With so many reporters and journalists here of stature and experience it made for a blogger to feel out of place. So many questions being hurled at the league, so many people and parties chasing down their own agendas. She almost felt small for having such simple and straightforward issues to present.

Listening to the more seasoned ask their questions and lay their verbal traps she waited for a proper lull in the exchanges and then like the others she aired her concerns. "It has been over 90 days since the end the warfronts at Lilycove, Mauville and Meteor Falls. In that time the public has received no updates nor reassurances of the controlled removal from the Megalopolan's "Ultra Beasts" from the region."

"Some of these dangerous monsters like the Muscular Mosquito Monster that killed Former-Champion Alexander Stone, has not been found. Unlike the other two sighted at Lilycove that were confirmed killed.

Her son who idolized Alexander Stone was still having nightmares about the existence of these creatures. Nothing she said ailed his fear and anxiety and the League said nothing at all.

"Even after the stopping of the invaders there were still incidents of the League coming into contact with wild "Ultra Beasts" such as the Massive Jellyfish Creature spotted off the coast of Pacifidlog Town which was, reported to have been, fought off by League forces but not killed nor captured!"

She hated having to hold up a magnifying glass on the league, on those who protected the region but if they weren't doing enough it was on the people to make them aware of it.

"There seems to be a glossing over of the fact that these "Ultra Beasts" are still very much among us!"

"What is the League doing to find and handle these monsters?!"

the questions begin to pick up speed. like bullets they fly. some shatter against walls and curtains behind them, while others directly hit their mark. when Katherine Fairburne bounces off his response, noah faber's breath relaxes some. despite their unified line of seats, it is easy to lose one's self in the constant blossoms of flash photography.

noah clears his throat to respond to the older reporter, "gym leaders and their trainers won't be the main response to uh, serious situations. we're a support team if they need more assistance and more well-trained pokemon. then again." noah pats his chest. the microphone picks up the firm thuds. "some of us are trained cadets, like myself. if there's a situation we can't handle, we've been instructed to let the respective authorities know instead of barging in like wild. good question, man."

he takes a swig from his squeeze bottle promptly afterwards.

@pressconference / Chu-e Choi

"thank you for your question, mr. carlson. recent breakthroughs in our investigation have revealed that a zoroark was masquerading as me to commit murder on the late mayor bosch." dahlia speaks clearly.

her shoulders form a firm line and her hands remain calm, set palm side down on the table cloth. nary a wrinkle tickles the cloth underneath her fingers.

"the investigation branch of league officers have questioned smohke who has subsequently revealed that cotillard was responsible for the fabricated video." dahlia lie is spun smoothly; the webbing taut with gossamer knots forged into iron throughout the organization. "it was an attempt to weaken the league and to allow the megalopolans an opportunity to strike should the government had been in the process of transition."

without missing a beat, she directs her attention to the blogger. despite her smaller stature in the grand pantheon of the press, the commissioner still finds time to answer her.

"our ever dilligent rangers have continually scoured the region for ultra beast and megalopolan alike. however, our scientists have discovered that should an ultra beast prolong their presence in our world, their size and power subsequently diminishes. enough time has passed that any renegade ultra beast should be easier to handle should one appear."

Balder Schwartz Sénon Game / press conference

The repeated click of cameras and flashing lights draw the conference into its crescendo. Questions from every broadcast come through but some fall flat. Their squandered opportunity becomes blaringly obvious as League representatives pick and choose which ones to answer.

Each answer comes with a prolonged pause as each journalist looks to write down their accounts despite recording the scene unfolding. Additional notes are jotted down and one journalist in particular turns their attention back to Selena Desmarais.

"Why are you not here as member of the League?"

The question sounds generally curious as they continue to write down further notes.

"As a Gym Leader that's more senior than most of the representatives on stage," they turn to the stage and count off the present Gym Leaders. Katherine Fairburne and maverick noah ryder are the ones the journalist recognizes as being newer than Selena, validating his claim as he breaths a mental sigh of relief on not making an inaccurate statement. "Are you not afraid of the image of avoiding responsibilities as your other colleagues are being scrutinized and held accountable?"

