"Boss, I heard you stirred things up again at the training grounds. What exactly happened? Come on, tell us~"
In the Pokémon Center's cafeteria, Sato and the other two sat together having breakfast, ignoring the frequent glances from the surrounding Trainers.
"Remember Cyrus, the one who tried to steal your Pokémon egg in Pastoria City?" Sato glanced at Mark and replied casually.
Smack!
"IT WAS HIM!"
Mark slammed the table, his face filled with anger. Even though Cyrus had failed to steal the egg, that didn't mean Mark would forgive him.
"I want to challenge him to a duel and expose his lies!" Mark said, getting up and leaving without even finishing breakfast.
Joseph took a bite of his sandwich and chewed slowly and carefully, as if savoring a rare delicacy.
Sato also said nothing. He didn't even lift his eyelids as he let Mark leave.
Before long, Mark stormed back with a faint trace of grievance in his voice. "Why didn't you guys come with me…?"
Sato finally looked up and said, "And then what? Stand in front of everyone and accuse him of stealing your egg? Who'd believe you?"
"Hehehe~ Boss, you definitely have another plan, right? You're so calm~ You must already know what to do."
Unexpectedly, Mark didn't cry, shout, or throw a tantrum like before. He just grinned and sat down again, looking full of himself.
"The mascot actually learned to think. Tch..."
"That's right~ Wait… YOU'RE THE MASCOT! YOUR WHOLE FAMILY IS!"
Seeing how fired up Mark got, Joseph squinted his eyes and smiled even more, clearly enjoying the moment.
Just then, Sato finished his Moomoo Milk, set down the glass, and said plainly, "Let's go. We'll stir things up face-to-face."
"LET'S GOOO!"
Mark instantly switched from angry to ecstatic, jumping up in excitement and eagerly following Sato out of the cafeteria.
Joseph chuckled helplessly and followed after them. From the way Sato was acting, it was obvious he didn't plan on letting Cyrus off easily.
Before long, the three arrived at the Sinnoh League office building, where Flint and Volkner were already waiting at the entrance.
"What's going on? Volkner was about to head back to Sunyshore City, and I had to drag him back here."
Flint complained the moment they met, while Volkner stood expressionless as always, not showing the slightest sign of being annoyed about his disrupted schedule.
"I'd like to ask for your help. Is the CEO of Galactic Technology Holdings, Cyrus, here today for partnership talks?" Sato got straight to the point without any politeness.
Sato always felt that Flint's strength over Volkner came largely from his positive attitude.
After all, they had just finished a full 6v6 battle, but Flint's attitude toward him had never changed in the slightest.
Of course, maybe Flint was just really good at hiding things?
But thinking seriously -considering he specialized in Fire-type Pokémon- if he was really that scheming, he probably wouldn't have become an Elite Four member.
"That I'm not so sure about…"
Flint scratched his messy afro and replied a bit awkwardly. But then the usually quiet Volkner spoke up: "…Cyrus did come to the League. Why are you looking for him?"
Hearing this, Sato and the other two realized Flint and Volkner didn't know what had happened at the Pokémon Center training grounds that morning, otherwise, they wouldn't be asking.
"Yes, it's something very important," Sato nodded, and at the same time, reached out to stop Mark, who was just about to spill everything.
Volkner noticed Sato's small gesture but didn't think much of it. He simply said, "Let Flint ask around for you. Shouldn't be hard to get a meeting."
"Leave it to me, it's a small favor!" Flint agreed immediately, and the group turned and entered the building.
Soon, Flint easily obtained Cyrus's itinerary for the day inside the League building.
"Thanks. We'll handle the rest ourselves. You guys go ahead and take care of your own stuff," Sato said as he casually dismissed them; he really looked like a cold, heartless playboy.
Flint and Volkner weren't dumb. Hearing Sato say that, they finally sensed that something was off.
Flint was just about to ask, but Sato patted him on the shoulder and headed straight for the elevator. Joseph and Mark, of course, quickly followed.
Watching the three leave, Flint and Volkner exchanged glances. They had a strong feeling something wasn't right, and they hurried after them.
At that moment, inside a high-level conference room on the 16th floor of the League building, Cyrus sat absentmindedly while his company's elite team and the League officials argued heatedly.
The reason? Just a pricing dispute over a new tech patent developed by their company.
But Cyrus couldn't care less about whether the final quote was high or low. What kept flashing through his mind was the crushing defeat he had suffered again that morning.
He'd spent an enormous amount of money and effort acquiring that Gyarados and Mega Stone, only to lose to Gardevoir in just three moves.
Watching the group of people arguing in front of him, a deep look of disdain flashed in Cyrus's eyes.
'Deceit… betrayal… hypocrisy… sigh… this rotten world has no reason to exist. Just wait… one day, I'LL CREATE A BRAND-NEW WORLD!"
A flicker of madness burned in Cyrus's eyes. His chūnibyō soul flared fiercely, and for a moment his world-weary expression nearly broke through to the surface.
"…President? President?" his timid secretary called out cautiously. This wasn't the first time he'd seen that terrifying look in Cyrus's eyes; every time, he felt like he was about to be eaten alive.
"Apologies, everyone. I didn't sleep well last night. Now… where were we?" Cyrus snapped out of it and immediately returned to his subordinates, putting on a perfect corporate smile.
"President, the price for the Pulse Galactic Lock Ring has been finalized. Here it is," the secretary replied humbly, handing over the quotation.
Cyrus glanced at it casually. Seeing that it would bring a modest profit, he nodded slightly and said, "Impressive. This price was the absolute bottom line I gave my team, and you still managed to squeeze it down that far."
He sighed and shook his head as if helpless, then gave his secretary an encouraging pat on the shoulder. "Alright, let's move on to the next product. If I recall, it's the Electromagnetic Signal Jammer?"
"Yes, President!" the secretary replied apologetically, though he was inwardly rolling his eyes.
The League officials across from him wore polite smiles, but they clearly felt a sense of triumph after hearing Cyrus's words.
Whether it was truly the lowest price didn't matter. With Cyrus flattering them like that, who didn't enjoy a bit of praise?
Soon, the conversation resumed. This time, Cyrus listened with full attention, seemingly very invested in the cooperation.
Bang!
Just then, the conference room doors burst open, instantly halting all conversation.
The League officials jumped to their feet, about to scold the intruder… but the words caught in their throats when they saw who it was:
Elite Four Bertha, leading a group of League Trainers, walked in with a cold sneer.
…And behind Bertha, Sato and his two companions were mixed into the group of Trainers, staring at Cyrus with mocking eyes.