The room was spotless and immaculate, every surface polished to a mirror shine. Elegant and minimalist furnishings were strategically placed in this sterile environment, pleasing to the eye but devoid of any discernible personality. Despite the wealth of open space, Shirogane seemed to take up every inch of it with his presence, oppressive and looming with just the slightest hint of menace, even when seated at his desk. The anemic excuse for a smile pulling at his thin lips spoke of unvoiced disdain, the air of a man who had never once been surprised by anything in his life.
The boy young man helped himself to a glass of incredibly expensive brandy, standing proud and reciting meaningless words with a confidence that was positively gauche.
He supposed Blake deserved his moment after earning the allegiance of the legendary dragon, Zekrom- No small feat, indeed.
“All warfare is based on deception,” Ginjiro replied quietly, steepling long and spidery fingers beneath his chin. “Controlling perceptions is always more efficient and effective than controlling by force. I wouldn’t be so hasty to make assumptions about your enemies, however weak and scattered they appear.”
Whether the Champion would take his advice to heart or not remained to be seen, but with any hope, Blake would exercise more caution in the future. One never could be overly suspicious, simply prepared.
“Did you have anything of value to report, or did you simply miss my glowing hospitality?”
His cautioning words remind too much of the sages, but for the wrong reasons. Where they spewed empty platitudes to public to blind them to their true intentions, I know the Inspector is doing nothing but restraining how acerbic his words could be for me. Considering a young punk like me shouldn’t even know he exists, I consider that quite the courtesy. He and that eastern general aren’t wrong. All warfare is based on deception. By that same token, “the principle on which to manage an army is to set up one standard of courage which all must reach.”
That’s the reason why I’m stopping myself from visibly retching as the worryingly costly liquor singes my innards. It’s why I don’t correct people when they call me the Champion, even if I never got the chance to battle Alder myself. It’s why even though the man who wants me dead has a squad of magical ninjas that can appear from thin air and surround me with out any warning, I’m acting like I’m the king of the world.
Because right now, in the midst of the turmoil left in the wake of Team Plasma’s offensive, Unova needs a hero. So long as the legendary dragon of ideals has a say in the matter, that hero’s me and regardless of my own opinion on the matter, I need to act like it.
I set the glass down on Shirogane’s desk, a remark about coaster usage assuredly on the tip of his tongue as I try to get down to brass tacks as requested.
“I didn’t want to trouble Looker anymore than I already have, so I came to give my brief to you in person. As you’ve already been informed, all of the sages of Team Plasma are now in custody... save for one.”
Looking out the office’s window, I stare down into the bustling streets of Castelia city below us. Odds are, someone’s down there watching, waiting for me to walk out of the building and see where I’m headed next. Even with Team Plasma formally disbanded and the majority of the criminal organization behind bars, thanks to their sheer numbers, we couldn’t have got all of them. There’s no telling how many grunts I personally sweeped are still out there, taking orders from the real problem here.
Ghetsis Harmonia Gropius used his son to convince nearly the entire Unovan public to release their Pokemon and leave themselves completely defenseless. As if such an outlandish plan working wasn’t terrifying enough, he left nothing to chance. His science team would’ve hacked into the PC system and released everyone’s Pokemon by force if I hadn’t smashed up their work space on my way through the castle. Ghetsis is a cunning, ruthless manipulator, willing to do anything to achieve his goals. After I derailed a whole childhood’s worth of devious machinations, I can only imagine killing me places somewhat highly on his to-do list.
I nervously adjust my cap with a heavy sigh as I keep my eyes on the city and its perpetually in-motion populace. “Ghetsis is still out there. It might not be today, it might not be tomorrow, it might not even be a year from now, but he’s going to hit us again and he’s not going to bother being subtle about it this time. We need to make sure that Unova will be ready when he does.”
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