Like a well placed JESTER'S DEMISE from Katherine Fairburne's Blacephalon, the backlash from the attack, as unintentional as it is, causes the rest to rouse from their seats in a string of follow-up questions.

"Is that really you in the video?"

"Why have you not mentioned it until now?"

"Are you here to only here to ask question the League has prepared to make them look good?"

"When are you holding your press conference? Will it be private only?"

"What happened in Littleroot?"

"Who was that with you in the video?"

"Are you responsible for the videos being taken down?"

"Can you confirm eye witness testimony of the scene?"

"Are you at odds with the League? Is this your attempt at making a statement? Will you denounce them like Balder Schwartz?"

The mention of Balder sparks the memory of one journalist in particular. They try to squeeze in between the cascading questions but it proves impossible as everyone's prodding starts to overlap. The only way she can stand out is by taking an exaggerated bow, causing eyes to turn as she picks herself back up.

"mateo martinez was said to have been pulled into Ultra Space last year. Since then, he's made several appearances. Reports even state he was at the Meteor Falls warfront. How did Mister Martinez return from Ultra Space? Is the League privy to such details and if so why have they not released them in wake of the Megalopolan Invasion?"

She pauses, fiddling a ballpoint pen between her fingers.

"I believe Balder Schwartz also announced he would be heading into Ultra Space as well. Do we know any further details about these claims?"


THREAD REFERENCED:
pkmn-hoenn.boards.net/thread/6928/hnn-volume-3-issue-1

One reporter speaks up, piggybacking off the question of the blogger (Sénon Game) and the reply from dahlia goode.

"And what of the Megalopolans spotted in the desert? HNN reported on that back in November and there have been no updates from the League since."

A second reporter speaks up, asking her question and nearly bowling over the first. Overeager.

"If these Megalopolans are captured, what does the League plan to do with them?" The comment section of that article had gotten heated, many going as far as favoring full on eradication.

article

TW: RACIAL ISSUES (?)

The moniker "Eye of Staraptor" is not earned by wiggling out of a precarious situation. If Selena is trained to ask debilitating questions just to unravel the truth, she is, too, trained to handle such challenges, especially when they come cascading upon her.

She lets herself be drowned by the mud slung upon her just so she can rise with much dignity. “Why I am here today — in which I am greatly disappointed that I need to remind all of my fellow journalists about this obvious fact — is because we all have questions we want to be answered; not by me, but by the people who have been appointed with power and expected to make decisions for the benefit of Hoenn.”

She faces the reporters. “Because obviously, even when I am now being accused of a crime with a circumstantial evidence,” then her eyes shift towards FERNANDO SILPH. “I cannot answer why the case is still under investigation despite a councilor, with much more political power, being there at the aforementioned event.”

And then they move to kim cole-essam’s. “Nor why the League thinks businesses who have been the subject of controversies, especially ones that concern the privacy of citizens in this region, managed to continue its operations without being scrutinized further.”

She pauses. She turns to Katherine Fairburne with more lethal eyes. “Moreso, I cannot answer why League officials choose to accept gym leaders, who are supposed to be role models and be the ones that mold the next generations of Hoennian trainers, that think race and nationality is an issue when doing your job.” Then eyes meet dahlia goode. “Especially when Hoenn is proud of the international relations it fostered with other regions like Galar.”

A hair flip. Then she regains her composure and proceeds with much more zest.

“This region has been my home and reportage has been my way of serving, up to the point that I chose to build Vantage here and not my home region. I believe what Katherine Fairburne has said, despite her prejudice against people like me, that no one is above criticism. I did not even exclude myself from that. From both a gym leader and a journalist's perspective, I believe the merit of this press conference is to collectively search the truth that has been haunting us and improve the ways the incumbent leadership handles our domestic problems.”

EVENT: LEAGUE PRESS CONFERENCE

"Excuse me! Excuse me!" A shrill voice piped up, the little reporter finally getting tired of having her voice being drowned out by more agressive questions. Ironically, the increased drama might have given her the opportunity to finally let loose a question. [break][break]

"How can we trust your judgement, when you can't even behave civilly here!?" Would this likely start even more drama? Maybe. Did it matter? Not for her job. It was tough being a short and quiet reporter!

