The Pantheon

War Council

Ashley had expected the war room to be large; she had not expected it to be this massive.

The chamber inside the Hoenn League headquarters was enormous, designed less like a meeting room and more like a command center. A wide circular table dominated the middle of the space, with enough room around it for trainers, aides, and the Pokémon that accompanied them.

And there were a lot of Pokémon.

Ashley sat quietly in her seat, trying to ignore the small knot of nerves sitting in her stomach while she looked around the room.

Behind Steven stood Metagross, the massive steel Pokémon floating silently a few feet above the ground. Its red eyes moved slowly across the room, observing everyone present with mechanical patience. Even without moving, it dominated the space behind the Hoenn Champion.

Next to Steven sat Wallace, who looked as composed as always. His Milotic coiled gracefully behind his chair, her long body resting across the polished floor while her scales shimmered softly under the room’s lights.

Phoebe was further down the table with her Dusclops, the ghost Pokémon hovering slightly behind her shoulder like a silent guardian. Drake’s Salamence stood farther back, his wings partially folded to fit inside the room but still taking up a considerable amount of space.
Glacia sat with her usual composed posture. Floating beside her was a Froslass, her pale body drifting gently in the air like a silent winter spirit.

Sydney leaned back in his chair with far less formality than the others. His Houndoom lay behind him on the floor, the dark Pokémon resting but alert, yellow eyes following every movement in the room.

Across from them were the representatives from Indigo.

Lance stood with his arms crossed, his Dragonite towering behind him. The dragon’s large wings were tucked tightly against his back to avoid hitting the walls, but even then he looked enormous inside the room.

Next to him sat Lorelei. Her Jynx stood quietly beside her chair, her long hair flowing down her back as she observed the meeting with curious eyes.

Ashley felt very small in comparison.

She didn’t have a massive Pokémon looming behind her like the others. Instead, Janus sat calmly beside her chair, his posture straight and composed. The Lucario’s eyes were closed for the moment, his aura senses quietly observing everything happening in the room.

Ashley had chosen him for exactly that reason, after all he was the most experienced Pokémon in her Pantheon.

Janus had seen real combat before. Battles that weren’t tournaments or contests. Having him here made this whole situation feel… a little less overwhelming.

A group of League assistants began walking around the table, placing thick stacks of papers in front of each representative. Ashley picked hers up and started reading.

The documents were detailed.

Extremely detailed.

Maps of Hoenn with multiple locations marked. Notes about known bases used by Team Aqua and Team Magma. Recorded sightings, supply movements, patrol patterns, and lists of individuals believed to be part of each organization.

Ashley flipped through several pages, her eyes scanning quickly. Something about the structure of the report felt familiar. She slowed down and reread a few paragraphs more carefully.

The writing style.

The structure of the investigation.

The way the information was organized.