Accepting that job felt, for Cain, like jumping straight into a bottomless pit.
Beside him, Vivian was covering her mouth with all her strength, her face completely red, to the point where tears nearly welled up in her eyes. Her body trembled slightly at uneven intervals...
It wasn't any kind of illness.
It was pure restraint.
As a Chief-level researcher for so long, she knew better than anyone the true nature of those long-standing problems and those backlogged missions.
So when she saw Cain's frustrated expression, she couldn't help but feel an uncontrollable urge to laugh.
But to laugh in such a solemn conference room?
Impossible!
That's why she was in such a state.
And not just her — several of the younger attendees were in the same situation. The veterans, on the other hand, wore knowing smiles full of amusement.
It looked as though Juan and Drake were giving Cain a difficult and heavy task, but in reality, wasn't it also a form of helping him? Of training him?
At their level, battles didn't break out every other day. When they fought, it wasn't just as individuals — they represented the entire League standing behind them.
Cain, on the other hand, was in the prime of his growth. His strength was rapidly increasing, and beyond his Pokémon's raw power, his dual-core sandstorm strategy — or rather, his pseudo triple-core — needed countless real battles to be refined.
Those missions were, in fact, the perfect excuse for him to fully display his abilities.
In a sense, Drake and Juan's "help" toward Cain could even be considered... thoughtful.
"Ahem. Sidney, the gyms will remain under your responsibility. As for the other duties, I've already reassigned them so you'll have more time to train and improve your strength."
Hearing Juan's words, Sidney let out a long sigh.
Finally! The days of being overworked were over! He could finally leave on time!
"No problem, this is familiar to me," he replied.
"But I expect you to inspect every gym in Hoenn before the year ends. Any gym that fails to meet the standards or behaves improperly must be shut down. Especially those Gym Leaders who treat their gyms as private property."
"Soon, with the Great Tournament, there will be a flood of challengers across the region. I don't want the future of our League to be tainted by a bad impression."
"I trust you understand how important this is."
Sidney's smile instantly vanished, and he nodded seriously.
He knew it wouldn't be that easy!
"Glacia, as for the League tournaments, you'll remain in charge. The rest of the duties don't concern you. This Great Tournament is crucial for the region, so you must organize it with precision. And regarding the advanced tournaments that were previously suspended — from now on, they will resume as normal."
"You yourself emerged from that circuit, so you know every detail of how it operates," Juan said, looking at the Ice-type Elite Four.
Glacia was the calmest and most meticulous among the current Elite Four. Perhaps those who loved Ice-type Pokémon shared that same cool temperament, but the truth was, for her, justice came before everything else. No bribe or favor could ever sway her.
Entrusting her with the fairest tournaments was the wisest and most reassuring decision Juan could make.
"Understood," Glacia nodded. For her, not much changed, as that was already her main responsibility. Only a few minor duties had been reassigned.
As for the so-called advanced tournaments...
They were competitions periodically organized by the League — not for show, but open to the public — with one basic requirement: participants had to be at least at Elite level.
Among them, many possessed the strength of an Elite Four. Town champions, League officials, and even travelers from other regions could take part.
The goal was simple: to select the strongest combatants in the Hoenn region. From among them, future Elite Four candidates often emerged.
Cain's path to becoming one had been unusual. Normally, trainers would rise through these tournaments step by step, and when the time came, challenge one of the current Elite Four. If they won and the League acknowledged it, they would replace the defeated member.
Of course, very few ever made it that far. Most used the opportunity to prove their strength and potential, earning mid- or high-ranking positions within the League.
In fact, many of the League's permanent troops were composed of people recruited through these tournaments.
It was the League's way of ensuring a constant influx of new blood — and a reminder to the Elite Four never to rest on their laurels. There were always challengers eager to overtake them.
Both Sidney and Glacia had risen through these advanced tournaments, directly defeating the former Elite Four members and taking their places.
It was simply the League's renewal mechanism — and no one saw anything wrong with it.
Those who shone in these tournaments were known as "competitive trainers," though they often had less experience in life-or-death battles.
Now that Cain was the newest Elite Four member, he was the most likely target for the upcoming challenges.
On the other hand, people like Drake — and Cain himself — were known as "field trainers," forged through real survival and combat in the wild, without relying on tournaments.
However, once someone reached the position of Elite Four, those distinctions no longer mattered — no Elite Four lacked real battle experience.
The only difference between the advanced tournaments and the upcoming Great Tournament was the entry threshold.
Why had the advanced tournaments been suspended before? Because Wattson had been seriously injured, and the League couldn't afford to let anyone exploit the situation to challenge an Elite Four.
That was precisely why Cain had been able to become an Elite Four in a different way.
"As for you, Cain... right now, you're also in charge of the Breeder Guild, even if it's not much. And you're helping Drake with part of his duties, though that's only support. So, I still need to assign you more work," Juan said.
"..." Cain was speechless.
Whatever you say is fine!
Juan's expression hardened. "After the consecutive incidents involving Team Magma and Team Aqua, many underground organizations have started moving again in various cities. Do they really think the League has no people? I know you're skilled at this kind of fight, so this mission will also be yours."
"I want you to root out every one of those who are causing the most trouble — the most active, the most disruptive..."
"Destroy them completely! Do it cleanly! You must show the strength of our Hoenn League!"
"Is there a problem?"
Hearing this, Cain's expression grew firm, and he replied without hesitation: "None!"
"Good! You'll have full authorization to mobilize the researchers, permanent troops, local gyms, and League Police. This mission... must be flawless! The whole world is watching us!" Juan's voice resounded with authority.
(End of chapter)