Shiro knew this old lady was the trainer of the two Ice-type Pokémon from yesterday. Without her, those Corviknight and Rillaboom wouldn't have been enough to stop him.
"Not bad, not bad." Shae looked him up and down again, sighing softly before turning around and slowly heading for the main door. "Come along, all of you."
No one said a word. They quietly followed the old woman as she slowly made her way forward.
She was a powerful, Elite-level trainer; that was enough to keep everyone silent.
In the Pokémon world, "League Champion" might be a title, but it wasn't one given lightly. To hold that position, Elite-level strength was the bare minimum; after all, even some of the weaker Legendary Pokémon only reached Elite-level.
The gap between Gym-level and Elite-level was massive, a divide most trainers could never cross. Those who could consistently raise Pokémon to that caliber stood at the very top, unmatched in resources, breeding knowledge, and mastery of Pokémon types.
Gym-level and Elite-level were two major bottlenecks that had crushed the dreams of countless talented trainers.
Even some of the Gym Leaders didn't possess true Gym-level strength. They just relied on powerful Pokémon passed down from their predecessors to maintain appearances.
'I wonder how many genuine Gym and Elite-level trainers Galar even has,' Shiro pondered.
Some people, like him, simply bought "brainless" Gym-level Pokémon from black market and claimed to be Gym-level trainers. But without the ability to command those Pokémon properly, they couldn't even beat experienced Advanced-level trainers.
Still, if someone managed to get their hands on a particularly strong "brainless" Gym-level Pokémon, like Rhyperior, they could still steamroll most Advanced-level trainers and anyone below.
Thinking about it more carefully, Shiro realized Pokédollars were the real ladder to strength and technology was the endgame.
Lost in thought, he barely noticed they had circled around the Macro Cosmos building and arrived at the outdoor training grounds.
The facility sat within a forest, enclosed by towering ten-meter-tall, pale green alloy pillars. A psychic energy barrier connected each pillar, forming a seamless boundary. From the inside, it looked perfectly clear, as if no barrier or technology was there at all.
The area was divided into three battle arenas and five training zones, plenty for their group.
Shae led them to the edge of one battle arena. Somehow, she pulled a red, round chair from nowhere, sat down slowly, then pointed her black cane toward the arena.
"Go ahead. Pick first, second, third, and fourth place."
'A battle?' Shiro instinctively glanced at the others, accidentally locking eyes with Nessa. Marvin and Allister didn't seem surprised.
"First place gets half. Second place splits the remaining half. Third place gets two-thirds of what's left… sounds fair, doesn't it?" Shae's wrinkled face curled into a smile. She tapped her cane on the ground again, motioning to the arena. "Fight."
"What are the rules for this battle?" Marvin asked.
"Standard Pokémon battle rules," Shae answered flatly.
"Got it." Nessa on the side nodded without objection, while Allister remained silent.
"Any other questions, kid?" Shae looked at Shiro, who was still frowning.
Shiro took the chance to ask, "Can we use any Pokémon?"
"Heh." Shae chuckled, showing her yellowed teeth. "You're a trainer. If it listens to you, why not?"
Shiro understood and nodded. Confidence surged through him.
If both his Rhyperior and Drakloak were allowed, getting first place should be easy. He doubted the others had any obedient, properly-trained Elite-level Pokémon.
Marvin and Allister clearly realized this too. Both knew about his Elite-level Drakloak.
"Looks like first place is already decided." Marvin sighed dramatically, resting his hands behind his head as he walked toward the battlefield, drawing a glance from Nessa.
"What do you mean?" she asked, then her gaze shifted to the silent, masked boy. Her eyes narrowed as a suspicion formed in her mind.
Shiro and she had only arrived yesterday, while Marvin and Allister had been here longer. For Marvin to act like first place was a foregone conclusion… someone among them must have overwhelming strength.
'Is it him?' Nessa stared at Allister, a heavy feeling growing in her chest.
She wanted to rise through the ranks, to become a Gym Leader. If she wanted the best resources for her Pokémon, she had to fight for them.
In a system like this, where resources were divided based on performance, the strong only got stronger, while the weak were left behind. Nessa knew she had to take the lead from the very beginning.
While the group mulled over their thoughts, Marvin brought over a small wooden tube filled with colored sticks.
"Let's draw lots."
He reached in first, pulling out a stick. "Mine's red."
Shiro followed, drawing his own stick. "Red."
Their eyes met, sharing a helpless exchange. They hadn't expected to fight each other so soon after meeting.
The remaining two didn't need to draw, they were automatically paired together.
The rules were simple: red and white groups, one-on-one within each group. The winners faced off to decide first place. The losers would battle the other group's loser to determine second place, and the last two would fight for third and fourth.
"Start together or one at a time?" Shiro asked.
Nessa stepped onto the battlefield first, Poké Ball in hand as she looked at Allister.
"We'll go first."
Shiro and Marvin had no objections, moving to the sidelines.
Meanwhile, Shae had already dragged her little red chair to the referee's spot, smiling as she waved her cane.
"Let's get started, hurry up."
Allister walked to his side of the field, standing opposite Nessa. Both trainers threw their Poké Balls at the same time.
"Mimikyu!"
"Come on out, Drednaw!"
Allister's Mimikyu landed first—a small, ghostly Pokémon hiding beneath a tattered Pikachu cloth. Its head drooped awkwardly to one side. No one had ever seen what lay beneath the disguise, because those who had were said to meet horrific ends.
Nessa's Drednaw hit the ground with a thud—a bulky, snapping turtle Pokémon with a jagged, rock-like horn. It looked as tough as it was fierce.
From the sidelines, Marvin winced the moment Mimikyu appeared, sucking in a sharp breath. His expression twisted into a grimace.
"That thing's creepy as hell," he muttered, leaning toward Shiro. "It messed me up bad last time… I didn't sleep a wink after fighting it."
"Mm." Shiro didn't really share the sentiment. He actually thought Mimikyu looked kind of cute.
On the battlefield, Nessa murmured softly to herself, trying to gauge her opponent's strength.
"An Advanced-level Mimikyu… close to Gym-level."
Her Drednaw was also Advanced-level—big, intimidating, and roughly around level 38. But it was her strongest Pokémon. She'd sent it out first to seize an early advantage.
Among the remaining Pokémon she trained herself, only one other had reached Advanced-level. The other three were still at Intermediate-level.
She wasn't sure if Allister was thinking the same way—leading with his strongest to overwhelm her—or if it was just a coincidence.
Still, remembering Marvin's previous comment, she figured Allister probably had something even stronger hidden in his lineup.
Clenching her fists, Nessa took a deep breath. This wasn't just a battle; it was a fight for resources, a fight to stay ahead. She couldn't afford to lose.
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