It was precisely because of this that Mt. Silver became the League's first pot of startup capital.
Of course, although the League plundered the resources within Mt. Silver, they also understood the principle of sustainable harvesting, which is why the internal ecosystem of Mt. Silver has been preserved exceptionally well to this day.
Moreover, as the League gradually expanded and became the largest organization in the Pokémon World, their need for the resources and ecology inside Mt. Silver diminished, slowing their rate of extraction.
In recent years, it's become even more common for many somewhat capable families, in order to provide their younger generation with a few Pokémon of decent potential, to organize teams to enter Mt. Silver and search for promising Pokémon.
However, any juvenile Pokémon brought out in the end must undergo inspection by the League before they can be taken out of Mt. Silver.
Not only that, to ensure the League itself possesses sufficient combat strength, The Master League dispatches two to three military Corps into the interior of Mt. Silver every year.
This allows them to gain training experience while also controlling the formation of high-level combat power within Mt. Silver.
Training troops and regulating the entire internal ecosystem of Mt. Silver—this is what the League has been doing in recent years.
The Black Emissary, who was once defeated by Aoki, was one of the Corps Commanders among these military units.
But the fact that even a high-ranking official at the level of Corps Commander could be infiltrated by The Cult shows just how unsafe the League's interior has become.
That's why even Matsuda and Granny Kui say this is the calm before the storm.
Having just finished venting his anger, Matsuda also knew that Aoki's words made sense and that what Granny Kui said was very much in line with reality.
Finally, he nodded helplessly and said, 'I know that with your current strength, your teacher can't offer you much more help. I only hope you can take good care of yourself.
Inside Mt. Silver, there are League Corps stationed there. If you encounter any difficulties, you can seek their help. Given your status as an Elite Four member, they will provide you assistance.'
By saying this, Matsuda essentially agreed to Aoki entering Mt. Silver.
'Don't worry, Teacher.' Aoki nodded solemnly.
However, he didn't think the League's Corps could offer him much help.
For one thing, the current standing of the League's military Corps within the League is very poor. Although the Black Emissary's identity hasn't been officially announced or exposed, anyone with a bit of strength and status already knows about it. This has caused many to look upon the League Corps with a scrutinizing gaze.
Of course, The Cult, as the root cause, is resented by the League Corps. But what infuriates them most is still the Black Emissary's betrayal, which makes them feel deeply frustrated and aggrieved.
When the Black Emissary served as a League Corps Commander, he was a very gentle person who treated his subordinates well and was deeply beloved by his subordinates. If not for the irrefutable evidence, they would never have believed that their commander was actually a League traitor and a cult spy.
But now, with the corpse presented before them, they have no choice but to acknowledge it.
So, as the person who exposed the Black Emissary's identity, it's easy to imagine how much friendliness Aoki can expect from these League Corps members.
While they probably don't hold a grudge against Aoki or seek to embarrass him, they certainly won't be giving him a warm welcome.
So, asking Aoki to seek help from them—who knows what demands they might make in the end?
Moreover, Aoki himself doesn't have much goodwill toward this group. As many suspect, if one Corps Commander could be a cult spy, isn't it possible that other Corps Commanders are also spies, or that there are spies among the remaining members?
Of course, the fact that these Corps still exist indicates that the League has conducted rigorous investigations and audits. Otherwise, as one of the League's largest armed forces, having a commander who is an enemy spy would be unthinkable—they might as well just run into a wall.
Facts are one thing; personal opinions and biases are another.
It's said that because of the Black Emissary incident, the League has even decided to cut funding for several major Corps.
Therefore, Aoki shouldn't expect any friendly treatment.
After bidding farewell to Matsuda and Granny Kui, Aoki headed directly to the entrance to Mt. Silver's interior, where a League Corps was stationed, specifically tasked with vetting the strength of everyone entering.
Aoki arrived here riding his Salamence.
A Pokémon like Salamence, as a Pseudo-Legendary, is relatively rare. While it doesn't directly reveal Aoki's identity, it does indicate the visitor's strength to some extent.
Amidst the howling sand and dust, Aoki landed on the ground, recalled his Salamence, and strode toward the entrance.
There were quite a few people here. Seeing Aoki's imposing arrival and the fact that he rode his Salamence despite the League's no-flying rule made it clear he was someone of significant status.
Aoki didn't deliberately hide his identity either, wearing the Elite Four uniform custom-made for him by the Hoenn League and the exclusive Sandstorm Elite Four Member badge pinned to his chest.
His identity was unmistakable, and the people around began whispering among themselves.
Several soldiers, upon seeing Aoki's identity, immediately ran toward their stationed camp.
Soon, as Aoki reached the entrance, a few people were also walking quickly from not far away. Judging by the attire of the person at the front, he was clearly the person in charge of the Corps stationed here, or the Corps Commander.
'Elite Four Aoki, please wait a moment,' the approaching man called out loudly with a smile on his face, his voice audible from a distance.
Aoki frowned slightly and looked at the man. He wore a khaki military uniform but bore no other insignia indicating rank or identity.
Since this was their turf, Aoki still stopped.
Seeing Aoki stop, the man's smile widened. He quickly walked up to Aoki and said, 'Elite Four Aoki, we had no preparations for your arrival, and we didn't welcome you properly. Our apologies.'
As the saying goes, you don't hit a smiling face. Moreover, although the man's words were somewhat exaggerated, they weren't entirely inappropriate. 'Sorry for the disturbance. I just suddenly wanted to go into Mt. Silver.'
'Of course, of course. As an Elite Four member, entering Mt. Silver is certainly no problem. But as you know, after the last incident, the League has tightened its oversight of Mt. Silver. Anyone wanting to enter needs to be questioned a bit, so...' The man's tone didn't sound like a military leader at all.
His words were laced with hidden barbs. While they didn't seem problematic on the surface, they carried some unpleasant implications.
What 'last incident' could he be referring to, if not the one where Aoki defeated the Black Emissary?
Passive-aggressive remarks.
Although not stated explicitly, it still evoked unpleasant thoughts in others. Didn't you see the subtle changes in the eyes of the soldiers behind him?
A few onlookers nearby even took out various recording devices and started filming the two of them.