Baldwin's expression darkened the instant he heard Sterling's words.
"Fine. Fine. Fine…" he sneered coldly. "Then I'll see what other tricks your Sealine Trainer Academy still has. You brought this on yourself."
At that moment, several soldiers approached from the audience. Leading them was the same Major from earlier, followed by a few aides.
He stopped beside the principals and spoke with a trace of apology.
"My apologies, Principals. There was an urgent situation at the base just now, so I arrived late."
The principals immediately stood up.
"Major Grant, you're too polite. There's no need for that."
"Exactly. Official matters come first. Nothing serious happened, I hope?"
"Please, Major Grant, take a seat. You've worked hard."
…
The principals greeted him warmly.
This Major's name was Grant. He was the commander of the military forces stationed in Sealine City—and a Gym Leader–level Trainer.
At only thirty-two years old, he had already reached the Gym Leader tier, with tremendous potential. Many believed he had a strong chance of breaking into the Elite tier, or even stepping into the ranks of Champion-level Trainers.
On top of that, Grant's family background was far from ordinary, so the principals' enthusiasm was only natural.
Major Grant smiled as he took his seat.
"It's nothing serious," he said calmly. "The base alarm registered an anomaly earlier. Most likely a system malfunction. It's already been dealt with."
"That's good to hear. You've worked hard, Major Grant."
"This is a military base, after all. Who would dare cause trouble here? That'd be asking for trouble, hahaa!"
"Principal Baldwin is right. It was probably just a fault in the alarm system."
"Makes sense, makes sense."
…
Grant then turned his attention back to the battlefield and looked toward Sterling and Baldwin.
"Principal Sterling, Principal Baldwin—you two really can't seem to avoid each other," he said with a chuckle. "Running into each other again this year."
"I wonder if Principal Sterling will finally get his revenge this time," he added jokingly.
"Major Grant, don't joke around," Baldwin said with a mocking smile. "Sealine Trainer Academy only has one person left, while Spirit Insight Academy still has two. And their strongest student, Grace, has already been defeated. What exactly do they have left to challenge us with?"
"Oh?" Grant raised an eyebrow, glancing at the remaining contestants on both sides. "So Sealine Trainer Academy is about to fall to Spirit Insight Academy again this year?"
"Hmph," Sterling replied coolly, casting Baldwin a sideways glance. "Principal Baldwin, the happier you are right now, the more embarrassing this is going to be for you later."
"It seems Principal Sterling has a hidden card this time," Grant said with a faint smile.
"Then let's wait and see."
…
Meanwhile—
Deep beneath the military base, a shadowy figure lurked in silence.
Black mist coiled around its body. Its entire form was a dark purple-black, with a pair of blood-red eyes glowing ominously—like a demon crawling up from hell.
At a glance, it was impossible not to think of a certain Pokémon: Gengar.
The figure appeared to be communicating with someone.
"Leader, I've already infiltrated the military base."
"Standing by for your orders at any time."
"Hm. It seems the anti-detection device developed by the organization is somewhat effective."
"Stay where you are. Wait for my command."
"Hmph… Hualis."
"You will pay a bitter price."
"We will announce to the world—the Symbiosis Society has returned."
"And we return bearing boundless hatred. Every nation that participated in the suppression of our organization will pay a painful price for it…"
"Hahahahaha…"
…
The underground once again fell into darkness. The voices vanished, leaving behind only those blood-red eyes, filled with violent malice.
He was no longer truly human—
He was a symbiotic entity fused with a Pokémon.
…
At the same time—
It was finally Aaron's turn to take the field.
Ahem. To shine.
Aaron calmly stepped onto the Pokémon battle arena.
His opponent was a male student—clearly less handsome than himself—who had only one Pokémon remaining.
An Intermediate (Peak Stage) Magmar.
The boy looked at Aaron and spoke lazily.
"Hurry it up. I'm in a rush to get back for lunch."
His tone was full of mockery, as if he fully intended to sweep Aaron aside on his own.
After all, they had already investigated Sealine Trainer Academy. Grace was their strongest—and she had fallen.
What, then, could possibly stop his glorious one-man show?
A smug curve appeared at the corner of the boy's lips as he looked down at Aaron.
"In that case…" Aaron replied with a bright, easy smile, his voice calm and steady, "I'll send you back in time for lunch."
"Come out, Frog Boss."
"Send him home to eat."
…