When Aoki's heavy eyelids finally opened again, he found himself lying in a predominantly white room.
He could smell a somewhat unpleasant disinfectant odor.
The pure white sheets confirmed he was in a hospital room.
On the bedside table, his dark red Elite Four uniform was neatly folded, along with his numerous Poké Balls and communicator.
Fortunately, Aoki had anticipated the possibility of fainting and had discreetly put away some of his more private belongings beforehand.
Slowking and the others hadn't been returned to their Poké Balls, and he trusted that with their intelligence, they wouldn't allow anyone to casually mess with his things.
When Aoki tried to sit up, he found his entire body aching, his arms devoid of strength. After a slight struggle, he gave up.
It was more comfortable to just lie there like a dead fish.
Just as he gave up, the door to the ward was pushed open. A Nurse Joy, accompanied by a Chansey, entered, pushing a small utility cart. She saw Aoki, wide-eyed and unable to move, staring blankly at her.
Nurse Joy's cheeks flushed slightly, then she smiled and said, "Elite Four Aoki, you're awake! I'll go inform the President and the others right away."
With that, she ran out as if on wings, leaving Aoki and Chansey to exchange wordless glances.
Fortunately, this Chansey had been specially trained and knew how to care for patients. It immediately walked to Aoki's side and helped him sit up.
Soon, Adams, along with Kahili and Olivia, all appeared.
This was mainly because Aoki was currently in the Pokémon Center at the Alliance Headquarters, and Adams and the others were also there. Moreover, this incident had caused quite a stir; the internet was practically flooded with images of the island enveloped by the Red Sandstorm, and the giant spatial rift had attracted even more attention.
The island, which eventually became a shattered ruin, became the main topic of discussion, with people marveling at the intensity of the battle.
Many people online were even running simulations, analyzing what kind of strength would be required to destroy an island to that extent.
"Aoki, you're awake. How are you feeling?" Adams asked with a slight smile.
Aoki felt his entire body ache with even the slightest movement.
"Not good yet. How long have I been unconscious?" Aoki asked.
Hearing this, Adams said with a hint of exasperation, "Not good yet? When I arrived, I thought you were dead! I rushed you back for treatment. Nurse Joy said your body was severely overexerted and would need some time to recover.
You've been unconscious for three days! I'm a bit curious why your condition was so overexerted. Did the opponent directly attack you personally?"
Hearing Adams's question, Aoki didn't know how to answer for a moment.
But Adams clearly didn't dwell on the matter. Aoki was already in this state; was it really necessary to get bogged down in the cause?
"Do you know the identity of the person you fought that day?" At this point, Adams's expression became somewhat serious.
Aoki glanced at him, pondered for a moment, and then said, "He should be someone from the cult. His psychic abilities were very strong; I was no match for him. And he might be a high-ranking member of the cult. The spatial rift he created should have a special purpose, but what exactly it is, I don't know.
Also... from his fighting style and command techniques, he was very much like... very much like..."
"Very much like the fighting style of someone in the Alliance military, right?" Adams finished Aoki's sentence.
Hearing this, Aoki looked at Adams with a hint of surprise, wondering how he knew.
Adams then took out a photo from his pocket. It was of the Black Emissary Aoki had fought, but the person in the photo was already dead.
Adams continued, "After the battle with you that day, he escaped, but we found this body during our investigation of the surrounding waters."
"Dead?" Aoki was stunned.
"After our extensive investigation, we determined that he was a legion commander from the Main Alliance's Silver Mountain permanent forces, skilled in using Dark-type Pokémon. The five Pokémon found on the ground at the time also matched the Pokémon registered under his Alliance identity. Only one pseudo-legendary Hydreigon was not found."
At this point, everyone in the ward fell silent.
The Black Emissary's true identity was actually a Main Alliance legion commander. This was not good news for them.
"As a Main Alliance legion commander, the Main Alliance has already issued a notification, hoping to transfer all relevant data as soon as possible," Adams added.
Aoki showed no reaction to Adams's words.
Seeing Aoki's silence, Adams, as the President, understood his thoughts, and this matter was indeed difficult to explain away. "You know the situation in Kanto right now; it's quite passive, so I still hope you can understand."
"The Kanto branch family has passed the Main Alliance's review and entered the preparation phase? So they don't want to create a very negative impact at this critical juncture, just because a high-ranking legion commander turns out to be a cult member? The Kanto Alliance and the Main Alliance really have a close relationship," Aoki's words carried a hint of sarcasm and displeasure.
Kahili and Olivia exchanged glances, seeing helplessness in each other's eyes.
But there was nothing they could do, as it concerned the Alliance's strategic planning and its public image.
Aoki continued, "So, the Main Alliance's meaning is that they hope we can remain silent as much as possible and just let this matter go? Then what about the losses we suffered in Hoenn?"
"Whether it's your losses or the losses of the people on the island, the Main Alliance will be responsible for compensation.
And it's not that they're demanding absolute silence from us. They just hope we don't disclose that person's true identity. As for the battle achievements you've made, the Main Alliance is also very pleased and appreciative, and they hope that whenever you have time, you can go to the Kanto region and have an Elite Four exhibition match with their new Elite Four members," Adams consoled.
"New Elite Four... members?" Aoki seemed to have caught something important.
"That's right, another new Elite Four member has taken office in the Kanto region, and it's someone you know. You can try to guess who it is," Adams smiled, finally diverting Aoki's attention.
Aoki had paid such a heavy price and fought so hard this time, only to discover in the end that his opponent was actually a Main Alliance legion commander. For any Alliance member, this was a shock to their beliefs, not something easily accepted.