Botulinum had begun gathering information about Alex the moment the young trainer had first been seen in Dawn Hurst Town, although at the time he had assumed it would only be a temporary visit.

Now that it appeared Alex intended to remain there permanently, the situation required a more deliberate decision.

He leaned back slightly in his chair, his expression relaxing just a little as he looked across the table at his generals.

"Now that we know he plans to stay here permanently," Botulinum said calmly, "we should decide how to handle him. Give me your options, and I will decide what we will do."

Sliver spoke first. "Leader, we should not underestimate him. After all, he carries an impressive reputation as the Master of Tactics, and we also do not know his exact strength. apart from the fact that he has a close relationship with Steven Stone."

Apex immediately showed clear displeasure.

"You really are a coward, Sliver," he said with a scoff. "How can you be afraid of a trainer who isn't even a late-elite trainer?"

Sliver barely reacted. His expression remained calm and indifferent as he looked at Apex.

"You are so foolish that it is honestly remarkable you manage not to forget breathing."

Apex's face twisted with anger.

"Ha! You call me foolish, yet you cannot even explain why. How dare you insult me without giving a reason?"

Sliver sighed softly, as if he were explaining something painfully obvious to a child.

"Foolishness must be called foolishness. What other name would you prefer I use? If you cannot tolerate hearing the word, then improve yourself until it no longer applies to you. I would sincerely advise you to stop being so foolish but we both know that this tipp is for you Impossible to achieve."

Botulinum listened to the exchange in silence for a moment before realizing that, once again, nearly everyone in the room had begun behaving like children.

Only Phantom remained.....

Botulinum inhaled slowly and interrupted.

"Sliver. Apex. Stay on topic."

Apex, who had been preparing another insult, immediately stopped speaking. Knowing he had lost the opportunity to continue the argument, he simply crossed his arms and returned to the discussion.

"Fine," he said. "Then I'll repeat the question. Why should we be afraid of a trainer who isn't even a late-elite trainer?"

Sliver gave a faint smile before answering.

"The reason is quite simple. Alex is currently extremely famous, especially after the Meet the Trainer show, and more importantly, he is known to be a friend of Steven Stone."

Oleander nodded in agreement.

"Yes. If we attack him now—or worse, eliminate him—the Alliance will see it as a direct provocation. It would look like a deliberate slap in their face. We should avoid unnecessary attention, especially since removing him does not provide any immediate benefit for us."

Phantom, however, slowly shook his head.

"Those are interesting points," he said calmly, "but you are all working under the same assumption—that he is not yet a late-stage elite trainer."

He paused briefly.

"That assumption is most likely incorrect."

Botulinum's eyes narrowed slightly.

That was unexpected. He had not anticipated Alex progressing so quickly, especially considering that the last confirmed Appearance placed most of Alex's Pokémon around levels 49 and 50.

"Phantom," Botulinum said, his tone sharpening slightly, "what exactly have you discovered about his strength?"

Phantom did not hesitate before answering. "Although I do not possess direct confirmation, my estimation is that he is very likely already a late-elite trainer."

He paused briefly before continuing in his calm, analytical tone. "The reason is quite simple."

"It has not even been a full year since he appeared in the Kanto Champion Tournament with a team whose levels were know is between 49 and 50. If you give that amount of time—and that leveling speed—to a normal Champion trainer, then it should not be difficult for Alex to have at least three or four Pokémon that have already reached level 55."

Oleander frowned slightly, clearly surprised.

"Champion trainer?" she asked. "You mean Champion-level trainers, right?"

The distinction was important.

The difference between a Champion-level trainer and an actual Champion trainer was enormous—roughly comparable to the difference between a low-elite trainer and a late-elite trainer.

Phantom shook his head slightly.

"No," he replied calmly. "Champion trainer is the correct comparison."

Apex stared at him in disbelief.

"Are you serious? If his Pokémon are leveling as quickly as the Pokémon of actual Champions used to, then his training methods must be exceptional and his daily training time abnormal. On top of that, some of his Pokémon should already be SS-rank Pokémon."

Even Sliver, who rarely agreed with Apex about anything, nodded slightly.

"Yes. Most S-rank Pokémon stop leveling at optimal speed once they reach level 50. If several of his Pokémon have already reached level 55 within a year, then at least two or three of them must already have SS-rank potential."

Phantom continued speaking with the same calm tone.

"I compared Alex's leveling speed to the growth data of several Gym Leaders during the period between the Rookie tournament and the Champion tournament. In every comparison I made, Alex's leveling speed was noticeably faster than that of any of those Gym Leaders."

For the first time since the discussion began, Darkling leaned forward with visible interest.

"Oh?" he said with a curious smile. "So you're saying he at least has the potential to become an Elite Four member, right?"

Phantom nodded. "Yes. That would be the minimum conclusion."

He paused for a moment before adding another thought.

"However, I personally believe that estimate may still be conservative. The available data could support an even higher assessment than the one I am currently presenting."

Darkling's smile widened slightly.

"Wow," he said softly. "What incredible potential."

He tilted his head a little, his eyes gleaming with interest. "Even I'm starting to feel a little jealous of that kind of talent."

Botulinum maintained a calm expression throughout the discussion. Even if Phantom's estimation was correct and Alex had already reached the level of a late-elite trainer, it still did not concern him.

A late-elite trainer might be comparable to one of his generals, but that level of strength posed no real threat to him personally. In fact, none of the late-elite trainers in the region were capable of challenging him.

After a brief moment of silence, he spoke again.

"Your analysis is acceptable, Phantom," Botulinum said calmly. "However, you still have not explained what you believe we should actually do about Alex."

Phantom answered immediately.

"We should wait and observe him. Alex is not a direct competitor to our organization, so there is no reason for us to provoke the Alliance unnecessarily only to kill him. At the same time, he is not strong enough to pose any real danger to us. If we simply monitor his actions for a few more months, we can decide later whether he becomes a problem."

Botulinum nodded slightly before shifting his gaze toward the other four generals.

Oleander responded without hesitation. "I agree with Phantom. We should wait and observe his actions before making any move."

Apex crossed his arms and frowned. "Hm. I disagree. I suggest we eliminate this high-potential trainer immediately. Allowing someone with that level of talent to grow could become troublesome later."

Darkling's smile widened noticeably the moment he heard that suggestion. "HAHA, that sounds fun," he said with clear excitement. "Let's eliminate him. I'd happily take care of that task myself."

Sliver slowly shook his head. "No," he said calmly. "That would only provoke the Alliance for no meaningful reason. Besides, eliminating a late-elite trainer is not nearly as simple as Apex seems to believe. I agree with Oleander and Phantom—we should wait and observe."

Botulinum remained silent for several moments as he considered their opinions.

Then he spoke.

"We will wait."

*******

if the story gets 100 powerstones in 24 hours, I will upload 1 bonus chapter tomorrow.

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