"Crawdaunt, let's go, ti to stand our ground!"
Sieg walked out of the training grounds with swift, purposeful steps, heading straight for the Battle Club. Along the way, he passed many others headed in the sa direction.
After advertising for half a month, The entirety of Verdanturf was excited for the battle, in which two skilled trainers would fight over an Ability Capsule. An item worth Millions of Pokédollars.
Millions of Pokédollars!
That was more money than so families might earn in a lifeti.
And it wasn't just the people from Verdanturf Town, even folks from surrounding cities and towns had co here, all lured in by the buzz.
By the ti Sieg arrived at the Battle Club, it was already packed to the brim. Even the roadside stalls outside stretched down the street for dozens of ters.
Sieg instinctively scanned his surroundings. Over the past two weeks, he'd often co here, hoping to et Sidney again.
But, sadly, he seed to have already left long ago. Sieg felt a bit disappointed, though he had carefully treasured the notebook filled with his handwritten suggestions.
"An Elite Four mber's handwritten insights... this would probably be worth a fortune on the black market," Sieg thought to himself.
But even with that thought, he never had any intention of selling it. The knowledge inside, those deep, mysterious techniques related to Dark-type Pokémon, he was only now beginning to grasp them.
So of the things written inside even felt borderline mystical.
Even if he never ended up using them, he would never part with the book. After all, it was a connection, a link to soone of great influence.
Not everyone gets the chance to associate with a Champion-level figure. And now, with this handwritten training manual in his hands...
He could always claim that he'd once received personal guidance from Elite Four Sidney.
Sieg understood perfectly well the power of leveraging status. Since Sidney had given this to him himself, there was likely so hidden intention behind it, perhaps appreciation, maybe guidance.
Naturally, he had to be smart enough and find ways to get closer.
"Tch, what am I even thinking about all this for? I should hurry and get into the arena. Today's battle won't be easy."
Sieg shook the thoughts out of his head and looked up at the sign atop the Battle Club's entrance.
He put on the mask issued by the club and entered the building under his alias "Dusk."
…
In the backstage office of the Battle Club, a spacious and luxurious room glead with extravagance. Every decoration inside was of top-tier quality, antiques sat in corners, and even the paintings on the walls were masterpieces by renowned artists.
At the mont, four n were lounging on the plush sofas, legs crossed, watching the battles play out on a large screen.
"Heh, look at this guy in the Interdiate Bracket, he's actually on a three-win streak!" one of them said, setting down his expensive cigarette with surprise.
"Bah, what's the big deal? The lower brackets are boring. When are we getting another match in the Advanced Arena, huh?"
The others barely glanced at the screen before losing interest again, clearly unimpressed.
"You think the Advanced Arena's as easy to launch as tossing out cabbage? This little backwater town of ours doesn't even host one every year. If you've got the guts, why don't you ask HQ to transfer you to Rustboro?"
Though they were all administrators of the Battle Club, tensions existed between them. Naturally, soone shot back in annoyance.
Still, among the four, one man was clearly the leader. The others all sought his approval before speaking, careful not to offend.
"Boss, there's a rumor the League's got people investigating our club. Do you think the Verdanturf Town branch is in any danger…?"
One man finally brought it up, nervously glancing toward their leader.
The man, sitting comfortably on a solo sofa, twirled a wine glass in one hand and held a premium cigarette in the other, exhaling smoke with ease.
Sensing the tension, he spoke casually, "What's there to worry about? That whole Hoshino family ss didn't only involve us. The other families were in it too. If soone finds out, there'll be other people taking the bla. You think you'll be first in line?"
His words cald the others instantly. They returned to watching the screen, chatting about the current arena matches.
"By the way," the leader added, his tone abruptly serious, "don't any of you tamper with today's ten-win streak match!"
Occasional behind-the-scenes rigging to make a little extra wasn't sothing he minded.
But if it affected the club's reputation, he wouldn't hesitate to crack down. The future relocation of the club, and his own future, depended on its success.
He had no plans to stay stuck in a backwater town like Verdanturf for the rest of his life.
He also knew full well the type of n under him, greedy, ruthless, willing to do anything for money. After all, it was people like them who had brought down the Hoshino family…
…
At the Interdiate Arena, the stands were packed to capacity. The buzz from the past few weeks had reached its peak.
This was a showdown between two trainers with ten consecutive wins, and the prize on the line was a rare Ability Capsule worth a million League coins.
The club had even taken the chance to spike ticket prices and raked in a fortune.
"Ladies and gentlen! Today's match in the Interdiate Arena is shaping up to be a clash of titans! In just one short month, we've witnessed the rise of not one, but two undefeated challengers! Please welco…"
"Contestant Dusk and Contestant Reggie!"
Sieg stepped onto the stage wearing his mask and glanced at Reggie across the battlefield. He didn't seem to recognize him.
"Hmph, that guy really is full of himself. Not only does he use his real na, he didn't even bother wearing a mask," Sieg thought to himself.
"Dusk! Dusk! Dusk!"
"Reggie! Reggie!"
The crowd roared wildly. Both contestants had gained a strong following in the past month.
"Contestants, release your Pokémon!"
Sieg flung out a Pokéball, and with a flash of white light, Crawdaunt erged!
As a common sea-dwelling Pokémon in the Hoenn region, Crawdaunt's appearance imdiately sent the audience into a frenzy.
Reggie curled his lip and sent out his own Pokémon, a proud and imposing Staraptor.
"Tch, I was wondering who you were. Turns out you're that third rate Trainer from the other day. Figures a loser like you would have a loser's Pokémon."
"I never imagined a third rate Trainer like you would end up standing on the sa stage as . But I'll show you what it ans to be truly powerful."
"There's no place here for those who rely on luck!"
His arrogant voice rang out with an air of self-righteousness.
Sieg just looked at him like he was ntally challenged and didn't even bother replying. He knew guys like this only understood pain. Once they got beaten down, they'd finally shut up.
Just like Paul from the ani, constantly looking down on Ash until the finals, where he got beaten into humility by his rival's senior disciple.
But the host wasn't about to let such drama slide. Sensing the tension between the two, he imdiately amped up the atmosphere.
"Ooooooooh! Looks like our two Trainers actually know each other! And if I'm not mistaken, it seems Reggie might have a bit of a misunderstanding about our contestant Dusk!"
With the host fanning the flas, the audience's excitent exploded. After all, nothing stirs the crowd like a spicy bit of personal drama.
It's only human nature to be curious about other people's love and hate.
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