As Shiro turned back around, Shae continued speaking calmly, "After defeating a challenger in a roadblock match and claiming victory, you gain their qualification."
"Hm?" Shiro started to understand. "You mean we continue their Gym Challenge?"
Shae smiled and replied, "Yes. However many badges your opponent had, you'll start from there and continue. Once all participants either fail or successfully collect the badges, the Champion Cup will begin."
"Alright." Shiro nodded absentmindedly.
He was the first one to initiate a roadblock challenge, and Piers would also most likely set out from Spikemuth first. That meant he just needed to intercept him right outside the town. The media wouldn't follow them on foot anyway. They'd probably resume filming in the next destination, or maybe each town had its own station.
In that case, it wouldn't be ideal to directly show his hand in Spikemuth… but there were always more solutions than problems.
With that thought, and noticing Granny Shae had nothing more to add, he said a quick goodbye to Marvin and Nessa, then headed back to the building.
* * *
Soon after, on the 12th floor, Shiro entered his room.
The first thing he did was take out the Larvesta Egg. Following the notebook's instructions, he used Charcoal to build a simple incubation nest for it.
Next, he needed to grind Fire Stones into powder and apply it to the egg...
But how exactly was he supposed to grind it? Holding two intermediate-quality Fire Stones in his hand, Shiro felt a bit lost.
Should he go buy some tools on the black market?
He quickly dismissed the idea and called out, "A? Hey, A? Can you help me out here?"
Moments later, Unown A floated silently into the room. Using its psychic powers, it lifted the Fire Stones from his backpack and began methodically grinding them down into powder, then gently applied it to the surface of the Larvesta Egg.
Thanks to its strong telekinesis, the totem Pokémon completed the whole process perfectly. Shiro stretched and collapsed onto the couch to rest.
Tomorrow, the Gym Challenge would officially begin. As a roadblock challenger, he would have to wait just outside Spikemuth once Piers finished his Gym match.
So today, he'd take it easy.
* * *
The next morning.
"Good morning, everyone! Welcome to today's entertainment news. The long-awaited Gym Challenge officially starts today. A total of seven challengers and four special blockers from Macro Cosmos make up eleven participants..."
The host's voice kept rambling on as Shiro finished getting ready.
After wrapping the Larvesta Egg and its charcoal nest in cardboard and stuffing it into his backpack, he slung the bag over his shoulder, switched off the TV, and headed out.
Although multiple challengers might be conducting Gym battles simultaneously, the television station would try its best to maintain a coherent and orderly broadcast, keeping the viewing experience smooth and free from boring segments.
Since Shiro had been listed as the first blocker yesterday, and because of some behind-the-scenes influence by the League, Piers was now the first challenger to set off from a town.
Shiro took the elevator to the first floor.
Oleana was already waiting by the entrance, with a Flying Taxi parked behind her.
"Shiro," she called as she walked up, adjusting her glasses. "Staff will take you to the designated location. Don't get involved in anything unnecessary. Focus only on the battle. Once the TV crew leaves and heads to the next challenger, you'll have more freedom. Got it?"
"I understand."
He gave a nod, then stepped into the taxi cab.
* * *
Meanwhile, in Spikemuth Gym's main hall.
"We've received the notice. You're the first challenger, Piers."
Silas, dressed in black, stood with his arms behind his back and spoke to the young man in front of him.
Piers pointed to himself in surprise. He'd stayed up all night throwing a concert to celebrate the Gym Challenge kickoff, leaving him with heavy dark circles under his eyes.
Normally, he wouldn't care about being first. Just a quick battle against his dad. His dad would play along, show off a little for the Galar audience, and that would be it.
But this time... things were different. There were roadblockers from Macro Cosmos waiting outside.
"That bastard Shiro!" Piers clenched his teeth, a nervous chill rising in his chest.
He believed in his own skills, but from all the info he'd gathered recently, that guy who escaped from Spikemuth seemed incredibly strong. At the very least, he had Gym-level strength…
How's that even possible? He couldn't imagine a rookie becoming Gym-level in just a few months. But that's what the facts said.
He still had a Pokémon that hadn't even reached Advanced-level yet. How the hell was he going to win this?
"Don't worry." Silas gave him a mysterious smile.
Piers immediately caught on. "Dad, are you going to lend me your Gym-level Poké—"
Silas's face darkened as he interrupted. "And what am I supposed to use if I give them to you?"
He only had four Gym-level Pokémon.
The challenge format was 6v6. As the proud Gym Leader of Spikemuth, if his team was made up of Advanced-level Pokémon while his son brought out Gym-level ones, and the whole thing was broadcasted to the region... wouldn't that be a complete embarrassment?
This Gym Challenge was a special case. All the Gym Leaders had agreed in private to use around three or four Gym-level Pokémon each. That way, they could keep the matches under control and prevent the members of Macro Cosmos from becoming challengers and ultimately eliminating them.
If he gave his Pokémon to Piers... not only would that weaken his own lineup...
It'd be a father-son match where the kid used stronger Pokémon than the dad. Anyone watching would instantly sense something was fishy.
Seeing Piers turn his head away, Silas lowered his voice and added, "If we go through with that, the media will twist the story. The two of us will become laughingstocks."
'We already are,' Piers muttered inside.
He'd come across plenty of news during his search on Shiro, including the one where someone publicly criticized the complaint letter his father had sent to the League. If it weren't for the fact they were in Spikemuth, outside this town, his dad's name was practically synonymous with 'clown.'
So might as well just give him those Gym-level Pokémon, let him crush his opponent with overwhelming force, then head to the Champion Cup and get a good ranking.
After that, he could take over the Gym, and Spikemuth's reputation would bounce back, right?
The thought sent Piers into a vivid daydream: he could see himself making it to the semifinals or even the final match of the Champion Cup, rocking the entire stadium with music…
"Sigh..." Silas let out a heavy breath, feeling helpless toward this foolish son in front of him. The boy never focused on training Pokémon, always messing with that ridiculous rock music, and dressed like those punks from Team Yell...
He had spoiled Piers for too long. Looking at things now, maybe it would've been better to focus on raising Marnie instead.
"In any case, I'm not giving you my Pokémon!"
The sudden firmness in his voice shattered Piers's fantasy. He snorted, shoved one hand in his pocket, and raised his chin.
"So, Dad, what's your plan then?"
**
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