Within Team Flare, aside from Lysandre and Cain, Xerosic was the person with the highest status among those present.
Of course, that was also because Malva still remained relatively discreet. If she truly revealed her fangs, not even Xerosic would be able to suppress her; only Lysandre could do so.
"Xerosic!"
Before Cain could even open his mouth, Lysandre had already spoken his name in a deep voice, and in quite a harsh tone, clearly very dissatisfied with that manner of speaking.
Long ago, under Cain's manipulation, a psychic seed had already been planted within Lysandre's mind.
Although at that time Cain's psychic power had not yet been strong enough to implant something with the same level of control as the seeds planted in Brad's and Catherine's minds, the seed inside Lysandre was undoubtedly one of the oldest.
Such a long period of silent influence had made its effect terrifying.
Without exaggeration, that seed in Lysandre's mind had already taken root and grown into a gigantic tree.
And the result was that, under that subtle and prolonged influence, Lysandre had already begun to truly regard Cain as an existence comparable to a teacher. Not to the point of blindly obeying him in everything, but certainly inclined to take his side without hesitation.
Cain looked at Xerosic and said with a smile: "Xerosic, do you think that taking those things caused a loss for Team Flare?"
"Then I would like to ask: in your opinion, who was the one who first proposed gathering those stones?"
Hearing this, Xerosic opened his mouth, but could not say anything.
Just as Cain said, the idea of collecting Mega Stones had originally been his own. If it had not been for Cain, none of them would have wasted time gathering a pile of stones whose purpose they did not understand at all.
And before Cain had Brad and Catherine take those items away, no one truly knew what they were for. Only afterward, once it became public, did they begin to regret it and feel that they had suffered a loss.
Bang!
Cain suddenly took out a black bag from his pocket and threw it onto the table. From the sound alone, one could tell that there were quite a few stones inside, and through the opening of the bag, several multicolored shining stones could be seen.
Mega Stones!
Everyone felt their hearts tremble. They looked at that bag of Mega Stones, unable to stop desire from flashing in their eyes.
Without exaggeration, with the current value of Mega Stones, a bag like that was worth almost as much as all the wealth Team Flare possessed at that moment.
It was the kind of thing capable of allowing anyone to ascend to the heavens in a single step!
Cain swept his gaze across the entire room and discovered that there were only two people capable of maintaining, more or less, their composure.
One was Lysandre, the leader of Team Flare.
Although he too burned with desire for those Mega Stones, his objective had always been elsewhere; he was not truly focused on his own strength.
Becoming stronger was merely another step to facilitate achieving his goal.
And the other was Malva, who just a few days earlier had challenged and defeated the previous Elite Four member of the Kalos region, thus becoming the new Fire-type Elite Four member of Kalos.
As someone who had risen from behind to become the third young representative to reach that position in one stroke, Malva's endurance and talent were worthy of praise even in Cain's eyes.
In the Sinnoh Tournament, Malva had once also been one of Kalos's representatives, but at that time she had not stood out much; under the brilliance of people such as Diantha and others, her presence had appeared dim.
But Malva knew how to seize the opportunity given to her by Team Flare, and squeezed every one of those opportunities to steadily increase her own strength, until she ultimately became a member of the Kalos Elite Four. That entire process was not something an ordinary person could accomplish.
During the time on the Space-Time Continent, Malva had also joined the Aura Valley where Cain and the others were. Although she did not stand out too much among everyone there, Cain had paid special attention to her and had seen the tremendous effort she invested.
Any success, when supported by effort, becomes especially valuable. That was one of the main reasons Cain valued Malva so highly: in her, he saw a reflection somewhat similar to himself.
Moreover, within that office, aside from Cain and Lysandre, everyone else felt, to a greater or lesser degree, a certain fear toward Malva's presence. It was something she had earned through her own efforts step by step.
If Cain had not existed, the person most likely to become deputy leader would have been her.
"The items are here. If anyone believes I should not have taken all of that, then come forward and keep them."
Cain crossed his arms over his chest. Completely hidden beneath the hood, he spoke calmly.
Gulp—
Upon hearing his words, naked and blatant desire appeared in the eyes of many present, a desire so strong that there was no way to conceal it.
Several of Team Flare's high-ranking members exchanged glances frantically. The glasses they wore had special functions and allowed them to communicate easily through text.
In the end, they all decided to let Xerosic represent them.
Xerosic slowly stood up. His obese body leaned over the table, and he extended a hand toward the bag of Mega Stones.
When an absolute benefit is so great that no one can resist it, sometimes reason ceases to matter very much.
Cain's eyes, hidden beneath the black robe, followed that slowly extending hand, and his gaze gradually grew colder.
Bang!
An extremely sharp dagger stabbed directly in front of Xerosic's hand, without deviating even a millimeter. If his hand had moved forward just a little more, judging by the sharpness of that blade, it most likely would have cut off at least several of his fingers.
Feeling the chill emanating from the blade's edge, a thin layer of sweat appeared on Xerosic's forehead. Even his back became slightly damp.
(End of chapter)