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He had originally thought Ariel was just a powerful but mysteriously-backed lone wolf who might be open to reason just because he had a few friends.
But what was he seeing now?
Three Gym Leaders! One of them was even the world-famous Wallace, who had fans all over the globe! They were chatting and laughing with Ariel like old friends!
What kind of background was this? What kind of connections?
Cold sweat instantly trickled down his forehead, soaking the clothes on his back.
He felt a wave of lingering fear over his earlier impulsiveness.
Looking for trouble with someone like that?
Was he insane?
Did he even need to doubt the cause of Honki's death anymore?
This was simply not an existence he could afford to provoke!
His legs began to feel weak. Looking at the quartet chatting and laughing, it was as if he were looking at four glowing suns, their brilliance making his eyes ache.
He didn't dare stay a second longer. Hunched over, he retreated step by step, silently, wanting to erase himself from everyone's sight.
In his panic, he tripped over his own feet and landed on his backside with a dull thud.
The sound wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear in the quiet cafeteria.
The conversation between Ariel, Gym Leader Brawly, and the others stopped, and they all looked toward him.
Being stared at by four—no, by the gaze of the entire cafeteria—the young man felt his face burning, wishing he could find a hole to crawl into.
He scrambled to his feet on all fours and rushed out of the cafeteria, looking as disheveled as if a monstrous beast were chasing him.
Watching the guy's fleeing back, Gym Leader Brawly scratched his head in confusion.
"What's up with him? Constipation?"
Ariel withdrew his gaze and took a sip of warm water, a faint smile playing on his lips.
"Who knows."
...
The morning sunlight pierced through the dome of the Ever Grande Conference stadium, turning into mottled spots of light that fell upon the boisterous arena.
The crowd was clamoring, waves of heat rolling one after another.
Ariel stood in the shadows of the player tunnel, listening to the mountain-shaking cheers outside, his expression calm.
His match was about to begin.
The 3v3 rules for the Preliminaries tested both a Trainer's Pokémon pool depth and their ability to adapt their commands on the fly.
His opponent was a youth from the Kalos region with arrogant red hair and an unmistakable air of pride on his face.
He seemed extremely confident in his strength, sending out a robust Machamp as his first Pokémon.
"Go, Greninja."
Ariel casually tossed a Poké Ball. A blue figure appeared quietly in a flash of white light, arms crossed, its long red tongue-scarf swaying slightly in the air, its eyes as calm as still water.
"Machamp, use Cross Slash!"
The red-haired youth couldn't wait to launch the attack.
The Machamp, with its four thick arms and bulging muscles, roared as it charged. Its arms crossed in front of it, creating a sharp whistling sound as they tore through the air.
Ariel didn't move; he didn't even bother to give a command.
Just as the Cross Slash was about to hit, Greninja's figure suddenly blurred, turning into an afterimage that easily evaded the heavy blow.
In the next second, it had already appeared behind Machamp.
"What?"
The red-haired youth's pupils constricted.
Before he could react, several shuriken made of water were already released, tracing cold arcs through the air and precisely slicing into Machamp's defenseless nape.
Water Shuriken!
Machamp's massive body stiffened. Before it could even scream, it crashed to the ground, losing its ability to battle.
A one-hit K.O.!
The opponent's Elite level peak strength simply couldn't withstand a single hit from Greninja!
There was a moment of silence in the arena, followed by an even more heated eruption of discussion.
"What incredible speed!"
"That Trainer didn't even give a command. Is it a heart-to-heart connection?"
Although the contestants each had one match in the morning and one in the afternoon, the specific match times were staggered for the sake of viewership.
In the VIP seats, Gym Leader Brawly's mouth hung open in an 'O' shape. He had finished his match early and had come to watch Ariel's performance in advance.
Gym Leader Brawly murmured:
"...That speed, it's simply on another dimension."
"Ariel's rate of improvement is absolutely terrifying."
It was no wonder Gym Leader Brawly was surprised. The last time they met, in terms of strength, Gym Leader Brawly was considered Ariel's senior, but now, the two were on equal footing.
Who wouldn't be stunned by this?
The red-haired youth's face flushed. He gritted his teeth and sent out his second Pokémon, a Venusaur that had a type advantage over Greninja.
A giant flower was on its back, and its Vine Whips were like two venomous snakes poised to strike.
"Solar Beam!"
He wanted to decide the outcome in one go with a powerful move.
The bud on Venusaur's back began to gather blinding light, and the temperature in the air seemed to rise a few degrees.
Ariel finally spoke. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly across the entire field.
"Double Team."
Greninja's figure instantly split into ten. Over a dozen identical clones were scattered across various corners of the field, each maintaining the same posture, making it impossible to distinguish the original.
"Forget it! Aim at the one in the middle and fire!" The red-haired youth grew frantic.
A searing pillar of light erupted, swallowing the "Greninja" in the center of the field and blasting a charred crater into the ground.
However, that was only a clone.
The real Greninja had appeared above the charging Venusaur at some unknown point.
In its hand, an icy blue beam of light had somehow coalesced.
This was a move Greninja had recently mastered, learned while training with Weavile.
"Ice Beam."
Ariel's voice sounded like a final judgment.
Cold energy instantly poured down, hitting the giant bud on Venusaur's back dead center.
Type advantage seemed so pale and powerless in the face of an absolute gap in strength and a surprise attack.
Venusaur let out a mournful cry, its massive body quickly covered in frost, turning into an ice sculpture and losing its ability to battle.
"This..."
The red-haired youth was completely dazed. His last hope was a lightning-fast Raichu.
However, in front of Greninja, the speed Raichu took pride in was like a joke.
The battle ended within ten seconds.
Greninja didn't even use any ultimate moves; it simply relied on its ghost-like speed and precise Water Shuriken to resolve the battle with ease.
A 3-0 sweep!
When the referee announced the result, the entire stadium erupted.
Ariel calmly recalled Greninja, gave a slight nod toward the spectator stands, and turned to leave, his deeds done and his name hidden.
...
The lunch break passed quickly, and the afternoon matches began in rapid succession.
Ariel's second match was scheduled on a field with a massive water pool.
His opponent was a steady-looking young man who showed a look of joy upon seeing the field, clearly a Trainer who specialized in Water-type battles.
"Come out, my ace, Kingdra!"
The young man confidently sent out his first Pokémon.
Ariel looked at the Kingdra swimming in the water, the corners of his mouth curling upward.
Playing with Water-types on a pool field against him?