"Have I got any proof...?"
Raihan scratched his chin. The question left him speechless.
After all, it wasn't like he had seen Kabu tampering with anything directly. And the informant planted inside Motostoke couldn't be revealed either. The whole theory was just a reasonable guess based on that special material...
Thinking hard for a while, he simply shrugged and said, "No proof. Believe it or not, that's up to you. Anyway, your own problem is what matters most now."
As he spoke, the Pokémon Center's front door was slammed open by a powerful force, and a deep, familiar voice followed right behind.
"Raihan, you kept me out there for several minutes. Now that you've dealt with Gale, you couldn't even be bothered to tell me?"
Shiro turned to look and a huge man, over two meters tall, his body packed with muscle, strode inside. It was none other than Rylan, someone he hadn't seen in quite some time.
Raihan placed a hand on his hip and stared at the man thoughtfully before replying, "You're the acting Gym Leader. So you decide."
"That's how it should be." Rylan's eyes locked onto Shiro. "It's been a while, Shiro. I didn't expect you to join Macro Cosmos so fast."
Shiro answered calmly. "Didn't have a choice."
Rylan chuckled. "How's that Dragon Scale working out? I ran a challenge ring at the stadium for a long time and lost that scale to you, it seems like it brought you more trouble than luck. I heard people started hunting you down over it."
The Dragon Scale...
Shiro remembered the day he escaped from Hammerlocke. If not for the scale, he could've trained and raised his Pokémon peacefully in this city for a long time. But he definitely wouldn't have reached his current level.
Besides, that Dragon Scale helped him win over Drakloak. It was more than worth it.
He shook his head slightly and got straight to the point. "So, Rylan. What do you want to do?"
"What do I want to do..." Rylan glanced around the empty Pokémon Center. The few staff members who'd been at the counters had all vanished behind the back door, scared they might overhear something they shouldn't.
A few seconds passed, then he grinned and pulled out a Poké Ball from his belt.
"Let's battle again. If you win, I'll let you stay here until that unlucky guy recovers. Then you can take him with you."
"And if I lose?" Shiro asked.
"Lose?" Rylan looked a bit surprised, as if he hadn't expected Shiro to even consider that possibility. Then he responded with a relaxed tone, "If you lose, you can still take that guy and leave. But..."
He paused and pointed toward the door.
"You'll have to take a picture with a random guy out there and admit that you were challenged and defeated by an unknown trainer from Hammerlocke. I don't think I need to spell out what that means, do I?"
Shiro nodded. He understood perfectly.
If he won, he could leave without trouble. But if he lost, he'd have to leave behind a disgraceful record of losing to a no-name trainer. That would ruin his reputation as the "Number One Prodigy from Spikemuth"—the title plastered all over the League's media promotions.
When that happened, Rose's team wouldn't be able to keep the lie going. They'd have to dump the blame on Shiro. And if the public backlash kept building, especially with Hammerlocke pushing other trainers to demand an investigation, it wasn't impossible that they'd cancel his Gym Challenge qualification altogether.
Shiro's expression turned serious.
That Duraludon Raihan sent out earlier was already frighteningly strong. And he doubted that was even his strongest Pokémon. As for Rylan's strength... he had no idea.
If the man had two Elite-level Dragon-types, there was no way he could win.
Just then, Raihan pushed the front door open with an easy look on his face. "Let's get moving. I want to watch a good battle too."
Rylan followed close behind, waving at Shiro casually and saying, "Take off your hood and mask. There's no need to hide your identity anymore."
With that, he walked out of the Pokémon Center.
Shiro didn't say anything. He simply pulled off his black hood and stuffed the mask into his backpack. Then he stepped outside.
* * *
Out on the street, the police officers in black uniforms were standing in a strict formation, forming a perimeter about ten meters around the Pokémon Center.
Thanks to Raihan's timely arrival and his swift takedown of the rampaging Haxorus and the intimidating Corviknight, many trainers who had been hiding nearby started coming back out again. Some even called their friends to come watch the show.
Everyone wanted to see how the Dragon Tamer family was going to deal with that arrogant and powerful guy. Not only had he disrupted public order, but he'd also humiliated one of the family's senior members.
Surely they'd beat him down in public and lock him in Hammerlocke's prison to make an example of him?
And if no one important from the League came to bail him out, maybe they'd go full-on execution mode... okay, maybe not. The city didn't actually do that kind of thing. At most, they'd feed him to some Pokémon.
Still, the onlooker's expectations were sky-high. They had already figured out that Shiro's backer was Chairman Rose of the League.
Now, on one side stood Macro Cosmos, the dominant power in Galar. On the other, a long-standing family that had controlled Hammerlocke for centuries.
Who would win? Who would lose? The result of today's confrontation might show who really held power. Some opportunists had already made up their mind, ready to pick a side depending on how this ended.
After a long wait, Raihan was the first to step out of the Pokémon Center.
Cheers exploded instantly.
"Champion! Champion Raihan!"
"Raihan for Champion!"
"You're the one, Champion! Defeat Leon!"
"Raihan, bring glory to Hammerlocke in the Champion Cup!"
"...."
Faced with the enthusiastic voices of his supporters, Raihan smiled and waved in all directions. He raised his voice and called back, "Don't worry, everyone! Make sure you all watch my final match with Leon!"
The crowd got even louder, shouting over each other in excitement.
The officers, who were supposed to maintain order, started getting overwhelmed. But this chaos had been caused by Raihan himself. All they could do was grit their teeth and use their bodies to block fans trying to rush forward, yelling stern warnings as they did.
A moment later, Rylan also stepped out of the Pokémon Center.
Several spectators started whispering in confusion.
"Uh... who's that guy? Walking out after Raihan?"
"I think he went in after Raihan and that guy in the black cloak."
"What's his deal? That musclehead..."
"You don't even know who Rylan is? What a clueless idiot."
"What? Am I supposed to recognize him? Who made you the gatekeeper of trainer knowledge?"
As usual, this group of rowdy onlookers had no shortage of arguments. With just a little spark, they were ready to explode.
Rylan frowned and crossed his arms, then barked loudly, "Clear these people out! The Hammerlocke Stadium is shutting down immediately. No one is allowed in!"
**
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