"Yes, this is the feather of the legendary Pokemon Ho-Oh! I should be the only one in this world who possesses it. If you doubt the authenticity of this feather, you might want to ask the masters of the Bell Tower in Ecruteak City to take a look. I believe they should be able to tell the difference," Aoki said calmly.
"Ho-Oh's Feather!" Adams and Matsuda exclaimed. Ergas also stared blankly at the feather in Aoki's hand, seeming a little unbelievable.
Ho-Oh is a legendary Pokemon widely circulated in the Johto region. There are many Trainers and religions in Johto who believe in Ho-Oh. The group of old monks around the Bell Tower in Ecruteak City are the best among them. Ho-Oh represents peace and harmony, and it will not approve of someone if they have too much darkness in their heart.
Although Aoki is a member of Team Rocket, it does not mean that he is a murderer. He has his own bottom line. Aoki would never make a sneak attack on someone who is good to him before the other person makes a move. This is his bottom line. If you don't even have this bottom line, then you are no different from a beast.
The appearance of Ho-Oh's feather can represent many things. At least it proves one thing: that the alien space that Aoki talked about is not made up. It also shows that there is no absolute darkness in Aoki's heart. Of course, it is impossible for someone to have no darkness at all in their heart. It's just that some people hide it deep, while others hide it shallowly.
"Besides, it seems that there is no benefit for me to attack Drake, right? If it was really me who did it, would I still rush back as soon as possible?" Aoki looked straight into Ergas' eyes with a righteous look on his face.
"Okay!" At this time, Matsuda slammed the table and stood up directly from the chair. The expression on his face was extremely serious. "Aoki is my disciple. Ever since I accepted him as my disciple, and after spending such a long time with him, he has never done anything to disappoint me. He has made many remarkable contributions to both the Hoenn League and the Grand League. He is one of the Hoenn Twin Stars, the Gym Leader of Verdanturf Town, a top four player in the Sinnoh Tournament, and the Fairy-type discoverer! Which one is not a contribution to the League? Are the people in the League going to kill the next generation of the League like this? Believe it or not, I will make Aoki's incident public! And you! Adams, if you don't express your opinion, I will take Aoki to another region! The president of the Kalos region has contacted me before, and Cynthia and Aoki in the Sinnoh region also have a good relationship! Let's go together, and I'll see who won't welcome us!"
Matsuda suddenly became tough, which scared everyone. Especially Ergas. Matsuda also came from the Kanto region. Although he did not hold a position in the Kanto League, no one would underestimate his influence. If he really gets angry, there will be many old guys in the League Breeder's Guild who will get angry along with him.
Adams smiled bitterly. He knew that what Matsuda said was just an angry remark. But he also knew what Matsuda was angry about. In fact, for a moment, Adams did have a little doubt about Aoki, but he quickly suppressed it. But now that things have come to this point, a chief investigator from the Kanto region has come to his office to look for the chief investigator he personally appointed, and he still acts as if he doesn't care. No matter who it is, they would feel disheartened. Especially after seeing the Ho-Oh Feather that Aoki took out, the regret in Adams' heart never disappeared. It was mainly because of Drake's serious injury that he began to doubt everyone.
"Aoki, as the president of the Hoenn League, I would like to apologize to you here." As he said this, Adams bowed directly to Aoki to express his apology. From this we can see that Adams is definitely a person who can take it or leave it. The reason why he can serve as the president of the Hoenn League is not just because of his strength.
When Aoki saw Adams's look, he immediately stepped aside and dodged. But Matsuda just stood there without moving, watching Adams bow. After it was over, the expression on his face looked much better.
Adams then said to Matsuda, "You also know the current situation of the Hoenn League. The successive injuries of Wattson and Drake have made me feel a little confused."
"President, I don't mean to blame you. Mr. Ergas is also following the rules. If I were in his position, I would probably do the same as him," Aoki said to Adams. It is impossible to say that there is no thought in his mind. But the cleverness of smart people is reflected. He and his teacher, Matsuda, played the good cop and the bad cop, respectively, so that Adams could get out of the situation. As for the compensation afterwards, he didn't have to worry about it.
Adams looked at Aoki gratefully. What a good child. I was really confused and started to have doubts. In fact, this matter has nothing to do with Aoki, which is why he can be so confident.
Ergas stared at the three of them in a daze. How come I suddenly feel like an outsider? Although he was somewhat shocked that Aoki was able to produce the Ho-Oh Feather, it seemed that Aoki's suspicion had not been cleared yet?
"That..." Ergas just started to speak.
"Let's go! Let's go see Drake. Aoki, you said you might have a way. I forgot that you, a genius Breeder, are here. Maybe you have surpassed me now," Adams came over and patted Aoki's shoulder, as if to say, "You must be very powerful."
Matsuda's expression also became restrained and calm. You are old and shrewd now, don't you know what to do and when? God knows whether he really lost his temper just now or colluded with Adams.
In short, the three of them strode out, leaving Ergas alone in the office.
"…"
Looking at the three people walking away, Ergas didn't know whether he should follow them or not. Hasn't the suspicion been cleared yet?
Soon, the four of them arrived at the highest ward of the Pokemon Center at the League Headquarters. There were guards in the corridors and outside the rooms. Led by Adams and Matsuda, Aoki walked into the ward and saw Drake lying on the hospital bed. His face was a little pale, but his breathing was still steady. He just kept his eyes closed and showed no sign of waking up.
"Where is Drake's Pokemon?" Aoki asked.
"There's nothing wrong with the Pokemon. It was only because of the protection of his Dragonite that he was able to receive treatment in the first place. The opponent attacked directly on people, and the sneak attack was extremely vicious," Adams said.
Aoki nodded without showing any surprise. Although the assassin is quite powerful, his strongest point is assassination. He is definitely no match for Drake in a head-on battle.
"Teacher, what is your diagnosis?" Aoki asked Matsuda. It would be a great dereliction of duty for a teacher not to know the extent of his students' abilities. But Matsuda still trusts Aoki enough. Even if Aoki cannot cure Drake, he will never act recklessly.
"Poisoning, a mixture of toxins. This toxin is not the kind we usually come into contact with. It is only effective on humans and not on Pokemon. That's why the Joy family and I are helpless. All we can guarantee is Drake's body functions, but the longer the time, the worse it will be for him," said Matsuda.
This is where the Pokemon League finds itself in an awkward position. The research on Pokemon is indeed excellent, but the research on humans themselves has remained at a certain stage. The main reason is that the League encourages Trainers to battle each other, and rarely do they directly attack humans. Moreover, general Antidotes are common to humans and Pokemon. They've never encountered a situation like this before. Not only is it a mixed toxin, but it only affects humans. In this world, are there really people who conduct research specifically on humans?