"...This... this..."
Gale was speechless for a moment. His old face flushed with heat, and he didn't know how to respond.
Raihan had no patience for nonsense. He acted as if the old man was just pretending not to understand. His voice turned cold and firm.
"You publicly ordered Haxorus to use Outrage in the middle of the street. You attacked a Hammerlocke officer and on top of that, you've embarrassed the entire Dragon Tamer family. Do I really need to write a detailed report to the clan? Uncle Gale, you're not young anymore. It's time to step down and return to the family for some peace and recovery."
Without giving Gale any chance to argue, Raihan stepped forward. He reached into the old man's coat and precisely pulled out Haxorus's Poké Ball. Then, with a flick of his wrist, he recalled the raging dragon.
After tossing the ball back to Gale, Raihan signaled to the two white-uniformed Gym staff behind him to come forward and carry the old man away.
Shiro watched the scene unfold, his gaze lingering on Gale. He realized now that the old man had been used.
The Dragon Tamer family in Hammerlocke wasn't as united as it appeared. Gale must have been one of those unhappy with Raihan and his cousin. He'd probably been sent to monitor the city and take over some of its power.
Raihan had most likely arrived long ago, waiting patiently in the shadows for him and Gale to clash. No matter who won, he would come out to clean up the mess.
If the old man had succeeded in capturing him, it would've given the clan a new bargaining chip against Rose. But since he had failed and been humiliated, Raihan could now kick him out with ease.
And that Duraludon... it had taken the brunt of Haxorus's Outrage head-on, then restrained it like it was nothing.
Shiro glanced at the steel dragon not far away, feeling a hint of unease.
'Raihan... no wonder he's the only one to ever be called the unbeatable Champion Leon's true rival.'
At this time, Raihan turned toward him. He raised his chin slightly and asked, "Hey... you're Shiro, right? The guy working for Rose, just like Leon."
Shiro gave a slight nod. He didn't deny it.
Looking up at Corviknight slowly descending from the sky, Raihan said lightly, "You've got real strength and talent. I actually heard about you from Rylan. Before you even started working with Rose, you managed to defeat his Jangmo-o using just a Gastly. That's impressive. Ever thought about joining our family instead?"
"Huh?" Shiro was caught off guard. He hadn't expected Raihan to try and recruit him.
Shouldn't this guy be acting more hostile or challenging him to a battle?
"Come on, Shiro." Raihan put one hand on his hip and casually pointed his thumb at Duraludon beside him. "It's not like you're Rose's son. He won't value you forever. But if you join our family, you'll get access to at least two Dragon-type Pokémon of your choice. Not to mention full support, training resources, and breeding techniques."
Shiro stayed silent for a few seconds, then shook his head.
"You're a whole clan. A tight group. How am I supposed to just 'join'?"
Raihan grinned and wagged his finger.
"My generation has less than five brothers... but a lot of sisters. You know what I mean?"
Shiro froze, scanning the now-empty street, then asked, "You're talking about marrying into the family?"
Raihan gave it some thought, then shook his head again.
"Whether it's as a son-in-law or just some form of alliance... doesn't really matter. As long as there's a connection."
"Uhh..." Shiro was briefly tempted, but the idea quickly cooled in his mind.
If he were to join the Dragon Tamer family now, he'd definitely need to wait until the Gym Challenge ended before finding another chance to sit down with them and talk specifics. The price, of course, would be for him to defeat a Gym Leader in the Champion Cup and then take over that gym himself, giving the Dragon Tamer family control of a second gym and city.
When that happened, the people and positions within that city and gym would all get carved up by the Dragon Tamer family. Officially, he'd just be a figurehead. In reality, he'd be nothing more than a puppet.
And if Rose's orders ever clashed with the family's interests, he'd be the one caught in the middle, torn both ways.
Whether Rose found out or not wasn't the point. The real problem was that this would force him to stay in Galar after the tournament.
That was absolutely impossible.
Two Pokémon and a woman? They thought that was enough to tie him down?
Shiro had already made his decision.
Seemingly sensing what he was thinking, Raihan said gently, "No rush. You can take your time to think about it. We can also deal with the matter at hand first."
As he finished speaking, he took out a Poké Ball and waved it, recalling Duraludon. Shiro followed suit and returned Corviknight to its ball.
Under the admiring gazes of the police team who had started to come back, Raihan led Shiro into the Pokémon Center.
As soon as the doors opened and they spotted several cowering trainers inside, Raihan barked coldly, "Get out. Now."
The words had barely left his mouth when the trainers, visibly relieved, scrambled past them in a panic.
They had wanted to leave ever since Shiro blocked the door with Corviknight and revealed he had powerful backing. But with the giant bird in the way, they didn't have a chance and had hesitated until now.
Thankfully, Raihan was straightforward enough to kick them out.
Once the Pokémon Center was cleared of any unrelated people, Raihan finally began to explain.
"I know about the Golem explosion incident you encountered in the Wild Area. The person you brought in was injured because of that, right? Heh... doesn't it seem strange to you? Golem's usually dumb as bricks. Why didn't it use Explosion at the start, and instead waited until it was exhausted, even disguising itself before it blew up...?"
Shiro paused. Thinking it over, the man was right.
So... the Golem explosion incident had been deliberate? And if Raihan was bringing this up now, then the culprit probably wasn't from the Dragon Tamer family.
The other side of the northern Wild Area... Motostoke?
Shiro couldn't help but ask, "Was it Kabu from Motostoke?"
"Heh..." Raihan nodded. "Kabu's a fire-type specialist. He has access to a special substance... something that can suppress a Pokémon's natural instincts and force it to unleash Explosion at the end. Basically, it's like a drug for Pokémon."
He stopped there, letting the implication sink in.
Shiro could already guess what happened.
The Dynamax Den had been caused by outside hunters. Originally, it had a barrier that blocked both entry and exit. But when it shattered, the den became a place anyone could enter.
At night, members of the B5 unit stationed nearby would set up camp and rest. Since no one expected anyone to sneak in, their guard was down.
Inside the den, only a few energetic Pokémon would be left to draw Golem's attention, keeping it from recovering. If a stealthy Pokémon slipped in from outside and planted that special substance in Golem's shell or mouth, the result was entirely possible.
But still...
"Do you have any proof, Raihan?" Shiro asked.
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