The arrival of the Kanto League's Vanguard instantly stabilized the island.
With Lance's massive Dragonite patrolling the skies and the aura of Agatha's Gengar sweeping the
perimeter, the remaining Ancient Kingdom stragglers were quickly eradicated or captured.
The surviving guests were brought toward the ruined grand manor. The contrast in the courtyard was stark. Some of the aristocratic heirs, who had spent the last hour cowering behind their bodyguards, immediately broke down, rushing to the arriving family heads and League officials with tears streaming down their faces.
The others, who were clearly more capable, stood at the side waiting calmly for the League to finish their surveillance.
This included both Red's and Eric's group who had convened together in one corner.
"Look at them whine," Blue scoffed, crossing his arms. "How did they even get the invite?"
"Not everyone has the stomach for real combat," Kai replied, his polite officer persona firmly back in place as he adjusted his cracked glasses.
"A lot of them were here just through their connections anyways," Green said as she stayed close to Red, trying to poke and get a reaction out of him.
Eric didn't say anything, his gaze drifting toward the center of the courtyard.
The main branch of the Williams family had arrived alongside the League forces. Leading them was a man who shared Seth's red and white hair, though his features were sharper, lacking any of Seth's eccentric warmth.
Lucas Williams. Seth's younger brother.
When the news of Seth's disappearance into the spatial tear was formally announced by the League surveyors, a ripple of shock went through the gathered families. Their minds instantly began to consider the repercussions of this event.
Lucas's reaction was perhaps the happiest amongst them.
The man lowered his head to feign grief, but his eyes gleamed with an unmistakable, hungry satisfaction.
With the monster of the Williams family gone, the sharks instantly began to circle.
"This is an outrage!" the head of a prominent trading family shouted, stepping up to the League officials. "We sent our heirs to this estate under the promise of absolute security! Seth Williams's negligence nearly got the future of Kanto slaughtered! We demand immediate and total compensation from the Williams estate!"
"I agree!" another aristocrat chimed in. "Their assets must be liquidated to cover the damages!"
Before the clamor could escalate, Agatha stepped forward. She tapped her wooden cane against the cracked marble floor. The sharp clack echoed with a heavy, King-level ghost-type pressure that instantly silenced the aristocrats.
"Hold your tongues, you greedy vultures," Agatha rasped, her eyes narrowing. "The League's dimensional radar failed to detect the breach. The fault lies with the Vanguard's surveillance. The Kanto League will fully compensate--"
"That won't be necessary, Miss Agatha."
The crowd turned their heads towards the direction of the voice.
Blaire walked forward, her boots crunching over the debris. She had her dark sunglasses back on, her leather jacket dusted with ash. Holding her left hand tightly was little Belle, who had Pikachu perched defensively on her shoulder.
Blaire didn't look like an 18-year-old who had just lost her father. She radiated the fierce, unyielding aura of a Pseudo-Elite.
"The Williams family hosted this event," Blaire said, her voice ringing out cold and absolute. "And the Williams family pays its own debts. Every family here will be fully compensated from our private vaults by the end of the week. We do not need League handouts to clean up our courtyard."
The aristocrats murmured among themselves.
Lucas stepped forward, putting on a mask of deep, sorrowful concern. "Blaire, please. You are just a child. In my brother's tragic absence, it is my duty as your uncle to take over the burden of the family head. Let me handle the finances and the estate."
Blaire turned her head, looking at him over the rim of her sunglasses.
"Save the act, Lucas," Blaire whispered, her voice low enough that only he could hear. "I know you've been coveting that seat for a decade."
Lucas's sympathetic smile tightened. "You are grieving, Blaire. I am an Elite-level trainer. You need my protection."
"You were an Elite when my father was near the Champion-level," Blaire sneered quietly. "You couldn't touch him then, and you won't touch what he built now. Don't think for a second I'm going to let you liquidate the properties he and my mother cherished. Grandmother still favours talent above all else, and we both know you don't have half the potential I do."
