Outside the arena.
As the giant screen displayed Kashiwagi taking down Ken, the crowd completely erupted.
"He won? For real?"
"You blind? The kid's actually got some skills."
"Please, he only turned it around because his Pokémon evolved. If it were me, I could've done that too."
"Heh, and you think Ken's Obstagoon just fell from the sky?"
"Are the Team Snarl trash brainless? What kind of garbage commanding was that! If he'd just done this, then that, and finally the other, he wouldn't have lost!"
"If you ask me, he should've just rushed in and stabbed the brat. Pure stupidity."
"What, you can fly? There were four Pokémon between them and a good twenty or thirty meters of open ground!"
"Scale the walls and circle around!"
"Are you mental?"
The spectators in Pyrite Town were locked in heated debate, evaluating the battle from every possible angle. Some arguments even devolved into physical brawls.
Ultimately, while many reached the conclusion of "I could've done that," very few actually looked down on Kashiwagi anymore.
After all, they lived by one creed: the winner takes all.
No matter how much you bragged or what grand achievements you had, once you were dead, it was all dust. Only the one who survived until the end got the last laugh.
Inside the Control Room.
The Team Snarl leader, a dark-faced brute, had already smashed a table in a fit of rage and stormed out. He left behind a boisterously laughing Ayana, drawing side-eye from everyone else in the room.
The two organizations had been rivals for years, with over a hundred skirmishes large and small. They had lost Executives before, and the count of fallen squad leaders and grunts was beyond calculation.
But this was the first time one side had been forced to eat such a massive "L" in such a public, humiliating fashion.
Huh? What about the ones Ken killed?
Those were nothing but insignificant small fry; they couldn't possibly win back the dignity Team Snarl had just lost.
Returning to his base, the dark-faced man felt a mix of fury and dread. Ken was a talent favored by the High Executives. It wouldn't be easy to explain his death in a place like this, and as the leader, the primary responsibility fell on him.
God knows how much he'd have to bleed to make up for this. If someone used this as an excuse to move against him, he might even face corporal punishment.
"Where's Huowu! Get her out here to see me!"
The man bellowed in rage, hoping to find her and shift some of the blame. After all, Huowu had technically betrayed Team Snarl by helping a rival member successfully ambush two of their own.
A logistics worker saw him fuming and crept forward, hunched over and trembling. "Sir... Huowu took a motorcycle back to headquarters, claiming she needed a medical check-up."
"She's gone!?"
The dark-faced man's eyes bulged. He kicked the worker over and glared teeth-gritted toward the nearby Team Snagem outpost.
If it weren't for the Drone Rotom watching from the sky, he likely would have charged over to start a bloodbath right then and there.
Unable to swallow his pride, he pulled out his communicator and began dialing.
"Big brother, you have to find a way to save me!"
The moment the call connected, the dark-faced man began howling for help.
Gateon Port.
The Banquet Hall.
Various members of the elite were conversing in low voices, their eyes frequently darting toward the second floor.
Just moments ago, someone had dropped a staggering three million as a donation to the young man who won on the big screen. If the host on the second floor hadn't stepped in to stop it, the man likely would have kept going.
The crowd couldn't help but be curious about the individual summoned to the second floor.
"Does anyone know who that is?"
"You don't recognize him? He's a famous mining tycoon in the Orre region! He almost has a monopoly on the import and export of minerals here!"
"A monopoly on imports? That's massive business!"
"I heard he has some family ties to Lord Agun."
"One of their own... no wonder."
The business owners nodded in realization, their eyes filled with envy as they looked toward the second floor.
As Gateon Port was the undisputed premier city of Orre, its mayor was practically the "King of Orre." The vast power he wielded made countless people keep a respectful distance. Perhaps only the powerful Trainers from Mt. Battle could stand as his equals.
Once the Pokémon League was officially established, Agun would likely smoothly transition into the role of Chairman of the League's Executive Committee.
Being related to such a figure was truly something to envy.
On the second floor.
The man envied by so many was currently enduring a tongue-lashing from Agun.
"Three million for a single commoner? What were you thinking? Does money grow on trees? You're just wasting it like this!?"
"I gave you the mineral business out of trust. Is this how you repay me?"
"You're not a child anymore; your son is nearly twenty. Your father entrusted you to me years ago, and yet you lose your head over something like this!"
"Go back and reflect on your actions! You can step down as Chairman for now... fine, I'll deal with your punishment later. But I don't want to see this happen again. Get out!"
After a tirade that belittled him to the extreme, the man lowered his head and replied with a quiet "Yes."
He hid his indifferent expression as he walked down from the second floor. Behind him, he could hear the sounds of sycophants rushing to comfort Agun, as well as Agun's "disappointed mentor" tone. He simply tuned it all out.
Having been by Agun's side for so many years, the man knew very well that the old man had a borderline pathological desire for control and a greedy nature where money only went in and never came out.
Not to mention, he was extremely obsessed with "face" and incredibly petty.
This was evident by the fact that the donation amounts for common people were capped so they could never exceed Agun's own. If the man hadn't possessed certain special permissions, he wouldn't have been able to donate three million in the first place.
Undoubtedly, the reason he was called up to be scolded was that he hadn't "given face" to Agun, disrupting the latter's plan to be the center of attention.
In the end, three million was a drop in the bucket to them. What mattered was that the man was kept firmly under Agun's thumb.
On the surface, he was a mining tycoon, but in reality, many around him were Agun's loyalists who controlled everything in the company. The actual authority he held was minimal. Sometimes, he was nothing more than a mascot.
Because of this, he knew his status wasn't high, and he was sure Agun, feeling insulted, was already plotting how to punish him further.
Did he regret it? Not at all.
He had long grown weary of many things. The moment he saw Kashiwagi defeat Ken, a sudden surge of courage prompted him to make a decision.
"I have to win back a bright future for Minoru."
Thinking of his son, who would soon return from studying abroad, the man—Dinis—realized he truly had nothing left to lose.
He took one last look at Agun on the second floor, concealing the sharp glint in his eyes.
Inside the arena.
Kashiwagi tried his best to stay in the shadows, occasionally rehydrating.
He was extremely grateful that Lairon was the type of Pokémon that didn't require much water; otherwise, he would have had to carry more canteens, adding to his burden.
The midday sun was merciless.
By his estimation, the temperature was likely over 45°C. The dust-covered ground was hot enough to bake someone alive.
If Otsuka was just lying out there under the direct sun, he might end up with heatstroke.
Does the Pokémon world even have heatstroke?
Kashiwagi wasn't sure, but he fervently hoped not. He was worried Otsuka's brain might literally fry—the kid wasn't exactly the sharpest tool in the shed to begin with.
"Lairon!"
Lairon's cry caught his attention.
Kashiwagi looked toward where his partner was gesturing with its head. There, beneath a massive rock, he spotted a figure—half-hidden in the shadows, half-exposed to the scorching sun.
Yeah. That was definitely a person.
His eyesight was still pretty good.