Shiro sat in the flying taxi, his gaze fixed on the clouds drifting lazily past the window. His mind wandered, piecing together everything he had learned from Marvin during their last encounter.
Marvin's goal was clear: to ruin the Gym Challenge and humiliate his older brother, Gordie.
'Or maybe... he plans to use this chance to kill him?'
But this wasn't just some twisted family feud. What caught Shiro off guard was that the mission wasn't Marvin's idea. It was backed by Chairman Rose himself.
If Rose was involved, Marvin wasn't acting alone. There were probably others, maybe even riding in the other Corviknight taxis flying alongside them right now. Shiro couldn't help but wonder how deep this went.
"Shiro, how about this? I'd say this pays you back for saving my life before, right?"
Marvin's voice snapped Shiro from his thoughts. He leaned back with a grin, hands tucked behind his head like they were on a casual road trip.
Shiro looked at him and nodded slowly.
If Marvin hadn't shown up today, he probably wouldn't have made it out of Lake Axewell alive.
"Crazy coincidence, huh?" Marvin chuckled. "Ran into you just like that. Seriously though, impressive stuff. Catching an elite-level Drakloak? That's insane."
Shiro didn't reply. He just smiled faintly and looked down at the sleeping Dreepy in his arms, the tiny Pokémon finally relaxed after escaping danger.
If the hunting team had succeeded in capturing Drakloak, they likely would've slapped some brainwashing device on it, turning the intelligent creature into a mindless weapon. Pseudo-legendaries, especially ones this strong, were far too smart to obey willingly.
Marvin stared at him for a moment, curiosity flickering in his eyes. He couldn't figure it out: how someone like Shiro managed to win Drakloak over.
Shiro didn't explain. He didn't need to.
Even after nearly dying, he didn't regret taking Drakloak away from them.
He wasn't sure what the future held or whether his decisions were right or wrong. But none of that mattered. He was determined to seize every opportunity, in training, in battle, in survival. If he didn't push himself to the limit, how could he ever compete with those born into power? The ones blessed with talent and resources?
Like Raihan from Hammerlocke's legendary Dragon Taming family, Lance from Kanto's, and even Leon, Galar's undefeated Champion, who rose to fame because Chairman Rose noticed him and gave him his support.
'Well, looks like I might get a shot at Rose's backing now too.'
Shiro lowered his head, his mind already racing ahead to what would happen when he finally met the man himself.
Marvin leaned closer, still watching him.
"Hey, Shiro, how did you end up in the Wild Area anyway? Back in Hammerlocke, you didn't find the black market, did you? Wait... no. If you didn't find it, how'd you end up all the way out here?"
"I killed someone. Had nowhere else to run," Shiro said calmly.
Marvin blinked, then laughed like he'd already figured it out.
"Let me guess—showed off some cash and got targeted? Man, that's rough. You should've just stuck with me from the start."
Shiro shook his head lightly.
Even if he could go back and choose a hundred times, he'd still pick heading into the city and living a quiet, stable life.
After waking up in this world and becoming a fugitive almost immediately, safety was all he wanted. There was no way he'd trust someone he barely knew back then.
Marvin let out a sigh, his grin fading. His voice dropped lower.
"Well, after we split up, I headed straight to the black market, then to the company. After meeting Chairman Rose, I became part of Macro Cosmos."
He patted his white uniform, flicking the Macro Cosmos emblem on his chest proudly.
"Let me fill you in on our mission and the bigger picture," Marvin leaned back, his voice taking on a more serious edge.
"You know how everyone thinks Chairman Rose runs Galar? That's only half the truth. Sure, he controls the League, owns Macro Cosmos, and funds pretty much everything, but the Gym Leaders still hold too much power. Especially over their territories."
Shiro listened intently.
"The Chairman doesn't like that," Marvin continued. "While the Gyms schemed to break free from the Chairman's influence, he wanted to weaken their authority."
Shiro frowned slightly. "By attacking the Gym Challenge?"
Marvin nodded.
"Yeah. Everyone thinks the Gym Challenge is this fair, noble thing, but it's a joke. Gym leaders handpick their successors and pass their titles down through their families like its some kind of royal inheritance. And the Endorsement Letter system just makes it worse. The whole thing's rigged to prop up the heirs of elite families, turning the Challenge into a parade of rich kids and legacy trainers."
Marvin's voice grew colder.
"That's where we come in. We're the trainers who got cheated. Locked out of the Gym Challenge for stupid reasons: wrong family, no connections, whatever. The Chairman is using us to sabotage the Challenge from the inside. We'll prove to everyone that the so-called 'endorsed' trainers aren't the best; they're just privileged."
At this point, a grin crept onto Marvin's face.
"And here's the kicker. If we make it to the Champion Cup and crush the current Gym Leaders, the Chairman promised we could replace them and become Gym Leaders ourselves!"
Shiro finally understood.
Rose wasn't just trying to shake up the Gym system; he wanted to tear it down and rebuild it under his control.
And the strongest contender for the Champion title, the undefeated Leon, was also Rose's man.
No wonder Macro Cosmos' hunting team was backing them. This mission was crucial to Rose's plans, a decisive move to seize total control over Galar.
The Champion of a region wasn't just a title; it was a position. The Champion was technically the leader of all trainers and Gyms, with the authority to mobilize other trainers as needed.
Rose, acting as both Macro Cosmos' chairman and the League president, controlling the Champion and the Gyms…
He'd have Galar's entire political and military power in his hands.
...
About half an hour later.
The Flying taxi finally reached Wyndon.
Powered by several Gym-level Corviknight working together and using Tailwind to boost their speed, they crossed half of Galar in no time.
Wyndon's skyline was packed with towering skyscrapers, but the most impressive building was undeniably Macro Cosmos' headquarters—Rose Tower. The massive skyscraper was surrounded by an enormous park.
The flying taxi brought them directly to the base of the tower.
Black metal and glass stretched endlessly into the sky. From the ground, the top was invisible; all Shiro could see was the blinding white reflections.
Stepping out of the cab, Shiro took a deep breath, feeling a little uneasy about what came next.
He was, after all, an outsider who joined halfway through. On top of that, he stole a Pokémon meant for the mission. And back in Hammerlocke, he killed a League staffer, technically one of Rose's own people.
He had no idea what Rose would think about that.
"Let's go, Shiro." Marvin patted his shoulder and walked ahead like he knew the place by heart.
Two burly guards in black uniforms, wearing sunglasses, stood at the entrance. They didn't even glance at Marvin.
Shiro followed closely but glanced back, hoping to catch a glimpse of the other trainers on the mission.
All he saw was a short boy stepping out of a taxi behind them. The boy wore a black shirt and a mask, hiding his face entirely. Shiro couldn't tell who he was, though something about his posture seemed vaguely familiar.
He stepped into the elevator with Marvin, leaving the boy behind. Without waiting, Marvin pressed the button for the top floor, and the doors slid shut with a soft hiss.
Before long, they reached the top floor.
A hallway led to a large, dark-colored door. Marvin nudged Shiro forward.
"Chairman Rose only wants to see you. Go on in. Don't worry, he's a nice guy."
Shiro glanced at him, then walked toward the door, his footsteps echoing in the silent hallway.
'Nice guy?' He doubted it. None of the trainers he met on this journey had been remotely "nice."
Standing in front of the door, he reached out, took a deep breath, and slowly pushed it open.
A warm beige color filled his eyes, completely different from the cold steel and glass outside. It was a surprisingly small office.
Behind a red mahogany desk, a middle-aged man in a gray suit slowly lifted his eyes to meet Shiro's.
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