Unbeknownst to Icarus, whose potential had now been recognized, he was still at the tournament venue watching battle after battle. It had to be said that every Trainer who had reached the Top 16 had a few tricks up their sleeve.
When facing an unfavorable type matchup, Icarus estimated he still had around a 70% chance of winning. But in an even matchup, he honestly felt it was closer to fifty-fifty. Battles changed too quickly, and victory often depended on real-time decision-making.
Meanwhile, inside a study within the Kouya Family estate, the newly appointed patriarch sat together with an elderly man in his sixties, watching a video replay.
The footage showed Icarus's battle against Endo Satoshi.
"Great Elder, do you think he has a chance to enter the Top Three?" the patriarch asked after the video ended.
To be honest, he felt Icarus was already stronger than himself.
Originally, he had only been an ordinary low-tier Trainer content to drift through life, but after the recent upheaval within the family, he had seized an opportunity to rise to power and advance to the ordinary mid-tier.
"Hard to say," the old man replied as he stroked his beard.
"According to the information Xiao Zhe sent back, as well as the other battle videos, this young man is considered upper-middle among intermediate Trainers.
"However, most Trainers who reached the Top 16 are already at this level. If the higher-ups decide to favor him, they could intentionally match him against an older opponent he counters. In that case, reaching the Top 8 or even the Top 4 would be very possible."
The elder was the Kouya Family's only Superior-tier Trainer, so his judgment carried great weight.
"What about Luna? Should the arrangement change, or stay the same?" the patriarch asked carefully.
Deep down, he still wanted the Superior-tier secret manual. If it became a shared family asset, then as patriarch, he would naturally gain access to it.
Unlike now, where even though the Great Elder still supported the family, any advanced manuals required contribution points to obtain. As someone who had only recently become patriarch, he simply did not have enough.
The old man fell silent for a moment before asking:
"That girl Luna has already served him for three months, hasn't she?"
"Yes," the patriarch replied immediately.
"The scouts reported that he even bought a house in the outer district specifically to keep her by his side."
The old man nodded thoughtfully.
"In that case, if he reaches the Top 4, then give Luna to him completely.
"If he reaches the Top 8, then provide him with two choices.
"The first option remains the same as before.
"The second option is a marriage alliance."
The patriarch's eyes widened slightly.
"I still have another granddaughter," the old man continued calmly.
"She is sixteen this year and was originally meant to marry into the main branch of the Endo Family. If this young man fails to reach the Top 4, we can alter the arrangement and marry her to him instead.
"The Superior-tier manual he possesses will become the betrothal gift, while mine will serve as the dowry. Luna can remain with him as well.
"He won't need to marry into our family. He only needs to assist the Kouya Family when necessary."
The patriarch forced a smile despite his unwillingness.
"Understood, Great Elder."
"Don't tell Luna or the boy anything yet," the old man added as he rose from his seat.
"We'll discuss it again after the tournament ends."
After personally escorting the elder out, the patriarch waited until the old man disappeared down the hallway before slamming his fist onto the table.
"Damn old fox!"
He gritted his teeth in frustration.
"With this arrangement, the Superior-tier manual still ends up under his control!"
—
At that moment, Icarus himself was completely unaware that people were already planning around his future.
He was currently eating dinner with Airi and Stone after finishing his matches for the day.
Meanwhile, Luna was busy volunteering in the Gym's medical department.
Ever since accepting her situation, she had thrown herself into studying Pokémon medical knowledge. She hoped that by improving her skills, she could eventually secure a more stable future for herself.
Around 7 PM, the Gym became brightly lit once again.
Tonight's matches would determine the Top 8.
None of the remaining Trainers were weak, making the battles far more exciting than before.
"Contestant No. 378, please proceed to Battle Arena No. 4!"
As expected, the announcement soon echoed throughout the venue.
Airi and Stone accompanied Icarus to the arena, though they separated at the entrances—Icarus through the contestant passage, the other two through the audience section.
After the referee finished introducing both Trainers, Icarus smiled.
His opponent, however, nearly cried.
"Why does it have to be him!?"
The older man recognized Icarus immediately.
He had been one of the Bug Catchers cheering for Fujii Ichiro earlier in the tournament. Although he had changed out of his Bug Catcher uniform to avoid drawing attention, the referee still introduced him with the title "Bug Catcher."
At that moment, Icarus looked delighted, while the older man could barely maintain a calm expression.
"Haha… my luck's pretty good this round," Icarus thought to himself.
"If I play carefully, I really might make it into the Top 8."
He immediately sent out Pidgeotto.
His opponent reluctantly released Butterfree.
Although this Butterfree also knew Confusion, it was clearly weaker than Fujii Ichiro's.
After an intense aerial battle, Pidgeotto defeated Butterfree while still retaining roughly half its stamina.
"The contestant on the right, please send out your second Pokémon," the referee announced.
The older Trainer gritted his teeth before finally releasing Beedrill.
"Pidgeotto, use Gust, then follow up with Twister!"
"Beedrill, Double Team! Use Poison Sting to harass it!"
The battle quickly turned into a chase across the sky.
However, with its superior speed and Flying-type advantage, Pidgeotto steadily overwhelmed Beedrill until it finally collapsed.
"I guess luck is part of strength too," Icarus sighed dramatically after the referee announced his victory.
Since all eight matches had begun simultaneously, most of the other battles had also ended by the time he exited the arena.
The three returned home together later that night.
—
Around 10 PM, inside Luna's temporary lodging, the atmosphere was quiet and relaxed after a long day.
"Master, congratulations on reaching the Top 8," Luna said softly while leaning against Icarus.
"You're getting very close to the Top Three now."
Icarus glanced at her with slight amusement.
"You've been especially attentive tonight. So tell me, what is it you want?"
Luna hesitated briefly before finally speaking honestly.
"Master… I want to become more useful to you.
"I've been studying Pokémon medicine and helping in the Gym's medical department recently. I don't want to become a battle Trainer anymore, but… could I become your support Trainer instead? Someone who handles logistics and takes care of your Pokémon?"
Icarus fell silent for a moment.
"You don't want to fight for strength yourself?"
Luna shook her head immediately.
"The experiences I went through before already made me give up on that path.
"I'd rather focus on support work and caring for Pokémon properly."
Hearing her answer, Icarus thought carefully for a while before finally replying:
"Then after the tournament, we'll see what suitable opportunities appear.
"If possible, I'll help you obtain your own Pokémon and officially train you as part of the team."
Relief and gratitude immediately appeared on Luna's face.
"Thank you, Master."
The room gradually quieted down afterward as the two continued talking late into the night about future plans after the conference ended.
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