After buying six more Gym-level Dragon Scales worth a total of 3 million Pokédollars, Shiro walked out of the black market room.
"Phew~" He let out a long breath, feeling the rush of spending money so freely for the first time.
The company's spending limit still had 15 million left, and his personal savings sat at over 7 million.
'So this is what financial freedom feels like.'
The thought lingered as Shiro stepped into the elevator, heading down to the 11th floor. He planned to grab some food at the cafeteria, then stock up on Pokéblocks for his team.
It was already late, past six, and the sky outside was starting to dim. For someone like him, who rarely stayed up late, it was almost time to wind down. Not to mention, after everything he'd gone through in the wild today, his Pokémon were just as worn out as he was.
Ding~
The elevator came to a smooth stop.
Shiro walked into the cafeteria, finding it nearly empty. Rows of tables and chairs sat neatly arranged, the quiet hum of the lights filling the space. He ordered a bowl of noodles without much thought and made his way to a corner seat.
He wasn't sure about everyone else's schedules, but both he and Nessa had only arrived today. She was probably still getting used to the place like he was.
As for Marvin, that guy slipped away after dropping Shiro off at the black market floor, saying he had more training to do.
Shiro was midway through slurping his noodles when the elevator chimed again.
His gaze drifted to the doors.
A small figure stepped out: a boy, or at least he looked like one, wearing a plain white mask. Black hair fell past his eyebrows, and a loose black shirt draped over his frame.
The boy moved quietly to the self-serve area, heading toward the plump lady running the drinks counter.
"Allister, you're here again? Same drink as usual?" The lady's voice was warm and familiar.
'Allister?' The name felt familiar to Shiro.
He chewed his noodles slowly, running through the list of Gym Leaders in Galar from the original story. It didn't take long for the name to click.
Allister, the Ghost-type Gym Leader from Stow-on-Side.
In Pokémon Sword and Shield, players who chose the Shield version met him at that Gym. But seeing him in reality felt different. He seemed even quieter and more mysterious than the game made him out to be.
Shiro kept his head down, focused on his food. The fact that both Nessa and Allister were here made him trust Rose's "special mission" a little more. They weren't just any trainers; they were future Gym Leader material.
As for Marvin, Shiro wasn't sure what to make of him yet. In the games, Melony and Gordie were the Gym Leaders of Circhester, not Marvin.
He couldn't tell if his own interference had changed things or if something bigger was at play. Maybe, just maybe, he had altered the fate where Marvin was supposed to die in the Route 9 Tunnel.
Shiro shook off the thought.
He finished his noodles, stocked up on Pokéblocks, and headed to the 12th floor.
...
Once inside his room, Shiro released his Corvisquire and Gastly, placing trays filled with perfect-quality Pokéblocks in front of them.
"Coorv!"
Corvisquire dove in immediately, pecking away eagerly.
"Gaaasss!"
Gastly, not one to be left behind, let out a sharp hiss before shoving its gaseous face into the pile, devouring the food hungrily.
It was their first time eating something this good; both looked absolutely delighted.
Next, Shiro called out Drakloak from his shadow. He handed it and the Dreepy resting on its head a box of Pokéblocks each.
"And you too… come on out, Growlithe!"
He tossed the last Poké Ball, releasing his newest team member.
Growlithe emerged in a flash of light, covered in thick orange fur with bold black stripes. A fluffy, cream-colored mane wrapped around its neck like a warm scarf.
It was bigger than Shiro expected, nearly a meter tall, with a sturdy frame that hinted at good care before ending up in his hands. Its head even reached up to his elbow.
The Growlithe blinked up at him, wide-eyed and unsure. Then its gaze shifted, locking onto Drakloak nearby, who was happily munching away at its Pokéblocks.
The overwhelming aura of an Elite-level Dragon-type froze the poor Growlithe in place. It dropped to the ground, too scared to move.
"Come here, Growlithe," Shiro called softly, seeing how timid it looked. He placed a food tray filled with Fire-type Pokéblocks in front of it.
Growlithe sniffed cautiously. After a single taste, its eyes lit up, and it dove in, eating heartily.
'It's probably from some breeding farm in Kanto, stuck in a Poké Ball for days. Now it's in a strange place, surrounded by unfamiliar people and Pokémon… must be tough on the little guy.'
Shiro gently ran a hand through its fur before standing up to wash up.
It was about time for bed.
Starting tomorrow, he'd return to the full-day training schedule he followed back when he trained in Hammerlocke Stadium.
...
The next day.
The sun barely peeked over the horizon when Shiro woke up. It was just past 6 AM.
After his morning routine, he grabbed his backpack and headed to the ninth floor. Even though Macro Cosmos Headquarters was secure, he kept his stuff packed—ready to run if needed.
When he reached the ninth floor, rows of side-by-side training rooms came into view.
The indicator lights above each door glowed green. He scanned his ID card in front of one, and the door slid open automatically.
Inside was a massive rectangular space, six meters tall and at least four or five times bigger than the intermediate rooms back at Hammerlocke Stadium.
Familiar Pokémon target dummies lined one side, while a wide variety of specialized training equipment filled the rest, including weights and machines tailored to different Pokémon types.
In the corner, free food and drinks were neatly arranged. Shiro even spotted a sizable shower room, seemingly designed for both trainers and their Pokémon.
"Damn, this is high-end," Shiro couldn't help but mutter, impressed.
He then released all his Pokémon, including Rhyperior. The room's height was just enough to accommodate the hulking beast.
It hadn't eaten all day yesterday. It wouldn't starve, but still, going without food wasn't ideal.
Shiro took out some Rock and Ground-type Pokéblocks from his backpack, stuffed them into a large food box, and placed it in the corner for Rhyperior to eat in peace.
Corvisquire and Gastly on the side stuck together, while Growlithe timidly shuffled over to join them.
Drakloak, meanwhile, was seeing this kind of room for the first time. It zipped around in circles, curiously exploring the space.
"Corvisquire, Gastly!" Shiro barely finished speaking before the two Pokémon rushed over, chirping and hissing loudly.
"Squuiire!"
"Gaaasss!"
They were both restless, eager to train, desperate to get stronger.
After all, it was bad enough when the massive Rhyperior joined, a powerhouse that completely overshadowed them. But then Drakloak came along, and its strength felt like an unshakable wall, leaving the two feeling hopelessly outclassed.
Especially for Corvisquire.
It couldn't shake the feeling that it no longer deserved its place as the "big brother" of the team.
Rhyperior alone was enough to make it feel small, unable to even spread its wings in front of the towering beast. Adding Dreepy to the mix, Corvisquire wished it could disappear into the woods to train for ten years before coming back.
It had followed Shiro from Spikemuth, fighting through numerous battles. It refused to let itself fall behind. Weakness wasn't an option.
Gastly felt the same pressure.
Back when it was just the two of them, things were fine. But now, with stronger teammates joining one after another, Gastly didn't want to stay stuck as the "runt of the team" forever.
It glanced sideways at the clueless Growlithe, eyes narrowing. Especially now that the team had a newcomer to fill that spot.
Even though they were both still at the Beginner-level, deep down, Gastly couldn't help but worry… what if it wasn't even stronger than the new kid?
Looking at the goofy, vacant expression on Growlithe's face, an uneasy, urgent feeling stirred inside Gastly.
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