The High Pokémon Council, abbreviated as HPC, is a meeting held by the top echelon of the Pokémon League—an event that ordinary people could never quite grasp the contents of, yet every time one concludes, numerous policy changes, welfare improvements, and problem resolutions follow in its wake.
Right now, Edward was seated in the venue of this very High Council meeting, staring blankly at the stage in front of him. No one had arrived yet—he was the first to show up.
"I seriously can't believe this... What was Dad even thinking?" Edward rubbed his face in frustration. He had been entirely preoccupied with drafting the script for his Sherlock Holmes adaptation when he returned home, only to be suddenly saddled with a heavy responsibility by his father.
The next day, he was told to go to a certain venue to attend an utterly boring meeting in his father's stead. Seeing the excited gleam in his father's eyes, Edward had silently agreed. After all, his father occasionally succumbed to his addiction to mining and would go off to dig up stones or crystals, and Edward had occasionally covered for him in similar situations before.
But what Edward never expected was that when he arrived at the designated location the following day, he would discover he was attending the High Pokémon Council—and not as an observer, but as the president of Devon Corporation in the Hoenn region.
"Isn't this just throwing your own son into a pit?" Edward looked around with a resigned expression.
His seat was right at the very front—seat number one. He glanced at the nameplates beside him and recognized the names of the Elite Four of Hoenn. Sitting to his left and right were Drake and Glacia, while the other two sat nearby. The seats behind them were occupied by the presidents of other major regional corporations and elite trainers like the Elite Four of other regions. Even further back sat the various Gym Leaders.
As the president of Devon Corporation, his father naturally had the qualifications to attend the HPC. Edward had seen him attend before, but never thought that it would be his turn so soon. He didn't even need to guess—his father had clearly done this on purpose.
"Well, I might as well treat this as early training." Edward quickly accepted reality. He didn't really have a choice. Neither his father nor his older brother had any real interest in being the president, which left Edward as the next likely leader of Devon Corp. If he didn't participate now, he would have to sooner or later anyway.
Joseph Stone was slowly but surely placing the burden of leadership onto his son's shoulders.
Soon, one by one, the other members began to arrive. Most were Gym Leaders from various regions. Edward even spotted Iono and Sabrina—they seemed to have become fast friends, whispering to each other conspiratorially. Behind Edward, someone familiar sat down.
Giovanni.
"Director Edward? Are you here to attend the council meeting?" Giovanni looked over at him, his expression carrying a trace of pleasant surprise.
Although Gym Leaders were invited to the HPC, most of the time they didn't speak much. Issues needing discussion were submitted beforehand to regional alliances, where internal deliberations would be held. Only matters requiring broader consensus would be escalated to the High Council.
"That's right, Mr. Giovanni. We meet again." Edward replied politely, glancing at the man. If not for Giovanni's... unique identity, Edward honestly felt that casting Giovanni as Moriarty wouldn't be a bad idea at all. After all, this man had literally become the king of the underworld across Kanto and Johto.
Giovanni seemed delighted and chatted with Edward for a while about movies until the Elite Four began to enter the venue, drawing everyone's attention and bringing their conversation to a halt.
Edward glanced around—the top executives of all major corporations and the Elite Four from various regions had arrived. Glacia and Drake were clearly surprised to see Edward seated among them, but they still greeted him courteously before taking their seats.
"I believe you're the second son of the Stone family—Edward, right?" Drake said with a hearty laugh, looking at him with curiosity. Although he knew the Stone family was eccentric and obsessed with rocks, he hadn't expected Mukun to start training his son for succession so early.
"Yes, Elite Four Drake. I'm Edward Stone. It's a pleasure to meet you." Edward responded politely. He also took the opportunity to greet Glacia and Phoebe. As Phoebe glanced at the Poké Balls on Edward's waist, her eyes gleamed with excitement.
She could sense the presence of powerful Ghost-type Pokémon on Edward. This was a unique ability she had developed growing up on Mt. Pyre—she had always been able to communicate with Ghost Pokémon. Her own Pokémon had told her that Edward's partners were incredibly strong and that they were even under the protection of a dominant Ghost Pokémon. That alone was enough to deter most Ghost-types from challenging him. What's more, there was an indescribable aura on him that instinctively made them want to retreat.
"Elite Four Phoebe, I am—" Edward turned toward her, just starting his introduction.
"Edward, may I battle you?" Phoebe asked with great excitement.
Edward froze for a second, the corner of his mouth twitching involuntarily. As expected of someone from the Pokémon world—absolutely hardcore.
"Phoebe, it's meeting time right now." Glacia interjected with a helpless look. But she couldn't help glancing at Edward again. Phoebe wasn't the type to challenge just anyone to a battle—unless they were a fellow Ghost-type expert. In that case, her passion for battle would awaken.
Phoebe stuck out her tongue sheepishly. Then, rousing music echoed through the hall. From the left side, all of the current regional Champions walked in; from the right, the Presidents of each regional League entered. However, Geeta walked down the center aisle.
Edward knew this wasn't because Geeta had a particularly high status—it was simply because she was both a Champion and a League Chairwoman of Paldea.
The High Pokémon Council was officially in session.
Edward struggled to stay awake—the meeting was... boring. Extremely boring. Most of the major issues had already been resolved internally, and what remained were either formalities or minor, low-priority matters. Some items were only being mentioned because the protocol required them to be brought up for transparency.
"...Next, let us discuss the proposal regarding whether playing short films and movies for wild Pokémon can help satisfy their emotional needs."
Edward immediately perked up upon hearing this. He shot upright in his seat, listening with full attention.
This must have been his father's proposal.
On stage, the Hoenn League Chairwoman looked down at Edward with a gentle smile.
That little rascal... Over the past few weeks, the Champions and League Chairmans/woman she had hosted had all taken notice of that peculiar "splits tree" in the Hoenn wilderness. Some even witnessed the infamous moment firsthand—Machamp doing a crotch-splitting karate chop on a massive tree, a scene which had left Paldea's Champion and Chairwoman Geeta visibly stunned.
Her face had practically fallen off from the embarrassment.
"I personally find this proposal very interesting. It seems that the Hoenn region has already begun pilot testing it. So far, happiness indexes among wild Pokémon have shown a steady increase, and it appears that wild Pokémon are gradually adopting short films and movies as a means of relaxation."
(End of Chapter)