The shouts of the crowd rolled over like crashing waves:
"Shiro! Shiro, I love you!"
"Move aside! Let me take a picture with him!"
"I'm his girlfriend, all of you step back!"
"Shiro, look over here, look this way!"
"How did you grow to Gym-level in just a few months? I'm dying to know..."
Shiro and Ryan, along with the rest of the company staff, were trapped as if caught in mud. The ribbons that had been stretched across both sides to keep the public away had already been torn down and tossed aside.
The press of bodies grew worse. People shoved and trampled over each other. Shiro's vision darkened, swallowed by the sea of heads and pushing shoulders, like being trapped inside a cramped and unstable cage where no sense of safety or freedom could be found.
The staff around him turned into bodyguards, locking themselves tightly around him as the center, trying to break through the human wall.
"Ugh... there weren't this many people when we came in," Ryan muttered through clenched teeth, his face red with effort. "That Kabu... what's he trying to pull?"
Shiro frowned. He thought about releasing his Pokémon to force a way out, to calm the chaos. But the cameras were everywhere. The photographers stationed in the gym hadn't left. If he let his Pokémon out here, it would definitely be caught on film and twisted into a scandal.
Accusations would come instantly. Challenger releases Pokémon to attack fans. Or residents injured because the challenger ignored city laws. Maybe even fatalities caused by reckless use of Pokémon.
Back in Hammerlocke, it was fine. The company had backed him up, so there was nothing to fear. But here... they would probably love to see him get in trouble.
"Ah!"
A sharp scream suddenly rang out, followed by a woman's frantic shout.
"Someone's dead!"
The voice carried like thunder, slicing through the crowd. Everyone froze for a moment, then panic exploded. The mob that had surged in so quickly now rushed to escape even faster. Within seconds, a wide circle had cleared around the spot where the supposed corpse lay.
"Damn it!" Shiro cursed, his thoughts racing.
If the people scattered, he and Ryan's group would stand out too much. Even if no one thought they were involved, seeing them there would remind everyone why the chaos began. They'd be the perfect scapegoats.
They need to run!
He shouted over the noise to Ryan and the others. "Split up! If we stick together, we'll get into trouble!"
They understood at once. Each of them fought their way in different directions.
Shiro called out Haunter, letting the ghost hover around him. Its body blurred into a dark shroud that covered his face and cleared a path forward. He picked a direction and bolted.
When the others vanished from sight in the crowd, he spoke silently in his mind, 'A, use Teleport. Get me to the outskirts of Motostoke.'
'Got it!'
In an instant, psychic energy wrapped around him. His body blinked out of the square.
Few even noticed. In the chaos, one dark shadow disappearing meant nothing. Only one person on the edge had been watching him closely. As soon as Shiro vanished, the figure rushed out to a nearby empty place, scanning in every direction. He took out a communicator.
"Reporting, the target is gone."
* * *
Outside Motostoke, the eastern outskirts.
Beyond the city's edge, a brown-red stone bridge stretched across a narrow stream. Past it, dirt roads wound into fields of tall grass and scattered trees.
Shiro leaned against the bridge rail, chest heaving as he caught his breath and gathered his thoughts.
It was likely Kabu's doing... but there was also the possibility that Macro Cosmos had a hand in it. After all, whether it was disrupting the Gym Challenge or pushing him into trouble, both outcomes worked in their favor.
He weighed it carefully, then pulled out his communicator to message Ryan and the others.
If the company really wanted to act against him, they wouldn't bother with such a troublesome setup. They could easily pin charges on him and arrest him outright. The Gym Challenge and the Champion Cup weren't over yet, which meant they still had a reason to protect him. It wasn't time to disappear. There was no ship anyway, and leaving without reason would only raise suspicion.
For now, he had to regroup with Ryan's team. That was the only way to keep the company reassured.
* * *
Back in the city.
In front of the gym, the plaza had emptied.
The victim was a boy no older than fifteen, wearing a short shirt and shorts. Shoe prints covered his back.
"Cause of death is suffocation," one of the black-uniformed company staff said after crouching to examine the body. "Chest trauma from trampling. Broken ribs punctured the pleural cavity. The lungs collapsed. He couldn't breathe."
Ryan stood nearby, letting out a long, heavy sigh. His head felt foggy.
Everything lined up too perfectly.
There had been no one outside when they entered the gym. Yet the moment they left, a mob gathered, someone died, and now chaos reigned.
And the boy hadn't even been bleeding heavily. How had that woman been so sure he was dead? Or maybe she saw someone crushed and shouted out of conscience, hoping to break up the crowd.
"Ryan!"
Another black-uniformed worker ran up, gasping for air. "We didn't find Shiro. We searched the area. Nothing."
Ryan's expression darkened. He pulled out his communicator, glancing at the other cameramen still standing with heavy rigs on their shoulders. He snapped at them quietly.
"Block the higher-ups and negotiate to handle the body. Don't let the cameras catch it. Everything else can be explained."
"Yes…"
They grabbed a black coat, covering the corpse before hurrying off.
Moving aside, Ryan scanned the nearly empty plaza. The ribbons lay shredded in the corners, trampled into the dirt. He dialed a number.
The line buzzed.
"What happened?" Oleana's voice came through the device.
He drew in a deep breath and gave her a quick rundown of everything that had happened.
"A mob attack... and Shiro ran?" Her tone sharpened. "He hasn't been found nearby? Are you sure he fled?"
"No... he said we should split to get out faster. Now he's gone. He might—"
Before he could finish, his communicator buzzed again. A message flashed across the screen. It was from Shiro, giving his location.
"He just sent me his coordinates. He's outside the city, waiting."
"Good." Oleana sounded relieved. "Get to him. The company will handle the body and the stampede. Move fast."
"Understood."
Ryan ended the call, then replied to Shiro before storming back into the gym to gather others.
The main lobby was eerily empty. No challengers, no spectators, not even a single Gym Trainer to keep order. Only the company employees remained.
It was as if this gym had never housed anyone but Kabu. And now even the Gym Leader himself seemed to have vanished.
Ryan led six staff members out at full speed, sprinting toward the eastern outskirts of the city.
**
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