386 The Speech
A/N: Apologies for the late update. I was busy with the death anniversary of my uncle.
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"Oho, why do you think that I would work under you? You know that I am a part of the Toise family," said Kent.
"You once proposed to me to train your daughters in the future. That got me thinking. You are unsure about your future and there might be a possibility that you don't have a good relationship with the Toise family. Aren't I right?"
Kent was visibly impressed with Axel's intellect. He could see that Axel had grown a lot. He had become more mature.
"Yes, you are right about that. There are some things that I don't agree with the Toise family, and since they helped me a lot in my initial days, I could not leave the family. I am bound by their contract."
"If I became a Pokemon Champion, I would have enough power to free you. Would you then come to work for me?"
"You are wrong. You would not have enough power to do such things just by becoming a Pokemon champion. You would have to become a Pokemon champion in another region as well. Besides, even if you do all those things, why do you want me to work for you? Do you have any future plans?"
"I don't have any specific future plans for needing you, but you are a reliable and powerful man. I believe that I would need your help in the future."
They shook hands on their deal. Axel went to the hotel to get some much-needed rest. Alakazam was already being treated by the nurses at the gym. He went to bed and fell asleep.
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Next day,
Axel slept for 16 hours. The mental and physical pressure he had experienced over the past month was enormous.
"I can't believe that I slept for this long," said Axel to himself.
The first thing he did after waking up was to call his family. They all congratulated him, and his mother asked when he was coming home. He also wanted to see his baby brother, but he had some things to take care of first.
The first thing on his agenda was to visit the Venu family. Axel had become an elder in the family, responsible for finance, management, and the training sector. He had been neglecting his duties for some time now.
Even though Angela had not said anything to him, he wanted to be responsible. There was no time to relax. Axel booked a flight and headed to the Venu family.
The Venu family had undergone many changes in such a short period of time. They had a new outsider, control of a new gym, lost many of their elders, and discovered the secret of the forest after a long time.
The youngsters were eager to train and get stronger. They wanted to prove themselves. They felt that their Venu family was growing stronger and they should too.
Axel could feel the lively atmosphere in the Venu family. He wanted to meet A and B, but he had work to do. He went to his office and began to review the financial reports.
The new finance policy had already been implemented, and now he was examining it. He wanted to know if there were any issues, and just as he suspected, he found one.
"So, you're saying that Ron has stolen a total of 1 trillion Poke dollars from us so far?" Angela exclaimed, slamming her table.
"Yes. He also seems to have created a separate organization through which he acquires clients and resources from us and then sells them through that organization. We can calculate the value of the resources, but we can't quantify the value of the clients that have left the Venu family."
"Can you prove all of these allegations?"
"As a matter of fact, I can. I have all the documents here. There are some questions we need to address, but I am 100% sure about this."
"Good job, Axel. You leave the rest to me. Your request for me to go to Mt. Moon will have to wait for some time. I need to sort out this mess and punish Ron for stealing all that money."
"Don't worry. I can wait for a while. Let me know when you're available."
Axel had other tasks to attend to. First, he wanted to check the progress of the young trainers. He also needed to fulfill Gogoat's request. He had promised it that they would go there once it completed its training course, and it had done so.
Yes, it had also fully mastered its ability. Gogoat had fulfilled all the conditions Axel had set for it. It was now time to visit the young trainers.
Axel had neglected this duty, and Adam had been taking care of the young trainers. He had been doing so long before Axel arrived and was a perfect fit for the job. However, his position had now changed.
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Axel contacted Adam, and together they went to Training Field No. 7. Around 300 young trainers were present on the field. It was the largest training field in the Venu family. The headquarters had 600 members, so nearly half of the Venu family was present. The excitement was palpable. This was all thanks to a certain silver-haired young trainer named Axel Blaze.
Axel Blaze had been a star in the Venu family for some time now. He was the first outsider. He had discovered new Eeveelutions. The Venu family had acquired a gym thanks to him. He had saved the elders and the leader from the forest. The list went on.
The young trainers regarded Axel as a god, a figure who could do no wrong. And now, this very person was here to give them advice and training. Almost all the young trainers, and even some of the older ones, had gathered to witness this. Axel was essentially a celebrity in the Venu family.
Adam had to get a microphone due to the noise generated by the excited young trainers.
"Alright, alright, alright! You all know why you're here. One of our young prodigies has recently been selected as an elder of the Venu family. That's a tremendous accomplishment. The trainer is Axel Blaze."
WOOOHHHH AXEL… AXEL … AXEL….
"Axel, please marry me…."
These were the voices that echoed through the crowd. The excitement was intense.
"As I have become a Grand Elder, Axel has taken on the responsibility of training you young enthusiasts. Even though he is young, don't be mistaken. He is a very strong and experienced trainer.
Without further ado, let's welcome the guest of the morning, AXEL BLAZE!!"
The crowd erupted in cheers. It was as if Michael Jackson had taken the stage. Instead of a training session, it felt more like a concert.
Axel was beginning to realize the impact he had made. He felt a genuine sense of pride. This wasn't just a coincidence. He had earned all of this. Respect couldn't be purchased; it had to be earned.
Axel took the microphone from Adam and waited until the crowd quieted down. After about half a minute, the noise subsided, and there was silence.
"First and foremost, I want to thank you all for the warm welcome. I truly feel like a part of the family now."
Some of the crowd cheered at that.
"As you all know, I've recently been appointed as an elder in the family, and I've taken on responsibilities for finance, management, and training.
Since I'm busy with my quest to become the next Pokemon Master, I won't be able to dedicate all my time to training you. However, that doesn't mean I won't be training any of you.
For those of you who want to train under me, you'll need to sign a document acknowledging that you're training under my guidance. It's a formality. While signing the document, you'll also provide details about your Pokemon's stats and your own physical stats. Our staff will carefully measure these.
This will be done initially.
After that, the training will commence. I have some new ideas for training methods that you'll need to follow. Grand Elder Adam has been doing an excellent job so far, so the changes won't be drastic. However, these changes will enhance your chances of becoming better trainers.
First of all…"
Axel started explaining the changes.
The first change involved using an Everstone locket. Axel and Mark had developed this when Axel had first joined. It functioned similarly to an Everstone, but unlike in the game world, an Everstone wasn't a held item. It was consumed and prevented a Pokemon from evolving. The Everstone locket helped with this.
After explaining the first change, Axel asked, "Do any of you have questions about this?"
A few hands went up, and Axel chose one.
It was a young girl who stood up and said…
