Evergreen was in a terrible mood.
The hurricanes had finally passed, and all the leaders had gathered at the underground base, yet the first thing he saw upon opening his phone was news of Luther tearing through the Lily of the Valley Conference.
The moment he remembered Mira comparing him to a maggot while likening Luther to the sun, he completely lost interest in watching the finals.
As if she were doing it on purpose, Mira had even come to him that afternoon to cheerfully inform him that Luther had won the conference.
At this point, Evergreen couldn't even be bothered to get angry with her. Ever since Mira had repeatedly rejected his invitations, he had already written her off as a dead woman.
These white-haired old leaders, who could barely recognize people or find their way around without reading glasses, had completely worn out his patience.
They had devoted their entire lives to research, so being forced away from their work and trapped in the underground base for nearly half a month was pure torture to them. All the frustration they had built up because of the disasters was now being vented entirely onto Evergreen.
If he weren't still waiting for the last old man to arrive, he wouldn't have bothered serving these stubborn old fossils any longer. He was a leader too; why should he be the one running around at everyone else's beck and call?
"Leader Zero just contacted us," one of his subordinates reported, interrupting his thoughts. "He asked you to check your computer. There's something waiting for you."
Evergreen frowned. He returned to his room, turned on his laptop, and opened the email.
["I cannot leave the Kalos region. You will be in full charge of this meeting. I have already explained everything that needs to be discussed. It is up to you to arrange how the organization will hide itself beneath the Sinnoh League's nose once again.]
[I know some of the leaders aren't convinced you are qualified. After this meeting, your authority will rank second only to mine. From now on, you will have full authority over personnel assignments and unrestricted access to all Hodgepodge Organization records. Your rank will exceed that of the other twenty-six leaders present.]
[Don't forget to deal with Mira. There is no need to keep someone who isn't loyal.]
[I am looking forward to seeing what you accomplish.]
Evergreen froze for several seconds, utter disbelief spreading across his face. He had waited years for a promotion like this, and now it had arrived without the slightest warning.
Since when was Old Man Zero willing to give up an ounce of his authority? He had always held absolute control over every single personnel transfer within the Hodgepodge Organization and had never once compromised.
Something wasn't right. Cold sweat began running down Evergreen's back. Thinking about how Leader Zero had suddenly announced he wouldn't be attending, Evergreen felt a wave of panic wash over him.
'Has my plan been exposed?'
The people carrying out his scheme were all trusted confidants. Most of them had been overlooked nobodies within the organization; after Evergreen promised them a better future, they had eagerly joined his side.
As long as those decaying old leaders remained in power, none of them would ever have a chance to rise, so there was no reason they would betray him.
But if Leader Zero had really discovered he was plotting a coup, why hadn't he warned the other leaders? Why hadn't he mobilized anyone to stop him? Instead, he had handed over even more authority. None of it made any sense.
Evergreen wiped the sweat from his forehead before opening a website created by Leader Zero. On the surface, it looked like nothing more than a simple image-sharing site for high-quality Pokémon photographs and artistic portraits.
The site itself was crude and outdated, so almost no one visited it for picture resources.
It didn't matter. The Hodgepodge Organization had never cared about the site's public appearance.
Evergreen logged into his account, and his eyes widened. His access level had indeed been raised to the highest tier, the exact same level as Leader Zero. Through a hidden link on the website, he located an encrypted file and downloaded it.
A minute later, information on the Hodgepodge Organization's core members appeared on Evergreen's screen. Some were embedded within the Pokémon League itself, while others had infiltrated organizations affiliated with the League. Even after multiple rounds of screening by the International Police, several of them had never been exposed.
This file could only be accessed with the absolute highest level of authorization. That alone proved Leader Zero's email was genuine.
Evergreen's heart pounded. He had been worrying that if he launched his coup tonight, the organization's senior operatives might refuse to obey him and use the opportunity to challenge his leadership. Now, he didn't have to worry anymore. The identities of every hidden operative were laid out right before him; he finally had leverage over all of them.
Overcome with excitement, Evergreen paced back and forth across the room. Then, all at once, he stopped, his expression turning serious.
Walking back to the computer, he verified the information on the screen before dialing the number of one Hodgepodge Organization operative hidden deep within the Sinnoh League. The man on the other end was extremely cautious, and only after Evergreen verified his identity several times did he finally admit who he was.
Evergreen made several more calls. By the end, he was completely convinced. The information was real. The last trace of suspicion he had toward Leader Zero vanished into thin air.
"Hmph. So now you finally want to rely on my abilities to pull the Hodgepodge Organization out of this mess," he sneered. "You should have done that a long time ago. Whether you gave me this authority or not, after tonight, the Hodgepodge Organization enters a new era."
Evergreen turned and left.
Midnight was when the meeting would begin. The old leaders had already lost what little patience they had left; all they wanted was to settle the organization's future plans as quickly as possible and get out.
Evergreen had also run out of patience. He wanted to deal with those old fossils once and for all. The ones who could be persuaded would be brought over to his side. The rest would never leave this place alive.
Halfway down the corridor, Evergreen suddenly stopped. As if possessed by a sudden impulse, he returned to the computer, plugged in a USB drive he always carried with him, and copied everything onto it: Leader Zero's email, the contact information of every core operative, and all the hidden resources stored behind the website's concealed links.
Only after finishing did he make his way through the tunnel into the underground mine base's laboratory.
The laboratory was enormous and split into two levels. Since the underground base had no dedicated conference room, this space had been converted into their meeting hall.
Twenty-six white-haired elders, along with the apprentices they had chosen to bring along, gradually took their seats amid a chorus of complaints the moment they saw Evergreen arrive.
"Leader Zero is unable to attend due to other matters," Evergreen announced, stepping up to the front. "He has entrusted me with full authority over this meeting. Therefore... I declare this meeting officially open."
The room immediately erupted into an uproar. Whispers and loud arguments spread throughout the laboratory until one of the older leaders finally stood up.
"Leader Zero promised he would be here on time! Besides, you are one of the people responsible for the Pokémon League discovering our organization in the first place. What gives you the right to preside over this meeting? I refuse to accept it!"
Once someone voiced their objection, the others quickly joined in, shouting their agreement.
Evergreen remained seated, coldly sweeping his gaze across the room. Only after the noise died down somewhat did he wave to one of his subordinates, who quickly brought over a laptop.
In full view of everyone, Evergreen logged into the website and displayed Leader Zero's email on the main screen for every leader to read.
"Take a good look," Evergreen said, rising to his feet, his voice turning icy. "This is the authority Leader Zero personally granted me. From this moment on, no one is to question my actions again. I represent the highest will of the Hodgepodge Organization. And none of you are qualified to order me around anymore."
'(End of Chapter)'
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