Ariel's hand was merely resting lightly on the young man's shoulder; his movements were gentle, showing no apparent force.
But in the next second, the young man's expression changed.
A piercing pain suddenly surged from the gap in his shoulder blade, searing through his nerves all the way to his cerebral cortex.
It wasn't the dull pain caused by Superpower, but a precise, insidious, and intense pain that made half of his body go numb.
He tried to struggle, but found that the hand was like a pair of iron pincers, remaining perfectly still.
He wanted to curse, but only a few muffled, distorted groans could escape his throat, like a rooster being strangled.
"What are you looking at? Bumpkin, never seen the world?"
Ariel threw his own words back at him in a lower, deeper tone, almost whispering them into his ear.
There was no anger in that voice, only a calmness that chilled one to the bone.
Cold sweat broke out on the young man's forehead.
"Get lost, or I'll dislocate your arm."
Ariel's voice remained very low; it wasn't a threat, but simply a statement of fact.
The man grimaced in pain, his handsome face twisting into a livid purple.
He had been humiliated; the sense of disgrace instantly outweighed the pain, and anger flared in his eyes once more.
Just as he was about to erupt regardless of the consequences, a crisp and somewhat anxious female voice came from the side of the queue.
"Honmura! What are you doing here!"
The owner of the voice was a young girl wearing a white dress; she ran over hurriedly, her skirt fluttering in a beautiful arc.
The girl's appearance was like a stone cast into the heavy, oppressive air, and everyone's gaze was involuntarily drawn to her.
She was extremely beautiful, with fair skin and long black hair that swayed gently as she ran, her features carrying a hint of appropriate panic and apology.
"How can you cut in line! Apologize now!"
The girl ran up and grabbed the sleeve of the young man named "Honmura," her tone full of reproach.
She then turned to Ariel and bowed deeply, her posture as perfect as a well-bred young lady from a textbook.
"I am very sorry, sir! Honmura... he's just thick-headed and acts without thinking. He has caused you trouble! I apologize to you on his behalf. Please... please forgive him!"
The girl looked up, her eyes slightly reddened and her voice timid, carrying an almost imperceptible tremor.
Ariel's brow twitched almost invisibly.
At the same time, the gazes of the surrounding people in line, who had previously been afraid to speak up, also began to change.
In their eyes, the scene was being reinterpreted.
One was a noble young master who had been wronged and was clearly in pain.
One was a pitiful, beautiful girl apologizing humbly.
And then there was him—a bumpkin with his hand on someone else's shoulder, looking cold and seemingly acting as the aggressor.
The victim had become the perpetrator.
He released his hand.
It wasn't because of the girl's apology, nor was it because he had softened his heart, and certainly not because of the crowd's stares.
It was because he saw Officer Jenny not far away, maintaining order in her uniform, and she had already used Lock-On with her gaze on him.
That look was filled with scrutiny and wariness.
Ariel didn't feel like getting into trouble.
As soon as Ariel let go, Honmura immediately reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on; he shook his body violently, rubbed his numb shoulder, and glared at Ariel with venomous eyes, looking as if he still wanted to get even.
"Honmura!"
Ayaka was quick, giving his waist a sharp pinch.
That pinch clearly took considerable effort; Honmura's features twisted again, but this time he forced himself to hold back the Growl.
Ayaka bowed to Ariel once more, her sincerity impeccable, and then unceremoniously dragged the unwilling Honmura to the very end of the long queue.
The entire process was smooth and handled flawlessly.
Among the surrounding crowd, some people began to whisper.
"That girl is so sensible, and she's beautiful too."
"Yeah, it's unfortunate to be stuck with a companion like that."
"She has such a good upbringing; you can tell she's from a great family."
In an instant, this girl named Ayaka won the favor of most people present with her outstanding looks and proper conduct.
Meanwhile, Ariel, the actual victim, became a background character ignored by everyone.
He waved his hand indifferently, as if the small disturbance just now truly had nothing to do with him.
The line continued forward.
Soon, it was Ariel's turn.
The staff member in charge of registration was a meticulous middle-aged man; he took Ariel's pokédex and eight badges, carefully verifying them on the device.
"Ariel, confirmed. Welcome to the Ever Grande Conference."
The staff member's voice was flat as he handed over a hard card.
The card was deep blue, printed with the Ever Grande Conference logo and a room number, "B-066."
The back of the card was densely packed with tournament rules and instructions for the first preliminary round.
"Take this key card; someone will lead you to your accommodations in the rest area."
Ariel took the card and thanked him.
A young man wearing a League work uniform walked over and made a "please" gesture.
"Mr. Ariel, please follow me."
Ariel followed him, passing through the noisy registration hall and into a quiet corridor reserved for contestants.
On both sides of the corridor were massive floor-to-ceiling windows; outside was a meticulously manicured landscape, and in the distance, the grand dome of the Ever Grande Conference main venue reflected the sunlight, appearing solemn and majestic.
The air was filled with the faint fragrance of green grass and soil, a sharp contrast to the hot and clammy atmosphere outside.
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