A month and a half ago, the Hoenn League officially began its battle with the Hunter Guild.
The Hunter Guild did not have many main combat forces stationed within the Hoenn region, so they were quickly routed. The individual overseeing this operation was the Dragon Champion, Drake!
Ergas began to explain the cause and the process of the incident.
Aoki sat quietly in his seat and listened patiently.
What had happened over the past month and a half?
It should have nothing to do with me. Only a handful of people are aware that I ventured into Ho-Oh's dimensional space.
But it is true that no one can verify my whereabouts.
"It was only when we were eliminating the final stronghold that we encountered significant resistance.
Logically, there should have been no issue with Drake handling the situation.
However, the opponent's escape capability was first-class, and they fled directly into the Kanto region. Drake pursued relentlessly and finally caught up to them in Kanto.
To assist Drake, we also dispatched Trainers from the Kanto region for support, but the Hunter Guild maintains a close relationship with Team Rocket, so a swift victory was not achieved.
Originally, both sides were preparing for a protracted conflict, but Drake was injured in a surprise attack, forcing the mission to be shelved."
After listening to the account, Aoki asked, "What does that have to do with me?"
"We investigated your whereabouts. A month and a half ago, you arrived in Goldenrod City in the Kanto region but disappeared shortly thereafter. It is presumed your Slowking utilized Teleport, correct?
Might you inform us of what you were doing during that time?" Ergas inquired.
Aoki nodded and stated, "I previously informed President Adams that I had entered a mysterious dimensional space and remained there for a month and a half before returning."
"Is there anyone who can corroborate your account?" Ergas pressed.
Aoki did not hesitate and shook his head calmly. "No. I entered this space alone. No one else has knowledge of it."
"I appreciate your honesty, Mr. Aoki. Since you lack an alibi, you remain one of the persons of interest in our investigation," Ergas said, clapping his hands together.
He and his team had been aware of Aoki's existence for some time.
However, Aoki's identity and status were not particularly prominent at that point, so he was not considered a priority. Furthermore, the last time the League raided a Team Rocket base, the intelligence was provided by Aoki, which had initially alleviated any preconceived suspicions against him.
Had this incident not occurred, Aoki would likely not have drawn their attention.
Hearing Ergas's words, Aoki suddenly laughed. "So, it's not just me? Anyone without a verifiable alibi becomes a suspect?"
"No, no, we do not suspect people without cause. I have a perfect record since I began this line of work. Please hear me out.
Before Drake was injured, we engaged Team Rocket and succeeded in capturing one of their cadre-level members.
From him, we learned of your existence, Aoki. There are very few individuals who can freely get close to Drake.
Most crucially, we detected psychic energy fluctuations at the site where Champion Drake was attacked and injured.
To our understanding, Mr. Aoki, you are also an individual possessing psychic powers, are you not?"
Listening to Ergas, Aoki nodded repeatedly. "It appears I have indeed become a prime suspect."
Aoki's heart grew heavier. It seemed someone was framing him, possibly someone within Team Rocket themselves.
Using a cadre as a sacrificial pawn was a significant move.
Though it could also simply be a coincidence. But the probability of such a specific coincidence was astronomically low.
"Might I ask where exactly Drake was injured, and who were the experts sent by the Kanto League? And has Drake still not regained consciousness?" Aoki asked.
If Aoki didn't understand these details clearly, he might start doubting himself.
Arriving in Kanto and disappearing from Goldenrod City, the ability to get close to Drake, the psychic energy fluctuations, and the testimony of a Team Rocket cadre—it was no wonder President Adams and Matsuda had looked so grave when he entered the office.
However, Aoki wasn't overly worried for himself; he had a way to prove his innocence. He was primarily curious about the perpetrator's identity, their motives, or if it was indeed just an unfortunate accident.
"The location was in Saffron City, Kanto. We from Kanto dispatched the Ghost-type Elite Four member, Agatha, and the local Saffron City Gym Leader, Sabrina.
Although Sabrina is a Gym Leader, her strength is considerable, rivaling that of the Elite Four. It was due to her efforts that we managed to capture the Team Rocket cadre." Ergas said this with a hint of pride. The Kanto region was renowned for its strength; some of its more powerful Gym Leaders were fully capable of assuming Elite Four roles in other regions.
"Drake has not yet awakened. His body was poisoned by a toxin of unknown composition. If not for the assistance of Master Matsuda, he might have succumbed already..."
Aoki's eyes narrowed slightly as he listened to Ergas's words.
Sabrina?!
Did the Hunter Guild pay Sabrina a tremendous sum to act? Or did Sabrina act on her own initiative?
He could roughly guess the truth. One thing was certain: the one who carried out the attack was Sabrina!
If asked who possessed the strongest assassination capabilities in the entire Pokemon world, Aoki would unequivocally name Sabrina first.
As for why psychic energy fluctuations were left at the scene, it was probably to mask the poisonous energy fluctuations left by the attack. The Psychic-type is super-effective against the Poison-type, and doing so would also serve to mislead the investigation.
Where did the psychic energy come from? One must not forget that Sabrina is a psychic far more powerful than Aoki.
And the captured Team Rocket executive had likely divulged everything once threatened.
Fortunately, his teacher, Matsuda, was present, so Drake's life was not currently in danger.
So, it seemed the probability of it being a coincidence was actually higher?
The Hoenn League was truly in a state of turmoil. Not long after Wattson awoke, he resigned from his Elite Four position. Then, Hoenn's strongest Elite Four, Drake, was injured. President Adams must be exceedingly worried.
Aoki's expression turned serious. "Might I ask where Drake is currently located? I may have a method to detoxify him. Poison detoxification is my area of most in-depth research. I believe that once Drake awakens, all suspicions against me will be dispelled."
Ergas shook his head. "I apologize. For Drake's safety, no one except Master Matsuda and President Adams is permitted to approach him. This includes you, Mr. Aoki. Your suspicion has not yet been cleared."
Aoki showed a look of frustration. "Mr. Ergas, I don't blame your investigators for potentially lacking psychics, but surely you have some on staff? Every psychic has unique energy fluctuations. Even when manifested, the expressions vary, the most obvious being color."
As he spoke, a sphere of psychic energy materialized in his hand. "This is my psychic energy. You are welcome to investigate and compare it.
Moreover, the frequency of psychic energy is not impossible to simulate, so this alone cannot serve as conclusive evidence.
Furthermore, if I were truly the perpetrator, do you believe I would be incapable of erasing the psychic energy fluctuations from the area?
Can you not see that this is a rather obvious frame-up?
Finally, while no one can verify that I entered the alternate dimension, I can prove that I was there with an item that no one else in this world possesses except for me!"
As he spoke, Aoki directly retrieved a golden feather from his storage space.
It was the Feather of Ho-Oh!
Although the innate energy within it had been absorbed, its extraordinary beauty and aura remained. One glance was enough to confirm the feather was no ordinary object.
"This is..." Upon seeing the feather, both Adams and Matsuda stood up abruptly, their gazes fixed intently on the feather in Aoki's hand.