will be exceptionally valuable. I will inform you once I receive confirmed news."
"Thank you very much, Master." Jacob said with a grateful smile.
"Alright, you may go ahead and leave first. I'll chat with Colby for a while longer."
"Understood."