The sun hung high in the sky.
The Quarterfinals slowly began to pull back the curtain.
As Kashiwagi set out, nearly every member of Team Snagem he encountered shouted words of encouragement. By the time he reached the Pyrite Colosseum, the number of people screaming for him to win was beyond counting.
He understood well enough that for a large portion of this crowd, he was nothing more than a "cash cow" that could make them rich overnight. He had heard that to stir up hype and attract bettors, many underground bookies had set his odds to extreme levels, drawing in a massive influx of wagers.
Behind these underground dens, as it happened, were several of the other contestants in the Top 8. Each one was bracing themselves to "harvest the sheep" today. Every year, there were fools who gambled themselves into bankruptcy, and yet, every year, there were fools who lined up to do it again. Everyone stared at the one or two lucky winners who struck it rich, hoping to replicate that success in their own lives.
None of them had ever heard of "survivor bias."
Kashiwagi felt neither sympathy nor pity for them. He fought only for himself. Win or lose, as long as he stayed true to himself and to Lairon and the others, that was enough. Even if he lost hideously, as long as he fought to the very last breath without giving up, it was a victory!
"Hiss—"
He took a slow, deep breath. Passing through the rust-stained tunnel, he burst through the white light at the exit—light that felt like the threshold of his future—and charged into the arena amidst a deafening roar of sound.
His opponent, Yamamino, was already in position. Dressed in athletic gear and wearing a peaceful smile, his refined aura stood out from the gritty surroundings.
"Please welcome our much-anticipated dark horse, the rising star of Team Snagem, the Spotted Rapidash(Dark Horse)—Kashiwagi!!"
The announcer's voice circled the stadium clearly, sparking a wave of cheers.
What a load of rubbish.
Kashiwagi's lip curled slightly. He felt the announcer was talking nonsense just to whip the crowd into a frenzy. "Much-anticipated"? "Rising star"? It reminded him of that Japanese penchant for over-the-top hype.
Forget it. None of that mattered now.
Kashiwagi gripped his Poké Ball, settling into a combat stance as he waited for the red standby light.
Yamamino, by contrast, looked almost hesitant. He pulled out several Poké Balls in succession before finally settling on his choice. Judging by the matte black finish, his entire team seemed to be housed in Luxury Balls.
"The match is about to begin! Both Kashiwagi and Yamamino are ready. Speaking of Yamamino, we must once again mention his illustrious resume. At the same age as Kashiwagi, he has already challenged the League Conferences of three different regions, achieving excellent results each time!"
The announcer, previously full of fiery energy, suddenly shifted to a tone of reverence, as if introducing a visiting dignitary. "Now, he has returned from abroad specifically to participate in our Pyrite Town Tournament to test the strength of our local Trainers. We hope our contestants can show their true skill and character in front of Mr. Yamamino! And now, let me introduce the special guest delegation who has traveled all the way from Gateon Port..."
A long string of names followed.
The audience was used to this; every time Yamamino fought, the announcer would recite this "incantation" like a pre-battle ritual. According to the investigations of some curious parties, this man was rumored to have close ties to the Mayor. It was said the Mayor had hosted a lavish welcome for Yamamino upon his arrival, a reception as grand as the annual audit by the Gateon Port tax collectors.
From that perspective, Yamamino was someone ordinary people couldn't afford to provoke. Consequently, no one had dared to move against him yet. Even the betting odds had been adjusted to match his actual tier of strength.
Kashiwagi was aware of all this. But more than his opponent's background, he cared about his power.
Beep—!
The red standby light finally signaled.
Kashiwagi took a sharp breath. The moment the green light flashed, he lunged forward, throwing his Poké Ball ahead of him.
Bang!
The white light hit the ground and materialized into a small, pale-pink egg-shaped Pokémon.
"Lucky!"
Chansey ran forward, her expression slightly tense. This was her first time entering as the lead-off Pokémon, and she knew exactly how much an opening blunder could affect the entire match. She couldn't let her teammates down.
She looked ahead, but the Pokémon released by the opponent made her freeze—it wasn't any of the Pokémon Kashiwagi had shown her in the briefings.
What's happening? Is the tactic going to fail?
"Stay calm! Stick to the plan! Use Stealth Rock!"
Kashiwagi's voice reached Chansey's ears, and her frantic heart immediately steadied. She raised her small hands, drawing in swirls of sand and dust to condense into glowing white stones. They scattered across the field like raindrops before quietly vanishing from sight.
During this time, Kashiwagi analyzed his opponent's Pokémon.
It was a cute, bipedal cat-like Pokémon with blue and white fur and folded ears. The Constraint Pokémon: the Psychic-type Meowstic.
This was the first time Yamamino had used this Pokémon; it hadn't been in the intelligence file Frobo gave him. Kashiwagi had to adapt his pre-set strategy on the fly.
"Reflect."
Yamamino watched the Stealth Rocks disappear, seemingly unconcerned. He gave the command with total composure.
As it ran, Meowstic's eyes glowed with blue brilliance. A layer of pinkish energy barriers suddenly expanded in front of it before quietly fading away, much like the Stealth Rocks.
Kashiwagi's heart sank slightly. Both of his main Pokémon excelled in physical attacks; special attacks were merely supplementary. While he didn't know exactly how much this Reflect would cut their physical power, he knew it wouldn't be a small amount.
Ugh, not having Brick Break is a real pain!
The two sides were closing in fast. Within moments, only ten meters separated them—a distance where any ranged Pokémon would feel confident in landing their moves.
Kashiwagi and Yamamino shared the same thought.
"Telekinesis!"
"Psyshock!"
The commands were issued at the exact same moment, and the two Pokémon unleashed their moves simultaneously.
Blue light flooded their eyes as subtle ripples of energy surged through the air. Chansey's ripples were formless and invisible, while Meowstic's energy manifested as shimmering, pinkish-purple orbs of light that screamed through the air toward Chansey.
The two forces collided violently at a central point!
BOOM!
A brilliant flash erupted like a stun grenade. Billowing dust and smoke rose instantly, swallowing a large portion of the battlefield within a few heartbeats.
Kashiwagi was stunned.
That exchange was a direct clash of mental energy. Telekinesis didn't possess the same raw destructive power as Psychic. Even if Chansey had an unusual amount of willpower, she shouldn't have been able to cancel out an offensive move like Psyshock so easily. Furthermore, in Yamamino's usual "script," such a clash would typically end with his Pokémon completely overwhelming the opponent.
Why? Was he feigning weakness? Or did Chansey just have a sudden burst of hidden potential?
Kashiwagi looked toward Chansey. As her Trainer, he knew her state; she was indeed focused and "warmed up," but it wasn't a "limit-break" moment yet. He then looked at Yamamino and saw a look of genuine surprise on his face.
However, the expression that followed wasn't the annoyance of failing to secure a one-hit KO. It was the excitement of someone who had finally found a worthy adversary.
"Use Telekinesis again!"
His mind racing, Kashiwagi decided to test Yamamino once more. He had to figure out what was really going on with this guy.