Lucas's eyes flashed with anger, but he forced a tight smile and stepped back. Blaire was a Pseudo-Elite at 18. She was a genius. He knew he couldn't force her out today, but the seed was planted. With Seth gone, this might be his only opportunity.
A few minutes later, Agatha gestured for Blaire to step into the ruined hallway of the manor for a private word.
The elderly Elite Four member looked at the punk girl, her Gengar sinking into the shadows of the room.
"You put on a brave face, girl," Agatha said dryly.
"I do what I have to," Blaire replied, crossing her arms.
"I investigated the spatial residue in the upper atmosphere," Agatha continued, her sharp eyes locking onto Blaire's. "The Ancient Kingdom possesses archaic technology, yes. But to bypass our radar so flawlessly... someone on this island had to intentionally dampen the League's surveillance wards from the inside."
Blaire stiffened.
"I kept my mouth shut," Agatha said, turning to walk away. "Seth was a reckless, arrogant fool blinded by his own ghosts. But I respected his strength. I won't let his name be dragged through the mud by those aristocrat pigs."
Agatha paused at the door. "But know this, Blaire. Without your father's absolute strength acting as a deterrent, the vultures will not stop circling. You have a massive target on your back now."
"I know," Blaire muttered, her fists clenching at her sides.
She had to protect Belle. She had to protect her home. And to do that, being a Pseudo-Elite wasn't enough. She needed to reach the Elite level, and eventually beyond that, faster than her dad's pace.
---
By late afternoon, the League evacuation ships had arrived, and the island was slowly emptying.
The group of prodigies stood near the docks, preparing to go their separate ways. The fires of the battlefield had forged an unspoken, absolute acknowledgment of each other's strength.
"Next time," Blue said, looking at Red and Green, "I won't need to borrow my grandfather's toys to crush the opposition. My own team will be more than enough."
"Keep dreaming, Blue," Green smirked, twirling a Poké Ball on her finger. "By the time we meet again, I'll have swiped your badges right out of your pocket."
Red simply adjusted his cap, his eyes burning with that quiet, intense fighting spirit. He gave a firm nod to Blue, then turned to Eric.
"We never finished our match," Red said.
"We will," Eric replied evenly. "Soon."
Iris stepped up to Eric, her Honchkrow resting in its Poké Ball at her waist. "You've widened the gap between us again, Eric. But don't get comfortable. I won't stay down for long."
"Good luck with that, but I won't be waiting for you," Eric said, smirking.
Kai adjusted his glasses, offering a polite wave. "It was an honor fighting by your side, Eric. Stay safe out there. The world is only going to get more chaotic."
"You too, Officer," Eric replied, though his analytical eyes lingered on Kai for a fraction of a second longer than necessary.
Finally, Blaire and Belle walked down the pier.
Belle, looking a bit subdued but trying her best to put on a brave face, marched right up to Eric. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small badge that looked like Pikachu wearing a pirate hat. She gave it to Eric.
"You are now officially an honorary member of the Great Belle Pirates. Don't disgrace the name!"
Eric looked down at the sticker, then back at the 12-year-old. He didn't peel it off.
"I'll keep that in mind, Captain," Eric said softly.
Blaire nodded at Eric, "Good luck for the future, kid."
Eric nodded back and replied, "Once again, you are not that much older than me."
"Haha, I know, I know. Well, see ya later!"
---
As Eric boarded his transport ship, he walked to the deck and looked back at the ruined island. The smoke was still rising into the twilight sky. The events of the day replayed in his mind - the suffocating pressure, the overwhelming despair of the Ancient Kingdom's vanguard, and the gravity of what the world's true power ceiling entailed.
There was still a lot to be done. Next time...he didn't want to be a weakling who could easily be crushed.
His journey was just starting.
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Volume 2: End.
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