Honmura sat slumped in the corner like a pile of mud, his eyes hollow, staring fixedly at Ayaka.
The crowd around him whispered, their gazes a mix of pity and fear.
He scrambled forward on all fours but stopped half a meter away from Ayaka, his outstretched hands trembling violently, not daring to touch her.
"Ayaka... Ayaka!"
His voice carried a sob, sounding as desperate as if his throat were being strangled.
Several medical personnel in white uniforms arrived quickly, efficiently securing Ayaka onto a stretcher.
The metal wheels rolled across the ground with a piercing screech, each sound feeling like it was grinding over Honmura's heart.
He knew that even if the best doctors used the most advanced equipment, even if they could treat her, she would still be a cripple.
A total and complete cripple...
...
The air in Ariel's room was quiet, save for the faint hum of the air conditioner's vent.
He sat on the bed, fiddling with a Poké Ball, his expression calm.
Knock, knock, knock.
The knocking was neither light nor heavy, carrying a business-like rhythm.
Two men in standard League professional attire stood outside the door, the badges on their chests indicating their status.
"Contestant Ariel, we are from the Ever Grande Conference Disciplinary Committee. We need to speak with you about a few things."
One of them was slightly older with a square face, his tone flat.
Ariel stepped aside to let them in, wearing a look of perfectly calibrated confusion.
"Please, come in. Has something happened? I... I think I just fainted."
The two men exchanged a glance, their eyes subtly scanning the room.
"It's like this,"
The square-faced man began,
"We received a report of a vicious assault in the contestant lounge. According to surveillance footage, you were the last person in contact with the victim."
Ariel frowned, seemingly trying hard to remember.
"I only remember that person named Ayaka bringing me a glass of water. After I drank it, I felt very dizzy. I don't remember anything that happened after that... When I woke up, I was in my room."
His acting was flawless, the bewilderment and lingering fear in his tone just right.
The other, younger man pushed up his glasses, the lenses reflecting the light.
"Surveillance did indeed capture Ayaka handing you water, after which you collapsed—a clear reaction to a prohibited substance."
He paused, his tone shifting,
"But what happened afterward clearly falls into the category of a personal vendetta."
Ariel said nothing, simply watching them quietly, waiting for them to continue.
The square-faced man took over the conversation:
"Contestant Ariel, we are all smart people; there's no need to spell everything out. It is a fact that Ayaka made the first move. However, your retaliation crossed the line. League regulations state that Pokémon cannot be used to cause serious harm to civilians outside of the arena."
"I told you, I don't know anything."
Ariel spread his hands, looking completely innocent.
The atmosphere in the room turned somewhat stagnant.
Ultimately, it was the square-faced man who broke the silence.
"We will close this case as a contestant being drugged followed by an unclear conflict. However, once the Ever Grande Conference concludes, we will conduct a routine inspection on you. We hope you will cooperate."
This was both a warning and a compromise.
"Furthermore,"
he added,
"please do not let anything similar happen in the upcoming matches. Otherwise, the League will issue severe disciplinary action depending on the situation, which will directly affect your final results."
"Understood."
Ariel nodded.
After seeing the two men out, Ariel closed the door, and the confusion on his face vanished instantly, replaced by cold indifference.
He walked to the window, watching the crowds moving below.
This little bit of trouble didn't concern him at all.
The night passed without incident.
The next day, sunlight spilled into the room through the window, and the air was filled with the scent of grass and soil.
Ariel headed to the arena as usual.
Today's format was 3v3, and the intensity of the battles had clearly stepped up a notch.
When the name 'Ariel' flashed onto the massive electronic screen, a wave of irrepressible chatter immediately erupted from the stands.
"That's him! The one who crippled that cute girl yesterday!"
"I heard this guy has a shady background, like he's some wanted criminal who somehow snuck into the Ever Grande Conference."
"For real? A wanted criminal? Isn't the League doing anything?"
"Who knows? Just look at him, he has a villainous face. He's definitely not a good person."
Rumors spread like a virus; overnight, Ariel had transformed from an obscure contestant into a villain in everyone's eyes.
Ariel turned a deaf ear to it all.
He knew Honmura's hand was behind this push.
Trying to attack my mindset with rumors?
Childish tricks.
As he entered the contestant tunnel, several other contestants walking toward him instinctively stepped back, their eyes darting away as if they were seeing a plague bearer.
Ariel didn't care.
Today's battlefield was several times larger than yesterday's—an open rock field with massive stone pillars scattered about, providing ample tactical space for combat.
His opponent was a young man around twenty-five or twenty-six who looked arrogant, his gaze toward Ariel filled with undisguised disdain and a hint of wariness.
Records showed the opponent was an Elite Level Trainer with a bit of a reputation in the circuit.
"Hmph, a practitioner of crooked paths."
The opponent spat out contemptuously.
The referee's flag dropped.
"Go, Krookodile!"
Ariel didn't even bother wasting words, throwing out the Poké Ball directly.
In a flash of red light, the massive Krookodile appeared on the field. Its dark red skin shimmered with a fierce luster under the sun, and its long snout pulled back to reveal bone-white teeth, a wave of murderous aura washing over the area.
The opponent's expression shifted, but he steeled himself and sent out his first Pokémon, a Manectric known for its speed.
"Manectric, use Quick Attack!"
Manectric turned into a bolt of yellow lightning, charging straight for Krookodile.
Ariel didn't even bother giving a command.
Krookodile simply flicked its tail impatiently.
Thud!
A dull sound echoed.
That bolt of yellow lightning was like it had hit a wall, flying backward even faster than it had come. It slammed heavily into a rock wall, twitched twice, and lost its ability to battle.
One move.
An instant K.O.
The entire stadium went silent.
Everyone was stunned by this brutal and direct display.
Cold sweat broke out on the opponent's forehead. Only now did he realize that the strength of this man, whom the rumors painted so poorly, far exceeded his imagination.
Gritting his teeth, he sent out his second and third Pokémon in quick succession.
A valiant Primeape and a Golem with outstanding defense.
However, it made no difference.
Before Krookodile's absolute power, all tactics were rendered pale and powerless.
Primeape's Close Combat was caught in a Bite by Krookodile, then it was tossed aside like trash.
Golem's proud rocky body was torn open as easily as tofu under Krookodile's claws, which were coated in Dark-type energy.
A total sweep.
A clean and efficient 1v3.
From the start of the match to the finish, barely three minutes had passed.
When the referee announced Ariel's victory, the entire arena was deathly silent.
The spectators who had been gossiping earlier now shut their mouths, their gazes toward Ariel shifting from disdain to pure awe and fear.
Ariel recalled Krookodile and turned to leave. From beginning to end, he never spared a single glance at his opponent, who stood frozen in place.
To him, this was nothing more than a warm-up.
Ariel returned to the lounge; he had another match in the afternoon.
A few hours later, the name of his next opponent appeared on the display screen in the lounge.
Looking at the name before him, Ariel's eyes narrowed slightly.
Honmura.
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