Carlson the journalist frowned upon hearing Bailey's answer, as well as Dahlia's. Were these guys for real? Adding the cat battle between Katherine the Gym Leader, who was displaying plain racism, and a journalist named Selena, who also served as a Gym Leader. While the chaos slowly calmed down, Carl rubbed the bridge of his nose, thinking the same thing as the Elite Four Member Kyle (Hey someone else knows who you are).

The man proceeded to stand up, directing his gaze to the champion Bailey Cooper . "So let me get this straight. You say that an attempt at your life was made... in the middle of a war? Is this not a normal occurrence? Is this not why a war is fought? To avoid civilians to be put under the same situation? Plus, you state that orders were ignored, yet I believe the Champion has no power over the army? Please correct me if I'm wrong in this understanding, it would help us, both journalist and civilians, to understand the nature of the League's forces and what is the official status of their representatives (Read: Clowns) within them."

"But I would also like to point the fact that you ignored my statement that your actions atop Groudon have endangered a civilian child and your allies. Should we be afraid for our future? Can you, as the champion, confirm and prove us that you have full control over your legendary creature and ensure that this issue does not happen? What do you have to say to the child that you almost burnt to a crisp?"

Following all of these, the man took a small pause, following with a question to dahlia goode . "Miss Goode, please confirm this information for me." The journalist flipped through his notepad. "I have an indication here that, during the whole investigation of a murder that you had possibly committed on the mayor, you were allowed to roam freely, without any consequences, and even continue to lead this assembly. Is this correct? If so, how accurate can we believe the report you state to be? Wouldn't it be possible for you to manipulate that information?"

"Following that, why were you still in control? In cases of being a murder suspect, wouldn't the commissioner at least be under house arrest and stripped of her powers and thus allow for the next in line, like Councilman FERNANDO SILPH or Councilman kim cole-essam to take over until the investigation was completed?"

It seemed like no one wanted to address the forest fire, so Carl decided to just keep this for a future article about how the league wished to avoid anything regarding how they endangered civilian lives. He thus proceeded to turn his gaze onto Katherine Fairburne . "Miss Fairburne, as one the youngest in terms of league service across this assembly, can you tell us what makes you believe that Ms. Selena Desmarais is a, and I quote, "Vulture, fraud and shitty journalist" whilst she defended the region and has held her seat for a long time, adding to have been chosen by a Tapu Koko? That she seeks the truth in the name of the civilians, as her duty bequeaths her to? What has led you to consider a trainer's home region and origins for viewing their value to society? Can we believe in the integrity and judgement of the League as an organization after such display from a Gym Leader, as my colleague said?"

To finish this, the man took a sip from a water bottle, before directing his gaze to kyle lopez . "Mr. Lopez, can you please remind us your status in this mess? What is your role in the organization? Also, can you tell us what is your current relationship with Mr. the Rebel Balder Schwartz considering the events of last year? Do you consider the man a threat to our society?"

---

Referenced threads:
Dahlia vanishes
Moana being almost melted by the Lava Plume
Falcon punch

tags: Bailey Cooper FERNANDO SILPH dahlia goode kim cole-essam Selena Desmarais Katherine Fairburne kyle lopez

"should more megalopolans be found, we will promptly deliver them to the league for questioning. however, since the war is indeed over and repatriation is not exactly possible, we will look into options such as rehabilitation."

the questions begin to overlap like discs of meat severed by band saws.

"commissioner goode please," dahlia replies to carlson, "as is customary for the pressroom. i did not roam freely during that period of investigation. for that period of time, i was surveilled and investigated as sitting commissioner." she pauses. "mr. carlson, i would like to advise you that it may be difficult for our panel to answer your questions if they are delivered in such a quantity. please allow the others some room to ask their questions."

she speaks no more on the fortree matter, having cut the heading inquiry with teeth.

Balder Schwartz Chu-e Choi / press conference