The Gym Challenge continued.
Once Piers was exposed for cheating and using Pokémon that didn't belong to him, the doubts and anger of the Galar audience finally eased, though only slightly.
After all, such a big event had been hyped up, just for a rigged match to be revealed right at the start. Who knew how many more incidents might follow? And what about past Gym Challenges?
It was only after Macro Cosmos and the Hammerlocke Gym jointly came forward to explain that things started to settle. They claimed this year's challenge was more regulated than ever, with stricter checks, which was why Spikemuth Gym and Piers had been caught.
To support this statement, Hammerlocke even pulled Raihan onto TV to back them up. Stow-on-Side took the chance to join in, leading a few hesitant gyms, like Turffield, to also follow suit.
At last, the flood of complaint letters sent to the League began to stop.
By that afternoon, when the second challenger, Milo from Turffield, set out on his journey and the whole process was broadcast live, the Spikemuth incident had mostly blown over.
Viewers realized that apart from Piers and the shady Spikemuth, other places and people, like Turffield and Milo, were perfectly normal.
Turffield was a rural town in central Galar, west of the northern Wild Area. Milo was the son of a farmer and loved working the fields and raising Grass-type Pokémon. Chairman Rose had discovered him during one of his tours and nurtured him, much like he had Leon.
Milo had pale pink hair and a baby face, yet a sturdy build from years of farm work. Friendly by nature, he defeated the Turffield Gym with ease before setting out on his journey. Along the way, he would stop whenever he met Grass-type Pokémon, feeding them and explaining details to the camera.
* * *
"Milo is really capable," Rose remarked in his office that evening.
If not for the rule of sending out two challengers a day in sequence, he would have made Milo the main star of the program. He had a good background, a clean appearance, and a well-crafted public image.
Originally, Milo was supposed to set out first. But Shiro needed to block a challenger early on, and the team in charge thought it would be more dramatic to open with something like that. That's why Piers ended up going first… and also why the first event had exploded into scandal.
"Milo's nature has always been simple and kind," Oleana said as she poured Rose a cup of coffee.
He nodded with some regret. "If only Shiro was like that."
She set the cup on his desk. "If he were, he wouldn't have been able to leave Spikemuth."
* * *
Meanwhile, evening had fallen, and after a long day, Shiro finally rode his Corviknight back to Wyndon.
He was so tired that he fell asleep on the bird's back.
Thankfully, the League had approved Felix's request to temporarily take over the Spikemuth Gym earlier during the day. Only then did the man reveal where he had hidden the money: under a tree somewhere in the northern Wild Area.
Finding a single tree in that vast expanse?
And Felix wouldn't even go with him, he insisted he had to work with the company to complete the formalities and couldn't personally take him. With a regretful look, he said, "If you can't find it, just wait. I'll help you in a few days."
That infuriated Shiro. He had sworn that if he didn't find it, he'd come back and kill him.
Thanks to Unown A's psychic abilities, he actually did find a large sack of Pokédollars buried beneath a tree. His anger eased a little, though the process was exhausting.
In Wyndon, the Macro Cosmos Headquarters towered over the city, blocking most of the setting sun. From the air, all one could see was the deep red glow spilling out from behind the massive black tower.
Corviknight descended straight to the front of the building's first-floor lobby. The landing jolted Shiro awake, and he quickly hopped down, returning his Pokémon to its ball.
Inside, the first-floor lobby glowed brightly under white lights. Outside, the small plaza was shrouded in darkness, and from the entrance, it looked deserted.
Just as he stepped toward the lobby, a voice came from behind him.
"Running a little late, aren't you, Shiro."
It was old and familiar.
It was Edgar.
He turned slowly and relaxed when the old man walked out from the shadows. For a moment, he had thought Rose and Oleana might be waiting to interrogate him.
The odds of that were small, but not impossible.
After recent events, the trust between him and Rose had only declined. His ultimate goal was to leave Galar, but Rose wanted him to stay and follow orders like Leon.
At this rate, they were bound to have a showdown one day. It would depend on Rose's decision when the time came.
If leaving was an option, he was even willing to promise to work as an undercover agent in another region.
He was being sincere.
"You've really disappointed Rose these last few times," Edgar said lightly, then turned and motioned Shiro to follow him away from the lobby, out of sight of the company staff.
In the deep shadows outside, the old man spoke again, "What's on your mind?"
"I…" Shiro hesitated, then remembered that Edgar knew about the sword and shield in his possession and meeting him privately like this made him seem at least somewhat trustworthy. So he replied directly, "I want to leave Galar."
"Leave Galar?" Edgar's smile faltered, his lips curling wider before he shook he said, "You're Galar-born, Shiro. Why would you leave? Haven't you avenged your father? I know your mother was from Kanto… are you trying to find your mother's family now?"
Shiro paused, then chuckled and shook his head. "I just want to meet stronger trainers, defeat more Pokémon, and get stronger myself."
"That's it?" Edgar asked in surprise.
"Yeah." He gave a nod. "That's it."
The old man stayed silent, unsure what to say. After pacing a few steps, he sighed. "That's the kind of thinking trainers from outside the region have. They love traveling… and now you're telling me you feel the same."
Shiro just nodded in silence.
Edgar, however, seemed set on changing his mind. He continued, "Putting aside the danger of leaving, you've already put down roots here in Galar. Out there, you'll be a stranger... you get me? With your strength, you might make it big in some regions, but understanding the power structures would be a huge problem."
Shiro thought of the basic League duties, of groups like Team Rocket… and didn't argue.
For a local Galarian, he had to admit, the old man was right.
**
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