Spikemuth Gym, Inner Hall.
"What kind of bullshit announcement is this? My position as Gym Leader, passed down for generations, can be taken away by some damn League notice?"
Silas slammed the phone down, ignoring the Macro Cosmos staff still talking on the other end.
A Gym Leader of his status, getting insulted like this?
All because his son lost a match during the Gym Challenge? As if it was Piers' fault? It was all that damned Felix's doing!
Match-fixing? Stripping his son of his qualification and even removing him as Gym Leader? The hell? This was his turf. What right did the League have to take it away, especially for such a stupid reason?
"Rose must be out of his damn mind," Silas spat. Thinking of how Piers was still making a fool of himself outside only fueled his anger. He struck the table beside him with his fist.
If Piers was getting beaten up and embarrassed out there, Spikemuth's reputation was being dragged through the mud. And if he, as the boy's father, had to fight evenly with such a useless son, wouldn't his own dignity be gone too?
The more he thought about it, the more twisted his expression became. He yanked the cord from the desk phone in front of him and hurled it toward the wall. The black-and-purple phone shattered, pieces scattering at his feet, which he promptly kicked away.
"Gym Challenge! What a load of crap! To hell with all of it!" He roared, hunching over and panting, his eyes darting around the cramped hall in search of something else to smash.
A mirror, chairs, Pokémon breeding manuals, lunch boxes, a few damned Poké Balls…
Bang!
The pale red wooden door swung open and a Team Yell member rushed in, looking flustered.
"Leader! Leader! Out there—"
"What about out there?!" Silas barked, flinging two empty Poké Balls toward the grunt. "Spit it out! Did the damn League send people to kick down my gym? Throw me out of Spikemuth? Huh?"
The balls clattered against the hard corner of the door and broke into fragments.
The grunt, wiry and thin, swallowed hard. He was just a small-time member of Team Yell, not even a squad leader, and he had never seen the Gym Leader in such a rage. He froze in place.
But Silas didn't intend to let him off. Stepping forward, he grabbed the grunt's gray uniform collar with both hands, and roared in his face.
"Talk!"
The grunt stammered, lips trembling, "N-no… it's, it's Shiro. That guy Shiro is here…"
"Shiro?" Silas's fury cooled instantly. As long as it wasn't the League, it was fine. But still, why would Shiro come here?
That Rabby… hadn't he taken the three crippled Pokémon Marnie wanted and given them to Shiro, then run off with him?
Sure, maybe some of his underlings acted a bit disgracefully, but he, Silas, didn't owe anyone anything.
Besides, Shiro was from Spikemuth.
The thought sparked his interest. He shoved the grunt out of his way and strode toward the main hall.
He had barely entered when several Team Yell members came in, carrying Piers.
"Leader! Master Piers—" The one in front began, only to be pushed aside by someone from behind.
Piers was set down neatly in front of his father, standing upright with support.
"What happened?" Silas asked sharply. As he looked at his son, his irritation grew, almost making him doubt the boy was his own flesh and blood.
Piers's mouth seemed stuffed with crumpled paper. It took him a long moment to speak. His empty gaze swept past the grunts and his father before he finally squeezed out a question, "Where is Uncle?"
Silence hung in the air briefly. Then Silas laughed in anger.
"You're still asking about your uncle? At a time like this, who knows where the hell he's gone! And you still trust him? I should've known that Felix..."
His chest heaved, and after a couple of rough coughs, he swung a hand and slapped Piers hard across the face.
Smack!
The grunts holding him immediately backed away. A red handprint bloomed on his pale cheek.
The blow jolted some clarity back into his eyes. He stumbled back, clutching his face. Bitterness welled up as he thought of his mysterious uncle.
"Wasn't it you who brought him here and told him to lend me Pokémon? Dad, you're the one who told me to trust him... You even said I'd definitely make it to the Champion Cup…"
Silas fell silent.
It was true. He had been the one to introduce Felix, who'd shown up out of nowhere, to his son. The man had claimed he needed to hide in the gym from his enemies and had seemed genuinely eager to help. That was why he hadn't suspected his younger brother's intentions.
Looking back now, Felix clearly had his own agenda. But there was no way he was admitting that aloud.
"Don't tell me you didn't make a single mistake yourself," he snapped.
Piers said nothing.
* * *
Outside Spikemuth Gym.
Marnie jogged to catch up with Shiro and Corviknight. She called out to the bird several times, but it ignored her completely. She kept hopping forward to match their speed, already short of breath.
They were now walking through what was probably one of the cleaner streets in Spikemuth. It had been cleaned recently, so there was no trash or sewage on the road. But the warehouse shutters on both sides, covered in graffiti, were still an eyesore. When the TV crew had arrived earlier, they'd had Team Yell members stand in a row just to block the worst of it.
It hadn't always been like this. It was Piers' obsession with rock music that had rubbed off on the Team Yell members, influencing how they dressed and acted, and inspiring them to plaster graffiti all over town.
In Spikemuth, many couldn't afford proper housing. They lived behind metal shutters on old single-story buildings, making the place look half warehouse, half home.
Every time the Team Yell grunts sprayed graffiti, they made a racket, but the poor residents inside could only grit their teeth and endure it. Most of them survived by growing Berries or doing odd jobs for Team Yell. Crossing them wasn't an option.
While Shiro moved deeper into the street, any grunts who spotted him either slipped away inside or stood silently in the corners, watching. From the buildings came the sound of shutters and windows closing.
If he'd been walking alone, maybe it wouldn't have been such a big deal. But with a Gym-level Corviknight at his side, it was a clear sign he was here for trouble.
And with League news spreading everywhere, people here already knew who Shiro really was. No one wanted to stick their neck out or get caught in the crossfire.
He walked straight to the gym entrance.
Spikemuth Gym was Dark-type, its black-and-purple facade built in a traditional style. Three stone steps led up to a wide, open set of double doors.
Voices drifted out from inside.
"Leader! You hit him too hard. Master Piers ran off…"
"Yeah, you've never hit him before."
"Master Piers made a mistake. You lot wouldn't understand."
The noise inside was on the verge of turning into a full-blown argument.
**
**
**
Thank you for reading! If you'd like access to extra chapters and want to support my work, you can visit my P@treon:
P@treon/SilverShark769
Vote with Power Stones for Bonus Chapters!
Your support means a lot, thank you!