A staff member in a white uniform leaned forward hesitantly and asked, "L-Lord Raihan... is this really a gym challenge?"
Gym Challenges in the past rarely featured Gym-level Pokémon, sure, but at least they weren't this fake!
This couldn't be real, right?
Raihan was momentarily stunned, not knowing how to respond.
Scratching his head, Rylan muttered softly, "Let's just keep watching. We can talk later… What if this is just some sort of warm-up battle before the real challenge in Spikemuth?"
The trainers behind them gave a nod and patiently continued to watch. Some of the inexperienced rookies didn't really understand what was going on, but with the two cousins watching quietly, no one dared to ask anything.
A while later, the match ended.
Silas's Toxicroak let out a strange cry and collapsed for no clear reason, then both sides recalled their Pokémon.
Raihan and Rylan nodded slightly. Surely now the real gym battle would start?
The trainers in the back still had no clue what was happening and could only remain silent.
Soon, Silas on the screen smiled as handed the Dark Badge to his beloved son in front of everyone.
Rylan's mouth dropped open. He raised his arm and pointed at the screen. "Is that it? It's over?"
Raihan, a little unsure, speculated, "Is this a fake match?"
"A fake match?" The trainers behind them perked up when they heard the term. They immediately raised their voices. "Is it really a fake match?!"
Although most of them couldn't follow what they saw, if Raihan said it was fake, then it had to be!
Raihan stayed silent, while Rylan stood up and scolded, "Stop shouting! Quiet down and watch the TV!"
Now that everyone knew he was the acting Gym Leader, they all shut their mouths.
* * *
In Wyndon, top floor of the Macro Cosmos building.
Rose sat in silence, fingers interlocked beneath his chin, brows furrowed as he glared at the TV screen showing the Spikemuth Gym Challenge.
Was this supposed to be a circus show?
He wanted nothing more than to reach into the screen and bury those two idiots inside a Muk's stomach.
It would have been bad enough if they were faking the match, but to do it so poorly? Did they even rehearse?
Rose was a veteran trainer. He'd once taken second place in the Champion Cup. One look was all it took for him to see they were faking it.
In such an important setting, doing something like this...
Could they have worked with other gyms to sabotage the Gym Challenge?
His mind became chaotic, and a sense of worry began to rise in his chest.
"Damn it..."
The phone on his desk suddenly rang, and Rose answered it right away.
"Hello?"
The voice on the other end was Oleana, speaking rapidly. "Chairman Rose, many experienced trainers are calling the League to complain about this Gym Challenge."
Clenching his fists tightly, Rose tried to suppress the fury boiling inside as he gave a cold command.
"Get the nearby teams to clean it up. Cut that part from the broadcast. Also, release a statement removing the Spikemuth Gym Leader from his position. Control the public reaction. You know what to do."
"Yes!" Oleana quickly ended the call.
"Hah..."
Rose exhaled heavily through his nose and began thinking about how to deal with the mess in Spikemuth.
* * *
Outside Spikemuth.
The Flying Taxi had only dropped Shiro off at Route 9. From there, he released his own Corviknight and flew to this spot.
At the junction where Spikemuth met Route 9, there was a dirt-colored fork in the road.
Shiro sat on his Corviknight, quietly positioned in the center of the dirt path. He was in plain view for anyone exiting the town.
This was the same place where he had once encountered Rabby blocking the road. He'd been forced to kill him to move forward.
What had happened afterward… he still didn't know.
He was curious how Rabby's body had been dealt with, and also what became of the beggar's corpse left in his house. The letter sent by Silas to the League didn't mention any of it. He wasn't sure if the man really didn't know, or if he was hiding it on purpose.
"Coorv!"
Corviknight under him let out a low call, flapping its wings slightly.
From the gray-black streets of Spikemuth, a large group led by Piers slowly emerged.
Seeing the crowd of Yell Team members shouting behind him, along with the TV station crew, Shiro almost thought they were here to cause trouble. But considering Piers's strength, bringing more people wouldn't change anything.
As Piers approached, Shiro jumped off the back of his Pokémon.
The TV staff blocked off the Yell Team members who tried to follow. They stopped at the edge of the town, observing the two trainers face each other at the fork in the road.
At this time, the enemies who had never met before locked eyes. Both silently prepared for battle.
Behind them, the hosts called out.
"Challenger Piers has just stepped out of Spikemuth and already runs into a roadblocker! It's said this tradition started with trainers unwilling to accept a challenger's victory. Over time, it became a routine part of the Gym Challenge!"
"That Corviknight belongs to Shiro! Known as the hero who saved Stow-on-Side, he's always ready to lend a hand. His strength is beyond question."
"A fallen genius from Spikemuth and the Gym Leader's son... Who truly deserves the Gym Challenge qualification?"
Their voices grew louder and more excited as they spoke.
Then, Ryan walked to the side of the clearing and raised his arm like a referee.
"I'll serve as referee for this match. The format is 6v6. Challenger: Piers. Roadblocker: Shiro. Each side will send out their Pokémon. When one side's team is completely unable to battle or surrenders, the match ends!"
The moment he finished, Corviknight stepped forward a few meters from Shiro's side, calmly standing in the middle of the dirt road.
Piers stared carefully at the man in front of him. Once he was sure he had never seen this person before, he felt slightly relieved and took out a Poké Ball.
According to what his uncle had told him, this trainer from Macro Cosmos probably only had one or two Gym-level Pokémon. Most likely, just the Corviknight in front of him.
Otherwise, why would he carry it around so obviously every day? Why would it be all over the news?
It was just the company's marketing tactics…
After only a few hours with Felix, Piers trusted him completely. After all, he was his uncle and a famous Gym-level trainer known throughout the Wild Area. If he came to help, why would there be any hidden motives?
Even if Shiro had good command skills, he could always leave the battle strategy to his uncle.
Piers casually touched his earpiece. His pale face stretched into a smile as he looked at Shiro.
"Come out, Obstagoon!"
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