A blurry human silhouette was outlined by the lights at the edge of the shadows.
Marius's heart skipped a beat. He jerked his head up, his gaze piercing through the dust kicked up after Ralts' intense struggle, looking toward the source of the voice.
A figure stepped out from the darkness behind the spectator stands, neither hurried nor slow.
The lights stretched his shadow long, each step seemingly treading upon Marius's heartstrings.
It was him!
Brother Ariel!
The man who had once taught him how to crush his opponent on the Beach Battleground!
"Brother Ariel!"
Marius's joy almost overflowed from his chest. He disregarded everything else, turning and running toward Ariel, even stumbling slightly.
"Stand steady."
Ariel's voice was flat, yet it carried an unquestionable power.
He reached out a hand and pressed it lightly on Marius's shoulder, stopping his further movement.
"Now is not the time for catching up."
Ariel's gaze didn't look at Marius, but instead passed over him, landing on the panting but bright-eyed Ralts in the arena.
"Your partner is in great condition. The flames of battle have just been ignited; don't let them go out."
"Continue."
A simple word, yet it felt like a command, directly etched into Marius's mind.
He nodded heavily, suppressed the myriad of thoughts in his heart, and turned to face his battlefield.
In the following battle, the rhythm changed completely.
Ariel stood not far behind Marius, like a silent statue, remaining speechless most of the time.
But at every critical moment, whenever Marius's commands lagged or the instant Ralts' offensive was about to be dismantled.
"Three steps to the left, Confusion Barrier."
"Lure it close, Shadow Sneak."
"Ignore defense. Magical Leaf, aim for its eyes."
Ariel's instructions were brief, cold, and precise to the millimeter.
Marius repeated them almost instinctively, and Ralts, this little one who had just undergone a transformation, reacted to Ariel's voice even faster than to Marius's.
Its talent and its forcibly stimulated battle instincts were displayed to the fullest at this moment.
The opponent's relentless pressure instead became the best nourishment for its growth.
One match!
Two matches!
When the signal for the end of the third match sounded, the opposing Trainer's face was already numb.
He couldn't understand at all why his Pokémon, which he took pride in, would be defeated in such a crushing manner by a Ralts with far less level and experience.
The commands for that Ralts were sometimes laughably naive, and at other times frighteningly sophisticated.
Two completely different styles merged eerily, leaving him with no way to respond.
And at the very moment the referee announced the result, the Ralts in the arena was enveloped in a dazzling white light.
The Light of Evolution!
As the light dissipated, the tall and elegant figure of a young girl stood gracefully.
Kirlia!
"We won... we won! And it evolved!"
Marius's cheers carried a tremor. He rushed over to hug his Kirlia, jumping and skipping, then remembered something and pulled Kirlia back to Ariel's side, incoherently excited.
"Brother Ariel! Thank you! Really! I..."
Ariel just looked at him, a trace of a faint smile in his eyes, which made Marius's subsequent words stick in his throat, leaving only a silly grin.
"Let's go to the Rest Area."
...
The area was bustling with people, a stark contrast to the tense battle atmosphere from before.
Marius ordered a special energy cubes set for Kirlia, while he himself held a glass of juice, sitting across from Ariel with sparkling eyes.
"Brother Ariel, you have no idea. After you left, I..."
Once Marius started talking, he couldn't stop, vividly describing everything from how hard he trained to how Curator Stern "exploited" him.
Ariel listened quietly, nodding occasionally, but his gaze wasn't focused on Marius.
His gaze passed through the noisy crowd and cast toward the deepest, most central area of the battleground.
The Superior Arena.
That place was a completely different world from the ordinary battlegrounds.
A heavy, cold Alloy Gate separated the inside from the outside. Its surface was as smooth as a mirror, reflecting a faint metallic luster, like a silent steel beast blocking out all the noise and impetuousness.
On both sides of the gate stood a staff member wearing a white lab coat.
"Brother Ariel, what are you looking at?"
Marius followed his gaze and asked curiously,
"Speaking of which, you haven't told me yet what interesting things you've encountered on your journey?"
Ariel withdrew his gaze, looked at Marius, and then shook a Poké Ball in his hand.
It was an ordinary red-and-white ball, but in Ariel's hand, it seemed to hold countless stories.
"Everything I've seen and heard on this journey is inside."
Ariel's gaze turned toward that Alloy Gate once again.
Following his movements, Marius looked at the Poké Ball and then at the gate. A small guess quickly took shape in his heart, making his breathing quicken.
"That... that's the Superior Arena! Only... only Superior-level Trainers can go in there to battle!"
Marius's voice rose with excitement, drawing the attention of several people nearby.
He lowered his voice and leaned forward, his eyes full of twinkling stars:
"Brother Ariel, are you... are you already a Superior-level Trainer?!"
Superior-level.
These words carried a completely different weight in the Hoenn region.
It meant the Trainer had moved beyond the newcomer stage and was someone who could truly stand on their own—a true one in a thousand!
Ariel didn't answer directly.
He was calculating clearly in his mind.
Curator Stern had immense influence in the Hoenn region, with countless ties to the League and various factions.
Demonstrating one's value at the appropriate time was not a bad thing.
This was not only to gain a tilt in resources but also to obtain a ticket into higher circles.
Seeing Marius's face full of admiration, Ariel found it a bit amusing, but he didn't show it at all.
He simply reached out and, as he had done before, ruffled Marius's hair.
"Follow me."
Ariel stood up and took the lead, walking toward that direction.
Marius was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly grabbed his juice, took a large gulp, and quickly followed.
The closer they got to that Alloy Gate, the thinner and colder the air seemed to become.
The noisy voices were blocked out by an invisible wall, leaving only the low hum of medical equipment and his own increasingly loud heartbeat.
Standing before the door, the gazes of the two staff members in white coats swept over, devoid of any emotion, like scanners.
Ariel's expression remained normal as he took a Badge Case from his pocket.
Click.
The box opened, and six Gym Badges of various designs, all shining brightly, were neatly displayed inside.
One of the staff members took out a portable terminal and scanned the badges.
"Beep. Identity confirmed. Trainer Ariel. Six badges. Access granted."
A cold electronic voice sounded.
The Alloy Gate emitted a low hum and slowly slid open to both sides, revealing a deep, dark passage behind it.
Just as Ariel was about to step inside, the staff member's gaze fell on Marius behind him.
Ariel's heart stirred, and he was about to explain.
The staff member just glanced at Marius, and the perennial icy expression on his face seemed to melt slightly. He turned slightly and made a "please" gesture.
No inspection, no questioning.
Just like that... he was allowed through.
Even Marius was stunned.
Ariel's steps into the passage paused, feeling as if ten thousand Tauros were galloping through his heart.
Good grief.
I worked so hard, fighting tooth and nail to collect six badges just to get this pass.
But you, you just walk in by showing your face.
What can you do? After all, this luxury cruise ship is his family's own property.
I wonder if those rich kids back at the Newcomer Battleground knew about Marius's identity...