Kode was indeed working under Edward. Edward had put him in charge of the charity foundation, a project aimed at helping impoverished families who couldn't afford medical treatment. Other than occasionally transferring funds, Edward didn't interfere much in the day-to-day operations.
That said, he still read the monthly reports.
Over the past few months, the foundation had gradually received donations from the public. It had to be said—true charity required collective effort. Edward had money, but even he couldn't sustain it all on his own. With help from the broader community and the Pokémon League, things became much more manageable.
Recently, the charity foundation had finally gotten on the right track, and donations had been steadily increasing. Just last month, they received over 100 million in donations.
However, this also meant the work was becoming increasingly complex—with long aid application lists and detailed public records for donors to verify.
Kode had been quite busy lately. He even recruited several new employees to help manage the workload. Edward paid their salaries and had them formally listed as part of Ghost Film Pictures staff.
Because of the charity foundation, Ghost Film Pictures had earned a very positive reputation online. This was the kind of intangible brand value that charity could bring to a business—unseen, but real.
Of course, if the charity ever got exposed for fraud or any sort of scandal, the fallout would be even more devastating.
"Yes, Kode is my— Wait, you and Kode..." Edward instinctively began answering, but paused halfway through. Could there be some connection between them?
He couldn't help but ask.
"Kode is a good friend of mine," Corona said calmly, without any emotional fluctuation. Edward nodded, though he couldn't help glancing between the now-silent Corona and the ever-composed Kennedy.
Was something still going on here? Why weren't they leaving after the discussion? "Good friend," huh? There was probably more to it than she let on.
"Kode is the current president of the charity foundation under my management. He's in charge of all operations. Would you like to meet him?" Edward asked, testing the waters.
"If that's what the Chairman requests, I have no objections," Corona replied flatly.
Edward sighed. Typical tsundere behavior—saying one thing but clearly feeling another. She acted indifferent, but was clearly pleased.
He didn't press the issue further and simply gave Kode a call. Thankfully, Kode was still in Rustboro and could arrive quickly.
Not long after, Kode showed up at the office. He looked the same as always—although his eyes seemed more tired and aged than before. This puzzled Edward. It felt like he was speaking to an old man, which was absurd.
"Boss, here's this month's foundation report," Kode said, handing over the documents. Then he spotted Corona nearby. She remained calm, as if his presence didn't affect her at all. Kode simply greeted her with a smile, and she returned the gesture.
Edward began reading the file in his hand.
It showed the foundation's donations for the current month. While there were still a few days left before the end of the month, the numbers likely wouldn't change much.
"123,215,389.50? That precise?" Edward raised an eyebrow at the exact donation figure. It was even higher than last month, which pleased him—more money meant more people could be helped.
And indeed, many people had received aid.
But partway through the report, Edward froze. He stared at the page in surprise. Kennedy, though curious, didn't move closer. As a seasoned secretary, he knew his place and never overstepped.
"The foundation's staff were attacked? What happened?" Edward asked, raising his head to look at Kode.
If it hadn't been in the report, Edward wouldn't have known that one of the employees had been assaulted and hospitalized.
"One of the families seeking help thought we were ignoring them and attacked Nicole in anger," Kode replied, his tone heavy.
Edward could understand why he looked so worn out—if the same thing happened to him, he'd be shaken too.
The foundation's aid wasn't unlimited. They couldn't help everyone. They weren't gods.
That's why the foundation followed strict internal protocols. Every employee had to follow these rules to select which families to support—this ensured that they helped as many deserving people as possible.
Still, there would always be those who believed, "Why are others getting help, and not me?" That resentment often turned into attacks or slander.
If the foundation had actually been corrupt, such outrage might have been justified. But Edward knew his foundation was legitimately doing good work. To see a dedicated staff member hospitalized for their efforts—it was disheartening.
"Have the hospital bills and nutrition costs charged to Ghost Film Pictures corporate account. Also, assemble our best legal team and send those idiots to jail. Make this incident public. Let everyone know that our charity foundation is here to help—but that kindness cannot be used as a weapon against us," Edward said, his face dark with anger.
He didn't care what kind of tragic story the attackers had. If they committed a crime, they had to pay the price. Pity was no excuse for evading justice.
If people were allowed to threaten the foundation staff with violence, then the entire operation might as well shut down.
"Understood," Kode said with a faint smile.
His boss had a firm sense of justice—that was good.
If the matter wasn't handled seriously, morale within the foundation would crumble. It would be hard to predict how things would go moving forward.
"Also, make sure the entire handling process is public. Explain exactly why we chose not to help that family. Let the public see our reasoning," Edward added.
If they kept things quiet, conspiracy theories would flourish. Even if some people still doubted them, transparency would minimize suspicion and keep things stable.
"Chairman, shall we have Ms. Sara handle the matter?" Kennedy asked.
(End of Chapter)