Circhester, beside the Hero's Bath.
Because the underground spring spewed out scalding hot water, most of the snowflakes in the air melted before they even touched the ground. The marble platform and parts of the road around the spring were also bare of snow.
Shiro sat on the steps surrounding the Hero's Bath, patiently waiting for the company's staff to arrive.
Luckily, he had been quick enough to run here, and he hadn't filed any request with Oleana. Otherwise, given her personality, she would have definitely refused outright and might have even taken measures against him.
Whatever Rose knew by now, whether about the Sword and Shield or the Unown, Shiro simply assumed he knew it all.
Since the man had already uncovered the truth about them, then following the company's usual methods, they would likely act after the Champion Cup. Once he had played his role as the challenger, they would move to arrest him, search his belongings, and erase any traces.
"I must leave Galar before the Champion Cup ends, when Rose won't expect it," Shiro muttered to himself, covering his face from the rising heat that spilled out from the spring behind him.
Even if the chairman chose a softer approach, hoping for a private talk, the Sword and Shield and the Unown were the heart of the conflict. He would never hand them over, and Rose would never give up on them.
Shiro refused to spend the rest of his life in Galar as the chairman's obedient dog, like Edgar had.
It was about time to start arranging a ship. He would probably have to rely on Professor Rowan and the others.
"Coorv!"
The harsh cry of Corviknight rang from the distant horizon. Two Flying Taxis approached, each carrying cabins filled with people wrapped in heavy clothes.
Within moments, they descended steadily on the square before the Hero's Bath. The whole plaza was buried under snow, and hardly a soul could be seen nearby.
"Corv!"
The birds beat their wings, sending a chill wind across the square. Their dark feathers stirred up the frozen air and swept aside thick piles of snow, leaving patches of clear ground. Then they lowered the cabins gripped in their claws and stood waiting in silence.
The company staff climbed out in an orderly line, trudging carefully across the snow before walking toward Shiro.
At the front was a man in a heavy coat. He pulled off his sunglasses, revealing a familiar face, the host of the Gym Challenge program before, Ryan.
"I've been sent to film you one-on-one... but I guess it's more about surveillance." He gave a small, bitter laugh and buried the lower half of his face inside his high collar.
He continued in a muffled voice, "Normally, we only start shooting early if a League-appointed roadblock trainer shows up. Most just challengers don't bother with the so-called journey. They just rush to the assigned spot and act out a scene for the cameras."
"What about Milo?" Shiro asked.
Ryan hunched down beside him and replied, "Milo was personally arranged by Chairman Rose. He was supposed to do the full Gym Challenge trek. If his strength had been greater, the chairman would have molded him into the company's poster trainer, similar to Leon."
Shiro gave a slight nod. He glanced around at the other crew members, who seemed completely unconcerned. Many of them rubbed their hands for warmth and sat close to the spring's marble steps.
He turned back to Ryan. "No rush to start filming?"
The man shook his head. "The program has to run seamlessly, so we wait for instructions. Until then, we just stick with you and report on your actions."
At that, Ryan glanced at him curiously. "So what did you do, exactly? Why is the company watching you so closely?"
As the host of the Gym Challenge program, he knew Shiro better than other challengers. From Spikemuth to Circhester, it was strange; both of his opponents had ended up dragged away by the company.
Two matches, two incidents.
Perhaps it had always been that way, and those Gym Leaders had just been good at staging show battles, until the truth slipped out.
Ryan let his thoughts wander as he looked at the snow-covered buildings all around, a heavy feeling sinking into him.
Shiro, however, didn't answer. Instead, he countered, "You don't seem to care about this surveillance job, nor are you worried I might be a problem?"
"What can I do? Sit here staring silently all day? We wouldn't stand a chance against you anyway," Ryan said with a helpless shrug.
The company, or rather, Oleana, had assigned them this so-called filming job, which was surveillance in disguise. To him, it was unreasonable. They weren't Gym-level trainers. If things went wrong with their target, they'd all be slaughtered. Running wouldn't even be an option.
Oleana probably wanted exactly that. If they died, she could use it as justification to label Shiro as a criminal and push for his capture.
That thought left Ryan bitter. But there was no choice. They would have to adapt and endure. The Gym Challenge had only just started, and with one or two months left before it ended, he decided to treat it like a company-paid trip across Galar. It wasn't such a bad deal.
He consoled himself silently and kept a watchful eye on Shiro.
After resting for about fifteen minutes, Shiro rose to his feet.
"Let's go."
* * *
The Gym Challenge continued at full speed.
In Hammerlocke, Raihan narrowly defeated Rylan and claimed the Dragon Badge. Not long after, Milo also arrived and eventually won his gym match.
The company and the League had every detail of the schedule laid out: the times, the locations, which trainers would battle, how long it would last. In between, they'd splice in footage of the challengers traveling on foot or facing ordinary registered trainers along the way.
"Maybe in the future they'll reform the system," Ryan explained as they walked the icy path of Route 8. "There might be more participants, with different crews assigned to each one, and separate channels to broadcast them all."
The road ahead stretched snowy and silent, with a tunnel in the distance. Beyond it, the weather and the path would grow easier.
Shiro listened patiently, walking shoulder to shoulder with Ryan at the front.
His route was clear: through Route 8, then Route 7 into Hammerlocke. After that, he would head to Motostoke, Turffield, then take a Flying Taxi to Stow-on-Side, before moving on to Ballonlea and Hulbury.
It was a path the company had planned long ago. Now he just had to follow it himself.
'Hulbury…'
A thought flickered in Shiro's mind.
He wanted to see what kind of people the company would send to intercept him there. It wouldn't just be Shae or Edgar. More likely, one of Rose's hidden trump cards.
**
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